It's December, so summer has been steaming up Australia for a week now. It's also predicted to be a particularly warm and wet season. So, you might think that snow is off the agenda for a few months. That's a reasonable view to hold. It's sensible, in fact. But it seems that the weather has other ideas, with New South Wales and Victoria's alpine regions getting more than a little frosty this week. Yes, it has been snowing in places such as Perisher and Mount Hotham. The former got down to -0.8 degrees overnight last night (as Monday, December 7 became Tuesday, December 8), as recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology. It's also forecast to hit a -1-degree minimum on Wednesday, December 9. At the latter, the mercury is only tipped to hit 7 degrees maximum on Tuesday, December 8, while Weatherzone reports that it got down to -1.4 degrees overnight. Numbers are all well and good, but if you want on-the-ground details — and images — a number of places in both areas have you covered. Perisher Resort and Hotham Alpine Resort have each posted videos to their social media showing the conditions. If you haven't seen snow in summer before, well, consider that a new 2020 achievement. https://twitter.com/PerisherResort/status/1336068906327318528 https://twitter.com/_hotham/status/1336079287091269632 As the Bureau of Meteorology in both NSW and Victoria have reported, wintry conditions are indeed on the cards in both state's alpine regions this week. Perisher is expected to have minimums between -1–3 degrees until Monday, with maximums between 9–17. At Mount Hotham, the corresponding ranges span -1–7 in terms of lows and 7–17 degrees in top temps. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1335690118133321729 https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1335766642475880456 As for Sydney and Melbourne, it won't be anywhere near that frosty, unsurprisingly. But Sydney's maximums are due to stay mild, between 22–25, for most of the week. In Melbourne, the city isn't predicted to top 18 degrees either today or Wednesday — although temps will rise over the weekend, leading to a 32-degree maximum on Monday, December 14. Top image: Mount Hotham, Rob Blackburn.
While seeing fruit mince pies in your local shopping centre in October feels downright disturbing, there's one Christmas treat that no one ever minds arriving early: Four Pillars annual Christmas Gin. The third iteration of the Healesville distillery's seasonal sip is coming in strong, set to hit shelves next Saturday, November 3. It's the delicious result of a yearly tradition that sees a bunch of Christmas puddings — handmade with the owner's family recipe — distilled with various festive botanicals to create a sought-after tipple that pretty much screams December 25. The flavours of an Aussie Christmas are captured in notes of cinnamon, star anise, juniper, coriander and angelica. The Christmas gin is then blended with some earlier gin that's been carefully ageing in old muscat barrels. It's all finished with a hit of Rutherglen muscat and some of Four Pillars' own matured muscat for a bit of added richness and complexity. Each year, a new unique label is chosen to wrap up this Christmas creation, setting out to evoke that same festive spirit. 2018's bottle design is the work of Stephen Baker, the Melbourne artist responsible for the mural outside Fitzroy Pool and one of the Art Trams currently rattling around the city. The bottle is decorated with his bold geometric shapes and bright hues of bathers by the pool, and pretty much nails the feel of a hot and summery Aussie Christmas. The distillers recommend you drink it in a Christmassy G&T with grapefruit sherbet and star anise, or a cobbler with lemon, muscat and a bit of sugar. Or you can just splash a bit of it on your Christmas pudding — Four Pillars is selling its own four-serve puds for $25 alongside the gin. If you want to nab a bottle, have your fingers poised over the 'buy' button when they go on sale online on November 3. Alternatively, you can stop by the distillery's CBD pop-up on level six of Myer, or Four Pillars HQ in Healesville. Bottles are $100 a pop and you can get it shipped in a copper gift box (with a stirring spoon) for an extra $15. Four Pillars Christmas Gin is available from November 3, in selected retail stores and online. But you'd best be quick — there's only a limited amount of bottles.
Whether you are a south coast local or a city slicker who needs a quick getaway to paradise, the Huskisson Hotel is the place to be this summer. Situated right on the sandy shores of Jervis Bay, the Husky Pub is a much-loved institution. And if you are looking for an excuse to plan a pub visit, we've got some good news. Veuve Clicquot is taking over the Huskisson Hotel lawn to bring a touch of luxury to that enviable laid-back coastal lifestyle. Until the end of February, you can relax on a deck chair under a bright yellow Veuve umbrella and enjoy sweeping ocean views while sipping on quality bubbly. A cheeky glass of Veuve Clicquot will set you back $30, or you can splash out on a full bottle for $140 — you're on holidays, after all. Pair your bubbles with some top-notch snack from the bar menu — think, freshly shucked oysters topped with wakame and Japanese dressing, tiger prawns with caper lime aioli or a charcuterie grazing board. Veuve Clicquot in the Sun x Huskisson Hotel is running until Monday, February 28. To make a booking, head to Husky Pub's website.
When warm weather arrives, the Snowy Mountains transform into an adventurer's playground. Lakes you wouldn't dip a toe into during winter become dazzling, sun-kissed visions, perfect for windsurfing, sailing and fishing. Walking, cycling and horse riding trails buried in snow thaw out, allowing you to wander through twisted snow gum forests, across wildflower meadows and along majestic mountain ridges, surrounded by incredible panoramas. Here are ten ways to spend time in the Snowies during the warmer months — from paddling the legendary Snowy River to catching trout in Lake Eucumbene to camping by tranquil Thredbo River. [caption id="attachment_659671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] WINDSURFING AND SAILING ON LAKE JINDABYNE Whether you're completely new to windsurfing or a seasoned expert, peaceful Lake Jindabyne, one of the highest lakes in Australia, offers escapades a-plenty. Winds are pretty steady (yet gentle) and there's not too much traffic, so you don't have to continually stress about bumping into someone else. What's more, the mountainous scenery is stunning. There's a bunch of windsurfer hire spots about, including Sacred Ride and Snowy Mountains Holidays. Alternatively, you could consider a sailboat. If you're looking for fellow sailors, check out Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club, which runs a busy program from November to March. [caption id="attachment_659673" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jon Armstrong / Destination NSW.[/caption] PADDLING THE SNOWY RIVER Starting on Mount Kosciuszko's slopes and flowing into the Bass Strait in Victoria, the Snowy River's 352 kilometres provide ample opportunities for paddling. That said, there are rapids and tight spots a-plenty, so, unless you're experienced, it could be a good idea to find a guide. Alpine River Adventures runs adventurous, yet suitable for newbies day trips and multi-day expeditions through the ancient Byadbo Wilderness. Expect to meet platypuses and brumbies, to journey through steep gorges and to rush down grade-three rapids. [caption id="attachment_661863" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] HORSE RIDING IN THREDBO VALLEY Unencumbered by snow, Thredbo Valley is a picturesque garden of pretty snow gums, towering mountain gums and open plains, with the wild Thredbo River running through. To find out what The Man from Snowy River was all about, experience it from a horse's back. Thredbo Valley Horse Riding has been running trail rides since 1993. For a taster, book a one or two-hour ride, or to spend a bit longer in the saddle, go for a half-day adventure. All rides include gear and basic instruction. If you're interested in a multi-day trip, get in touch with Cochran Horse Treks. CAMPING ON THREDBO RIVER It is, of course, possible to camp in the snow, but you've got to be tough and well-prepared. In the warmer months, pitching a tent is a lot more comfortable. There are stacks of stunning campgrounds in the Snowies and one of the loveliest is Thredbo Diggings. Perched right on Thredbo River, this gorgeous spot surrounds you with snow gums, backdropped by mountain ranges. Spend your days lazing about, going for dips, trying your luck at fly fishing and strolling or cycling on the Thredbo Valley Track. If you're in need of a nightcap, Wild Brumby distillery's warming schnapps, made with local fruit, are just up the road. Another camping option along Thredbo River is Ngargio Campground. [caption id="attachment_661864" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] TROUT FISHING AT LAKE EUCUMBENE You won't have any trouble finding a spot to throw in a line at Lake Eucumbene; it's the biggest lake of the many created by the Snowy Hydro scheme. At full capacity, it's nine times the size of Sydney Harbour and 30 metres deep on average. Plus, a total of 145 kilometres of shoreline gives you lots of room to explore. Before getting started, be sure to pick up a NSW Recreational Fishing Licence, usually available at servos and caravan parks. If you don't feel confident fishing on your own, then consider a visit to Eucumbene Trout Farm, where gear and guidance are provided, as is a barbecue for a post-fishing feast. VISITING A WATERFALL There are several waterfalls in the Snowies that'll capture your imagination. One of the easiest to access is found along a walking track that leaves from Kosciuszko Education Centre, about 12 kilometres west of Jindabyne. The six-kilometre loop passes through an impressive diversity of scenery, from heathland dotted with wildflowers to giant granite boulders to mature gum trees. Keep an eye out for echidnas, wallabies and kangaroos along the way. When you reach the waterfall, be sure to wander onto the viewing platform for some beautiful sights. [caption id="attachment_659669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Sinclair / Destination NSW.[/caption] CYCLING COOMA TRAILS On the outskirts of Cooma lie 80 hectares of land known as North Ridge Reserve. Speckled with granite boulders, basket grass and bright wildflowers, including native bluebells, everlasting daisies and black anther flax lilies, it's a great spot for mountain bike riding. There's a variety of trails, offering something for everyone, from beginners to pros. And, if you're not keen on cycling, you can always walk. Whichever way you travel, the views are breathtaking — over Cooma, east towards the coast and west towards the Snowy Mountains. If you're looking for a coffee or a bite to eat in Cooma afterwards, head to The Lott Food Store. [caption id="attachment_659675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] WALKING THROUGH YARRANGOBILLY CAVES The oldest of these limestone spectacles, found in the northern section of Kosciuszko National Park, was formed millions of years ago. Several are accessible by self-guided tour, including the biggest, South Glory, where a 500-metre trail passes vast chambers like the dazzling white Ice Age Chamber, stunning rock formations and a natural skylight 55 metres above the ground. Other caves to check out include Jillabenan, covered in delicate cave coral, stalactites and helictites, as well as Jersey Cave, whose extraordinary grey and black flowstone was created by bushfires thousands of years ago. Round out your visit with a swim in Yarrangobilly thermal pool, which is a toasty 27 degree celsius all year round. [caption id="attachment_658614" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Facebook / Heli Fun.[/caption] TAKING A SCENIC FLIGHT IN A HELICOPTER Regardless of whether you've skied, snowboarded, hiked, cycled or paddled the Snowy Mountains, a scenic flight will give you a whole new perspective. Heli Fun will take you soaring above Australia's highest peaks, including Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Townsend and the Ramshead Ranges — make sure you look out for wild brumbies and familiar landmarks, such as Thredbo ski fields as you're flying high. Choose between 30-minute and 60-minute trips or a speedy ten-minute swoop over Lake Jindabyne. For an even more exciting adventure, book a wilderness picnic. Your pilot will take you on a one-hour jaunt, before leaving you in the middle of nowhere with a gourmet picnic and bottle of sparkling. [caption id="attachment_659674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] GOING WINE (AND BEER AND SCHNAPPS) TASTING The Snowies' wines might not be as well known as those of the Yarra Valley or McLaren Vale, but there's no shortage of decent drops to try. If you're into beer, get started at Kosciuszko Brewery at the Banjo Paterson Inn in Jindabyne. From there, head to Snowy Vineyard Estate in Dalgety, where Dalgety Brewing Company serves up a variety of ales, including pale, golden and red, as well as a selection of wines. On the other side of the mountain lies Tumbarumba cool climate wine region, which specialises in chardonnay and pinot noir. It's easy to spend an afternoon in the lush, Italy-inspired grounds of Tumbarumba Wine Escape and Courabyra is worth a visit, too. Discover all that the Snowy Mountains has to offer outside of winter months, from jam-packed adventures to culinary excursions and so much more.
The northern beaches aren't famous for their burgeoning art scene. Not yet, anyway. Enter Fifty-One: it's a monthly event founded with the purpose of uniting creatives on the northern beaches and developing the art scene. Promising pizza, beer, music, local art, and plenty of people with whom you can hold an interesting discussion, there are huge things that can be expected of Fifty-One. December's Fifty One: Havana Nights donates its proceeds towards Cuban surf-charity Royal 70. Surf + philanthropy might seem like a strange combination, but it's an approach that's already been successfully mooted by Aussies abroad elsewhere in Latin America. Art support this month comes from the likes of Paul Rodger and Jimi May, while Lime Cordiale cover the music front.
Ever thought that your childhood toys defined who you've become as an adult? Photographer Richard Hedger's Toy with Me is a new body of work exploring the intricacies of that notion. In a series of intriguing portraits, Hedger portrays people from all walks of life — such as Tom Ballard, Brendan Maclean and Alex Greenwich — through the toys of their past. It's an invitation for audiences to visually match each toy with its significant other, while reflecting on the debate around the increasingly gendered presentation of toys. Want more Mardi Gras events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival.
There's escaping the city for an afternoon, and then there's driving 20 minutes down a dirt road to a secluded river and hopping into a canoe. In this canoe, it's quiet, very still. The Kangaroo Valley's bushland surrounds you, ascending on either side of the waterway, creating a landscape that's punctuated only by the occasional kingfisher flapping by or a solitary trout breaking the surface with a small splash. And I haven't even mentioned the best bit: this canoe is filled with wine. And snacks. So as you're floating down the river — minimal paddling is necessary — you'll be able to pop a bottle of local sparkling and tuck into a few canapés. Maybe you'll try a glass of top-notch sparkling Riesling from Mittagong's Artemis Wines and a yabby roll with native lime mayo supplied by The Loch in nearby Berrima. As you might have guessed, this isn't an ordinary off-you-go oar-bearing experience. This one is part of WildFEST, a new three-day celebration of the food, drink and wilderness of NSW's Southern Highlands. Led by experienced paddler Travis Frenay, the Canoes, Champagne and Canapés experience will lead you along the Kangaroo River in a custom-built double canoe, through the sunken forest and past a convict-built sandstone wall. Travis has an insane amount of knowledge on the area and will be able to answer pretty much anything you throw at him. There will be three sessions a day (9am, noon and 3pm) on October 27, 28 and 29. The whole thing sets off from Beehive Point and takes around two to three hours. Prices are on the heftier side at $195 each, but includes all food, wine and equipment. Plus, this part of the Valley isn't highly accessible for people without their own gear, so it's a great (and bloody delightful) way to explore the area on the water. Note: if weather conditions suggest your rusty old sedan won't make it there and back, the organisers may provide transport down the dirt road. But if it's dry, you're all good. It's part of the adventure.
Imagine you only see one film this year (because of e.g. extreme electricity rationing, extreme ADHD, etc). You'd want to make it one that would blow your freaking mind. So take some advice from sad parallel universe you and, in a year where you'll probably see many films, make one of them Upstream Color, the dreamy feature that emphatically puts paid to the idea that there are only seven (or nine, or twelve) stories in fiction. Upstream Color is only the second movie from writer/director Shane Carruth, whose indie time travel headspin Primer won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004 and a cult following soon after. The many fans of that film have since been hankering for another dose of Carruth's signature style. (If it seems unlikely a one-film wonder could have a 'signature style', you have not seen Primer.) However, it turns out festival success does not a Hollywood career ensure, and after some upsets (his much-talked-about feature A Topiary never came to fruition), Upstream Color finally exists in the world, having been written, directed, produced, shot, scored, edited and acted in by Carruth himself. The guy is a lesson in self-sufficiency. This gorgeous, unknowable, deeply affecting film makes Primer look almost conventional, given time travel is a genre filmgoers know a little something of. If Upstream Color had a genre, it'd be something like 'biological art sci-fi'. It starts with a worm. A worm found in the roots of a rare orchid stocked at an ordinary nursery. One of the nursery's customers (Thiago Martins) distills the worm into a drug, which we see, taken recreationally, allows its users to connect telepathically. This man, however, uses it to drug young professional Kris (Amy Seimetz) at a club, and through a complex process of manipulation lasting a week, rob her of her tangible assets. When Kris comes to, the worm is still in her body, wriggling about. Soon enough, a man (Andrew Sensenig) using infrasound lures her to a field, where he removes the worm from her body — and transfers it into a pig. In this world, or any other, a person does not bounce back from the experience lightly. Years later and convinced she's suffering a mental illness, Kris is still trying to piece her life back together. A man she connects with on the train, Jeff (Carruth), might be her shot at a real relationship. Meanwhile, Kris's pig goes back to life in its sty under the watch of the infrasound/surgery man, who also seems to indulge a sideline in field recording. Upstream Color is all this, but it's also not this. The effect is all in the way the story is layered, the way it cuts between these seemingly separate ecosystems, and the sensuous, organic cinematography throughout. It's not abstract — it is meticulously, concretely plotted — and yet the telling of it is open-ended and deliberately foggy as remnants of a dream. It moves like poetry but has the shape of quantum physics, conveying the beauty and pain of fate, as shaped by chance. It's a film you desperately want to piece together, and yet you know that piecing it together is not the point. (Though Carruth will spell it out for you if you want, and it won't disappoint a la Richard Kelly on Donnie Darko.) Sam Adams of the AV Club argues that we're mistaken in holding up puzzle-box movies with that perfect twist, like Memento or The Usual Suspects, as a cinematic holy grail when the rewards of a film like Upstream Color are greater, and he's right. You might solve the puzzle but it will open to reveal another. You might solve the puzzle but find the value was in the pieces. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SilYsr_3vrA
On Thursday nights, Yulli's Brews in Alexandria transforms into a jazz den with the arrival of the Tilly Street Trio. Long-time friend of the Yulli's team, Tilly sings jazz standards, accompanied by her two loyal band members. You can usually count on a surprise guest or two, too. Tilly gets started at 6.30pm and finishes up two or three sets later. In between listening to her smooth vocals, taste your way through Yulli's own drops, from the Norman Australian Ale to the Margot Dry Apple Cider. Meanwhile, the food menu is completely vegan. Start with steamed miso cabbage dumplings, before moving onto gyros, which comes in four varieties: The Australian, The Greek, The Korean and The Vietnamese.
This performance includes a local octogenarian couple still adorably in love, jelly-like lilo seating, and a trip into the belly of a whale. You're totally sold on it already, right? Fortunately, The Moment I Saw You I Knew I Could Love You seems to live up to its promise, with Lyn Gardner of the Guardian giving the show four stars, saying, "There is something immensely wistful about a piece that demonstrates that we are merely chemical compounds, and yet also shows us how to discover equilibrium." Creators Leslie Hill and Helen Paris from UK company Curious have worked with filmmaker Andrew Kotting, composer Graeme Miller, and chanteuse Claudia Barton to combine film, live performance, soundscape, and installation in unexpected ways, coming up with something truly special. It comes to Sydney as part of the Sydney Festival's About an Hour program of short, sharp works for $35 a pop. Read our list of the 12 best things to see at the Sydney Festival in 2013.
While some of us don't mind waiting around for a really good meal, not everyone wants to spend their evening glaring down diners as they sip and chew in slow motion and take an eternity to leave. With some of Sydney's top restaurants, such as Restaurant Hubert, operating under a strict no-reservations policy (for less than six), the question remains, how much do you really want that charred bavette steak, slathered in melty café de Paris butter, or that quivering egg custard with bitter caramel sauce? If you're not prepared to put your name on a clipboard and your hunger on hold, check out our list of emergency back-up plans, to help save your night.
The premise of Between Two Ferns couldn't be more simple. Zach Galifianakis interviews other famous folks, all while sitting in the middle of two leafy plants. Staged to look like a no-budget community television show, it's purposefully silly and surreal, whether Galifianakis is nattering with Natalie Portman, Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Starting off as a short film, then becoming one of Funny or Die's hit webseries over the past decade, the wholly improvised show satirises the Hollywood publicity machine by making fun of the polished promotional chats that are so common whenever a big star has a new movie or TV series to plug. In its latest incarnation, Between Two Ferns will jump on another trend, turning its anarchic antics into a Netflix film. If you're wondering just how the Between Two Ferns concept can sustain a whole movie, there's a story to go with it. Embarrassed by the viral mockery he received when Will Ferrell uploaded his original series, Galifianakis — well, the show's version of Galifianakis — tries to track down a heap of celebrities in attempt to restore his reputation. That involves hitting the road, sitting down with everyone from Paul Rudd to Keanu Reeves and Tessa Thompson, and even momentarily killing Matthew McConaughey. Calling Jon Hamm an idiot and getting propositioned by Chrissy Teigen are also on the agenda. The list of high-profile figures making an appearance goes on — and includes Brie Larson, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Letterman, Adam Scott, John Cho, Chance the Rapper and Rashida Jones. Based on the just-dropped trailer, all of the above folks are in for a rather ridiculous experience — as are Netflix viewers, too. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjljgkCQv5c&feature=youtu.be Between Two Ferns: The Movie hits Netflix on September 20. Image: Adam Rose.
Navigating Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't been easy or straightforward throughout 2021 so far, thanks to changing messages around who can get jabbed and when, as well as the Federal Government's frequently shifting plans and timeframes. And, when it's your turn to roll up your sleeves, booking in isn't always simple either — especially if you're looking for a Pfizer appointment. Every state has their own booking system, although residents in New South Wales are first directed to the Federal Government's online vaccine eligibility checker. You answer its questions, and the site then points you in the right direction if you're eligible. Well, it directs you towards a list of individual spots where you can get the jab — state-run hubs and GPs alike — and then leaves you to contact them all and work things out from there. That's not the most efficient or convenient system, which is where new website Covid Queue comes in. Purely directed at Sydneysiders, it aggregates data regarding available vaccination slots at the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital, Sydney Olympic Hub and Westmead Hospital. All you need to do is hop in line — virtually, by pressing a button on the site — and it'll sound a bell when an appointment is available. If you hear one bell, there's a single appointment on offer. If two bells ring, there's two appointments available within three weeks apart. You can then click through to register from there, although it is recommended that you log in to the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital or Sydney Olympic Hub sites beforehand. That way, when you go to book because an appointment has popped up, you'll already have gone through that step. At present, the Pfizer vaccine is available to folks aged between 40–59 years, and to people between 16–39 in certain circumstances. The latter applies if you're from an Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander background; are an NDIS participant, or care for NDIS participants of any age; are pregnant; work in quarantine, health care, aged care, disability care or as a border worker; live in aged care or disability care; or have an underlying medical condition or significant disability — and if you're deemed a critical or high-risk worker because you're employed in defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing. The Pfizer vaccine is recommended for everyone under the age of 60, but Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't reached the stage of jabbing everyone under 40 yet. If you'd like to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, that's recommended for folks over 60 — but it's also open to all ages if you're informed about possible side effects. For more information about Covid Queue, head to the online tool's website.
The Alliance Francais French Film Festival is back for another year, ready to celebrate the best in French cinema. Returning to select Palace locations around the country, this year’s program is packed with exciting goodies, including dramas, comedies, docos, kids' films and an entire stream dedicated to movies about the First World War. With almost 50 movies on offer — most of them Australian premieres — it’s shaping up to be one of the festival’s most exciting years ever. Of all those titles, we’ve selected five that you absolutely owe it to yourself to see. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Lea Seydoux (Blue Is the Warmest Colour) and Vincent Cassel (Black Swan) star in this sumptuous adaptation of the classic French fairy tale. An enormous French-German co-production, the film’s trailer is absolutely packed with gorgeous visuals, and appears to have a darker edge than the animated Disney version we all know and love. The last couple of years have seen a bunch of big budget Hollywood “reboots” of fairy tale stories, most of them not very good. Here’s hoping the French (and the Germans) can get it right. GIRLHOOD Aged just 36, writer-director Celine Sciamma first caught our attention with Tomboy, a tender coming-of-age story about a 10-year-old girl pretending to be a boy. Her follow-up, Girlhood, belongs to a similar genre, although this time her protagonists are a little older. The film explores the dynamic between four reckless teenage girls as they struggle to pave a future for themselves in one of the poorer parts of Paris. The film has received a ton of buzz on the international festival circuit, and we can’t wait to check it out. THE NEW GIRLFRIEND When it comes to sexually provocative cinema, no one does it better than director Francois Ozon. The man behind such films as In the House and Swimming Pool, Ozon has made a career out of titillating pulp, and his latest film looks to be absolutely no exception. A story of death and deception with some cross-dressing thrown in, The New Girlfriend has been described as a mix of Hitchcockian thriller and Almodóvar-style sexual comedy. It should probably go without saying, but this one’s for adults only. SAINT LAURENT Last year saw the release of Yves Saint Laurent, the first in a pair of competing biographical dramas about the legendary French fashion designer. Unfortunately, that film was pretty bloody awful. But we’re holding out hope for this alternate version, which competed for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Festival de Cannes and got much kinder notices from critics. TOKYO FIANCEE Finishing off our list with something a little lighter, romantic comedy Tokyo Fiancee has drawn comparisons to Amelie — and presumably not just because their protagonists have the same name. The film concerns a young French woman obsessed with all things Japanese, who decides to book herself a one-way ticket to Tokyo. Once there she finds work as a French tutor, only to begin a relationship with one of her students. The film is one of the favourites of festival patrons David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz. And really, who are we to argue with them? The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is on around Australia in March. Catch it in Sydney from March 3-22, Melbourne from March 4-22 and Brisbane from March 13 - April 1. Check the festival website for the full program.
Two of magic's most outrageous luminaries take the spotlight for this romp through their unlikely rise to fame and their ultimately bloody fall. Their rags-to-riches story — escaping war-torn childhoods in Germany to become Vegas' highest-paid act — is one of entertainment's most remarkable tales, and through it all, Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were inseparable — romantic partners, closest confidants and each other's inspiration. However, their infamous casino residency brazenly toyed with tragedy as they took to the stage each night with their pet adult male white tiger Mantacore — a decision that would eventually prove to be wildly misguided. A Sydney Festival exclusive, this hilarious new opera, created by composer Luke Di Somma and director Constantine Costi with costumes by Tim Chappel, features powerhouse vocals from Kanen Breen and Christopher Tonkin, live magic and a helluva lot of Vegas-level razzle-dazzle.
What do bread, bagels, pasta, pastries, biscuits and beer have in common? Other than the fact that they're all delicious, they're all also made from grains. And, they'll all be on offer at Sydney's latest food festival, which is dedicated to the humble crop behind so much of what we eat today. If snacking on artisan bread, downing a plate of penne and washing it down with a pint of lager is your idea of a delicious multi-course meal, then the Grains Festival has you covered. Taking place in the very fitting space that is The Flour Mill of Summer Hill — aka a working flour mill until 2009 — from 10am on Sunday, July 1, the event celebrates grain-based food and beverages in an array of forms. And carbs, obviously. Bringing their best grain-focused fare are the likes of Knafeh, Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Brasserie Bread, The Bread and Butter Project, Adamo's Pasta, The Farm Wholefoods and more, while Young Henrys, Cake Wines, The Grifter Brewing Company and Capital Brewing Co will be on drinks duty. With the area set to become a foodie precinct as part of its redevelopment, the festival is really all about getting folks to visit the new space — but it'll also feature playdough for any younger attendees, plus live tunes for everyone. Grains Festival takes place from 10am on Sunday, July 1 at The Flour Mill of Summer Hill, 2 Smith Street, Summer Hill. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.
Will Dune movies just keep getting better and better? Here's hoping that's as natural an outcome as spying sand as far as the eye can see across Arrakis. When Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) followed in David Lynch's footsteps with 2021's Dune, he made a new version of one of the most unfairly maligned sci-fi films ever crafted, and managed what Alejandro Jodorowsky sadly couldn't (see: excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune) — and a new science-fiction cinema classic arrived and stunned. Villeneuve's picture, which scored ten Oscar nominations and six wins, only told part of Dune's story. Cue Dune: Part Two to keep the tale going. War has arrived on the franchise's spice-laden planet, and Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All) and the Fremen are ready to fight. The former doesn't just want to face off against the folks who destroyed his family, but for the sandy celestial body, with Zendaya's (Euphoria) Chani at his side. That's the tale teased in not one but two trailers for the Dune sequel, with the second just dropping and filled with swirling tension. "This world is beyond cruelty," says Paul in the latest sneak peek, surveying the grim status quo. But he has a plan: "he who can destroy a thing has the real control of it." The first film had Paul head to Arrakis because his dad Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight) had just been given stewardship of the planet and its abundance of 'the spice' — aka the most valuable substance in the universe — and then get caught up in a bitter battle with malicious forces over the substance. It also saw Paul meet the population of people known as the Fremen, including Chani, plus Javier Bardem's (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) Stilgar, which is who he and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo) are with in Dune: Part Two. Expansive desert landscape, golden and orange hues (again, Villeneuve helmed Blade Runner 2049), sandworms, the director's reliable eye for a spectacle and Hans Zimmer's (The Son) latest likely Oscar-winning score: they've all shown up in the new film's two glimpses so far. So have some of the franchise's new players, with Austin Butler ditching his Elvis locks as Feyd Rautha Harkonnen, the nephew of Stellan Skarsgard's (Andor) Baron Harkonnen. Christopher Walken (Severance) and Florence Pugh (The Wonder) also join the saga as Emperor Shaddam IV and his daughter Princess Irulen. From the first film, Josh Brolin (Outer Range), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau Is Afraid) and Charlotte Rampling (Benedetta) return, while Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future) also joins the cast. Off-screen, Villeneuve has brought back not just Zimmer, but Oscar-winning Australian director of photography Greig Fraser (The Batman), Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermett (Vice), Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker (The Unforgivable), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert (First Man) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (Song to Song). Check out the latest Dune: Part Two trailer below: Dune: Part Two will release in cinemas Down Under on November 2, 2023.
"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all," Oscar Wilde once famously quipped. Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas puts such a claim to the test. For three days, the event transforms the Opera House into a simmering cauldron of probabilities, possibilities and impossibilities. There's no question that can't be asked, no convention that can't be challenged, no notion that can't be overturned. Now in its fifth year, the Festival promises to penetrate the territory of the taboo deeper than ever before. The programme, announced today, features 82 speakers from 10 different countries and 33 hours of discussion across 32 various subjects. Journalist David Simon (creator of The Wire and Treme) will bring his intellectual might and downtown experience to the statement 'Some people are more equal than others', exploring the searing divide that undermines America's claim to the provision of equal opportunity. The perpetual question of gender and power will receive a 21st-century treatment, with Hannah Rosin considering the aftermath of 'The end of men',before joining a panel discussion proposing 'The world is not ready for women in power'. Then there'll be debates on 'monogamy vs. monogomish', the 'death of journalism', and John Safran masquerading as a white supremacist. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Already feeling fired up? Tix, available in a range of multipacks, go on sale on Monday September 2. FODI runs from 2-4 November.
With all of the natural beauty of Barrington Tops National Park surrounding you, it can be hard to get a sense of the region as a whole. So, if you're in the area, it's definitely worth your while to check out one, if not several, of the many scenic lookouts that offer an all-encompassing view of this stunning landscape. Devils Hole lookout sits at an altitude of 1400 metres and offers breathtaking views of the dense forestry and undulating mountains beyond. There is a picnic area and a walk, both that are accessible via an easily-traversed wheelchair track. Nearby, there's also the epically titled Thunderbolts lookout, and a bit further, Careys Peak. Image: Peter Beard
Art enthusiasts, collectors and creators, we have news for you. The Other Art Fair is returning to Sydney this May on its 2023 world tour. From Thursday, May 11 to Sunday, May 14, you'll find the fair in The Cutaway, Barangaroo. This supersized concrete void of a venue boasts immense ceiling height, acoustics and ample natural light — perfect for an event with this much colour and popularity. If you aren't already in the know, The Other Art Fair is a roaming international art show that allows you to view, discuss and even purchase art directly from an emerging artist, rather than deal with the red tape and hurdles of buying through a gallery. It's an extensive roster of 120 talents, each selected by a committee of experts, so you'll be purchasing quality work and supporting the local creative scene. And there's more than just their work to expect — there'll be immersive installations, performances, live DJs, and a fully stocked bar. Convinced yet? It should be a great night or day out for art-and experience-lovers alike, and you could walk away with a brand-new piece to hang up at home. Tickets are on sale now with a variety of options, including a 50% discount if you book before Wednesday, April 12. For more information on the event and artists or to book tickets, visit the website.
A cucumber is more or less responsible for Andrew Mowbray's obsession with the gourd. Wandering around his garden one fateful morning, he made a rather unusual discovery. Between his fence and a tree, a cucumber was growing, but as a result of being squashed on both sides, it looked more like a hard, green pancake - 'pressed flat with rounded edges and completely trapped'. Finding the form 'formally interesting' and 'architecturally amazing', he started thinking about how he might be able to re-create it in a manner that would not be threatened by decomposition. Research led him to the Lagenaria gourd, which won't come as a surprise to those acquainted with the robust plant. When people initially came up with the idea of cultivating plants, the Lagenaria gourd was one of the first with which they experimented. Once dried, it becomes as tough as wood, making for a trusty container, bottle, ladle or birdhouse. The West Africans were the first to transform it into an instrument, and the concept soon spread through Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. The gourd is one of the few plants that we grow for aesthetic and practical purposes, rather than to feed ourselves. Now, Mowbray is taking its functionality to new heights, by transforming the gourd into a building block. He grows each one in an acrylic container, which is cubic, with semi-circular depressions enabling the development of 'nubs or buttons'. A modular unit' can be created by locking several of them together. At the same time, he is exploring the sculptural potential of the gourd's form, through emulation with plaster, cement and other materials. [VIA Inhabitat]
Bangarra Dance Theatre — Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts company — is marking the end of its 30th year with an immersive new installation at Carriageworks. Curated by artistic director Stephen Page and head of design Jacob Nash, Knowledge Ground: 30 Years of Sixty Five Thousand invites visitors to explore three decades of groundbreaking work what has seen the company preserve ancient Indigenous traditions and sharing contemporary songlines. The installation is made up of a series of themed spaces that explore Bangarra's core principles of Country, Language, kinship, social and history. As you move through, you'll be immersed in projections of video from past productions, bathed in Bangarra's soundscapes and get acquainted (or reacquainted) with custom-made set pieces and costumes. Along with the exhibition, a digital archive of the same name has also launched. The Knowledge Ground website lets you look through all of Bangarra's shows, stories and information, to make sure the theatre's culture and creative practice is recorded, learned and shared. The exhibition will be open daily from 10am–6pm until Saturday, December 14 — except for this Saturday, December 7, when it will be closed. Images: Daniel Boud.
Since the first jabs started being put in arms around Australia at the beginning of 2021, two words have monopolised the discussion about the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout: AstraZeneca and Pfizer. They're two of the companies with jabs approved for use in Australia so far, and it's their shots that folks who've been vaxxed to-date have been receiving. But from September, a third company's vaccine will be available to everyone rolling up their sleeves. On Monday, August 9, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration gave the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine approval to be used in Australia. As announced in a press conference by Prime Minster Scott Morrison, the TGA "has given provisional approval for the use of Moderna for Australians aged 18 and over." In its own statement explaining its decision, the TGA advised that "the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has shown strong efficacy preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and severe COVID-19 in clinical trials." Elsewhere around the world, the vaccine has also received approval or authorisation to use in emergency situations in countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, the United States, Switzerland and Singapore. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (@TGAgovau) has provisionally approved Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia.https://t.co/Yr7dj0G0ja pic.twitter.com/Kp0EMpck7V — Australian Government (@ausgov) August 9, 2021 Partly funded by a donation from the one and only Dolly Parton, Moderna's vaccine is actually the fourth to get the nod in Australia, following AstraZeneca, Pfizer and a jab from Johnson & Johnson — the latter of which hasn't been included in the country's vaccine rollout so far. Like the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna jab is an mRNA-based vaccine. So, it uses a synthetic genetic code called RNA, which tells the cells in our bodies how to make the coronavirus' unique spike protein. Then, once our bodies have done just that, making the protein that's encoded by the mRNA vaccine, we're able to recognise the spike protein as being foreign to our system and launch an immune response against it. Two doses of the Moderna vaccine are required — and while the AstraZeneca jabs are recommended four–12 weeks apart, and the Pfizer jabs three weeks apart, Moderna's should be administered within 28 days of each other. Wondering what that the Moderna approval means in terms of boosting Australia's vaccine ability (because actually getting a jab isn't particularly straightforward as part of the country's slow-moving rollout)? The Prime Minister advised that Australia will be adding 25 million doses of Moderna to the 125 million doses of Pfizer and 53 million doses of AstraZeneca that are already part of the vaccine campaign. "We will have ten million of the Moderna doses arriving before the end of this year. The first one million doses is on track to arrive next month and will go to pharmacies. Then we will have three million in October, three million in November and three million in December," he said. With the addition of the Moderna vaccine, the Prime Minister also noted that he expected that 70-percent of eligible Australians would be fully vaccinated by the end of 2021 — the threshold at which the second phase of National Cabinet's National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response is set to kick in. At that stage, which applies both when Australia reaches that figure and each state and territory does as well, restrictions will be eased on folks who've had the jab, including around lockdowns and border controls. Lockdowns are expected to be less likely, low-level restrictions will still help minimise the spread of cases and assist contact tracing, inbound passenger caps for unvaxxed returning Aussies will be restored to previous levels and more vaccinated returning Aussies will be allowed to come home. For more information about the Therapeutic Goods Administration's approval of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, head to the TGA website.
It's no surprise that many of us are looking to upgrade our home comfort level at the moment. Aussie furniture brand Koala is keen to help you do just that with its Boxing Day sale where you can nab up to 20 percent off mattresses, sheets, sofas, desks and armchairs to help you upgrade your pad or improve your night's sleep. A heap of products from across the brand's range are on sale from Thursday, December 24 to Sunday, January 3 including the popular Koala mattress. Also on offer in the sale is the WFH desk, which is made in Ballarat from hand-sanded timber, easy to assemble and designed with home office use in mind. If you've found yourself working from home a lot more this year, you can pick up the desk for a sweet 15 percent off. Comfy Koala sofa beds, TV units, pillows, bed bases and more are going with a 20 percent discount, too, so you can give your whole house a makeover. And everything comes with a 120-night trial — though, it might be hard to give any of these up after four-months of comfort. 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.
UPDATE: AUGUST 30, 2019 — Sonic Youth guitarist and vocalist Kim Gordon has cancelled her Antidote appearance due to health reasons. Ticket holders will receive a refund from the Sydney Opera House. Antidote is now only running for one day, on Sunday, September 1. Antidote — the Sydney Opera House festival of ideas, action and change — will return for its third round this August, bringing with it an all-star lineup of the world's leading minds and pioneering creatives. They'll facilitate and lead the necessary conversations of our time during a day of talks on Sunday, September 1. This year, the festival has partnered with the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, which will co-curate two sessions focusing on authoritarian environments, free speech and debates on society's most controversial issues, as well as a panel on climate change (and whether the media has reported on it accurately). Other key topics in this year's program include 'fake news', national identity, the weaponisation of social media, creative responses to political and social turmoil and the surveillance of 'big data' and the resurgence of binge cultures. Included on the massive international lineup are Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, Rappler founder Maria Ressa (one of TIME Magazine's People of 2018), Black Lives Matter activist and co-founder of Campaign Zero DeRay Mckesson, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll, and Russian cyber security journalists (and co-founders of the respected Agentura. Ru) Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan. Also making appearances is Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korea deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom; Mausi Segun, the executive director of Human Right Watch's Africa Division; and Lina Attalah (TIME Magazine's New Generation Leader), co-founder of Egyptian newspaper Mada Masr. Australian heavy hitters to join the party include ABC International Affairs analyst Stan Grant, The Guardian journalist Brigid Delaney and The Sydney Morning Herald's national editor Tory Maguire, who will host a live recording of the podcast Please Explain. On Monday, July 15, a second round of speakers were announced, including Denise Ho, a key figure in Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement, The Washington Post's Beijing Bureau Chief Anna Fifield, CEO of First Peoples Disability Network Damian Griffis and Peter Greste, an award-winning foreign correspondent. New panels have been added, too, and see the addition of talks on alternative models of housing, the economics of disability, the mapping of Australia's colonial frontier massacres and pop culture obsessions. Antidote's popular workshop series will return, too, featuring a collective tarot reading, a 'how to' hairdo tutorial for dads, native tea making and a free Auslan workshop thanks to the Deaf Society. In terms of interactive art, you'll find a free exhibition by Delhi-based photographer Gauri Gill on the Western Boardwalk, a short film about social connections in the Lounge and Sydney artist Jason Phu's public performance work, which features a "procession of masked 'spirits' protesting against humanity's impact on the earth". Watch out for that one. Image: Letícia Almeida
Winter has come around again and brought along the sniffles, blue fingers and obscene heating bills. It's not all bad though; there's hot soup, knitted scarves and Winter Garden Sydney. This is your chance to see how our Canadian friends spend the chilliest months. There's a lot to do. Challenge your friends to see who can be more aerodynamic in their puffy winter coats and get down the inflatable slide first. For those not scared of bumps and bruises, grab a pair of skates and get out on the ice. If you're feeling a little tired after such rigorous exercise, recharge with some gourmet food and gluhwein at the Winter Garden Lounge. As for your wintery chocolate needs, they will be catered for by the Lindt Chocolate Cafe pop-up. Rug up like a fluffy marshmallow and come down to St Mary's Cathedral to enjoy a white winter. Image: Winter Garden, Australia
For the third time in the 2020s, Fatboy Slim is heading to Australia to break out 'Right Here, Right Now', 'The Rockafeller Skank', 'Praise You' and plenty more dance-floor fillers. After touring the country in 2020 and 2023, the dance music legend is returning in March 2025 on a five-stop trip, four of which will get him spinning tunes in wineries. Trying to dance like Christopher Walken, pretending you're in Cruel Intentions, being transported back to the late 90s and early 00s: that's all on the agenda again. So is making shapes to DJ Seinfeld, CC:DISCO! and Jennifer Loveless, who'll be supporting the British legend at all five gigs — including at Centennial Vineyards in Bowral on Saturday, March 15. [caption id="attachment_975624" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Selbymay via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Cook has been making music since the 80s, but took on the name Fatboy Slim in the mid-90s, starting with 1996 record Better Living Through Chemistry. His 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby was the club soundtrack to end the 20th century — a staple of every 90s teen's CD collection, too. As for 2000's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, it gave the world 'Weapon of Choice' and its iconic Walken-starring (and Spike Jonze-directed) video. Fatboy Slim's discography also spans 2004 album Palookaville and 2013 single 'Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat'. [caption id="attachment_897289" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Carlos Luna/ Secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Top images: neal whitehouse piper via Wikimedia Commons / Carlos Luna/ Secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons.
For beer lovers, the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular is the kind of festival that you plan your calendar around. When one year's fest is over, everyone instantly starts looking forward to the next year's. It was back in May and June that 2023's GABS took place, and you can now lock in your 2024 dates around the same time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Of course, the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland capitals host beer festivals most weekends, but GABS is its own unique beast. It dedicates itself to weird, wild, wonderful and inventive varieties that are made exclusively for the booze-fuelled party. Think of a foodstuff — peanut butter, coffee, earl grey tea, chicken salt, pizza, fairy floss, bubblegum, doughnuts, red frogs and sour gummy bears, for instance — and there's likely been a brew made to taste exactly the same at GABS. Only dates have been confirmed so far, and not venues, the brewers heading along or the beers they'll be whipping up. Still, attendees can look forward to an event that's considered to be one of the best craft beer and cider festivals in the Asia Pacific region. If you're a newcomer to GABS, it started off as a Melbourne-only celebration of ales, lagers, ciders and more. Then it began spreading along Australia's east coast capitals, as well as to New Zealand. Now, in its Aussie stops, it pours at least 120 different types of brews each year. The event surveys both Australian and New Zealand breweries, with more than 60 normally showcasing their wares annually. Also on the bill: other tipples, including non-alcoholic beers, seltzers, whiskey, gin, cocktails and wines. GABS is known for dishing up a hefty lineup of activities to accompanying all that sipping, too, which usually spans a silent disco, roaming bands, circus and sideshow performers, games and panels with industry leaders, plus local food trucks and vendors to line your stomach. Fancy getting in on the GABS fun at home now? Every year, the crew behind the fest also pust together the Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer poll, which is open for votes until Sunday, January 14 for 2023's best brews. GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2024 DATES: Friday, May 17–Sunday, May 19 — Melbourne Friday, May 31–Saturday, June 1 — Sydney Friday, June 14–Saturday, June 15 — Brisbane GABS will take place across Australia's east coast throughout May and June 2024 — head to the event's website for further details.
For a lot of us, 2020 so far has involved a whole heap less travel than we'd usually like. With devastating bushfires raging across the country, many had to forego our annual summer trips and stay at home. Then, COVID-19 hit Australia, resulting in nationwide restrictions on travel. Recently, the Australian Government announced its three-step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown, with talks of interstate and possibly trans-Tasman travel happening before the end of July. Finally, we can start dreaming of our next trip away. And to help inspire your post-iso plans, Tourism Australia is hosting an online program of virtual travel experiences and entertainment. Best of all, it's completely free. Dubbed Live from Aus, the program will run from Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, May 17 via its YouTube channel and Facebook page. It'll feature everything from Phillip Island's penguins to underwater reef tours at the Great Barrier Reef, music by First Nations artists with Uluru as its backdrop, Mona's Spectra light show, an Australian wine tour with Adelaide Hills' Unico Zelo, a cheesemaking session with Jo Barrett and Matt Stone, sunrise yoga at Byron Bay and cooking the ultimate Aussie brunch with Darren Robertson, Mark LeBrooy and Andy Allen from Three Blue Ducks (if you want to cook along, you can check out the recipes here). All up, expect a taste for Australia's natural beauty, food, music, wildlife and culture. Other highlights include a disco party with The Wiggles, an exploration of Indigenous Australian ingredients with famed chef and MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, tours of Australia's greatest golf greens, pub trivia, a coffee making tutorial with Ona Coffee, a tour of Kangaroo Island, a night at the Opera House and Dreamtime stories with Darren 'Capes' Capewell. You can check out the full program and times here. Live from Aus will kick off at 7am AEST on Saturday, May 16 till Sunday, May 17. You can tune in for free via Facebook or its website. Images: Uluru Sunset Session with First Nations music curated by Sounds Australia, Underwater Reef Tour at the Great Barrier Reef, Penguin Parade Bedtime Stories from Phillip Island and Kangaroo Island Tour with Craig Wickham — all courtesy of Tourism Australia.
When you're taking your pet pooch to the park in the cooler months, you want your four-legged friend to look its best and be warm. Yes, all puppers are adorable anyway, because that just comes with the territory. But your furry little woofer is certain to dial up its natural cuteness in a piece from Big W's new winter pet range. Whether your dachshund would look dapper in a cosy knitted vest, your jack russell terrier needs a faux fur-trimmed jacket or your shih tzu could do with an 'Always Snackin' sweater, you'll find it on offer in this new line. It's super-affordable, too, with sweaters starting from $9 and jackets from $15. More than 100 items are currently available (including various sizes and colours), spanning collars, harnesses and leads, as well as cable-knit jackets, tartan jumpers and novelty beds. Yes, if you and your pooch are looking to to go on an 'indoor camping adventure' — we've been WFH for a while now — you can get them a teepee: The fashion and accessory line will add further items throughout the year, too, because even your doggo's wardrobe can change with the seasons. While Big W has dubbed the line its 'petwear', so far it's all for dogs. That said, if you can somehow manage to get your cat into a vest or sweater, then you're well-equipped to slip them into something from this range. Big W's petwear is currently available to purchase online, with contactless home delivery and pick up available.
"Do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur?" asks Bryce Dallas Howard in the latest instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise. We do. It was 25 years ago, as John Williams' iconic score built to its majestic climax and the cast of Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster rose from the seats of their jeep, tore off their glasses and stared wide-eyed at a beautiful, towering Brachiosaurus. It's been a quarter of a century since the first Jurassic Park captured the imagination of moviegoers the world over and ushered in the brave new world of CGI-enhanced filmmaking. The whole thing was classic Spielberg: a rollicking, family-friendly adventure that pushed the boundaries of innovation whilst remaining grounded in entirely relatable human stories. Its extraordinary success made sequels inevitable, but unfortunately none except perhaps 1997's The Lost World have come even close to recapturing the magic and wonder of the original. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom we have a film significantly better than its immediate predecessor, yet one that still falls well short of the bar set back in 1993. Much of the problem with this instalment lies with the franchise's so-called villains. In Jurassic Park the combination was perfect: flawed human antagonists in Dennis Nedry and John Hammond, existential menace in the form of technological hubris, and, of course, those dinosaurs. Between the thuggery of the T-Rex, the cunning of the raptors and the toxic spit of the Dilophosaurus, every step through the failing park held unbearable peril for its characters, instilling a dread that overflowed into the audience. Since then, however, the Jurassic movies have relied largely on a generic recurring villain: InGen, the unscrupulous genetics corporation behind all that Dino-DNA splicing. Even worse, the raptors and T-Rex have become, thanks to their broad popularity, inadvertent heroes, leaving the Dino-threat to come from species that never even existed. Here again in Fallen Kingdom it's that same formula at play: InGen is secretly cooking up some new dinosaurs to sell as weapons (still as ridiculous a concept as it was in Jurassic World), and the big scary dinosaur is a genetically-engineered ultra raptor. Around them are cookie-cutter human bad-guys in the form of mercenaries, big game hunters and money-hungry suits, as well as franchise regular Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), the original Jurassic Park geneticist who continues to learn precisely zero from all his past mistakes. There is still a lot of fun to be had here, and even a few unexpected feels as director J.A Bayona (A Monster Calls) reminds us that monsters of choice are always worse than monsters of instinct. The film's central conceit, too, is a compelling one: a volcano on the island upon which the dinosaurs currently reside is poised to erupt, meaning they will again become extinct without human intervention. To rescue or not to rescue becomes the burning question for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard) and returning fan favourite Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). InGen, predictably, wants the animals saved for far less noble reasons than preservation. The scenes set on the island are the strongest in the movie, and include perhaps the most affecting moment in the entire franchise in the form of a heart-wrenching callback to that iconic Brachiosaurus shot from all those years ago. Thereafter, Fallen Kingdom transforms into a semi Gothic horror film as the action shifts to an isolated mansion in which the characters are stalked by Wu's latest creation. Toby Jones and James Cromwell give spirited performances during this phase, but the weaknesses of the script refuse to be covered up. The bad get eaten whilst the good survive, and it honestly never feels like our heroes are in any genuine peril. As part two of a planned trilogy, the end-point of Fallen Kingdom certainly offers some interesting possibilities for the final instalment. That said, absent a more nuanced and, dare we say, sympathetic villain, this franchise, like Dr. Wu, seems destined to repeat the mistakes of its past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn9mMeWcgoM
Any frequent travellers will tell you that the friendships you develop on the road can be some of the most life altering. So imagine, as a budding painter venturing out into the world, you encountered and befriended some of the artists who were to become the most famous of their generation. That's the exact scenario Australian painter John Russell found himself in while living and studying in London and Paris in the 1880s and 90s. As well as developing a close friendship with Vincent van Gogh, Russell also taught Henri Matisse colour theory, dined with Claude Monet and — amazingly — was even temporarily stranded at sea with Auguste Rodin. It's quite the crew — and one in which Russell found his place as a French Impressionist. Now, the first major survey of Russell's work in 40 years is at the Art Gallery of NSW. Open now and on view until Sunday, November 11, John Russell: Australia's French Impressionist showcases more than 100 of the 'lost' impressionist's paintings, drawings and watercolours drawn from major international and Australian art institutions and private collections. Fittingly, these are accompanied by works of his contemporaries: Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse and Vincent van Gogh. It was within this creative circle that exhibition curator Wayne Tunnicliffe says Russell "found his artistic voice". Russell was one of our first truly international artists, but — compared to his contemporaries — largely flew under the art radar. So don't worry if you hadn't yet heard of him. This exhibition offers Sydneysiders an opportunity to engage directly with his time spent abroad, and his subsequent evolution as an artist, and they follow Russell's journey through impressionism and experimentation with pure colour, right through to his later vibrant watercolours. Highlights include Russell's 1886 portrait of Vincent van Gogh, as well as six of his blossom paintings from 1887, which are said to have inspired the famous Dutch painter. To accompany the exhibition, AGNSW will also host a number of guided tours and talks to further delve into Russell's works and the themes explored in them. John Russell: Australia's French Impressionist will be held at the AGNSW from July 21 to November 11, 2018. Tickets are $20 per person ($16 for members) and can be purchased via the AGNSW website. We're also giving away ten double passes to the exhibition. To enter, see details below. [competition]679817[/competition] Images: John Russell, Mrs Russell Among the Flowers in the Garden of Goulphar, Belle-Île, 1907; John Russell, Rough Sea, Morestil, c1900; John Russell, The Garden, Longpré-les-Corps-Saints, 1887.
Timing is everything in Where the Crawdads Sing, the murder-mystery melodrama set in America's Deep South that raced up bestseller lists in 2018, and now reaches cinemas a mere four years later. Its entire narrative hinges upon a simple question: did North Carolina outcast and recluse Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fresh), cruelly nicknamed "the marsh girl" by locals, have time to speed home from an out-of-town stay to push star quarterback Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson, The King's Man) from a fire tower, then resume her trip without anyone noticing? On the page, that query helped propel Delia Owens' literary sensation to success, to Reese Witherspoon's book club — she's a producer here — and to a swift film adaptation. But no timing would likely have ever been right for the movie's release, given that Owens and her husband are wanted for questioning in a real-life murder case in Zambia. Unlike the film, those off-screen details aren't new, but they were always bound to attract attention again as soon as this feature arrived. One of the reasons they're inescapable: the purposeful parallels between Owens' debut novel and her existence. Like Kya, Owens is a naturalist. The also southern-born author spent years preferring the company of plants and animals, crusading for conservation causes in Africa. Where the Crawdads Sing is timed to coincide with Owens' own life as well; it's set in the 50s and 60s and, as a child (played by Jojo Regina, The Chosen) and a teenager, Kya is around the same age that Owens would've been then. Another reason that the ways that art might link with reality can't be shaken, lingering like a sultry, squelchy day: what ends up on-screen is as poised, pristine and polished as a swampy southern gothic tale can be, and anyone in one. There's still a scandal, but forget dirt, sweat and anything but lush, vivid wilderness, plus a rustic hut that wouldn't look out of place on Airbnb. That Instagram-friendly aesthetic comes courtesy of filmmaker Olivia Newman (First Match), who helms a visually enticing movie — again, incongruously so given the story it unfurls and the location it dwells in — that's as typical as a murder-mystery meets coming-of-age tale meets southern romance can be. The film starts with Chase's body, the investigation that springs and the certainty around the insular small town of Barkley Cove that the supposedly feral and uncivilised marsh girl is responsible. Evidence is thin, but bigotry runs deep against someone who grew up with an abusive father (Garret Dillahunt, Ambulance), was left behind by her other family members and spent the bulk of her years fending for herself in poverty. That said, as in Owens' source material, that's just the framework. On the screen, though, Where the Crawdads Sing's dive into Kya's life feels like it's also been adapted from Nicholas Sparks' pages. Most of Barkley Cove has always shunned Kya, other than generous store owners Jumpin' (Sterling Macer Jr, House of Lies) and Mabel (Michael Hyatt, The Little Things), who she sells mussels to — the feature's only Black characters, who are woefully only used to stress how callous the rest of the town proves, rather than to even dream of digging into matters of race in America's south as the civil rights movement started to gather steam. Also kindly, taking on her defence, is her Atticus Finch-esque local lawyer Tom Milton (David Strathairn, Nightmare Alley). But romance still blossoms not once but twice for Kya, first with the doting, poetry-reading Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith, Blacklight), and then with arrogant rich kid Chase. That's where Newman's film prefers to reside, charting the ups and downs of Kya's affairs of the heart. That's why the movie appears so immaculate that it shimmers with a marsh-chic gleam as well. Smooching in the swamp replaces The Notebook-style kissing in the rain here. Skimming the surface replaces fleshing out what makes Kya tick, what her surroundings truly mean to her, and humanity's complex ties to nature. Kya is the strongest part of Where the Crawdads Sing, but the film makes everything about and around her so by the numbers. Taken from the book, sometimes-evocative turns of phrase litter Lucy Alibar's (Beasts of the Southern Wild) script, endeavouring to conjure up a rich atmosphere and bring Kya's inner feelings to life, including her love for the bayou. They're always far too neat, however, like everything within view. And as impressive as Edgar-Jones is as an actor (see also: fellow page-to-screen hit Normal People), it's impossible to reconcile Where the Crawdads Sing's careful words and dreamy vision of marsh life — such as the way its star is styled — with what the film tells rather than shows about its central character. Kya's kinship with the wetlands is stressed over and over, of course. Where the Crawdads Sing rarely misses an opportunity to mention it. The audience is informed that it's where she feels safe and at home, and learns to be herself — and also provides the inspiration behind her career as an illustrator, cataloguing the creatures that only live in the kind of thick bushland described in the movie's title. But viewers are still stuck doing exactly what the picture rallies against in its narrative: believing their eyes and taking appearances at face value. The only alternative is sketching in minutiae and texture that just isn't in the film — that is, bringing what's present in the book to this version of the story, including what Newman and Alibar left out, then combining the two in your head. That's not how turning novels into movies should work; they're standalone pieces of art, not visual companions. It doesn't fit the tale being told — one that includes child abandonment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and both societal and legal prejudices — but the movie's backdrop does always look stunning, as lensed with the golden glow of a tourism commercial by cinematographer Polly Morgan (A Quiet Place Part II). That's Where the Crawdads Sing, though: pretty rather than profound, meaningfully complicated or substantial. Dickinson and Smith's plights also sum up the film perfectly. While the always-welcome and ever-reliable Strathairn puts in a fine performance that's largely defined by rousing speeches, both Dickinson and Smith do exactly what's asked of them without being given much room to play anything but stock roles. That's Where the Crawdads Sing at its very best, too: always utterly standard. That said, although never visibly or emotionally, it's usually far muddier than that.
A cracking view is usually pretty high on the priorities list when booking a sweet holiday pad, but you probably don't go into it expecting one quite like what Oman's newest accommodation has to offer. Luxury hospo and hotel group Anantara has just opened the doors to an epic new five-star resort, Al Jabal Al Akhdar — and, boy, does it have views. Sitting at a lofty 2000 metres above sea level on the edge of a canyon in Oman's mountainous north (about four hours from Dubai), it's the Middle East's highest retreat. It towers over the Saiq Plateau in a way that's sure to cause a few goosebumps on the drive up. Just look at it. Basically the height of luxury, Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort is definitely worthy of a spot on the old if money was no object bucket list — the designer interiors reflect that eye-poppingly rugged terrain and each of the 115 luxury rooms lay claim to panoramic views. Of course, there's a price to pay for such luxury — rooms start at around 720 AUD a night and go up to 4000 AUD. Along with the rooms, there's six different restaurants and lounges, and the culinary situation sounds as interesting as the location. You can even get the best of both at Dining by Design, which sits on a cliff-edge platform named Diana's Point, after its most famous royal visitor. And if a peek from your room's window, or your dinner table, doesn't provide enough of an adrenaline rush, the resort also offers a 'via ferrata' climbing route, where you can boss up and actually scale the side of the cliff. If that's too much, you can always just take a dip in the canyon infinity pool, go mountain biking or get one of the hotel's 'mountain gurus' to take you on a hike of the area. Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort is located in the Al Hajar mountains, about 30 minutes from the ancient city of Nizwa in Oman. For more information on the hotel, visit jabal-akhdar.anantara.com.
The monster in this show is very different from those you might have seen haunting the city for Halloween. This clever show from director Robert Chuter explores the self-sabotage of affluent Aussie millennials and the dangers they face in idolising their heroes. If that wasn't already enough to identify with, die-hard fans of The Smiths will delight in the seminal band's lyrics that are brought to life. This is the sequel of the highly-successful Half A Person: My Life As Told By The Smiths so, if you (like me) didn't see it, be prepared for Morrissey to meet Broadway on stage. As well as general generational concerns, Alex Broun's script reflects on the concept of 'disability' through its two main characters: William and Felice. Though Felice is confined to a wheelchair with cystic fibrosis and only present in William's reenactments, it's William's life choices that incite the most thought. Making us laugh and cringe, his performance eventually makes us question 'is it actually this fully-abled guy who keeps shunning happiness who's really disabled?' The joy is in the details of this production, like the 'Wonka' shirt William wears, suggesting a kind of Peter Pan Syndrome — a commentary on the 21+ dependency common to Gen Y? I saw more charisma in Wright’s improv due to a botched sound cue and his underhanded asides than in some of the scripted narration. It would be wonderful to see him play more as the season progresses and infuse his natural charm/cheekiness into the script and songs. As it is, Wright nails the balance of nostalgia AND connection to the audience, allowing William to energetically impersonate the people in his life, and unwittingly reveal his own ignorance and privilege. Having missed its prequel, I found the crossbreeding of The Smiths with a Broadway musical style sometimes jarring from the story — made worse by the thin, karaoke feel of some backing tracks. When William finds himself actually singing in a karaoke bar, the effect is great. Perhaps this is Chuter's intention all along: to reflect a young man’s delusions of grandeur and infatuation with fame. The presence of live music in this show would greatly enhance it. At the very least, the sound team should crank up the speakers and Wright's microphone for the songs. Benjamin Brockman’s set and lighting design creates a stylised, yet private space for William's memories. It simply, but effectively maintains the feel of a young man’s bedroom, even when it’s jumping from wealthy Toorak to debaucherous Chapel street. Brockman works closely with the script; his lighting creating the 'glows' that underpin much of Broun's writing. Mortality hangs over the stage, thanks to Brockman’s ghostly neons and the black soil crunching underfoot. His pièce de résistance is the use of vertical space: a cluster of fluffy clouds utilised for moments of epiphany, at once wonderfully magical and kitsch. November Spawned a Monster runs as part of a double bill at the Old Fitz. You shouldn't miss the second act: the hilarious one-woman show V.D.
Acclaimed chef Clare Smyth is set to open her latest venue Oncore on the 26th level of Sydney's Crown. Oncore and its hyper-seasonal and locally focused menu joins the likes of Nobu Matsuhisa's Nobu, Alessandro Pavoni's a'Mare, Silks and Woodcut as part of the dining options in the hotel and casino. The acclaimed chef has a culinary resume that will drop any jaw. Smyth has been named World's Best Female Chef at the 2018 World's 50 Best Restaurants, has been awarded three Michelin stars for her London restaurant Core, and cooked at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. She also worked at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV (both three Michelin starred-restaurants), guest judged on Netflix's The Final Table and, locally, appeared on MasterChef Australia. Oncore will be Smyth's first restaurant outside of the United Kingdom. The 68-seat venue was originally announced in January of 2020, but after some delays, it is finally set to open on Thursday, November 18. The restaurant will offer diners panoramic views of Sydney Harbour including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. As suggested by the name Oncore, a play on Smyth's original London outpost, it aims to bring the Core experience to Sydney while giving it an Australian spin, utilising local Australian producers and placing sustainability at the core of its practices. Some of Smyth's most renowned dishes have made their way over from the UK, including slow-cooked potato topped with smoked trout and herring roe. The Potato and Roe served with beurre blanc has become a fan-favourite of the London restaurant's menu and is sure to delight Sydneysiders at Oncore. The dish pays homage to Smyth's childhood in Northern Ireland and will be made with potatoes sustainably farmed in the NSW southern highlands. Another highlight from the menu is the Beef and Oysters, which is inspired by the Victorian-era English beef, oyster and stout pie. At Oncore, the dish will combine Wapengo and Wagonga oysters with NSW Shiro Kin Fullblood Wagyu beef. The Oncore cellar will house more than 3000 bottles of wine in its cellar, with drops from Australia, Bordeaux, Burgundy and vineyards across both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere available to pair with the food. If you're looking to have a little fun with your drinks, there will also be a small cocktail bar on hand serving a reserved selection of inventive cocktails with views of the water. Joining Smyth as part of the Oncore team is Bennelong's former Restaurant Manager Michael Stoddart. The hospitality veteran started his journey in the kitchen at London's SoHo House and has worked at restaurants across the globe over the last decade. Oncore by Clare Smyth will open on Thursday, November 18 on Level 26 of Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo.
Whether you're a foodie in search of the best and freshest ingredients for Christmas dinner or just after some wine and chocolates to take to said dinner, Eveleigh Farmers' Christmas Market makes a perfect holiday pit stop. This weekend, over 80 stallholders and artisan food producers from all over NSW will be gathering at Sydney's only all-weather farmer's market and selling various Christmas dining essentials like seafood, ham, turkey, wine, Christmas cakes and puddings, cherries and handmade sweet treats — all fresh, seasonal and homemade. You've also got the option to pre-order for collection on the day — handy if you're short on time or just don't want to miss out on the homegrown goodness.
This year, the AICE (Australia Israel Cultural Exchange) Israeli Film Festival, the only country-wide event to focus on Israeli film, celebrates ten years of bringing assumption-shattering documentaries and controversial features to Australian audiences. Opening night will see the national premiere of The Ballad of the Weeping Spring, nominee for nine Israeli Academy Awards and winner of four. Stylistically influenced by both spaghetti Westerns and samurai epics, it explores the often blurred lines between life and art in its portrayal of the emotional reunion of a once legendary band torn apart by tragedy. Other highlights of the fortnight-long festival include The Gatekeepers, an Oscar-nominated documentary in which six ex-leaders of the Shin Bet (Israel's internal secret service) discuss their success and failures in "overseeing Israel's war on terror"; Good Garbage, winner of Best Documentary at Shanghai's Magnolia Film Festival, which depicts the hardships of 200 Palestinian families who depend upon the Hebron Hills garbage dump for survival; and Zaytoun, a drama about the development of an unusual friendship between a Palestinian orphan and an Israeli fighter pilot. "The festival continues to highlight not only the breadth and strength of the Israeli film industry, but also presents the broad spectrum of Israeli society and everyday issues," explains co-curator Keith Lawrence. "A common thread in many of the films this year is that of the concerns of young adults — social, sexual and political — whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim." Thanks to AICE, we have ten double passes to give away to the Israeli Film Festival. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
The acclaimed culinary trio behind Potts Point French eatery Bistrot 916 is gearing up to open their second restaurant. Dan Pepperell (Alberto Lounge, 10 William Street and Frankie's), sommelier Andy Tyson (Alberto Lounge) and longtime Rockpool Dining Group chef Michael Clift are set to open Pellegrino 2000, a new neighbourhood Italian restaurant focusing on the flavours from Rome and Florence in Surry Hills. Clift says the restaurant will be inspired by the trio's most-loved Italian trattorias. Located on the corner of Campbell and Foster Street in Surry Hills, the eatery will house the main dining room and a candle-lit wine cellar in the basement. The three Sydney hospo mainstays at the helm of the venue have stripped back the former residence of Bar H to reveal a historic corner terrace built in 1905. Bringing the building to life will be a double-sided espresso bar and shelves of canned tomatoes and anchovies lining the walls. Bistrot 916's success was built around presenting French classics and more inventive takes on Parisian cuisine in a way that was new for Sydney. Diners at Pellegrino 2000 can expect a similar approach to Italian food. "The menu will consist of the Italian staples we love, handmade tortellini, pappardelle bolognese, fritto misto and tripe in all shapes and sizes," says Pepperell. [caption id="attachment_801367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bistrot 916, Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] As with all good Italian restaurants, good wine will also be on hand. "The wine list will be a grand selection of the Italian classics, mostly old Barolo, old Chianti, and a few prized bottles of the greats like Soldera and Valentini," according to Tyson. Playing a support role will be the cocktails. Expect a selection of amari, negronis, caffe shakerato and Bellini's reminiscent of Harry's Bar in Venice. An official open date hasn't been announced for Pellegrino 2000, with the restaurant's Instagram promising its "coming soon". Pellegrino 2000 will open at 80 Campbell Street, Surry Hills.
Word Travel's literary festival Story-Fest is set to return this month. This three-day festival celebrates performing writers and the spoken-word. This festival will feature an eclectic line-up of creatives who manipulate the art of communication in powerful, innovative and unique ways by performing poetry, stories, lyrics and monologues. With spoken-word performances and talks throughout each day at The State Library, the Opera House and around The Rocks, the featured artists will include Afro-Latina feminist poet and current Australian Poetry Slam champion Arielle Cottingham, first-generation Sikh storyteller and Australia's Got Talent contestant Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and two-time Canadian national slam champion Ian Keteku. And if you can only hit one event, then this one should be it. The star of the festival and main event, the Australian Poetry Slam National Final, will be held at the Opera House on Sunday October 15. The competition works by making the audience the ultimate judge, as the MC selects five members of the crowd at random to rule on each performance. The poets are given a microphone and just two minutes to capture the crowd's attention before the selected judges score the performance on a scale of one to ten. From these results the winner will be crowned and awarded an all-expenses paid tour to international writing festivals. Have a bit more time to spare? Other events to add to your calendar include Guffaw, where it'll be hard not crack a smile and have a little chuckle as up-and-coming Sydney comedians Annaliese Constable, Sabrina D'Angelo, Benny Eggmolesse and Fran Middleton take to the stage; Queerhyme, which features queer poets Arielle Cottingham, Emily Crocker and Gabrielle Journey Jones performing poems on the fly; and Spoken-Word Women, a celebration of the best female slammers who'll be breaking stereotypes and destroying gender norms with their powerful poetry.
The Golden Koala Chinese Film Festival is back for another year, showcasing an eclectic mix of big screen gems just in time for Chinese New Year. Held in Sydney from February 2-6, this year's festival features a number of intriguing titles across a wide array of genres. Based on a novel by award-winning Chinese-American author Ha Jin, The Song of Cotton tells the story of a female caretaker hired to take care of a former boxer suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The film won big at the recent Shanghai International Film Festival, winning Best Film, Best Actress and Best New Director. Also scoring plaudits on the festival circuit was Dog, an experimental film that screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and follows a stray dog as it journeys across the streets of Guangzhou. Other standout titles include dark crime comedy Roberry, and bittersweet queer rom-com Front Cover. For the full Golden Koala program, go here.
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.
Winter is not traditionally ice cream weather. However, when that ice cream is being served up by Gelato Messina — voted best gelato in Australia, officially by Good Food Guide and unofficially by our taste buds — seasons no longer matter, only the taste and the chance to devour as much as you can, and that chance just became a whole lot easier thanks to UBER. The on-demand private driver service has teamed up with the gelato giant for Friday, July 19, only to deliver their deliciousness directly to your door. UBER Ice Cream Trucks will be transporting specially prepared packs of Messina around Sydney from 2pm to 10pm and you can enjoy this service with the simple flick of a finger. To order, download the UBER app, then just open it, move the slider to the 'Ice Cream' option and request a delivery to your door in minutes — $20 will get you a 500ml tub and some UBER merch. It's easier than serving your own ice cream at home, and definitely more delicious (no offence to your ice cream, but this is pretty much the best there is). You can keep up to date with all of the action on Twitter and Instagram if you want (@Uber_Sydney and #UBERICECREAM) whilst devouring your mouthwatering treat but remember, this is for today Friday, July 19, only (or as I like to call it, ice-cream Christmas), so take advantage of this offer whilst you can. Heck, buy an extra freezer and order all of the ice cream. Whilst that may seem rash to the uninitiated, Gelato Messina fans know that this would be a wise move — to avoid the queues at least. Concrete Playground readers get an exclusive offer when they join Uber. Use the code CPVIP and get $20 off your first ride. The offer is available to new users only and is valid for all Black and Lux car services.
Flipping through a newspaper, feeling the flimsy paper in your hands and finding your fingerprints smudged with ink might by a dying ritual; however The Wall Street Journal is hoping that people still want to take the time to sit, peruse and consume the news at a leisurely pace. Instead of hanging out at a cafe rifling through physical pages, readers can now enter an architect-designed virtual New York apartment to get their news fix thanks to the publication's just-launched VR news app. WSJ VR is the newspaper's new virtual reality app for Google's Daydream platform, ushering news junkies into a different kind of reading experience. Now available to download via Google Play, it allows users to view a wall filled with a live feed of breaking news, watch interactive 360-degree videos and see a visualisation of real-time market data, all in swanky digs designed by architecture firm Michaelis Boyd. Interactive storytelling is the WSJ's main focus, particularly allowing "the Journal's reporters and editors to take readers and viewers of our journalism anywhere in the world," said Andy Regal, WSJ's Global Head of Video, in a statement. Whether that's something anyone actually wants is yet to be seen, but it's certainly quite different to scrolling through newsfeeds on a smartphone screen. Users can do more than read, watch and see the news while they're using the app; they can also engage with the space — which is based on a mix of the firm's real-life residential projects — on a 360-degree axis. Accordingly, even if you're not keen on staying up-to-date on global events and financial developments in the most immersive way possible, the app also offers views of the New York City skyline — and it's cheaper than a plane ticket. Via Dezeen.
International travel might be off the cards for the next little while, but that means it's time to soak up all the goodness in your own backyard. Australia and New Zealand are chock full of world-class travel opportunities, with lush rainforests, dazzling coastline, pristine outback and more, just waiting to be explored. And one lucky local will get to hit the road and see part of it for free, thanks to a bumper new competition from Surf Stitch. The fashion retailer has joined forces with campervan hire crew Travellers Autobarn to give away a two-week road-tripping adventure of a lifetime. The winner will score 14-day van hire — with the chance to go cruising around either New Zealand or Australia with their besties, kicking off from a location of their choice — as well as a $1500 wardrobe worth of fresh threads from Surf Stitch, to keep you all looking extra good on tour. Where and when your adventure will unfold, is entirely up to you — and COVID-19 restrictions, of course. At the moment, there are restrictions on travelling between states and territories in Australia, all of Victoria is in lockdown and you can't fly between Australia and NZ — so, if you do win, be sure to check the laws before heading off on your adventure. Restrictions aside, you could go tripping along NSW's north coast, splitting your time between sandy beach and rainforest. Touring the untouched wilderness of Tassie. Or maybe gallivanting your way around the famed Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound on New Zealand's south island. Whatever your local travel bucket-list looks like, this prize is sure to help you tick off a few gems, while giving that holiday itch a good scratch. To be in with a shot at winning your ultimate road trip, simply jump on the competition website and enter your details. Then, decide just which part of this grand old backyard is calling to you the loudest. You can enter the competition by filling in your details over at the Surf Stitch website. Entries close at 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 14. The competition is open to citizens and permanent residents of Australia and NZ. 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.
Anyone who takes their alcohol semi-seriously or are discontent with cookie-cutter commercial bottle shops can seek solace in The Oak Barrel. The team takes alcohol even more seriously than you do. A family-run business since 1956, and one of the city's oldest independent bottle shops, The Oak Barrel is a purveyor of the finest beer, wine and whisky available. Organic and natural wines are having a bit of a moment right now, but The Oak Barrel have long been specialists in this realm. It stocks wines from all over the world and the staff's encyclopaedic knowledge will help steer you in the right direction. Craft beer fans will geek out in The Oak Barrel's cave which holds an extensive range of local and global (mostly Belgium, US and NZ) brews that grows quite literally on a weekly basis. If you're after the harder stuff, its spirit range is equally impressive. Whisky is the main drawcard holding everything from Tasmanian single cask to private collection scotch and Kentucky rye. The shop plays host to a number of events and also runs regular tasting nights with tickets usually sitting at the $35 mark. Ranging from sake to natural wines to sour beers, these appreciation events are guided by experts who discuss the history and nuances of the drinks - basically, it's a fancy excuse to drink lots of quality booze.
If you're like us, you've probably excitedly hummed along to the theme song at the start of every Game of Thrones episode (yep, all 73 of them). Now, you can do just that again, but you'll be joined by a live orchestra, a choir and tens of thousands of other spectators when the internationally renowned Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience finally hits Australia. Having toured North America and Europe, the grandiose musical show will head to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide in early 2020. The immersive show sees Emmy Award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi's emotive scores — from all eight seasons of the HBO show — brought to life with an international cast of soloists, an orchestra and a choir, and accompanied by the equally dramatic footage. Over in the States, according to MTV, the show featured 360-degree stages (designed to replicate locations throughout the Seven Kingdoms), 800 feet of video wall, an 80-piece orchestra and custom-made instruments, such as a 12-food Wildling horn. Expect things to be equally large and OTT Down Under, too. Expect, also, to relive some of the season's most dramatic moments — SPOILERS (if you somehow haven't watched it already) — such as Hodor's sacrifice, Arya's conquering of the Night King, Joffrey's (brilliant) death, the Battle of Winterfell, the Red Wedding and so much more. Pack the tissues, folks. What's more, the show will coincide with a series of 'VIP experiences' that we can definitely get around. These include a pre-show medieval banquet (hopefully without any Freys), the chance to sit on a Iron Throne and a dedicated butler, who'll deliver food (hopefully pies) and drinks (hopefully wine in goblets) to your seat. While you're waiting for the show to arrive next summer, you can re-listen to all eight seasons' scores on Spotify — including the nine-minute epic that is 'The Night King Theme' (we've handily embedded that below). If that's not enough to fill your time, you can also listen to some of Djawadi's other scores. He has created the music for Westworld, Prison Break, Pacific Rim and Iron Man, too. Get ready, winter is coming (back) to Aus. GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE 2020 DATES Brisbane — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, February 7 Sydney — ICC, February 9 Melbourne — Rod Laver Arena, February 12 Adelaide — AEC Theatre, February 15 Perth — RAC Arena, February 17 Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience pre-sale tickets are available from 9am on Tuesday, August 13 with general sale starting at midday on Friday, August 16 via Live Nation. Images: Ralph Larmann
Sydney is notorious for its streets that bend like tangled shoelaces, its laughable town planning that left our Town Hall facing the wrong direction (the original front faces the QVB) and a public transport system about as efficient as underground solar panels. But Sydney is also home to a sunny harbour framed by two of the 20th Century’s most impressive architectural feats, parks that feel like paradise, some of the world’s greatest outdoor city festivals and a legacy of elegant colonial buildings that bring us into conflict with our Aboriginal heritage. Public Sydney: Stop, Look, Live is an exhibition presented by the Historic Houses Trust, inspired by Philip Thalis and Peter John Cantrill’s newly released book Public Sydney: Drawing the City. It’s a good starting point for anybody interested in Sydney’s design and offers a basic architectural and social history of iconic public sites including Bennelong Point, the Museum of Sydney, Hyde Park, Central Station and Town Hall. There are some cool old photographs that remind us we weren’t always a hip cosmopolitan metropolis, historical artifacts including a two-ton canon and even an impressive to-scale drawing of the Opera House along one wall. There are videos that chart each site’s history, including vox pops of people waiting for friends at Town Hall steps (not just Goths and tourists it turns out!) and along the Opera House forecourt. There’s also a great photo essay including images of the skaters who spend sun dappled afternoons sharing the tricks of their trade by the Pool of Reflection in Hyde Park and the bike couriers who hang out on the steps near the GPO at Martin Place. But further than eating sandwiches on steps and strolling through tree-lined parks (all excellent and valid activities), Public Sydney washes over one of the most powerful ways in which we have shaped these public spaces. That is, through political and civic engagement. Other than a black-and-white photograph of a rally at Town Hall, this exhibition steers well clear of our political engagement with Sydney’s public spaces. How have we, the public, used these marvelously designed sites for protests, rallies, celebrations and other mass forms of civic engagement? What do these buildings, parks and street corners mean if they haven’t been shaped throughout history by ideological, cultural and humanitarian displays of expression and debate? It is these elements that really inform how a public engages with, experiences and shapes a city. Without them, Sydney is no more than a shiny shell inhabited by a benign and somewhat flaccid public. Public Sydney’s saving grace in this respect is that it offers you, the public, the opportunity to share your own stories – both in the exhibition and online. What are the hidden public histories layered within these spaces? How do you spend your time in the Pearl of the Pacific? Help set the record straight. Local zine maker and master of urban detail Vanessa Berry will be running a parallel blog as part the exhibition.
It may no longer be a functioning substation but the vibe here is electric. Gone are Alexandria's dining days of takeaway joints and vending machines, the industrial 'burb is now enjoying sprightly new spots for food and flat whites. But with workers and residents aplenty and an espresso-lacking strip in McEvoy Street, Sub-Station Cafe is a welcome and indeed wanted addition. Housed in an old electric substation, the cleverly designed space is abuzz with happy people, and for good reason: here is a lovely, light-filled spot for recharging one's batteries. A big pumpkin at the front door signifies Sub-Station out of the grey lines of warehouses and smash repairs, and is a cute indication of the sense of humour inside. Lightbulbs hang from bedsprings in makeshift chandeliers and vintage advertisements of Coles and David Jones are framed resplendently. The narrow coffee bar – clad with old-world tiles and laden with freshly baked bread – opens up to an outside courtyard. It's green, private, quiet: a rarity in this truck-heavy part of town. Single-origin coffee (from $3) is rich and respectably creamy, and would go down a treat with one of Sub-Station's freshly baked goodies: think homemade brownies and lemon tarts. The breakfast offerings hit the mark with a balance of savoury, sweet and simple. The highlight has to be the Morning Dream breakfast roll ($16): a house-baked bread roll with egg, bacon, avocado, spinach, tomato and a chutney-like homemade sauce. The bacon is crackly crisp, American-style, which bacon-enthusiasts will attest can be hard to source. The just-baked station granola ($12) is a delight and baked at the spot itself. Grassroots fare is clearly a Sub-Station priority; with free-range eggs and organic honey in the kitchen and potted spinach growing outside. There are homespun touches throughout, like the wooden spoon–fashioned table numbers and wall-hung chopping boards. A hidey-hole haven in Alexandria, this substation is deliciously delivering energy and good vibes to Sydneysiders.
