Itching to take a break from working from home by plunging yourself into the great outdoors? Love the idea of turning on your OOO message and hitting a six-day nature hike, getting a rush of adrenaline as you speed down a mountain on a bike, or gliding over expansive desert sands at exhilarating heights? Then it might be time to put Central Australia on your travel map. Home to some of the most epic activities the country has to offer, taking the plunge and visiting the Red Centre might be the little pick-me-up you need. So, we've partnered with Tourism Central Australia to bring you some of Central Australia's most thrilling activities.
With the news finally confirmed that Aussies can begin visiting New Zealand shores once again, you're likely to be more than ready to book that holiday to our easterly neighbour. Home to some of the best slopes that the southern hemisphere has to offer, New Zealand is a no-brainer when it comes to choosing a winter vacay destination. No matter which stunning ski region you choose, there's just as much to do off the slopes as there is on them. Between world-class eateries, jaw-dropping hotel views and walks to remember, you're going to want to wring as much out of each place as you can. Together with Ski NZ, we've put together this guide on where to eat, play and stay in New Zealand's best ski regions across both the North Island and South Island. QUEENSTOWN/WANAKA [caption id="attachment_846406" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Little Aosta, Arrowtown[/caption] EAT Queenstown is known for its world-class food and cocktail offering. Yes, you're there for the serious business of skiing but it would be a crime not to indulge. If you're staying in the heart of Queenstown, fuel up early for a day on the slopes with strong coffee and delicious cabinet goods from Vudu Larder — the carrot cake is a particular standout (and a breakfast food, in our opinion). At the end of the day, travel 20 minutes down the road to the charming historic village of Arrowtown to try authentic Italian family-style fare at Ben Bayly's recently opened Little Aosta. Après-ski cocktail hour around the fire starts at 3pm here, so get your spot early. For fancier fine dining, you can't go past Rātā, celebrity chef Josh Emmett's main Queenstown fort, for a taste of the best Aotearoa has to offer in a deconstructed degustation. [caption id="attachment_806669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Coronet Peak[/caption] PLAY You're down south? You're in luck, because Queenstown and Wanaka are home to some of the best ski fields in the country — even the world. If you're looking for a reliably good run, Cardrona is just a short drive from either side of the valley. For experienced skiers wanting a challenge, ski and snowboard hotspot Treble Cone features the South Island's "biggest vert" (you're going to want to say that to feel like part of the in-crowd) — AKA the longest vertical drop in the region. Queenstown's closest ski field, Coronet Peak, is located an easy 20-minute drive from the town centre, while the unbelievable views from atop the family-friendly slopes of The Remarkables make it worth the slightly longer 40-minute roadie (or just hop on one of the regular shuttles from the city's centre). And if you're in town at the time, don't miss alpine music festival Snow Machine in September, set to turn the slopes into the dance floor of your sub-zero dreams. The following day, reward yourself for all that hard work with a day in the vines: Amisfield and Akarua are our top winery picks. Don't miss a day up the Queenstown gondola for the best views you can imagine — and a thrilling luge ride on the way down, of course. And if you want to restore your body after a day on the slopes, Align, Queenstown's first reformer pilates studio, offers dynamic classes of equal strength and stretch to help get you back in shape for the next day's skiing. [caption id="attachment_846407" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mahu Whenua[/caption] STAY If you're planning on waking up with the sunrise to make the most of your day on the slopes, you're going to need million-dollar views to make it easier. Luckily, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad view in this corner of the world. For a wake-up as good as it gets, Eichardt's Private Hotel boasts one of the best lakefront positions in Queenstown. If you prefer cosy intimacy and a bold print, notoriously quirky hotel chain Naumi's The Dairy Private Hotel transformed Queenstown's original 1920s corner store into colourful boutique accommodation with a bottomless happy hour between 5pm and 6pm. For an eco-friendly stay without sacrificing on luxury, rest your weary head at Mahu Whenua luxury eco-accommodation. Any of the rustic suites at this luxury lodge will make you feel like the king or queen of the castle, worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Wanaka township (rather than a mere 25 minutes). CANTERBURY [caption id="attachment_846515" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Inati, Christchurch[/caption] EAT Thanks to Canterbury's spot in the central South Island, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike will be in paradise with locally-sourced meats and produce at many a farm-to-table spot. Keen to splurge? Head to Inati for a degustation from head chef Simon Levy who trained under a pretty well-known chef named Gordon Ramsay — you may have heard of him. With a menu split into earth, land and sea, Inati directly translates from Te Reo to mean "to share a portion of food or to be exceptional and exciting". Either sound good to us. If only a giant steak will do, hit up the city's classic steakhouse Bloody Mary's and follow it with a post-dinner cocktail to die for at speakeasy-style bar OGB in Christchurch's stunning old government building (get the name?). Thanks to giant heaters and overhead cover, you can sit out in the courtyard overlooking Cathedral Square year-round, with a few negronis to beat the winter chill. [caption id="attachment_852204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Hutt[/caption] PLAY For an easy day ski trip just outside of the city, head to two of the closest mountains to central Christchurch: Mount Hutt, Canterbury's premier ski field, or Mount Cheeseman. Both are sun-soaked (even in winter), family-friendly and set up for a fun day on the slopes. If you feel like journeying a little further afield, Mount Dobson is just two hours from Christchurch and an underrated jewel with sensational views across Lake Pukaki and Tekapo towards New Zealand's highest peaks, Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. After a day on the slopes, soak the aching muscles away in Methven's brand new Ōpuke hot pools at the base of Mount Hutt. This new wellness destination has adults-only 'tranquillity pools' and family-friendly 'discovery pools', with a swim-up bar that will make you feel like you're in the islands, despite being surrounded by a mountain range. They'll even bring you a cocktail right to your spot in the pool — no slapping around in wet swimwear required. For those staying closer to the city, the He Puna Taimoana hot pools in New Brighton offer views over the beach and can be booked in time slots so you'll never feel crowded. If the weather is playing ball and you want a little greenery after all of that snow, Christchurch's Botanic Gardens are stunning year-round thanks to the hot greenhouse, Wintergarden, which will warm your bones no matter the weather. [caption id="attachment_846409" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Britten Stables[/caption] STAY For stunning boutique accommodation in the heart of Christchurch, Britten Stables is a key piece of Christchurch history that has been lovingly restored into luxe accommodation with an indoor plunge pool, hot tub, billiards room and spacious gardens. For accommodation closer to the slopes, Terrace Downs resort was recently purchased by luxe hotel chain Fable and offers villas nestled below the Southern Alps, only a 45-minute drive to the ski field — or a five-minute helicopter to the top of the slopes. You can recover the next morning with a round of golf right outside your room. RUAPEHU [caption id="attachment_757144" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pinnacles Restaurant[/caption] EAT For lunch with an out-of-this-world view above the dual UNESCO World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park, ride the Sky Waka gondola up Mount Ruapehu to the award-winning Knoll Ridge Chalet — which, sitting 2020 metres above sea level, is NZ's highest dining experience. With breathtaking views of the Pinnacles, as well as skiers and boarders hooning down the slopes, visitors can choose from a delicious and varied menu that shines with high-quality, locally sourced produce. On your return to town, once you've had a hot shower and dropped off your gear, head to Osteria, a cosy family-run Italian restaurant in the heart of Ohakune. The lasagne al forno and a large glass of red is the perfect pairing to warm the bones after a day on the field. [caption id="attachment_852205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mt Ruapehu[/caption] PLAY Part of the UNESCO Dual World Heritage Tongariro National Park, Mt Ruapehu has some of the North Island's most rugged terrain, formed by solidified lava. On its flanks, Whakapapa and Tūroa ski areas boast the country's most exhilarating ski runs, as well as world-class beginner slopes and lessons for those just venturing out, across its combined 1050 hectares — no intimidating vibes here. Feel like working your legs even more? Have a crack at one of the area's incredible walks. The 20-kilometre Tongariro Crossing offers views previously only seen in Lord of the Rings, or, if you're nursing sore legs from skiing, the six-kilometre loop of the Taranaki Falls is equally stunning (but takes a quarter of the time). If you've still got the energy for a boogie after nightfall, head to the famous Powderkeg Bar which hosts a series of gigs throughout the winter months, including Ohakune Mardi Gras, the George FM Snowball and a host of others. [caption id="attachment_846413" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Powderhorn Chateau[/caption] STAY Knowing where to look is key to booking luxe accommodation around Ruapehu. For an intimate stay offering jaw-dropping views of the stars, Night Sky Cottage is a five-star, fully self-contained cottage in Ohakune with two baths perfectly positioned to gaze at the celestial wonders above. For an authentic alpine hotel experience, you'll be hard-pressed to beat the iconic Powderhorn Chateau when it comes to both location and winter ambience. The room's wooden interiors will give you Fargo vibes (in the best possible way) — and as a bonus, each room has a drying closet for your ski gear. To start planning your trip to New Zealand's top ski regions, visit the website. Top images: Coronet Peak, Little Aosta, Eichardt's Private Hotel
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. HOUSE OF GUCCI For the second time in as many movies, Lady Gaga is caught in a bad romance in House of Gucci. Yes, she's already sung the song to match. The pop diva doesn't belt out ballads or croon upbeat tunes in this true-crime drama, unlike in her Oscar-nominated role in A Star Is Born, but she does shimmy into a tale about love and revenge, horror and design, and wanting someone's everything as long as it's free. Eschewing the earthy naturalism of her last film performance and tapping into her famed on-stage theatricality instead, she's perfect for the part of Patrizia Reggiani, aka Lady Gucci, aka the daughter of a trucking entrepreneur who wed into one of the world's most prestigious fashion families, helped unstitch its hold on its couture empire, then went to prison for murder. She's exceptional because she goes big and lavish, and because she knows that's the type of feature she's meant to be in: a soapy spectacle about money and power that uses its depiction of excess as an interrogation technique. Complimenting Gaga for nailing the brief — for acing it so dazzlingly that she's sauntering down her own catwalk as most of her co-stars virtually watch from the floor — gives House of Gucci a tad too much credit, though. Ridley Scott's second film in mere months following The Last Duel, and his third in a row to examine wealth and influence after 2017's All the Money in the World, this fashion-world saga skews large, lush and luxe with each choice, too, but doesn't land every sashay with quite the outsized lustre of its crown jewel. If House of Gucci's veteran director was picking an outfit instead, he would've chosen a killer gown, then wavered on the accessories. Some of his other decisions gleam, as seen in the movie's knowingly maximalist and melodramatic air. Others prove fine, like its jukebox-style soundtrack of 70s and 80s bangers. A few moves are so cartoonish — Jared Leto's ridiculousness, and the Super Mario-style accents sported by almost everyone on-screen — that they play like cheap knockoffs. The story itself is a standout, however, as adapted from Sara Gay Forden's 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. When Patrizia meets law student Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver, Annette) at a 70s-era party, mistakes him for a bartender, then realises who he is, it sparks a rollercoaster of a relationship — starting with Maurizio being disinherited by his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons, Love, Weddings and Other Disasters) for their marriage. Still, the newest Gucci knows what she wants: a place in the family's dynasty. She isn't the lone cause of the Guccis' unfolding, thanks to Rodolfo's brother Aldo (Al Pacino, Hunters), his penchant for watering down the brand and tax evasion, and his wannabe-designer son Paolo (Leto, The Little Things), but she's the Lady Macbeth pushing Maurizio to seize the company by any means. And, because the reason that House of Gucci even exists was written in news headlines over a quarter-century ago, she's behind Maurizio's killing in 1995. "I don't consider myself a particularly ethical person, but I'm fair," Patrizia offers partway into the movie, a moral code that still sees her order his hit after their divorce — helped by a TV psychic-turned-pal (Salma Hayek, Eternals), because that's the kind of tale this is. Interviewed in 2016, Patrizia called herself "the most Gucci of them all", an idea that Scott and his screenwriters Becky Johnston (Arthur Newman) and Roberto Bentivegna (short El otro lado) don't ever give Italian-lilted voice to, but still use as their basic pattern. In the sartorial realm, Gucci might stand for high-end indulgence, but House of Gucci sees both the allure and the cost of the brand reflected in Patrizia's status-hungry actions. Read our full review. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE Spraying reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels across cinema screens like a spirit supposedly sprays ectoplasm — gushing reimaginings, spinoffs and seemingly never-ending franchises, too — Hollywood ain't afraid of no ghosts. It loves them in horror movies, obviously, but it adores the spectre of popular intellectual property even more. These phantoms of hits gone by can be resurrected again and again, all to make a profit. They haunt both cinemas and box-office blockbuster lists, making film-goers and the industry itself constantly feel like they're being spooked by the past. With 14 of Australia's 15 top cash-earning flicks of 2021 all falling into the been-there-done-that category in one way or another, looking backwards in the name of apparently going forwards is now mainstream filmmaking 101, and the big end of town rarely likes bustin' a money-making formula. After more than a few pandemic delays, that's the world that Ghostbusters: Afterlife floats into — a world that's made worshipping previous glories one of the biggest cash-spinners show business could've ever dreamed up. The fourth feature to bear the Ghostbusters name, but a new legacy sequel to the original 1984 film, this reanimated franchise entry certainly sports a fitting subtitle; treating its source material like it's nirvana is firmly filmmaker Jason Reitman's approach. To him, it might've been. Although he established his career with indie comedies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno, he's the son of director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the OG Ghostbusters and its 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II. To plenty of fans, those two initial comedy-horror flicks were something special as well; however, acknowledging that fact — and trying to recreate the feeling of being a kid or teen watching the first Ghostbusters nearly four decades ago — isn't enough to fuel a new film. To be fair, the younger Reitman isn't particularly interested in making a new movie; Be Kind Rewind's "sweded" Ghostbusters clips are more original than Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Instead, he directs a homage that sprinkles in links to its predecessor so heartily that it's probably easier to name the scenes and details that don't scream "hey, this is Ghostbusters!" as loudly as possible. And, even when Reitman and co-screenwriter Gil Kenan (Poltergeist) appear to shake things up ever so slightly, it all still ties back to that kid-in-the-80s sensation. Sure, Ghostbusters: Afterlife's protagonists aren't adult New Yorkers, but they're small-town adolescents who might as well have ambled out of one of the era's other hot properties: Steven Spielberg-helmed or -produced coming-of-age adventure-comedies about life-changing, Americana-dripping, personality-shaping escapades. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Malignant) is one such child, and a new inhabitant of the cringingly titled Summerville, Oklahoma at that. With her mother Callie (Carrie Coon, The Nest) and brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), she's made the move because the granddad she never knew just passed away, leaving a dilapidated rural property to his estranged family. The townsfolk speak his nickname, "dirt farmer", with mocking and intrigue, but his actual moniker — and all that equipment he's left behind — brings big changes Phoebe's way. While being Dr Egon Spengler's granddaughter doesn't initially mean too much to her, other than giving her love for science a genetic basis, she's soon segueing from testing out ghost traps with local teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd, The Shrink Next Door) to cracking Egon's secret efforts to stop a world-shattering supernatural event. Read our full review. NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN Start how you mean to go on is common-sense filmmaking advice. It's the medium's obvious first step, but it's also an elusive achievement. And, it's a feat that's usually only evident in hindsight — when a viewer can see if a stellar introduction really did signal just as sublime things to come, or vice versa. Never Gonna Snow Again perfects the concept, however. In its arresting opening moments, a man walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland, and everything about the scene ripples with moody intrigue. The grey fog infusing the film's setting, the enigmatic look on the mysterious protagonist's face, the feeling that anything and everything could happen: filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska (Mug) and Michal Englert (also the movie's cinematographer) deliver it all at the outset, and then back it up over their feature's 116 minutes. In Never Gonna Snow Again's initial images, that inscrutable man is Ukrainian masseur Zhenia (Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things), who walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland. His destination is lined with lavish identical houses — the kind that the song 'Little Boxes' has satirised for almost six decades now — but he's about to be its most extraordinary visitor. His hands can help knead away physical troubles, a must for everyone with his profession. But as he works his physical magic, his touch can soothe minds as well. Trundling his massage table from well-appointed home to well-appointed home, he quickly builds up a devoted client list of well-to-do residents desperate for his help. He steps into their worlds, spying their outward gloss — the similar wreaths on each door, the doorbells chiming with snippets of classic music — and palpating away their inner pain. As that glorious opening scene establishes almost-unnervingly well, there's a surreal, seductive and otherworldly atmosphere to Never Gonna Snow Again, which Szumowska and Englert let float through their frames like a lingering breeze. There's also a devastatingly savvy interrogation of the type of rich lives that pine for Zhenia's involvement, including their complete obliviousness to him as anything more than a salve for their ennui. Much festers in the feature's McMansions. As it contemplates the everyday malaise that dulls wealth's superficial glow, as well as the vast chasm between gleaming exteriors and empty insides, much haunts Never Gonna Snow Again, in fact. Thematically, it wades into familiar territory — at a time when Succession and The White Lotus are the best shows on TV, and Parasite won the Best Picture Oscar just a year ago, it's probably easier to name movies and TV shows that don't shred the rich to pieces — but it stands out like a pink-hued home in an estate plastered with white and grey. Plenty dazzles in Never Gonna Snow Again, too, including Szumowska and Englert's confident handling, which knits together magical realism and razor-sharp observations about class — and about modern life's rubbish in general as well — with canny precision. Indeed, the movie could've easily crumbled in other hands, and likely will if anyone ever erroneously decides it needs an English-language remake. Perhaps the filmmaking duo's smartest decision is also their most visible, however, because Utgoff's performance is just that magnetic. He's the presence that all those well-to-do clients warm to, lean on and rely upon, and the source of comfort so reliable and cosy that they aren't ever challenged to shatter their bubbles to think about him as a person rather than a set of helping hands — but he has Never Gonna Snow Again's audience constantly pondering and questioning. CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG Nostalgia might be one of pop culture's most-called-upon forces — see also: Ghostbusters: Afterlife — but it can't turn every childhood favourite that reaches cinemas into a winner. Leaping from the pages of Norman Bridwell's illustrated books, the new live-action Clifford the Big Red Dog film is a huge generic slog, shoehorning its oversized, crimson-hued hound into a jumble of routine scenarios that are about as rare as wayward dog faeces in a public park. The giant scarlet woofer gallops into a by-the-numbers, family-friendly action-adventure flick that's a missive against judging things by their appearances, a cautionary tale about bullying and a takedown of nefarious corporate interests. Ron's Gone Wrong barked up all the same trees recently and, while it was hardly an instant classic, it runs circles around this. The point of Clifford the Big Red Dog, no matter what the narrative spins, is right there in the title: it's a story about an abnormally large, unusually ruby-coloured canine, and that's what people want to see. Despite 80 books to the character's name, it's a one-note idea that screenwriters Blaise Hemingway (Vampires vs the Bronx), Jay Scherick and David Ronn (Baywatch) — working with a screen story by Justin Malen (Yes Day) and Ellen Rapoport (Desperados) — unsurprisingly set about fleshing out, but also often sideline their eponymous mutt in the process. Clifford's hijinks couldn't sustain an entire feature, but he's really just a big red sidekick for the bulk of the film. He's an enormous cherry-toned sign for accepting things that are different, too, a well-intentioned message that couldn't be more glaring given that a big red dog yaps the very concept. Clifford isn't originally a giant pet when Emily Elizabeth Howard (Darby Camp, Dreamland) first makes his acquaintance in a Central Park animal-rescue tent run by the mysterious Bridwell (John Cleese, The Very Excellent Mr Dundee). He's definitely the same shade as a tomato, though, and his bond with Emily is instant — even if her mess of an uncle, Casey (Jack Whitehall, Jungle Cruise), says she can't take him home. And yet, this little critter still finds his way into his new pal's backpack. The next morning, he's also no longer a tiny pup. Plus, when he starts attracting attention around New York, he's targeted by a tech billionaire (Tony Hale, Being the Ricardos) who wants him for scientific purposes — but the already-teased Emily, who is taunted at her private school for being there on a scholarship, won't let anyone either take or victimise Clifford for standing out. The look and mood in Clifford the Big Red Dog is sunny with a side of saccharine, and it has John Debney's (Home Sweet Home Alone) relentlessly cheery score to match. With the movie's namesake blazing away in every frame he's in — not due to his hue or size, but via the terrible CGI bringing him to digital life — director Walt Becker (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip) was never going to helm a subtle film, but everything here is exactly as nuanced as a towering vermillion puppy. The result isn't quite as doggone awful as pooch-driven buddy cop flick Show Dogs, although that's an extremely low bar. It's never as goofy as it should be, however, and it really should sport all the goofiness it can dig up (smatterings of toilet humour don't count). Clifford the Big Red Dog can also only wish it was as visually creative and emotionally endearing as the recent page-to-screen all-ages movie standard: the Paddington films, which keep being pushed into a menagerie of their own by every pale imitation. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; and December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Worst Person in the World.
Geelong may not strike you as an obvious destination for a weekend away. The small port city is currently straddling that awkward growth stage between small town and bustling metropolis. As such, it manages to feel like both. Although Geelong wears the vestments of a big place, it still treats you like a small town would. You don't feel anonymous (an odd feeling for veteran city dwellers) and people look you in the eye while genuinely questioning how you are and what you're doing in town. Nowhere is this more pronounced than the food and art scene, hidden away on the quiet side streets of the small city. The cheap and abundant studio space makes it a paradise for creatives, weirdos and anyone who errs on the side of the non-commercial — this relatively small pond attracts some remarkably big fish. Some of Melbourne's best foodies, chefs, entrepreneurs and taste-makers have forsaken the big city in favour of a smaller scene where gimmicks are left at the train station and what shines through is something surprisingly authentic. Leave all that big city pessimism at home and let V/Line (or your car down the M1) carry you to the unexpected cultural oasis of Geelong. Whether you devote your whole weekend to Victoria's second largest city or a few hours on your way down the Great Ocean Road, here's what to do when you get there. [caption id="attachment_569243" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Craft Space[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Before heading down to Geelong, you may want to fast for a few days — there is some serious eating to be done here. Your first port of call should be Craft Space on Little Malop Street. Craft Space is, as the name suggests, a cafe-craft hybrid. You'll find tubs of markers and zines strewn across the mismatched (but colour-coordinated) furniture, a mint green La Marzocco espresso machine filling the back corner and sweet ornaments lining every nook. There's no stone left uncrafted — even the pot plants have been knitted. It's a haven for people who like to occupy their hands while catching up over organic, small batch tea and boutique cakes by Melbourne's Little Bertha. It's a warm little nook and the owners operators Cathy Slarks and Loretta Davis are the kindling in the hearth. The welcoming pair also run craft workshops most weekends and make a mean, towering chocolate milkshake. [caption id="attachment_573393" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hot Chicken Project[/caption] Once night falls it's just a hop, skip and a jump over the way to the Hot Chicken Project for dinner and a bit of atmosphere. Hot tip: undo your pants as you walk through the door (no one will judge). You may feel a sense of déjà vu as you glance the menu as HCP is owned by Aaron Turner, who previously engineered Belle's Hot Chicken on Gertrude Street. The menu is conceptually similar – a hero serve of southern fried chicken (as spicy as you can handle) and a down-home side (think turnips, greens and coleslaw) for $16. The simplicity of the menu works in its favour as the entire wine list is paired for salt, crunch and spice. It's dominated by light, fruity wines from some of Australian's most innovative winemakers — and if you're not literate in wine speak, your best bet is to ask a staff member to choose a wine for you. They know their stuff. We highly, highly recommend indulging in a side of the crispy chicken skin (drizzled in honey, hot sauce and thyme) because you will see God. The place is usually buzzing on the weekend, and with plans to expand into the next shop front, HCP can only get better with time. If you're hankering for a cold one after that, drop into the Little Creatures Geelong Brewery for one straight from the source. [caption id="attachment_569247" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Freckleduck[/caption] The final must-eat destination on your Geelong tour is Freckleduck. The sweet corner café is light, airy and — dare we say it — produces the best coffee in Geelong. The pumpkin smash, served with tortillas, roasted pepitas, fresh asparagus, onion jam and prosciutto ($17) is a salty, sweet and crunchy affair and absolute heaven on a plate. They've just announced plans for a brother venue in Belmont, so we're clearly not the only ones feeling it. [caption id="attachment_569246" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Lola's Kitchen at Boom Gallery[/caption] SEE AND DO Geelong's art scene is intimate. There aren't new openings every night of the week with free flowing Champagne and lines around the block full of hungry young social climbers desperate to be seen; instead, it's more of a community of makers, painters and creatives who quietly and rigorously curate thoughtful and provocative shows. That's what first strikes you as you enter a Geelong gallery — the exhibitions have been created by locals, for locals. And secondly, you might be a little surprised at how many of them there are. There's a lot more art galleries nestled in Geelong than meets the eye — you'll find them hidden in quiet corners, behind demure shopfronts and residing in rustic warehouses. Boom Gallery should be your first stop. From the centre of town, grab an Uber (yes, Geelong has Uber) out to the Rutland Street address and make your way down the row of warehouses to the end. The gallery itself is curated by Ren Inei, whose name you may recognise from some of the works on the walls. They just wrapped up a phenomenal show about local legend William Buckley (of the saying 'Buckley's chance') and one called PLAY, a unique exhibition by Melbourne furniture designers Dowel Jones that encourages attendees to play with their creations. Inei may be a curator, but his attitude is more docent — turn up on any day of the week and you'll likely find him getting amongst it, hanging out with exhibiting artists in the café, chatting with visitors and giving personal insights on the show. Boom also has a small, chic café attached the gallery space named Lola's Kitchen which serves up bite-sized tacos and smooth coffee. For details on current and upcoming exhibitions, go here. [caption id="attachment_573394" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Boom Gallery[/caption] The National Wool Gallery in the centre of town is another must-do. While the museum is housed in the former Dennys Lascelles wool store and chronicles the history of Australian wool in more detail than strictly necessary, the space also hosts some amazing (and random) exhibitions, including the current Wildlife of Gondwana. While you're in the city centre, make sure you stop in at the Geelong Gallery too, a stately old building which has enough clout to host the bigwigs of Australian and international fame. The current exhibition — Land of the Golden Fleece, running until June 13 — is a retrospective of one of the big names in Australian landscape impressionism, Arthur Streeton. The exhibition is beautifully curated and as much about Streeton's life as it is about his works. If you don't want to leave without a souvenir, make your way our to the Mill Markets. They're a little way out of town, but if you've got a car (or just a strong will for vintage shopping) it's well worth trekking to. It's a two-storey veritable paradise of vintage clothes, books, antiques and weird shit, and your bound to find something to at least consider buying. But if you're worn out with food, art and busyness, a picnic basket and veg out session in the lush Johnstone Park is the perfect way to round out your stay. LET'S DO THIS; GIVE ME THE DETAILS Geelong is about one hour from Melbourne. You can drive (the M1 makes it a cinch) or take a V/Line train from Southern Cross to Geelong Station. The city isn't bursting with hotels, but the Mercure Geelong is situated in the centre of town and Airbnb is (as always) your friend. Imogen Baker travelled as a guest of Tourism Greater Geelong & the Bellarine. Top image: Little Creatures Geelong Brewery.
Each filmmaker sits in the shadows of all who came before them — and as cinema's history lengthens, so will those penumbras. With Bergman Island, French writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve doesn't merely ponder that idea; she makes it the foundation of her narrative, as well a launching pad for a playful and resonant look at love, work and the creative wonders our minds conjure up. Her central duo, two filmmakers who share a daughter, literally tread where the great Ingmar Bergman did. Visiting Fårö, the island off Sweden's southeastern coast that he called home and made his base, Chris (Vicky Krieps, Old) and Tony Sanders (Tim Roth, The Misfits) couldn't escape his imprint if they wanted to. They don't dream of trying, as they're each searching for as much inspiration as they can find; however, the idea of being haunted by people and their creations soon spills over to Chris' work. Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage has already been remade, albeit in a miniseries that arrived on the small screen a couple of months after Bergman Island premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival — but across one half of Hansen-Løve's feature, that title would fit here as well. Her resume has long been filled with intimate looks at complicated relationships, including in 2009's Father of My Children and 2011's Goodbye First Love, with her movies both peering deeply and cutting deep as they unfurl the thorny intricacies of romance. Accordingly, when Chris and Tony find themselves sleeping in the bedroom where Bergman shot the original Scenes From a Marriage, it's a loaded and layered moment several times over. That said, the thing about willingly walking in someone else's footsteps is that you're not bound to taking the exact same path — as Bergman Island's characters learn, and as the filmmaker that's brought them to the screen clearly already knows. Turning in finessed and thoughtful performances, Krieps and Roth bring a lived-in dynamic to the film's first key couple, with the chaos that swirls from being in the same line of work but chasing disparate aims not just flowing but bubbling in their paired scenes. He's the kind of Bergman fan that's adamant about going on the Bergman safari, a real-life thing that all visitors can do, for instance, while she prefers being shown around informally by young film student Hampus (acting debutant Hampus Nordenson). But their Fårö escapades only fill half of Bergman Island, because the movie also brings Chris' budding script to life. She tells Tony the tale, seeking his assistance in working out an ending, but he's too immersed in Bergman worship to truly pay attention. The feature itself, Hansen-Løve and the audience all savour the details, though — eagerly so. There, in this film-within-a-film, 28-year-old director Amy (Mia Wasikowska, Blackbird) visits an island, too — "a place like this," Chris advises, and one that visibly resembles Fårö. She dances to ABBA to cement the Swedish ties, and also spends her time on the locale's shores wading through matters of art and the heart. The catalyst for the latter: her ex Joseph (Anders Danielsen Lie, The Worst Person in the World). They're both attending a wedding of mutual friends, and their lengthy, passionate and volatile history quickly pushes to the fore. While they've each moved on, they're also forever connected, especially when placed in such close quarters. Accordingly, that tumultuous relationship is as bedevilled by other creative endeavours, and also by the thrall of history, as Chris' quest to put pen to paper. And, via the movie-inside-a-movie concept, there's an evocative sense of mirroring that couldn't spring any firmer from Bergman himself. Again, Hansen-Løve hasn't merely made her version of a Bergman film. As her screenplay-in-progress comes to life in the Wasikowska-led segments, Chris hasn't either. Rather, both muse on how fine the lines are between life, love and the myriad of influences that come everyone's ways — and if you know anything about Hansen-Løve herself, who was previously in a long-term relationship with fellow filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper), it's easy to see yet another level of links between her situation and those played out in the movie. Perhaps that's why Bergman Island proves as savvy and soulful as anything in the director's career so far, including the stellar Eden and Things to Come, and as personal and profound as well. Not all helmers use their work to sift through parallels in their own existence, whether in fictionalised or semi-autobiographical form, but few do so as well as this. Naturally, it helps when an actor as talented as The Phantom Thread standout Krieps is on hand to play Hansen-Løve's potential on-screen surrogate, and when the equally exceptional Wasikowska then arrives as the latter's own equivalent. The similarities between the two are counterbalanced by their contrasts, but they're constantly in sync either way — sharing mannerisms and reactions at times, juxtaposing different responses and actions at others, but consistently feeling like two halves of a whole. Individually and combined, their performances do what the very best manage, letting audiences into their characters' headspace and hearts alike. Of course, that's a skill that Hansen-Løve's quiet, patient, perceptive and expressive directorial style has always heightened, including her way with music; in mood and impact, that aforementioned ABBA scene sits up there with Eden's revelatory EDM-soundtracked moments. Also essential: the mischievous vibe that floats through Bergman Island like a soft sea breeze, as aided by cinematographer Denis Lenoir (Eden, Things to Come) and editor Marion Monnier (a veteran of the same two films, and of Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper, too). They shoot and edit with an enthralling sheen and rhythm that's part-dream, part-memory, part-emotional whirlwind — and, assisted by repeated props and costumes that pop up across its two sections, they each help the movie toy with where lines are blurred, what's pinned together and when various aspects nest like matryoshka dolls. Reality and fantasy weave in and out here, and in multiple ways. In a feature that unpacks the stories that surround relationships, careers, cinema and creativity, especially where celluloid reveries and the people behind them are involved, that's as natural as idolising auteurs like Bergman. Exactly who authors our lives, hope and ambitions, how and why, and what thrall we let them hold: that's another question this entrancing and ingenious filmic getaway also astutely contemplates.
After a few wines, fun can get messy. Without any alcohol at all, life always is. Since arriving on Netflix in 2019, grief-fuelled black comedy Dead to Me has always understood this. Just as crucially, it has always appreciated how the chaos that being alive brings is far easier to handle with a true friend by your side. Its key pair: Christina Applegate (Bad Moms 2) and Linda Cardellini (Hawkeye) as Jen Harding and Judy Hale, who started the show as strangers linked by tragedy, and by lies about exactly how deep that connection goes. With Dead to Me finishing with the just-dropped season three, the duo ends the series having changed each other in ways that neither could've initially imagined. Hit and runs, murders, duplicitous connections, secret twins, police investigations, shallow graves, money laundering, incriminating surveillance footage, big coverups: these aren't regular occurrences for most of us. But dealing with life, love, death, loss and disappointment is, and struggling to know how you want to spend your days — and who to spend them with. To navigate all of this, the only-on-TV and the everyday alike, Dead to Me bundles its leads together to help them cope. Sometimes, that involves big glasses of vino. Too often perhaps, leaning on a stereotype. Still, the fact that Jen and Judy need each other, and are better because they know each other, remains as heartfelt as Dead to Me's pile of twists proves tumultuous. When Dead to Me began with heavy A Simple Favour vibes, it was with Laguna Beach real-estate agent Jen left widowed with two kids (Condor's Sam McCarthy and IT: Chapter Two's Luke Roessler), and furious about it, after her husband Ted was killed in an accident. Aged-care nurse Judy comes into her orbit at her grief support group, telling a tale about similarly mourning after the death of her fiancé Steve Wood (James Marsden, Sonic the Hedgehog 2); however, her story is just a ruse to get close to Jen. The chalk-and-cheese women still find comfort in each other's company, with the free-spirited Judy countering Jen's acerbic, acidic, angry demeanour. Then, the revelations start flowing — and the more that their friendship is tested, the more the pair gravitate towards each other. When Dead to Me's ten-episode first season came to an end, it was with secrets being exposed and a growing body count. In season two, which dropped another ten episodes in 2020, Jen and Judy worked through the fallout, and the reality of having Steve's kinder, cornier twin brother Ben (also Marsden) around. This is a show about cycles and circles, so when its second outing finished, it was with another hit and run, this time with Jen and Judy as its victims. That's where season three's ten episodes pick up, with the two women in hospital weathering yet another aftermath to a significant event with yet another round of life-changing consequences. Hanging out with Jen and Judy as they endure several soap operas worth of turmoil — and just as many big life events, complete with romances, kids and health woes — has been one of Dead to Me's drawcards from the get-go. Creator and writer Liz Feldman (2 Broke Girls) perfected the show's lead casting, so much so that even simply putting Applegate and Cardellini together with a bottle of wine has always sparked compelling, touching, insightful and hilarious moments. That's hardly surprising given both actors' prior resumes, and their screen presence. In her first lead TV role since 2011–12 sitcom Up All Night, Married with Children and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead alum Applegate plays world-weary and just weary with relatable force, while ex-Freaks and Geeks, Scooby Doo, Mad Men and Bloodline star Cardellini knows how to give the positive-thinking Judy both weight and heart. Applegate and Cardellini have deserved their past Emmy nominations — two for the former, one for the latter — and they're each as adept at balancing Dead to Me's dark comedy and rampant dramas in season three. There's a greater sense of what the bond between the show's protagonists truly means this time, though, befitting its final go-around. As even more hardship, heartbreak and law enforcement officers are thrown at its central pair, the series also sees them lean on each other as a constant when little else earns that description. That said, because everything changes including our dearest relationships, it contemplates what Jen and Judy can always draw on from each other even if they're not perennially side by side. Finding solace in complicated bonds, the strength to confront life's challenges, and the savviness to know when to appreciate the small wins and big delights: that's Dead to Me season three's arc. It's the series' in general, and was long before it was announced that it would finish after a third and final run. In fact, that's why all the trauma and twists have worked, reflecting the truth that anything and everything can happen to us all every day, so all that we can do is work out how to soldier on. Of course, now that Dead to Me is bringing its odd-couple tale to a conclusion — a fitting one, that keeps recognising the gifts, shocks, joys and sorrows that greet everyone — farewells and heightened feelings frequently go hand in hand. Accordingly, unexpected diagnoses, meddling cops (returnees Diana Maria Riva, Kajillionaire, and Brandon Scott, Goliath), sleuthing federal agents (series newcomer Garrett Dillahunt, Where the Crawdads Sing), old flames (Natalie Morales, The Little Things) and frustrating neighbours (Suzy Nakamura, Avenue 5) all pop up. So do creepy rooms filled with twin dolls, plus outlaw names: Bitch Cassidy and Judy Five Fingers (who chooses which is obvious). Yes, Dead to Me goes all in on as many more plot swings as it can fit in as it rides off into the sunset. In the process, the show's swansong evokes as many emotions as it can, too. Amid the twists and laughs in tandem, however — and all the murders, mysteries and other doses of mayhem along the way — this show has always been able to make its feelings stick, just like its against-the-odds core friendship. Check out the full trailer for Dead to Me's third season below: Dead to Me's third season is available to stream via Netflix. Images: Saeed Adyani / Netflix.
If you've eaten one of Ben Greeno's stupidly juicy rotisserie chooks at The Paddington, you'll be very happy about this next bit of news. After a long, long time in limbo, Merivale's first takeaway offshoot The Chicken Shop turned on its rotisseries and opened its doors on Thursday, January 26. We initially wrote about the venue back in 2015 — before the opening of The Paddington, and when The Chicken Shop had an expected open date of December 2015. Now, more than a year later, the grab-and-go eatery is finally up and running in a small shopfront right next to the busy gastropub on Oxford Street. The Chicken Shop makes use of the same imported, custom-made French rotisseries that have defined The Paddington's offering over this last year. Instead of sitting down for a two-hour meal with wine, starters and cocktails to get their hands on one of Greeno's chickens, punters can sidle on next door to get it takeaway. As well as whole chickens, the rotisserie also roast non-poultry offerings, like pork belly, lamb rump, glazed ham, beef and even ocean trout. Salads and sides are available too — expect green beans with hazelnuts, cos lettuce with avo, roasted carrots, potato gratin and fries. If you've had one of The Paddington's late-night roast chicken rolls as a midnight snack, you'll also be rapt to know The Chicken Shop does sangas too. Combos like hot chicken and jalapeño, glazed leg ham with Dijon mustard and pickles, and fish fingers with edamame are expertly pressed between two pieces of Brickfields bread for lunch and dinner. Merivale is quickly turning this strip of Oxford Street into their own — along with Fred's and The Paddington, The Chicken Shop makes three venues on the same block. So at least you know if you can't get into one of the former, you'll at least have a chicken sandwich as plan B.
Art Month's Art Cycle combines the need to know with a two wheel tour, taking Art Month attendees on one of four itineraries of galleries around town. An Inner West circuit skirts Newtown galleries, Annandale and Leichhardt, with a finish at At the Vanishing Point and the night-garden-making Tortuga Studios, while a Chippendale and CBD tour pings Customs House before cruising inner-city highlights like Gaffa and Serial Spacebefore ending up at First Draft. Bourke Street's foray touches Dank Street, the National Art School and Artspace, and the Paddington excursion exercises you from the Sherman Foundation through Alaska Projects up downhill to Coo-ee Aboriginal Art down by Bondi Beach. Bookings are essential. Email info@artcyclesydney.com with your name, mobile and the tour you prefer. Art Cycle recommends bringing water, food cash, a mobile, spare tube/tube or repair kit, tools and weather protection. Helmets compulsory. For more info on Art Month 2012, check out our Ten Best Things to See and at Art Month 2012.
Gage Roads Brewing Co is officially heading to the east coast. The Perth brewery announced last week that it has signed the lease for a space that'll soon be home to its first microbrewery and taproom — and it's right here in Sydney. Having launched way back in 2004, Gage Roads has expanded to become one of Australia's largest independently owned breweries. In 2018, it rebranded nationally as Good Drinks and acquired Western Australian brewery Matso's — makers of the state's favourite alcoholic ginger beer — with more brands expected to join Good Drinks in the future. Now, the growing company has snapped up a space in Redfern. "Redfern is a community with a great diverse spirit and culture, and that aligned really well with Gage Roads," says head of marketing Miles Hull. When the brewery and taproom opens in the next 12 months, you won't find Gage Roads signatures — like the Single Fin summer ale or Atomic pale ale — instead, a new experimental sub-brand will be launching. "We see this as an opportunity to create some new beers and styles that we haven't previously done under the Gage Roads banner," says Hull. The brand will invest $3 million into making over the 578-square-metre space, which will be home to both a brewing facility and a 250-capacity taproom. The brewery won't be large enough for mass production; instead, the focus will be on creating a range of beers for onsite consumption, with the potential to send a few kegs to local bars and restaurants down the line. This super-local vibe is the exact reason why Gage Roads was keen to set up a bigger presence in the east. "We recognise that to be local is really important and we wanted to provide our east coast beer drinkers with a brewery and taproom where people can come in and taste beers that they can't get anywhere else," says Hull. If all goes well, the brewpub should be up in running in the next 12 months. You can expect to see Gage Roads snap up more properties across the east coast soon, too. We'll update you with more details as we get them. The new Gage Roads Brewery and Taproom is slated to open in the next 12 months along Regent Street, Redfern. Keep an eye on this space for updates.
The world won't end in April, but video game and television fans will be whisked off to an irradiated wasteland just by sitting on their couches. Here, living inside luxe vaults has been the way of life for two centuries; however, it's no longer a reality for Lucy (Ella Purnell, Yellowjackets). So goes the plot for the new Fallout streaming series that's following 2023's The Last of Us from mashed buttons to TV. This one comes via Prime Video, dropped its first teaser last year, and has now unveiled a full look that shows that it's sticking closely to its source material. The streaming platform has also announced that Fallout will arrive earlier than initially planned, by a day — so you'll be watching on Thursday, April 11, 2024. It's been almost three decades since Fallout first hit computers back in 1997, with three released sequels, a fourth on the way and seven spinoffs all following. The live-action television take doesn't just star Purnell, but also a swaggering Walton Goggins (I'm a Virgo) as bounty hunter The Ghoul, plus Kyle MacLachlan (Lucky Hank) as Overseer Hank. Here, it's a post-apocalyptic future, where everything went pear-shaped 200 years back. Hence living in vaults, because a hellscape filled with mutants, wild west vibes and plenty of violence awaits outside those cosy confines — as the optimistic Lucy, daughter of Hank, who oversees Vault 33, is about to find out. On the surface, Goggins' The Ghoul has a secret past — and Aaron Moten (Emancipation) also has a pivotal part as Brotherhood of Steel soldier Maximus. The retrofuturistic dystopian series features Moisés Arias (Samaritan), Sarita Choudhury (And Just Like That...), Michael Emerson (Evil), Leslie Uggams (Extrapolations), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance) and Johnny Pemberton (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) as well — plus Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O'Hagan (Dear Edward) and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time). For The Last of Us, HBO enlisted a creative force from one of the US premium cable network's past hits in Chernobyl's Craig Mazin. Prime Video has done the same with Fallout, but with Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy — who also executive produced Prime Video's own The Peripheral. As well as executive producing with Joy, Nolan directs the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) are similarly among Fallout's executive producers, as well as the series' writers and co-showrunners. And yes, Bethesda Game Studios has a hand in finally bringing the games to the screen. Check out the full trailer for Fallout below: Fallout will start streaming via Prime Video from Thursday, April 11, 2024. Images: courtesy of Prime Video.
In late 2020, it was announced the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was moving its legendary parade to the Sydney Cricket Ground for 2021 in a bid to keep the event COVID-safe. This is the first time in the event's 42-year history it won't be taking place on Oxford Street — but that doesn't mean the local businesses aren't still getting involved in the celebrations. Thanks to additional funding from the City of Sydney, the Darlinghurst Business Partnership's annual Oxtravaganza event is bigger and better than ever this year. Between Thursday, February 19 and Sunday, March 7, the streets and businesses of Darlinghurst are coming alive with live performances, parties, special discounts, a self-guided art walk and much more. Popular LGBTQIA+-friendly venues, including Stonewall, Universal, Claire's Kitchen and Trade, are hosting cabarets, burlesque shows and drag performances across the two weeks leading up to the parade. And, on the night of the parade — Saturday, March 6 — The Oxford Hotel, Universal, Darlo Bar and Kings Cross Hotel will host viewing parties. Meanwhile, local retailers are offering some epic deals across clothes, accessories, shoes and more, so you can get your look sorted for the big night. And surrounding bars and restaurants are also helping to keep the good times rolling with special menus and discounts across the two-week period. Pop into Wings and Tins for $5 schooners or La Farmacia for $5 Mexican lagers. Meanwhile, Darlo institution Bill & Toni's is serving big bowls of spag bol for a tenner and Brick Lane is offering 15-percent off if you dine between 5–6pm. Finally, Sydney brewery Young Henrys has special Karma Kegs set up at a bunch of nearby bars (Kinselas Hotel, Courthouse Hotel, Darlo Bar, The Oxford, The Strand and Universal) with all proceeds from beer sales going to The Gender Centre. Images: Robert Knapman Photography
Plenty happens at an awards ceremony. For 2024's second round of Emmys — the first took place in January, after the 2023 event was postponed from its usual September timing during Hollywood's writers' and actors' strikes — history was made before the glitzy televised ceremony even happened. At the Creative Arts Emmys, Shōgun picked up 14 awards, making it the most-decorated show in a single season ever. The love for the series continued on Monday, September 16, 2024, and rightly so, with the historical Japanese drama also nabbing four more gongs: for outstanding drama series, directing, lead actor and lead actress. The Bear also won big again in the comedy categories — after hosts and Schitt's Creek favourites Eugene and Dan Levy joked in their opening monologue that, in the true spirit of the dramedy, they wouldn't be making any jokes in their gig. The pair's opening remarks spanned everything from calling out the number of movie stars now popping up on streaming series to noting how often Nicole Kidman (The Perfect Couple) graces the small screen these day. Baby Reindeer "sent from my iphonn" gags and recognising that it took three seasons for the Emmys to even nominate the sublime Reservation Dogs also helped get the ceremony started. A Schitt's Creek reunion, Jeremy Allen White advising that The Bear changed his life, Murphy Brown great Candice Bergen meowing, a tribute to Saturday Night Live's 50th year, a Happy Days ode with Henry Winkler punching a jukebox, John Leguizamo celebrating diversity: they all happened once the night started flowing. So did Fargo's Lamorne Morris telling The Sympathizer's Robert Downey Jr he has a poster of him in his house, Slow Horses' Will Smith riffing on the fact that he's not that other Will Smith, Brendan Hunt going all Coach Beard, Joshua Jackson's reaction to 'I Don't Want to Wait' from Dawson's Creek playing him on and familiar faces from The West Wing all together. At the first post-Succession Emmys, the list of winners is similarly hefty. While a few shows went home with multiple statuettes — including Shōgun, The Bear, Baby Reindeer and Hacks — the list of recipients also spans Slow Horses, True Detective: Night Country, Ripley and Fargo. And, thanks to The Crown, Australia was represented among the accolades with Elizabeth Debicki emerging victorious for playing Princess Diana. As always, if a nominated series didn't end up with its stars or creators on the Emmys stage, that doesn't mean it wasn't ace. Cases in point: Only Murders in the Building, Reservation Dogs, Mr & Mrs Smith, Abbott Elementary, Lessons in Chemistry, Loot, Palm Royale, Fallout and more. What did nab a trophy? Who else was in contention? We've got that covered. Here's a rundown of the awards handed out at the main ceremony, plus the nominees competing for them — and you can check out nine winning shows that you should watch ASAP, too. Emmy Nominees and Winners 2024: Outstanding Drama Series The Crown Fallout The Gilded Age The Morning Show Mr & Mrs Smith Shōgun — WINNER Slow Horses 3 Body Problem Outstanding Comedy Series Abbott Elementary The Bear Curb Your Enthusiasm Hacks — WINNER Only Murders in the Building Palm Royale Reservation Dogs What We Do in the Shadows Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Baby Reindeer — WINNER Fargo Lessons in Chemistry Ripley True Detective: Night Country Lead Actor in a Drama Series Idris Elba, Hijack Donald Glover, Mr & Mrs Smith Walton Goggins, Fallout Gary Oldman, Slow Horses Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun — WINNER Dominic West, The Crown Lead Actress in a Drama Series Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age Maya Erskine, Mr & Mrs Smith Anna Sawai, Shōgun — WINNER Imelda Staunton, The Crown Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building Jeremy Allen White, The Bear — WINNER D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Ayo Edebiri, The Bear Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building Maya Rudolph, Loot Jean Smart, Hacks — WINNER Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers Jon Hamm, Fargo Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs The Swans Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer — WINNER Andrew Scott, Ripley Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country — WINNER Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry Juno Temple, Fargo Sophia Vergara, Griselda Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs The Swans Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Tadanobu Asano, Shōgun Jon Hamm, The Morning Show Mark Duplass, The Morning Show Billy Crudup, The Morning Show — WINNER Takehiro Hira, Shōgun Jack Lowden, Slow Horses Jonathan Pryce, The Crown Supporting Actress in a Actor in a Drama Series Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age Nicole Beharie, The Morning Show Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown — WINNER Greta Lee, The Morning Show Lesley Manville, The Crown Karen Pittman, The Morning Show Holland Taylor, The Morning Show Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Lionel Boyce, The Bear Paul W Downs, Hacks Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear — WINNER Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live Supporting Actress in a Actor in a Comedy Series Carol Burnett, Palm Royale Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear — WINNER Hannah Einbinder, Hacks Janelle James, Abbott Elementary Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers Robert Downey Jr, The Sympathizer Tom Goodman-Hill, Baby Reindeer John Hawkes, True Detective: Night Country Lamorne Morris, Fargo — WINNER Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry Treat Williams, Feud: Capote vs The Swans Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Dakota Fanning, Ripley Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer — WINNER Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry Diane Lane, Feud: Capote vs The Swans Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country Directing for a Drama Series Stephen Daldry, The Crown Mimi Leder, The Morning Show Hiro Murai, Mr & Mrs Smith Frederick EO Toye, Shōgun — WINNER Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Directing for a Comedy Series Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary Christopher Storer, The Bear — WINNER Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen Lucia Aniello, Hacks Mary Lou Belli, The Ms Pat Show Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Weronika Tofilska, Baby Reindeer Noah Hawley, Fargo Gus Van Sant, Feud: Capote vs The Swans Millicent Shelton, Lessons in Chemistry Steven Zaillian, Ripley — WINNER Issa Lopez, True Detective: Night Country Writing for a Drama Series Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare, The Crown Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, Fallout Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover, Mr & Mrs Smith Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, Shōgun Rachel Kondo and Caillin Puente, Shōgun Will Smith, Slow Horses — WINNER Writing for a Comedy Series Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo, The Bear Meredith Scardino and Sam Means, Girls5eva Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks — WINNER Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, The Other Two Jake Bender and Zach Dunn, What We Do in the Shadows Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer — WINNER Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror Noah Hawley, Fargo Ron Nyswaner, Fellow Travelers Steven Zaillian, Ripley Issa Lopez, True Detective: Night Country Writing for a Variety Special Alex Edelman: Just for Us — WINNER Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees John Early: Now More Than Ever Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool The Oscars Outstanding Reality Competition Program RuPaul's Drag Race The Amazing Race The Traitors — WINNER The Voice Top Chef Outstanding Scripted Variety Series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — WINNER Saturday Night Live Outstanding Talk Series The Daily Show — WINNER Jimmy Kimmel Live! Late Night with Seth Meyers The Late Show with Stephen Colbert The 2024 Emmy Awards took place on Monday, September 16, Australian time. For further details, head to the Emmys' website.
Why book a trip to Europe in December when Europe can come to you in June? That is the unique predicament that the Sydney Winter Festival so capably addresses. Here’s the wrap: the Sydney Winter Festival — on every evening from Thursday, June 24 to Sunday, July 4 — is something of a spin-off of the Christmas markets held across Europe, where hoards of people come out to bustling squares for an ice skate, a hot mug of Gluhwein (steaming spiced wine — it’s tops) and perhaps a coquettish cuddle amid the snow. While the snow part is less likely in the middle of Sydney city, you can be assured plenty of alpine enjoyment on the ice rink in the Cook and Phillip Park forecourt. Even though the rink is four times bigger than last year’s, you're advised to book in advance (averting potential skate-rage). Elsewhere in the forecourt are a woodfire-lit, ski-lodge-styled Alpine Ski Hut, where you get your fix of Austrian, Swiss and Bavarian delicacies and live folk music; an Alpine Food Market packed with bratwurst, beer and the like; and off-the-wall rides like the inflatable Zorb Ball (a 'global' sport, pardon the pun). With St Mary’s Cathedral looming in the background, the Sydney Winter Festival may as well be anywhere from Paris to Prague.
Yum cha might literally mean "drink tea" in Cantonese, but that doesn't mean you can't add a little liquor to the mix. With this in mind, Chin Chin Sydney is reviving an old favourite for this April only, as Boozy Yum Cha returns for a limited series of weekend lunches from Saturday, April 5–Sunday, April 27. Held across Saturday and Sunday sessions from 12pm, the menu is decked out with shareable fried and steamed goodies, from prawn wontons and barbecue pork buns to drunken Hokkien noodles. Meanwhile, optional extras like Sichuan-style chicken stir-fry and bacon and egg fried rice will satisfy even the biggest hunger. As for the booze, expect free-flowing drinks throughout, with plenty of stellar choices on the menu. Think Young Henrys Newtowner and Alpino Prosecco alongside Chin Chin's strawberry- and yuzu-infused Jasmine Dream cocktail. Plus, a rotating list of wines will help keep you satiated. All that's left to do is get the crew together and choose between a 90-minute or an extended two-hour session that gives you more time for sumptuous bites and sips. Whichever you choose, bookings and walk-ins are welcome.
If you find yourself ambling outside the Ivy on George Street, look out for an understated neon sign stamped with the white letters I-N-D-U, suspended over a large window which looks down onto two chefs busily cracking coconuts and preparing fresh paratha. You might need to fight the urge to throw a rock through the window and clamber down over them in a fit of hungry rage. But rather, walk around the corner to Angel Place and take a turn before China Lane. From here, head through a small door, and follow your nose down a few flights of dimly lit stairs. This is Indu, and entering this fabulous Indian restaurant in Sydney is an immediate sensory explosion. The ambient space is toasty warm and bustling while the air is heavy with the aromas of spice, fresh seafood and coconut sugar. The restaurant, which takes its inspiration from the southern coastal regions of India, is owned by doctor, philanthropist and all-round hero Sam Prince. He decided to open the venue after doing aid work in the area. Creating a similarly new experience back here in Sydney, Indu's menu is refreshing, totally innovative and surprisingly light. Fan favourites like Goan curry still get a look in, but it's the inclusion of new flavours like smoked goat's leg dosa topped with bacon and chilli jam that signify Indu's chefs aren't afraid to mix things up. The cocktail menu boasts an extensive list of particularly beguiling cocktails. Standouts were the Voodoo Child — a cool blend of gin, St Germain, lemon, grapefruit and aquafaba — or the Dazed & Confused: Buffalo Trace bourbon, citrus, bitters and pandan. If you prefer a more traditional drop, Indu has sassed up its Negroni with a little garam masala.
Forty years after first forming, Cirque du Soleil still knows how to notch up firsts among its lineup of dazzling circus shows, especially for Australian audiences. In 2023, the Montreal-based company headed Down Under with CRYSTAL, its first-ever ice production on ice. In 2024, it's following that up with LUZIA, which takes inspiration from Mexico, and also marks Cirque du Soleil's first touring performance that features rain in its acrobatic and artistic scenes. LUZIA's name is a combination of the words 'lux' and 'lluvia' in Spanish, with the first translating as light and the second as rain. What that means in the production will be unveiled to Aussie audiences throughout the year, starting in Melbourne in March. Seasons in Adelaide from June, Perth from July, Brisbane from September and Sydney from November will all follow. While it has been four decades since Cirque du Soleil was created back in 1984, 2024 is the 25th anniversary of the troupe's performances in Australia, making LUZIA the tenth big-top show to hit our shores. So, although it's already an ode to Mexican culture, the production has even more to celebrate as it spends the bulk of 2024 and into 2025 making its way around the nation. Packing their bags to help: a team of 120 people, which includes 47 artists from 26 countries. First staged in 2016 and becoming Cirque du Soleil's 38th original production at the time, LUZIA has already been seen by 4.5-million people, a number that'll grow in Australia. Audiences are in for a trip to an imaginary version of Mexico, where the performance gets playful and surreal amid the light and rain. Some of the settings include an old movie set, the desert, the ocean and a dance hall, all backdropping the company's acrobatics, trapeze displays, contortionist feats, juggling and more. In the Cyr wheel, artists will roll and spin through the rain. And that trapeze work? That happens through showers. LUZIA also spans hoop diving on giant treadmills, a natural sinkhole, seven pins being flung in the air by jugglers and street dancing that includes footballs. Daniele Finzi Pasca wrote and directs the production, which begins with a parachutist falling into a field of cempasuchil flowers, turning a huge metallic key, then taking a magical journey. From there, the clown antics give LUZIA a beach clown and clown scuba diving, the acrobatics even take to a bike, a luchador mask makes an appearance in the swing segment — 1000-plus costumes are seen across the show in total — and a hair-suspension act features. Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA — Australian Tour 2024–25: From Sunday, March 24, 2024 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne From Sunday, June 9, 2024 — Adelaide Showground, Adelaide From Thursday, July 25, 2024 — Claremont Showgrounds, Perth From Wednesday, September 25, 2024 — Next to Royal Queensland Golf Club, off Curtin Ave East, Brisbane From Sunday, November 24, 2024 — Entertainment Quarter, Sydney Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA tours Australia from March 2024. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the show's website. Images: Anne Colliard.
Marco Pierre White is a star of kitchens and screens alike. He was the first British chef — and the youngest chef at the time — to be awarded three Michelin stars. He's popped up on everything from Hell's Kitchen to MasterChef, including in Australia. Back in 2019, he was one of Melbourne Good Food Month's huge headliners. He's also the culinary force behind cookbook White Heat, the 1990 tome that played up his "bad boy" image. He's been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" as well. And, he's trained fellow famed food figures such as Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone. That's a brief run through White's resume, but you're best to hear the full details — and the ups and downs that've come with being White — from the chef himself. So, in May, the culinary whiz is touring Australia's east coast capitals with his first-ever live theatre show. Heading to Sydney's State Theatre on Thursday, May 25, White's Out of the Kitchen gigs will chat through his beginnings, his training and his stardom, plus the kind of success that led to his "enfant terrible" label. That means hearing about his arrival in London with just "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes", and his tutelage under Albert and Michael Roux at renowned French fine-diner Le Gavroche. And, there's nabbing those three Michelin stars at the age of 33, of course.
Rainy days, hungover days or just-got-dumped days all have the same excellent cure: pulling your mattress out into the lounge room, snuggling under the duvet and chucking on your favourite TV or film series for the ultimate binge day. And there's only one rule: excellent snacks are mandatory. When a simple pint of ice cream just won't cut it, we've got you covered. We've teamed up with food delivery platform DoorDash to round up some of Sydney's next-level desserts to order straight to your door. All you'll have to do is click a couple of buttons and you could be dining on fluffy soufflé pancakes while binging Schitt's Creek or conquering a decadent peanut butter mousse and rewatching the Back to the Future trilogy for the tenth time.
Whether it be reluctant landlords, a busy schedule or allergic flatmates, the predicament of every city-dwelling cat-lover is not being able to have one. But Yarraville couple Anita and Myles Loughran are offering hope to these frustrated feline fanatics. They have quit their uninspiring jobs in pursuit of the dream: opening Melbourne's first cat cafe. The first cat cafes opened their doors in Japan and Taiwan in the early 2000s. Since then it has been a steadily growing phenomenon, with similar establishments popping up in Europe and Asia. The Loughrans plan on housing a number of ex-stray cats, and have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the necessary funds to provide the best possible environment for these loveable rescues. As well as offering Melburnians a much-needed kitty fix, the venture is aimed at raising awareness and will accept donations to various shelters and welfare programs. Unlike the traditional cat cafe, to comply with Australia's food safety regulations, there will be a glass screen separating the main cat area and the cafe area, providing a fur-free space to enjoy coffee and cake. Not to worry, customers will still be able to interact with the cats; in fact, this model of 'feline therapy' has been scientifically proven to help lower high blood pressure, stress levels and anxiety. If you're keen to see Australia's first cat cafe come to fruition in Melbourne, you can donate online at Indiegogo. How could you say no to those cute little faces? https://youtube.com/watch?v=kHjpSiJ8gfY
Trevor Nickolls made history this year when his painting Metamorphosis – a vital, colourful and optimistic exploration of transformation – was awarded this year's Blake Prize. It's the first time in history the prize has been awarded posthumously. "His spirit is definitely with us," said Nickolls' agent of six years, Angelika Tyrone, who was at the College Of Fine Arts in Paddington to accept the award. She spoke of Nickolls' pioneering role in urban Aboriginal art and his enduring legacy. The $25,000 prize will go towards supporting an emerging Indigenous artist through the Trevor Nickolls Art Award. Since 1951, the prestigious Blake Prize has been awarded to an artwork that encourages an ongoing conversation about spirituality and the religious imagination. Metamorphosis was one of three works of Nickolls' which featured spirits and were completed shortly before his death in 2012, at the age of 63. It took the artist two months to complete the painting, inspired by the transformation of the physical being into the spiritual. "He's got the mimi spirit [an ancestral being from the Dreamtime] and the Aboriginal man, with butterfly wings on either side, and then the peace doves too which are almost helping elevate him to heaven," said Tyrone. "That's what Trevor said the painting was about – going from the corporate realm to the spiritual realm. He did a lot of these works that are similar." Born in Adelaide in 1949, Nickolls received a scholarship to go to art school and was the first Aboriginal artist to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale with Rover Thomas in 1990. He loved the colour of the earth and was heavily influenced by his early years teaching himself to draw by copying comic books. There is this kind of bright playfulness in Metamorphosis which includes elements that are both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal, and incorporates themes of the Dreamtime as well as influences of city life such as machines and technology. The 62nd Blake Prize was announced along with the winners of the Blake Poetry Prize (Anthony Lawrence), the John Coburn Emerging Artist Award (David Capra) and the MUA Blake Prize for Human Justice, awarded to Adelaide Australian art world veteran, Franz Kempf AM, who tutored Nickolls in South Australia. Kempf's work, "The Outrageous Has Become Commonplace" was both a beautiful and haunting exploration of complacency and grief. The 73 shortlisted artworks will be exhibited to the public at Galleries UNSW at the College of Fine Arts (COFA) from Friday 18 October to Saturday 16 November, presented alongside the winning and highly commended poems for the 6th Blake Poetry Prize. Image: Trevor Nickolls, Metamorphosis
Harry Styles is having a huge 2022 already, after headlining Coachella, dropping a new album and announcing a big Australian and New Zealand tour. And, before the year is out, he'll also give his acting skills another workout in not one but two new films: Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman. Yes, this year seems to be going in one direction for the former boy band star. That'd be up, obviously. Actually, it also appears to be sending Styles back in time, to the 1950s to be exact, with both of his upcoming flicks set seven decades ago The first of those two movies is directed by Booksmart's Olivia Wilde, led by Black Widow's Florence Pugh and looks set to unfurl a 1950s-set nightmare when it releases in cinemas in October. Due to hit Prime Video Down Under on November 4, the second of the pair also jumps back to the same decade, but this time as part of a Carol-esque romance. In My Policeman's just-dropped first teaser trailer, Styles plays Tom, the young cop of the movie's title. In sweeping, emotionally resonant period-drama style, the film sees him get caught in a love triangle with teacher Marion (Emma Corrin, The Crown) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson, All the Old Knives). It'll also flit forward to the 1990s, where the older Tom (Linus Roache, Homeland), Marion (Gina McKee, Phantom Thread) and Patrick (Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince) are still haunted by how things played out when they were younger. If the storyline sounds familiar, that's because My Policeman comes to the screen from Bethan Roberts' 2012 novel of the same name. For the film version, director Michael Grandage (Red) is doing the honours, with Ron Nyswaner (Freeheld, Philadelphia) on screenplay duties. Based on the handsome trailer, which features a hefty mood of yearning, viewers can expect an exploration of love, social expectations, and the heartbreak that springs when the latter dictates the former. And, obviously, for Styles' latest on-screen stint after Dunkirk and Eternals. Check out the trailer for My Policeman below: My Policeman will be available to stream via Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand on November 4. Images: courtesy of Prime Video © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC.
Yakitori Yurippi is a tiny slice of traditional Japanese street eating in the most unlikely of places. Situated in the heart of Crows Nest, this hole-in-the-wall six-table restaurant has a surprisingly authentic charm thanks to some incredibly friendly staff, which includes a few Japanese yakitori veteran chefs and a sake sommelier to boot. As you'd expect with a sommelier-in-residence, the display of sake is quite impressive, as is the extensive list of Japan's finest whiskies — which, if you love whisky, you'll know is some of the finest in the world. Choose your own sake glasses amongst a hodgepodge of drinking vessels and get a tasting flight to enjoy while you chow down. A section of the dine-in menu has been seemingly created to cater for Aussie palates, but that's not what you come here for; in fact, we tend to think it should be taken off the menu altogether to let the authentic dishes truly shine. Their namesake is yakitori after all — and with an exposed charcoal grill manned by pros, it's the main drawcard. You know the drill: choose a bunch of things on sticks and eat to your heart's content. The must-trys include the succulent scallops which are served in the shell and topped with kombu butter, and the chicken and shallot, which is the most popular yakitori in Japan and is done especially well here. Pork lovers shouldn't miss the pork belly or the mochi wrapped in bacon, which is a strangely delicious combination — take our word for it. They've got adventurous eaters covered too, with everything from chicken liver, giblet and heart to cartilage and skin options. Of the specials, the burdock root chips add a crunchy, salty accompaniment to any yakitori and the Japanese omelette better resembles a melt-in-your-mouth souffle. Overall, this tiny Crows Nest restaurant is nothing short of a Lower North Shore gem and is worth a visit no matter what side of the bridge you reside.
Beloved Redfern pub The Woolpack has been given a revamp, led by an all-star team of Sydney hospitality mainstays. With The Good Atelier's Aaron Crinis at the helm, The Woolpack will boast a new menu of pub classics created by taco king Toby Wilson (Ricos Tacos, ex-Bad Hombres, ex-The George). Rounding out the team of experienced hospo names is Jamie Wirth (The George, The Duke, The Old Fitz) who will work with Crinis and The Good Atelier to shape the future of the venue. Wilson has given your typical array of nostalgic pub classics a reserved, but fun, makeover. There are classics served straight down the middle like schnitzel with gravy, but a lot of the items bring a unique twist to the selection of eats. The potato wedges are served with labne and fermented chilli, the chips are accompanied by French onion dip and a charred cauliflower steak is available with a black pepper tahini sauce. There are also two exciting sambos on the menu. One packs beetroot jam and caramelised onion into a rissole sandwich, while the other is a potato scallop butty spruced up with a curry sauce. "A great pub is an essential part of Australian culture, and the marker of a great neighbourhood," says Crinis. "While growing up working in pubs around Sydney, I have always looked on at The Woolpack as a true community pub." The new custodians have been wary to change too much about the pub outside of the menu, giving it a fresh coat of paint and a spring clean, but not a full renovation. "We wanted the vibe to feel like a nod to the great Aussie and English pubs of yester-year," Wirth continues. "The decor brings in some history from the Redfern area, with some vintage odd-ball pieces too — some bits were found throughout the upper levels of the hotel, and some we created especially for the pub." The al fresco dining has been expanded and a series of events including Tuesday trivia nights and weekend DJs have been introduced, with a Sunday roast and live jazz set to become a weekly end-of-week occurrence from next month. The Woolpack is located at 229 Chalmers Street, Redfern. It's open from 12pm until late seven days a week. Images: Jessica Nash
Among the many things that cinema's various bleak visions of the future have taught us, the need for sturdy footwear is right up there. Who wants to be caught wandering through Mad Max: Fury Road's apocalyptic wasteland with flimsy shoes? And, although Blade Runner's 2019 setting has been and gone, who wants to be bathed in its neon lights or Blade Runner 2049's orange haze without their toes covered? Consider Dr Martens' new Warner Bros-inspired range the perfect kicks if dystopian times come, then. Some are best worn if you're feeling shiny and chrome, others will suit you if you wonder whether androids dream of electric sheep. The iconic footwear label has teamed up with the movie studio to celebrate the latter's 100th anniversary, paying tribute to Mad Max: Fury Road and the OG Blade Runner specifically across four pairs of docs. There's two types of shoes for each, with both films scoring their own riff on Dr Martens' 1460 boot and Jadon boot. Here's one way to choose which kind you want: via the thickness of the soles, with the Jadon's platform base adding to your height. For Mad Max: Fury Road devotees hanging out for prequel Furiosa, the 1460 version comes with "what a lovely day" printed on the back of old harness leather, and also features a harness over the shoes, plus laces with a spearhead charm printed with Immortan Joe emblem. If you opt for the Jadon boots, you'll get chrome-plated shoes that feature the skull emblem stamped on a metal plate, a zipper to match, red rubber and a chain threaded around the back, gear-inspired eyelets and a skeleton arm pointing towards the toe. The Blade Runner kicks both feature four unforgettable words: "like tears in rain". With the 1460 boot, the phrase repeats along the welt. With the Jadon, it's printed on the backstrap. The 1460 also includes a grid print, a strip of reflective tape on the backtrap, a Tyrell Corporation stamp and lace charm to match, as well as a dog tag. With the Jadon, it boasts red stitching, multiple Tyrell Corp nods — including via embossing — and an origami unicorn charm. When you're getting decked out to worship your favourite sci-fi classic, there's also Blade Runner-inspired bag if you're a matchy-matchy sort. Dr Martens new Warner Bros anniversary range is available from Thursday, November 16 online and in stores — head to the brand's website for further details.
It's winter. The nights are getting longer, the cold is getting colder, and there you are with two perfectly good ears and nothing to do. But we've got you covered with some Scottish hip hop and four excellent Aussie acts: Big Scary, back with their second album; Ash Grunwald, who has teamed up with two-thirds of The Living End for some huge, riff-heavy blues-rock; OXBLVD, who kinda sound like if Boy & Bear had shot a man in Reno; and some dark, angular, multiple-guitar-having rock from Sydney's Service Bells. So snuggle in with that special someone – you're in for a wild ride. 1. OXBLVD - Gotta Get Away First off, it's pronounced 'ox blood'. Second, I almost didn't include this when I couldn't find a Soundcloud or YouTube clip to embed, but I figure you're all smart enough to find your way over to the band's Unearthed page. And besides, this is way too cool to ignore. There's a serious spaghetti Western vibe to the new single, and you can almost see the band as outlaws, riding across the deserts of the Wild West. There's a real swagger to the guitars, and singer Ed Worland sounds like a man possessed as he wails 'run away' over and over on the coda. These boys can play, and I have no doubt they will be playing stadiums before too long. And when they do, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't catch their residency at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory this Friday, June 14, as well as June 28. 2. Young Fathers - 'Rumbling' When you think of Edinburgh, hip hop groups aren't usually the first things that spring to mind. But Young Fathers are going to change all that. With three distinct, unique MCs, Young Fathers take the influences from their African homelands (Nigeria and Liberia), the grime of the housing projects of their adopted Scotland and all manner of hip hop and electronica influences to end up with something quite striking. 'Rumbling' comes from their first mixtape — imaginatively titled Tape One — but they've also just dropped Tape Two for free on Soundcloud. If there were any justice in the world, these guys would be huge. As it is, it's probably a question of when, not if. 3. Ash Grunwald – The Last Stand Ash Grunwald is one of those 'best-kept secret' kinda guys. He's been around for a decade, playing thousands of shows all over the country and leaving audiences totally enraptured wherever he goes. But he's done all this on independent labels and off his own bat, and he's never reached been able to reach as big an audience as he should. He's an extraordinary guitar player, with (at least) a four-octave voice, and to hear him in full flight is a real treat. On his new album he has joined forces with two more of Australia's greatest musicians — Scott Owen and Andy Strachan, better known as The Living End's rhythm section. And they just cut loose, with huge, crunching riffs and incredible musicianship. https://youtube.com/watch?v=K_EjSuYWzxA 4. Big Scary - Luck Now Big Scary are one of the great success stories of Australian music in the last couple of years, proving once again that even a two-piece can make it big with great songs and a little bit of luck. Their piano ballad 'Falling Away' was a huge smash, and the heavy piano chords that open 'Luck Now' remind you immediately of their earlier hit. But this one has a halting, skipping backbeat and noises swirling all around it, and the production on singer Tom Iansek's voice sounds almost exactly like Bon Iver. It's a really interesting direction for the band to take, and proves that Iansek and drummer Jo Syme are just as versatile, creative and talented as bands with five times the members. Their new album, Not Art, is out at the end of June (pre-order here), and I can't wait to hear what the rest of it sounds like. 5. Service Bells – Prospector's Waltz Queens of the Stone Age have just released an excellent new album, but where do you go after that if you want some pure, unfiltered rock and roll swagger? Sydney's Service Bells, that's where. Rising from the ashes of the criminally under-appreciated Cameras (RIP), Service Bells are all about thick riffs, good times and dark clothing, like all the best parts of QOTSA and Interpol combined, but with David Bowie singing. Yeah, I thought that would get you to hit 'play'.
As its name makes plain, Huxtaburger serves up quite a few patty-and-bun combos. It also does a mean chicken sandwich, however. So, if you like tucking into fried chicken, ranch slaw and pickles on toasted sourdough, you're in the right spot, From Monday, February 15–Wednesday, February 17, you'll definitely want to make a date with the chain's Redfern store if you're feeling particularly peckish. That's when it's doing two-for-one chicken sangas, so you'll double your meal while only spending $12.50. The sangas come with your choice of mild chipotle barbecue sauce or Huxtaburger's own sauce, and they're available all day for those three times. You can grab the deal multiple times, too. And, you can choose between dining in, grabbing takeaway or ordering online and getting your sangas delivered. If you opt for the latter and spend $30 — by grabbing some chips or shakes as well, perhaps — you can also get it brought to your house without paying a delivery fee via Deliveroo.
Award-winning street artist and muralist Matt Adnate has added a big dose of colour to Clovelly Beach with the creation of a vibrant new mural at the swimming hole's surf club. Depicting surf life savers in action — and Clovelly's most beloved resident, the iconic blue groper — the expansive public artwork now adorns the north wall of the Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club, facing out onto the water. One of Sydney's most beloved swim spots, Clovelly is known for its myriad of underwater life and its concrete sunbathing areas. The latest edition to this eastern suburbs hub comes courtesy of Dulux, who commissioned the mural to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia. Beachgoers will notice that a can of Dulux paint and the old English sheepdog synonymous with the brand also make appearances on the mural, alongside the surf life savers and local sea life. Across the last decade, Dulux has donated over 40,000 litres of paint to more than 250 surf life-saving clubs across Australia. Several surf clubs were considered for the mural, but it ended up on the walls at Clovelly due to its longstanding role in the community — with the club established over a century ago in 1906 — and its iconic look. The artist behind the work, Matt Adnate, has created larger-than-life public artworks around Australia including the Southern Hemisphere's tallest mural at a Collingwood public housing block. He also created the ARIA-award-winning cover art for Baker Boy's acclaimed debut album Gela. Adnate's Clovelly Beach mural is now complete, so anyone heading out to the beaches for a swim or a cliff walk this weekend (or in the near future, once this rain stops) should drop into Clovelly to check out its new dose of public art. Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club is located at Bundock Park, Donellan Circuit, Clovelly. Images: Enzo Amato.
Salt Meats Cheese do Italian food in of all its stages — we're talking providing the produce for it, cooking it, selling it and, of course, eating it. Their Bondi Junction digs are where all of the kitchen magic happens, and they'll be running a series of gluten-free cooking classes in July for those who can't stomach gluten. No longer just the wheat-filled territory of those who can glute, the two classes in the Gluten Free Series will focus on pizza and pasta respectively. Learn how to make gluten-free Italian goodness from scratch over two hours, then sit back with a glass of wine and feast on your hard work. The gluten-free classes are on Saturdays: July 14, July 21, August 24 and September 8. If wheat isn't your weakness, there's also a whole host of other cooking class options that involve gluteny flour as well.
While bold lashes of colour and unique canvases (brush stroked skateboards, anyone?) no doubt demand attention, the artist’s struggle to distinguish himself is what has, in fact, inspired him. Brad Robson’s first solo exhibition, a paint work homage to New York City, is the result of everything he learned during a recent study trip and consequential month-long residency in New York. Describing his muse as “a place that’s so large and has so many people that it seems impossible to stand out from the crowd, blending in with the masses or being swallowed up by the day to day grind,” Robson’s works focus on the city’s skyline. But the rumblings of New York’s fast-paced daily life ensure his paintings are no tourist’s interpretation. Drippings and sponged dabbings, layered upon a colour wheel’s worth of tones, create frenetic, wildly imaginative scenes. Robson’s ability to convey the city’s energy through severely abstract imagery is remarkable. And each work is really just super pretty, to boot. The skateboards will obviously be a talking point. Robson has taken one of the most vivid representations of street culture and blasted his signature mural work across each deck. The Sydney-based artist has worked his magic over walls at the SBS studios, Erskinville’s Hive Bar and the Australian Museum’s fabulous educational hub, the Jurassic Lounge which often features live music and further after-hours revelry.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a moving psychological thriller detailing the plight of Martha (Elizabeth Olson), who has recently spent two years living with an abusive cult and its deceivingly charming leader (John Hawkes). After her escape, she reunites with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy). She attempts to mould her life back to routine, yet is unwilling to divulge details of her mysterious and lengthy disappearance. Despite her family's concerns and inquiries, Martha's history is still kept hidden in darkness and the film pivots around the haunting memories of her ordeal. When such memories begin to fuel her paranoia and the fear that she may be recaptured, Martha becomes a victim of her past as her concept of reality becomes distorted with immense vigour. A dark and magnetic exploration of human consciousness, Martha Marcy May Marlene exposes the unturned side of humanity that we fear to recognise. The film is directed and written by Sean Durkin, who won the esteemed award for "Best Director" at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, and opens in cinemas February 2. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Concrete Playground has twenty double passes to giveaway. To win tickets to Martha Marcy May Marlene, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Friday, January 21. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KFu-zcQ7Mh4
It's almost that time again, Sydneysiders: time for movies to compete with Mrs Macquaries Point's stunning view of Sydney Harbour. Every summer, the scenic spot's vista over the water, city, Opera House and Harbour Bridge gets a 350-square-metre screen showing the latest and greatest flicks — and Westpac Openair Cinema has just revealed its complete 2024 program. Film lovers already knew that Sofia Coppola's Priscilla will open the outdoor picture palace's big summer return, and that Ferrari, Next Goal Wins and Poor Things are among the movies on Westpac Openair Cinema's lineup as well. They all have company, including the also previously unveiled Barbie and Amelie. Big-name titles abound, whether you're keen to see the Sydney premiere of The Dry sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2 or can't wait for the new Mean Girls musical — or just think that Saltburn would look spectacular in the venue's surroundings. Running from Wednesday, January 10—Tuesday, February 20, Westpac Openair Cinema will also show May December, which stars Natalie Portman- (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Julianne Moore (Sharper); scandal-fuelled comedy Wicked Little Letters, as led by The Lost Daughter costars Olivia Colman (Heartstopper) and Jessie Buckley (Women Talking); and Nicolas Cage (Renfield) in Dream Scenario, where the inimitable actor plays an ordinary man who starts haunting the world's slumbers. Or, you can look forward to theatre and the screen combining via National Theatre Live: Dear England, featuring Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale) — plus sublime Japan-set Oscar contender Perfect Days from iconic German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Submergence). Other highlights span wrestling drama The Iron Claw, with Zac Efron (The Greatest Beer Run Ever), Jeremy Allen White (Fingernails) and Harris Dickinson (A Murder at the End of the World) leading the cast; Paul Mescal (Foe) and Andrew Scott (His Dark Materials) getting swooning in All of Us Strangers; the new version of The Color Purple; the George Clooney-directed The Boys in the Boat; and war veteran tale The Great Escaper, which could be Michael Caine's (Best Sellers) last performance. Or, there's Bradley Cooper (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) both starring in and directing Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, Ridley Scott (House of Gucci) reteaming with Joaquin Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid) for Napoleon, and Paul Giamatti (Billions)-led and Alexander Payne (Downsizing)-helmed comedy The Holdovers. The list goes on, complete with the already-released Past Lives, Oppenheimer, Dumb Money and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One also set to screen. Among the classic picks, Pretty Woman and The Notebook will also score a whirl. As for the snacks — because Westpac Openair Cinema is also about the dining experiences — you'll be nabbing a bite at Summer House Dining, Chandon Garden and Mike & Friends at The Point. As happens every year, tickets are likely to go quickly when they go on sale on Monday, December 11. Across the summer of 2018–19, more than 40,000 tickets sold within the first two days of pre-sale, for instance — so put it in your diary ASAP. Westpac Openair 2024 runs from Wednesday, January 10—Tuesday, February 20, with Westpac pre sales from 9am AEDT on Monday, December 4 till 5pm AEDT on Wednesday, December 6, then general tickets on sale from 9am AEDT on Monday, December 11 — head to the cinema's website for further details. Images: Fiora Sacco, Chris Grundy, Andrew Maccoll and Nikki To.
The AFL Women's (AFLW) season is now in full swing, with big crowds relishing the inclusive atmosphere as the best in the business go to work. Yet now the post-game experience is set to rise above the usual affair, with Bunnings and the AFLW teaming up to elevate footy fever with live music and community fundraising included with the price of your match ticket. Kicking off in Adelaide and Sydney, Bunnings Afters will keep the celebrations rolling long after the final siren sounds, combining local musical talent, family-friendly fun and, of course, sausage sizzles. First up on Saturday, October 11, South Australian singer-songwriter aleksiah will be joined by soul act The Sundials as Adelaide takes on West Coast at Norwood Oval. Then, in Round 11, Bunnings Afters heads to Sydney's Henson Park on Saturday, October 25, soundtracked by the indie-pop hooks of Ixara and multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter MYMA. What's more, proceeds raised from each event's sausage sizzle and merch sales will go towards Headspace — a mental health charity supporting young people around the country. While a little outside Bunnings' usual niche, it's not their first foray into music. Just last year, Peking Duk went viral hosting a 'rave' at Bunnings Preston. "As women's footy continues to surge, we're proud to help grow AFLW crowds while shining a spotlight on emerging artists and grassroots talent," says Bunnings Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Melissa O'Neill. [caption id="attachment_928655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josh Ryan via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption]
As quickly as summer came, it's almost at its end. 2024 has been moving at a staggering speed. Blink and the next season will have hopped its way into town. That's right — it's time to talk about Easter already. You've probably noticed the return of hot cross buns and foil-wrapped chocolate rabbits on supermarket shelves, and now it's time to take notice of a series of Easter-centric foodie events across Sydney. The market maestros at Cambridge Markets are putting together seasonal editions of returning favourites in the season's spirit, each with dozens of vendors dishing out hot food, cool drinks and all sorts of homemade goodies, and each with a very special bunny in attendance. One of those returning favourites is Ryde Wharf Market, which takes place in Anderson Park fortnightly on Sundays, and will include an appearance from the Easter Bunny the week before Easter, Sunday, March 24, from 9am—2pm. Special occasion markets are also popping up at two Cambridge mainstays, Cronulla and Moore Park. First is the Cronulla Easter Market, running in Don Lucas Reserve on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, from 10am—4pm daily. Then, on Easter Sunday, March 31, the Ultimate Easter Market EQ will take over the Entertainment Quarter with 150+ stalls between 10am and 4pm. See the above panel for the dates of the Cambridge Easter Markets. For more information on Cambridge Markets or any of its events across Sydney, visit the website.
Unofficial Bridgerton balls have already popped up in Australia, but now it's time for the real thing: The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, which comes with the backing of Netflix and Shondaland. After bringing regency-era vibes to Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver and New York in the US, and also to Toronto and Montreal in Canada, the event is finally letting Down Under fans unleash their inner duke and duchess. For a month between Friday, May 24–Sunday, June 23, Melbourne will be doubling for London high society in the early 1800s, in The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience's exclusive Aussie stop. Step inside Fever Exhibitions Hall on Dawson Street in Brunswick and you'll feel like you're stepping back in time — or into the huge Netflix hit series, at least. Lady Whistledown aficionados will be able to head along every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening to promenade around an immersive setup where a string quartet will be playing live tunes inspired by the show, dancers will accompany the music and live theatrical performances will keep you entertained. You'll also go for a spin in the ballroom yourself at the afterparty. Before then, you'll also hit up Madame Delacroix's modiste and an underground painting studio, then visit with the queen. Actors in period costumes will be wandering around, helping to set the mood — and yes, if you'd like to dress to fit the occasion, and the series, that's obviously heartily encouraged. The drinks list, including cocktails, will be Bridgerton-themed. While your sips aren't included in your ticket, a full bar will be available, as will snacks such as chips and lollies to purchase. Tickets for The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience will be available via presales from 6pm AEST on Monday, April 29 and general sales from 6pm AEST on Tuesday, April 30. The event unleashes its lavishness just after the show's third season arrives, with the first four episodes dropping on Thursday, May 16, then the next four on Thursday, June 13.
Fancy a pre-Christmas getaway to Tokyo? Keen to visit Osaka sometime between January–September 2025? Always wanted to head to Japan during cherry blossom season? Start making plans ASAP. As the end of 2024 approaches, flight sales keep dropping — and the latest will take you on a Japanese holiday. If you were gearing up to vacation somewhere else over the next 12 months, scrap that idea, then start thinking about everything that you want to do and see in Japan (here's two ideas: teamLab's stunning digital art gallery and Studio Ghibli's very own theme park). That's the only way to react to yet another Jetstar's flight sale on fares to both Tokyo and Osaka. This isn't one of the airline's return-for-free sales, but there are 25,000-plus discounted flights on offer with prices starting at $249 one-way. Accordingly, whichever of the two cities that you decide to fly into, the Australian carrier's new special will take you there while being nicer to your bank balance. As always, you'll want to get in quickly, with the cheap fares on offer until 11.59pm AEDT on Friday, November 1, 2024, unless sold out earlier. The sale covers direct flights from Cairns, Brisbane or Sydney, plus connecting flights out of Melbourne (Tullamarine), Gold Coast and Adelaide. The cheapest price will get you from Cairns to Osaka, while Cairns to Tokyo costs $269. Brisbane fares start at $357 to Osaka and $377 to Tokyo, while Sydney's are $368 and $388 to the same cities, and Melbourne's prices are $382 and $402. The normal caveat applies, as well as the standard advice to pack light: as is usually the case with Jetstar, checked baggage is not included. Jetstar's Japan sale runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Friday, November 1, 2024 — unless it's sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
It might highlight the best in TV as well as film, but there's nothing small about the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Awards, or the festival that's sprung up around it. In 2024, in tandem with its move to the Gold Coast, the accolades unveiled a multi-day program of talks, events and screenings around the ceremony, all celebrating Aussie movies and shows, plus the talent behind them. In 2025, AACTA Festival is returning — for a longer run and with a bigger program. 2024's four-day, 70-plus-event lineup has been eclipsed by 2025's five-day bill with more than 100 events. HOTA, Home of the Arts is AACTA Festival's base again. The dates for your diary: Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9 for the fest, and Friday, February 7 for the main awards ceremony. The bulk of the movies and TV shows nominated for this year's AACTAs won't be announced until Saturday, December 7, which means that more AACTA Festival lineup details will arrive afterwards; however, the program revealed so far is already impressive. One big highlight: getting the Working Dog team, aka Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Michael Hirsh and Rob Sitch, together for an in-conversation session that's bound to touch upon everything from The Castle, Frontline, Thank God You're Here and Utopia to The Dish, The Hollowmen and Have You Been Paying Attention?. The Dish will also be on the screening program, and the Working Dog team will receive the prestigious AACTA Longford Lyell Award. Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser, who won an Oscar for Dune and is highly tipped for another one for Dune: Part Two, is another big-name inclusion, chatting about his Hollywood work. Also in the same category: John Seale, who took home an Academy Award for The English Patient, and was nominated for Witness, Rain Man, Cold Mountain and Mad Max: Fury Road. Attendees can also look forward to authors Trent Dalton and Holly Ringland returning from 2024's lineup, chatting about Boy Swallows Universe and The Lost Flowers of Alice on the small screen, respectively; a dive into the Heartbreak High soundtrack; a panel on queer storytelling with RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season two winner Spankie Jackzon and Deadloch's Nina Oyama; and a session with First Nations filmmakers. Australia's contribution to the horror genre, tunes from the How to Make Gravy movie performed live, Dani Im's Eurovision experience, a Taylor Swift symposium: they're part of AACTA Festival as well. And if you're keen to watch movies, Gettin' Square followup Spit will enjoy its Queensland premiere, complete with star David Wenham (Fake) chatting about the feature's journey; Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up will make its Australian debut, at Movie World, of course; and upcoming action film Homeward with Nathan Phillips (Kid Snow) and Jake Ryan (Territory) will take viewers behind the scenes. "AACTA Festival is a one-of-a-kind event that connects and celebrates our entire screen industry. With over 100 events led by our industry's best, it is a truly transformative experience for anyone passionate about the screen industry, offering an unparalleled opportunity to explore career pathways and connect with some of the brightest minds in film and television," said AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella about 2025's lineup. "This year, we're especially excited to shine a spotlight on the resurgence of music in screen storytelling. With an incredible program of events featuring world-class composers, songwriters and music supervisors, we're not just celebrating the artistry of soundtracks and scores; we're also providing invaluable development opportunities for aspiring creatives to learn, network and advance their careers. AACTA Festival is where inspiration meets opportunity, and we can't wait to see the next generation of Australian screen talent emerge." [caption id="attachment_955328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] [caption id="attachment_927965" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix © 2023[/caption] AACTA Festival will run from Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9, 2025 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website.
We're almost only a month out from Christmas, so it's time to start feeling the holiday cheer and get a head start on that gift list. Cambridge Markets are kicking off the season with a range of festive events across Sydney, with the Double Bay Christmas Festival popping up in the eastern suburbs at the end of November. From 11am–8pm on Saturday, November 30, head to waterside Steyne Park for family-friendly activities galore. Ditch the generic presents for something artisanal and locally crafted this year with 100-plus stalls selling everything from homewares and plants to sweet treats and snacks, candles, jewellery and art. There'll also be live entertainment while you shop and a raffle with prizes from neighbourhood businesses. When you need a break from browsing, grab a bite from the food stalls and keep the little ones entertained with carnival attractions, face painting, pony rides and photos with Santa himself. From 6.30pm, there'll be a concert featuring artists Hugh Sheridan, Paulini and Chris Sebastian, supported by a carols band and performers from Kambala School. Finish off the evening with a bang, as fireworks light up the sky. Find out more about the Double Bay Christmas Festival at the website.
Watch this breathtaking piece of filmmaking and you'll never take a marble column for granted again. Armed with his camera, Albanian video artist Adrian Paci set out to follow a slab of marble — starting with its extraction from the earth, through its journey over vast oceans, to its chiselling, by the hands of an extraordinarily dedicated group of Chinese labourers. Touching on themes of dislocation, exploitation and globalisation (without sledgehammering them), Paci employs an epic, transcendent approach, creating a work that's beautiful and devastating at the same time. The Column was a smash hit at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Before that, it exhibited in Paris, as part of Paci's Lives in Transit exhibition at the Jeu de Paume, and in Milan at PAC.
It's hard to remember a time when Sydney's access to Greek food was limited to semi-formal restaurants or a cheeky late-night gyro. Zeus Street Greek Street well and truly changed that in the last few years, offering contemporary Greek food in a casual setting. The Rosebery outpost in The Cannery kicked off a succession of spin-offs (14 in NSW and counting), and was also one of the first eateries to set up shop in the burgeoning foodie precinct. Zeus is known as the 'God of hospitality' and the team here have it in droves. Pitas are the staple. The meat is prepared in the traditional souvla style: charcoal grilled on long skewers and then stuffed into a fluffy wrap with tomato, tzatziki, onion, paprika and chips. Classic cuisine favourites spanakopita and haloumi are available as sides, too. But make sure you leave room for dessert — the loukoumades will make you lick the plate.
Rosebery is fast becoming one of Sydney's most desirable neighbourhoods, largely in part to The Cannery, a huge 4500-square-metre retrofitted warehouse precinct, which houses the delicious likes of Archie Rose Distillery, Black Star Pastry, Koskela and Italian restaurant Da Mario. In 2016, however, The Cannery really took things next-level, with the opening of several game-changing additions. Brand new providore marketplace Saporium opened in May 2016, and is designed to bring everything you need to live a wholesome, healthy life together in one place, with a greengrocer, a butcher, a baker, a coffee roaster, restaurants and a cooking school. It's been in development for some time. The first stage saw Grain Organic Bakery, Zeus Street Greek, 5th Earl and The Choc Pot open their doors, then came Vive Cooking School, organic grocer Wholefoods House, artisan butcher Kingsmore Meats and Welcome Dose Specialty Coffee. The space even launched its own weekly market. In November, Saporium also landed a sustainable bottle shop, The Drink Hive, which features refillable beer and wine stations. With the crew from Three Blue Ducks joining the neighbourhood in June, The Cannery has been one of the buzziest areas of Sydney in 2016. And it's not done yet.
A new glamping hideaway on the shores of New Zealand's Lake Hawea will let visitors cosy up in cocoon-like sleeping pods under the stars. Cross Hill Lodge & Domes is found in the high country setting of Glen Dene Station beneath the Southern Alps. The six geodesic Pacific Domes are said to be the first permanent structures of their kind in the country. The 40-square-metre domes feature their own centralised super king-size bed and bathroom unit, while floor to ceiling windows allow visitors to soak up light pollution-free night skies and picturesque views across the park-like surroundings. Each dome comes equipped with its own small kitchenette, contemporary bathroom, climate controlled gas fire and heat pump and private deck. Interior furnishings have been inspired by the local landscape and include plush sheepskins and woollen blankets. All guests have access to the main Cross Hill Lodge situated above the domes. The lodge serves as a gathering point to sit down for a meal, unwind with a massage or enjoy some quiet time in the outdoor wood-fired hot tub. Dinner and breakfast is provided with most of the packages and guests can choose from a range of meal options — including local paddock-to-plate cuisine and three-course degustation experiences with wines from the surrounding Central Otago region. Glen Dene Station has been owned and operated by the Burdon family since 1929. Cross Hill Lodge owners Richard and Sarah Burdon say the dome experience provides high country hospitality in an alpine lake-side environment, with mountains, forest trails and rivers right on your doorstep. The pair can advise and arrange activities for visitors to the area, including anything from private helicopter crayfishing excursions to farm tours and local e-bike tours. The family also owns The Camp, a holiday park experience that's been popular with campers and tourists since 1971. Cross Hill Lodge & Domes is open for bookings from May 9, 2021. Packages start from $375 per night for two people including cooked and continental breakfast. For more information, visit crosshill.co.nz. Images: b.remarkable media.
Plunge into 2015 with a big injection of soul love at the first Soul of Sydney Block Party for the year. We're talking an entire afternoon and evening of funk, New York disco, old school hip hop jams, early house beats and more. The main programming criteria: that the music gets you feeling mighty fine. The location is top secret, though we do know it's an indoor/outdoor 'funk oasis' located within five minutes of the CBD. Most of the lineup has been announced however, with Simon Caldwell, Stephen Ferris, Graham Mandroules, All Souled Out DJs, Superbreak, James Locksmith, Mike Who, Phil Toke, DJ Cman, DJ Naiki, Edseven, DJ Saywhut and others confirmed on the bill. To complement the soundtrack, there'll be live art from Billy Kid and Friends, live hair braiding from Eden Stylez and a Bboy/dance showcase. Early bird $5 tickets have sold out, but there's still a scattering of $10 stubs left, which you can nab right here.
Tell Joel Edgerton that you're a rower and he won't be surprised. Everyone has been. "Once you start getting involved in a movie about a certain subject, it's amazing how many people come out of the woodwork," he explains. "They're like 'oh yeah, I rowed in college or university' or 'my son is a rower' and 'my daughter is rower'. It's a more popular sport than I had realised. And certainly back at the time that this story was taking place, rowing was one of the biggest sports in the United States." The film: The Boys in the Boat. The time: the Great Depression era, including the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The tale: an IRL chapter of sporting history that Edgerton found remarkable, as audiences should as well. "I could only assume that being Australian and not American is the reason why I've never heard of it before," he advises. "But if you start to weed out anyone you know who's been on a rowing team or is a rower, they know about this story." The ninth directorial effort from George Clooney (The Tender Bar), with Edgerton in a role that the actor-turned-director might've once played himself — and could've still easily now — The Boys in the Boat focuses on the University of Washington's junior varsity team, rower Joe Rantz and coach Al Ulbrickson. The squad competed on the world's biggest stage over the college's senior crew, at an Olympics held at a difficult period and in a fraught place. On his own since he his early teens, Rantz picked up an oar solely for the money paid to the team's athletes, plus the fact that they received somewhere to stay. Ulbrickson was the former rower who saw something in Rantz, but whose inner warmth and support isn't easily given when his eyes are firmly on the prize, as they always were. Edgerton plays Ulbrickson opposite Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) as Rantz, with Clooney working with a screenplay adapted from 2013 non-fiction novel The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As the film's star himself notes, it's an underdog story, as sports movies tend to be. But the astonishing real-life details also fuel an exploration of the class clashes that see the pastime inherently equated with wealthy schools and well-off students, rather than the struggling Rantz and many of his crewmates, as told with sincerity, impactful performances and thrilling rowing scenes. [caption id="attachment_935417" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joe Maher/Getty Images for Warner Brothers[/caption] If it feels as if Edgerton is never far away from a screen, there's a reason for that: nearing three decades since his first credit in children's television series Spellbinder, his resume overflows with homegrown highlights and Hollywood productions. For Australians, he'll always be The Secret Life of Us' Will McGill. He'll always have Ned Kelly, The Square, Animal Kingdom, The Great Gatsby and The Stranger to his name as well. For everyone, he'll always be the Star Wars' franchise's Owen Lars, including as recently as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior, Midnight Special, Loving, It Comes at Night, The Underground Railroad, The Green Knight, I'm a Virgo: they all grace his filmography. So does directing and writing The Gift and Boy Erased while also featuring in both, producing The Stranger as well as leading it, and helping to turn Boy Swallows Universe into a streaming series. What appealed to Edgerton about taking on the part of Ulbrickson, who he notes "is basically the opposite of Ted Lasso"? How does he approach stepping into someone else's shoes, as he also did in Thirteen Lives recently? Was there a common baseline with Clooney on set, given that both are actors who direct, write and produce? Where did he originally imagine his career would take him? Edgerton chatted to Concrete Playground about all of the above — plus his first reaction to the tale told in The Boys in the Boat, which is in cinemas Down Under now, and more. ON EDGERTON'S FIRST REACTION TO JOE RANTZ AND AL ULBRICKSON'S TALES "My feeling about sports stories — I was involved in a big one, a sports movie called Warrior. I remember at the time, in the aftermath of that, realising that the sports movie isn't necessarily about the sport that's being depicted. It's really about the themes and about the character, and particularly about rooting for an underdog. And that if the movie's made well, that you can really appreciate it despite not knowing much about sport in question. So the idea that you could go watch The Boys in the Boat without really having much of a knowledge about rowing, I think it's true. You could go because it's really about the underdog story about these guys realising how they have to get united in order to achieve the victory. But I just got very excited. The biggest thing that really grabbed me was when you read that Joe Rantz had been abandoned by his father when he was 13 years old. And fully abandoned, as in left to live on his own — at the age of 13, through the depression. That, I don't know why — I'm sure it would've affected me hearing about that pre being the father, but picturing myself at the age of 13 being left to my own devices, I don't know how I would have survived. And that aspect to this underdog story really, really grabs me." ON PLAYING A ROWING COACH WHO'S BASICALLY THE ANTI TED LASSO "That's the joke: I say I didn't have to do any training, which is slightly true. Basically it's being the father of nine kids, essentially. I think coaches are like dads. There's a certain tough love aspect to them. From his part, there's the aspect for the kids that they want to impress and do the right thing by their coach, and so there's a real fatherly theme that runs through coaches, I think. And in particular with Ulbrickson, he's described as someone who barely cracks a smile, and it's pointing me in the direction of all those coaches that we see in various sports that just look like they're so determined to win that they look like they don't seem to enjoy themselves at all, except maybe when they have a trophy in their hands. I just love the idea of those aspects of him. It's basically the opposite of Ted Lasso. No warm and fuzzy edges. In fact, when I first started speaking to George about it, I was like 'can we lean into this even more?' — this idea that barely, I think it's once or twice in the film, you get a sense of the warmth that actually resides inside of him that he is proud of the kids, and that there is love inside of him. I think when we first meet Ulbrickson, he's not really looking at the individuals in the boat. He's just looking at the sizes of the different guys, and how fit and healthy they are, and just going 'let's just pick the eight'. They're not humans — just the eight best human machines that are going to power the boat." ON THE CHALLENGE OF BALANCING ULBRICKSON'S FOCUS ON SUCCESS WITH CARING ABOUT HIS TEAM "George, recently on a press tour in LA, was joking about sharing dailies, the footage, with the studio in the early weeks of the shooting. And I don't know if he was joking or not, but he was just talking about how the studio — because he and I had agreed on the sort of coldness, this sort of inability to show warmth, and I think they maybe wanted me to be a bit more likeable through the film. I was like 'no, I just want to hold off on that until the right moment to show that warmth'. I do feel like the audience is patient enough to see that there's a care waiting and brewing underneath there. But I find that every movie has its own challenges, and one of them was just trying to hold back too much warmth in this. I think that it earns its place at the right moment." ON PREPARING TO ENTER THE ROWING AND COACHING WORLDS "I did do some rowing training. I did some single-scull rowing, which I think it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. The balance of a single scull is crazy. I just did a lot of watching of the coaches that were training the boys, and spent a lot of time sort of observing their journey they went on, which was quite remarkable actually. I was very impressed with how they went from complete novices to really very quickly in the space months pulling the trick that they could be an Olympic rowing team for the film. The relationship I had with them had this inbuilt kind of fatherly aspect to it anyway. I'm a bit older now and they're all young guys. We just had a good camaraderie in that sense. I felt a little bit perfectly removed enough from them, but admiring of what they were achieving on screen as actors and as a team that they were forming. It was a nice relationship that we formed just through the shoot." [caption id="attachment_935421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joe Maher/Getty Images for Warner Brothers[/caption] ON THE COMPLICATIONS AND PRESSURE OF STEPPING INTO A REAL-LIFE FIGURE'S SHOES "It all depends on how indelible that person was in their real life. I was very anxious about getting Harry Harris right for Thirteen Lives and doing the right thing by that story, knowing that I would eventually meet him and hope that he felt good that I stepped into his shoes. Ulbrickson is a different story because he's not somebody that the average person would really know about, know what he looked like. Uncannily, he looked a lot like my Dutch grandfather when I saw photos of him. I was like 'he looks like my Opa'. But there's no real footage or newsreel footage or audio recordings of him, so it was really up to me to just take the essence of what was said about him and amalgamate that with me so that I could be the right version of him that would make the movie work. So I didn't feel this immense pressure. The pressure I see is when I read about actors taking on some iconic role. Any of those actors who stepped into that TV show The Crown, like Elizabeth Debicki playing Diana. And Rami Malek doing Freddie Mercury. They're being asked to play characters or real-life people that we have an image of, that we have a memory of, and we have an affinity with because we're so familiar with them. That to me is a real challenge for actor — the nerves of stepping into something like that. Something like this is different, because there's a certain freedom and therefore a lack of or less pressure." ON WORKING WITH A FELLOW ACTOR-TURNED-DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER IN GEORGE CLOONEY "I think George has a really good shorthand with how to shape performance, being an actor. It is remarkable how many directors don't really either understand how to talk to actors. Or they get nervous to direct actors. Or, in the worst-case scenario, they've had bad experiences with actors and they are sort of hard-wired to not love working with them. George has a real care and love for actors, and a really good way of shaping performance. And as an actor working after having directed a couple of movies, I just feel like I'm perhaps a bit more of a team player in understanding how a film set works, and how to play my part in making it easier for what the scene requires — but never presuming to think I know better or that I would put my hand up to say 'are you sure you want to move the camera that way?'. I would never do that, the same way I wouldn't want an actor-turned-director telling me how I should play the character in some specific way." [caption id="attachment_935424" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joe Maher/Getty Images for Warner Brothers[/caption] ON EDGERTON'S CAREER TRAJECTORY EXCEEDING EVERYTHING HE EVER IMAGINED "I feel like when I was a kid, I never really set goals. I went to drama school so I could work in the theatre, and then I started realising that it was possible to work in television and film because I knew stage actors who had also done that. Each step of the way was just stepping blindly into the future going 'alright, well maybe I could try this and try this'. But I never imagined that I'd get to work in Hollywood. I did start to develop that ambition once I saw that it was possible, but even then I didn't imagine that I'd have a nice, full career and enjoy the kinds of things that I get to do now. That said, there's still challenges that I want to get my hands on, and I've got lots to learn — like lots to learn — and lots that I want to try and wrestle with. Perhaps one of the great things about being an actor is the ability, as long as your brain keeps working, touch wood, that you can just keep evolving each step of your life, each phase life, into different sorts of characters. Here, I'm watching a bunch of other people be athletes, and I get to be the coach. And one day, if I'm lucky, I'll be playing grandfathers on film." [caption id="attachment_872851" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Stranger[/caption] ON WHAT EDGERTON LOOKS FOR IN A ROLE "It's always reading the script and just having a response. Character and story. Particularly now that I have a lot of responsibilities in my life being a dad. It's not just me and a couple of suitcases. That response has to be really, really strong that I feel a compulsion to get involved in something, particularly if it means going to another city. We stay together as a family. It's not like I'm going off for months away from my kids. I just want to feel a real draw and a real pull to do something, and usually it just starts with reading the script and going 'ohh, this is fascinating'. There's usually an element to it where I'll feel like something's got to be a bit of a challenge — or a little bit terrifying." The Boys in the Boat opened in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, January 4. Read our review. The Boys in the Boat images: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tea lovers have a brand-new reason to get excited — internationally renowned tea brand HEYTEA has finally opened a Sydney store. The wildly popular Chinese brand prides itself on producing high-quality brews that hero fresh ingredients, so it steers clear of artificial sweeteners, creamers or flavourings. You can expect its viral signature cheese tea to be an instant hit with Sydneysiders, but its menu also spans from indulgent milk teas and refreshing fruit brews to tea lattes for that quick caffeine hit. For the dairy-free and vegan customers, you can opt for the oat milk variation of the drink of your choice, too. But that's not all — for a short time, the new CBD outpost is handing out huge discounts to celebrate its grand opening. Until Thursday, August 1, when you buy two drinks, your second will be half price. Head into the newly opened outpost from Monday, July 29 to discover its innovative tea flavours and to score your cheap sip.
Sydney's home of perfect-for-every-occasion artisanal gifts Sorry Thanks I Love You (STILY) has been hosting free in-store yoga classes for the past four years. Now, with the closure of gyms across the country and increased social distancing, it's bringing them online. And, yes, they'll still be free. Running every Monday night at 6pm AEDT (for the foreseeable future), the Instagram live classes will be streamed on STILY's Instagram page and hosted by Misch Gomez. They'll run for an hour and give you a chance to wind down and get out of that Twitter hole (at least temporarily). If you don't have a mat, you can even roll out a towel — and get ready to get bendy. A benefit of doing the class at home, as STILY has pointed out, is that there's "no one noticing if you pause to take a sip of your gin and tonic". Well, except your cat, dog or green baby. [caption id="attachment_739127" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joey Clark[/caption] Top image: Rita Ince
Every kid dreamed about stepping inside their favourite TV show or movie, whether you were an 80s child who wanted to dance magic, dance through Labyrinth, a 90s teen saying "as if!" to life outside of Clueless — or keen to stake vampires with Buffy — or a 00's Gossip Girl wannabe. Now that we're all adults, those kinds of fantasies keep becoming a reality, in a way, thanks to the seemingly non-stop array of immersive pop culture-themed installations and experiences that keep popping up around Australia. So if you've recently been wishing you could scope out Middle-earth thanks to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, you'll soon be able to. Break out the lembas bread, because Prime Video is taking Melburnians — and everyone who happens to be in Melbourne between Friday, October 7–Sunday, October 9 — to a JRR Tolkein-inspired realm. You might recognise those dates as PAX Aus' next festival, with the gaming and gaming culture event taking over the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. That's where you'll find Prime Video Corridor of Curiosity: See Where It Takes You, too, complete with a room dedicated to the streaming platform's new Lord of the Rings series. On offer in that dedicated hobbit-, elf- and dwarf-loving space: a celebration of Middle-earth, naturally, as well as a heap of costumes from The Rings of Power. You'll be able to scope out outfits worn by Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir and Sir Lenny Henry as harfoot community leader Sadoc Burrows. (And yes, it is a great time to marvel at threads from big franchises in the Victorian capital, given that ACMI is currently displaying Thor: Love and Thunder costumes, too.) The Prime Video Corridor of Curiosity: See Where It Takes You also includes two more rooms dedicated to two of the service's other shows — which is ace news for The Boys aficionados. In that space, you'll enter The Vought Boardroom in The Seven Tower, and you'll be tasked with a mission. This challenge room-style setup will have you solving clues to find missing vials of Compound V within a set timeframe (and working out how you feel about supes, probably). Lastly, a third room will be based around Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, which'll involve entering an interrogation, finding a hidden entrance to a shooting gallery, then hitting targets — for bragging rights and a spot at the top of the leader board. Also up for grabs: limited-edition pins, which you'll nab for completing each room. You'll need to buy a badge to enter PAX Aus, however, if you're keen to head along. Prime Video Corridor of Curiosity: See Where It Takes You will pop up at PAX Aus at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf, Melbourne from Friday, October 7–Sunday, October 9 .
Perched along the New South Wales coast and boasting 20 kilometres of shoreline, Jervis Bay is known for its spectacular beaches. Because it's around a three-hour drive from Sydney, it's also a popular holiday spot for anyone keen to get out of the city, get splashing and soak in some stunning sights. But, in news that might come as a surprise to Sydneysiders, the area known as Jervis Bay Territory isn't actually part of NSW — which means that, under current COVID-19 restrictions, folks from some parts of the state aren't presently permitted to visit. Jervis Bay Territory, a small peninsula section of Jervis Bay encompassing Booderee National Park, is actually a Commonwealth-administered territory, and has been since 1915. It also falls under the laws of the Australian Capital Territory as a result — and the ACT has restrictions in place people who've been in the Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong areas. Those border rules apply to Jervis Bay Territory, too, so if you're thinking about heading south for a beach trip, you may need to adjust your plans. For much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jervis Bay Territory has had Public Health Emergency Directions in effect, which are designed to "protect residents and minimise risks to visitors". The latest, from December 21, 2020, makes it clear that anyone from a place deemed a hotspot by the ACT is not allowed to enter Jervis Bay Territory. While that list is updated frequently, with the last change coming into effect yesterday, Monday, January 11, the Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong areas are still considered 'COVID-19 affected areas'. [caption id="attachment_796806" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A map of Jervis Bay Territory[/caption] As detailed in a government update to start the new year, if you try to enter Jervis Bay Territory without an exemption, you'll be turned away. If you're a resident of the area and you're returning home from a hotspot, you'll be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days. And, if you're wondering how checking these details works, when you're entering the region, you're required to provide information — including photo ID — if asked by an emergency services officer. The penalty for failing to comply with the border restrictions is hefty, with fines up to $8000. Exemptions to enter the ACT and Jervis Bay Territory "will only be granted in highly exceptional circumstances" according to the ACT's Public Health (COVID-19 Interstate Hotspots) Emergency Direction 2021 — and you're considered an 'affected person', and therefore unable to access the region, if you've been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the past 14 days. For more information about Jervis Bay Territory border restrictions, head to the Commonwealth Government website. Top image: Kristina Kl. via Flickr.
Instead of rushing straight home after work, take a trip to St Marys, where you can watch the sun set high up in the clouds. Skypeak Aerial Park, which opened in mid-2016, features 80 challenges on its menu of adventures, including scaling an ancient red river gum, free falling 15 metres and riding a trapeze at a height of 22 metres. Prepare to test your balance and tackle any fear of heights you may have. And if you're just not an adrenaline junkie, there's something for you too. Settle for a stroll along a sturdy, elevated walkway with excellent views of everyone else in action. Skypeak is open from 9am-7pm and you can buy a pass to suit your scaredy cat level.
We don't mean to alarm you, but Christmas is officially less than two months away. So it's probably time to start planning for all of the things. Like pressie shopping, the perfect response for when your nosey uncle asks why you're still single and that most hallowed of traditions: the office Christmas party. While we can't help with the first two, we have a few suggestions for the latter. Namely, checking out some of the pubs, bars and event spaces owned and operated by Australian Venue Co. From landmark institutions to humble locals, you will find AVC venues in cities, suburbs and regional towns across Australia. In fact, there are ten in Sydney alone. So, settle in for a sit-down lunch at Kingsleys Woolloomooloo (the steaks and seafood are sublime), lock in an evening at The Loft for a couple of cocktails overlooking the harbour or book at The Rook — where you can hire the entire venue and create your own private party. Whichever you choose, all of Australian Venue Co.'s Sydney venues are sure to be knock-the-socks-off-your-boss impressive. Secure a spot for your office Christmas party at an Australian Venue Co. venue. For the full list of venues and for more details, visit the website.
