Each year, the folks at Sydney-based film festival organisers Queer Screen ask an excellent question, and answer it in the best way possible. That query: what's better than one queer-focused film festival popping up every 12 months? The response: two, of course. Here's another train of thought that the crew have been posing, too: what's better than two celebrations of LGBTQIA+ cinema in Harbour City picture palaces? The solution here: sharing the love by taking the movie-worshipping online nationally. Queer Screen runs the Mardi Gras Film Festival during the first half of every year, so that's been and gone for 2023. It also gives cinephiles the Queer Screen Film Fest later each year — and that's next on the agenda. This isn't any old QSFF, either. It's the event's tenth anniversary, and the fest is marking that milestone with more than 30 films, plus that online component for audiences across Australia. For those playing along in-person, the physical fest runs from Wednesday, August 23–Sunday, August 27 at Event Cinemas George Street. For people on the couch, you'll have until Sunday, September 3 to get streaming. And that 30-plus films includes ten narrative features, three documentary features, four retrospective flicks getting encores, two TV shows and 19 shorts from 11 different countries. There's more range if you hit up a cinema rather than your television, but it's a mighty impressive lineup all the same. Opening the Sydney sessions is Blue Jean, a four-time British Independent Film Award-winner about a lesbian teacher in Thatcher's England — and, at the other end of the fest, Theatre Camp will close out QSFF 2023 with a crowd-pleasing comedy about loving the stage, as starring and co-written and co-directed by Booksmart and The Bear's Molly Gordon. Elsewhere, the lineup includes Cannes Palm d'Or-winning Shoplifters filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, which picked up this year's Queer Palm; Marinette, about soccer legend Marinette Pichon (and, yes, arriving just after the Women's World Cup); Busan International Film Festival hit Peafowl, about a Korean trans woman's homecoming; and Medusa Deluxe, which jumps into a hairstyle competition. There's also the Berlin-set Drifter, page-to-screen drama Lie with Me and Indigo Girls doco It's Only Life After All, plus the AIDS in Hollywood-focused Commitment to Life. Or, heading back into sports, Equal the Contest follows regional women's Australian rules football team Mount Alexander Falcons in an exploration of the barriers still faced for women and gender-diverse people on the field. And those retro titles? They span Anchor & Hope, about a trio's complicated relationship; German coming-of-age romance Centre of My World; rom-com Nina's Heavenly Delights, focusing on a woman reuniting with her Indian family in Scotland; and the southern Chile-set The Strong Ones. "Queer Screen is celebrating not only its 30th year of existence, but also the tenth edition of our mini festival. It's an incredibly exciting year and I'm thrilled to be bringing such an outstanding selection of films to Sydney to continue the celebrations," said Festival Director Lisa Rose. "Ten years ago, when the first Queer Screen Film Fest began, we only screened seven films and the whole thing was run by volunteers. This world-class program is a very fitting tribute to how much we have grown and to how LGBTIQ+ stories have found their place, front and centre, on the international stage." Queer Screen Film Fest 2023 runs from Wednesday, August 23–Sunday, August 27 at Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney — and online nationally until Sunday, September 3. For more information, visit the festival's website.
A historic 1930s waterfront restaurant has been resurrected thanks to local duo Paul and Sheridan Peterkin. Abandoned back in 2009, Pasadena finally reopened after extensive renovations — as well as many rejected DAs and stoushes with local council and residents — in late 2018 on the northern beaches. Set on the tip of Pittwater's Church Point, one-hour drive north of the CBD, the venue offers unobstructed views of McCarrs Creek and parts of the Ku-ring-gai National Park. Its facelift includd a restaurant, bar and a 14-room boutique hotel to boot. To run the joint, the Peterkins signed on two former members of The Boathouse Group — namely General Manager Jordana Shawyer and Head Chef Petr Buchel. Buchel's seafood-heavy menu ranges features starters of cured kingfish with jalapeño and apple foam ($18), duck liver pâté with marsala jelly ($20) and burrata with beetroot puree ($16). For mains, choose from hearty dishes like calamari, fish and prawn linguine ($34), beer-battered fish and chips ($24) and a 200-gram wagyu flank steak with green peppercorn jus ($39). If you're sitting outside on the deck, we recommend sharing a bucket of fresh prawns ($35) and a side of duck fat potatoes ($9). The pizzas ($17–23) are also ideal for sharing, with toppings including truffle, mushroom and spinach; prawn chilli and parsley; and jamon, fig and rocket. If you're there for a waterside brunch session, however, you'll be able to dig into the likes of smoked salmon bruschetta ($19) and avo smash ($15). The drinks list features mostly Australian wines, along with a ten-strong cocktail list of that currently includes tommy's margaritas ($18), Aperol spritzes ($16) and piña coladas ($17).
Pasta Emilia, which moved from its original home in Bronte to Surry Hills back in 2012, is an old-school Italian joint that serves up pasta just like nonna used to make. Founded by Anna Maria Eoclidi, the restaurant is an ode to her home in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. Organic pasta is the name of the game here, with the chefs make more than 15 varieties of pasta each week. Think heartwarming dishes like strozzapreti with slow-cooked beef ragu ($30); spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino ($24); and the rich duck and truffle tortelli with butter and herbs ($36). If you're wanting more than just pasta, there's mains such as slow-cooked lamb with honey roasted potatoes ($34) and fish of the day ($34), plus daily specials, sides and salads. The osteria also has an on-site cooking school, where you can spend a Saturday getting your hands dirty, or rather, floury. With local, organic ingredients at your fingertips, you'll learn how to make pasta the traditional way. That includes creating the best flour mix, fashioning it into dough and stretching it into sheets. Alessandro Grisendi, who's been making pasta by hand for over a decade, will teach you how to make all kinds of pasta, from ravioli and cappelletti, to linguine and strozzapreti. And when your work is done, you'll sit down to a hearty lunch, including pasta, a veggie salad and glass of organic wine. Classes run for three hours and cost $150–160 per person. Top image: Destination NSW
The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge aren't the only iconic structures getting the Vivid Sydney bedazzling treatment when the festival returns this May. Also set for a makeover is the legendary Luna Park face, as Samsung joins in the fun with an epic light and sound experience dubbed The Night. Reimagined. Running throughout Vivid Sydney, from Friday, May 25, until June 16, the immersive installation will pop-up on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. The impressive two-storey, 90-metre labyrinth, with two kilometres of LED lighting, will be split into two pathways — and two very different journeys. Take the first path and you'll become the new face of Luna Park. You'll be able to create an augmented reality selfie using the AR Emoji function on Samsung's new Galaxy S9 and S9+ phone, which will then be projected via live feed onto the Luna Park entrance. There'll also be a viewing platform, where you can watch your animated face from across the Harbour. You'll need to get in early, though, as there are limited spots for the AR projection and, naturally, high demand is expected. On the first path, you'll also experience slow motion at its best in the Super Slow-Mo booth. Here, you can capture mesmerising shots of yourself frolicking among a bunch of chrome-plated balls. Or, you can take the second path, and you'll be taken on an immersive audio light and soundscape experience, transporting you through the night and beyond. Samsung's The Night. Reimagined. will pop-up on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt from May 25–June 16. To learn more, head to the website.
When a musician announces a big Australian and New Zealand leg of their world tour, then postpones just two weeks out, then doesn't set new dates, you can be forgiven for wondering if they'll be making it Down Under at all. In the case of Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye, the answer is no for now. His Aussie and NZ trip has been cancelled for the moment, with ticketholders to receive refunds. The artist was due to hit the stage across both countries in November and December 2023, but rescheduled at the beginning of November without revealing when he'd arrive instead. Since then, there's been no news until now. If you have a ticket, you'll get your funds back in full automatically via whichever method you used to pay. "The Weeknd After Hours Til Dawn Tour for Australia and New Zealand is still in process of being rescheduled," says the statement on the Ticketek website, leaving hope that the tour might be announced again in the future. "Whilst we continue to work through the rescheduling process with the artist, tickets for the existing 2023 tour will be cancelled. All purchased tickets will receive a full refund," the message continues. Back in November, Australia and Aotearoa was advised that the postponement was "due to unforeseen circumstances", in an announcement credited as a statement from The Weeknd to his fans. "New dates will be announced next year and current tickets will be valid for the new shows," said the message at the time. "Refunds will be available for those unable to attend the new dates. Deeply disappointed but can't wait to be there with you!" it went on. The Canadian singer-songwriter and The Idol star was due to play two shows at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, then head to Sydney for three gigs at Accor Stadium. After that, he had four shows locked in for Marvel Stadium in Melbourne — and then it was meant to Eden Park in Auckland's turn. An arena spectacular, The Weeknd's global tour has notched up soldout shows far and wide when it has been taking place. In the UK, The Weekend saw 160,000 folks head to London Stadium across two nights, smashing the venue's attendance record. And in Milan, he became the first artist to sell out the Ippodromo La Maura for two nights. Those feats are just the beginning. In Paris, the 'Starboy', 'I Feel It Coming', 'Can't Feel My Face', 'The Hills' and 'Blinding Lights' artist scored Stade de France's biggest sales this year — and in Nice, the 70,000 tickets sold across his two shows are the most in the city's history. The reason for the whole tour, other than just because, was to celebrate The Weeknd's 2020 record After Hours and its 2022 followup Dawn FM. Obviously, he has been playing tracks from 2013's Kiss Land, 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness and 2016's Starboy as well. The Weeknd's 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' 2023 — Cancelled Dates: Monday, November 20–Tuesday, November 21 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Friday, November 24–Saturday, November 25 + Monday, November 27 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Friday, December 1–Saturday, December 2 + Monday, December 4–Tuesday, December 5 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Friday, December 8–Saturday, December 9 — Eden Park, Auckland The Weeknd is no longer touring Australia and New Zealand. The shows have been cancelled, with refunds set to be issued — head to the tour ticketing website for more information.
For the past 13 years, Qantas cabin crew have been dressed in Martin Grant's creations — French navy wool suits with a ruby-red vent, bold striped dresses and statement trilby hats — at airports worldwide. Now, Ballarat-born designer Rebecca Vallance is preparing to give Australia's flagship carrier a fresh look. Best known for her luxury cocktail pieces, Vallance started her namesake label in 2011 and debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2014. Since then, her collections have expanded to include categories like workwear and denim. This isn't Vallance's first collaboration with Qantas either — she's designed the business-class pyjamas for Qantas' recently-launched Project Sunrise direct flights to New York, a jersey-style navy set incorporating the airline's iconic kangaroo logo, a geometric heart motif and flight numbers QF3 and QF4. As the eponymous label grows globally — it's set to launch a modest clothing capsule in December with the Middle East market in mind — outfitting Qantas' 17,500-plus employees is just the lift-off it needs. The airline's employees are part of the design process, too. In January, it conducted a company-wide survey on the wearability of the current uniform, and the feedback will inform the redesign's fabric choices, fit and more. The project will also mark Vallance's first foray into menswear, and she's approaching it with practicality in mind. "I've been deep-diving into the staff — how they move, what they need. It's not like designing a normal collection. These garments have to withstand bending, lifting bags, and long flights," Vallance says in an interview with Vogue Australia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Qantas (@qantas) Line up all ten of Qantas' past uniforms and you'd have a museum-worthy exhibition, with designs from fashion luminaries including Yves Saint Laurent and Emilio Pucci. Vallance hopes to carry on that legacy, this time with an emphasis on sustainability. She's exploring low-impact materials and ways to repurpose the uniforms when they reach their end of life. "Martin Grant did such a fantastic job with the current uniform, and I want to build on that. There have been incredible designers before me, who made iconic uniforms for their time period, so I hope to do the same thing, and that my uniform will last just as long when it's done, for the next 10 to 15 years, at least," she tells Vogue Australia. The new Qantas uniforms will be rolled out in 2027. Images: Qantas
Underground CBD favourite Burrow Bar moved from its original home in De Mestre Place to 96 Clarence Street with big plans to expand into two levels and open a restaurant above the bar. Those plans became a reality with the opening of Cash Only Diner, a Vietnamese eatery serving up dishes with roots in owner Chau Tran's family heritage and the dishes of Hue, Vietnam. Tran has taken dishes she learned from her mother — a classically trained chef who studied at a French finishing school in Hue — and, with the help of co-owner Bryce McDonough and the Burrow Bar team, has put together a menu that bursts with flavour and showcases the cuisine of the coastal Vietnamese city. The venue embraces seasonality and so the menu changes day to day. Some dishes you could enjoy include the cá kho tộ, caramelised and braised salmon served in a clay pot and dripping in marinade; the giò thủ, a pork and mushroom terrine; and C.O spring rolls filled with prawn and minced pork. Every Tuesday, aka Tuesday Noodz-day, where the venue runs a new noodle special with limited bowls that showcase regional noodles and unique dishes, not many people have heard of or get to try outside of Vietnam. Cash Only Diner sits above Burrow Bar, meaning you can bet the drinks are as exciting as the food. Pair your Vietnamese feast with a selection from the cocktail menu, like the green mango negroni, a pineapple and gin creation called Napoleon's 2nd Vice, and a boozy Vietnamese iced coffee, a creative twist on the espresso martini.
4 musicians, 6 singles, 238562845 reasons to take in the Bloozepower. super FLORENCE jam are comin' atcha like a swift flannel. A raucous breed of gritty god-yes rock, four-piece shotguns sFj are one of the hardest working crews on the Sydney circuit, with albums, EPs, demos and grandness spilling outta their ear and mouthholes with more rigour than a C&C Music Factory. Everybody dance now, indeed. Tirelessly releasing a new fandangled single every month until the chilly winds of July whistle through the studio door, this quakin' quartet have already wowed with the wham-bam-thankyou-ma'am punk slam of Simmer Down and glam blockbuster That's The End Of It, a track that defies wallflowers everywhere, and now bring numero trois: Bloozepower. Bloozepower sees the lads hop back to a Deep Purple Machine Head meets mid to late Zep blend of soaring vocals, thrusting riffs and head-back-and-forth general awesomeness. With 4:46 to play with this time around, this tale of intemperance and pleasure-seeking after brutal heartbreak is a powerful thing from a foursome continuously defying the average and making better music than half the claptrap weaseling out of your radio. Always surprising, always grin-inducing, sFj are ready to flash their explosive versatility all up in your mindtank, with their bold blend of swirling twangs, spiraling psych-soaring melodies and engulfingly contagious percussion. Ah hell, enough analysis; these guys flipping well rule. With support from the likes of Sydney rockers The Salvagers, hard indie prog-poppers Where's Jerome, and local party funk outfit JUNK, this is one little Saturday bowl of ear-treats not to be missed.
Following a tumultuous couple of years for the team behind the beloved Wollongong music festival Yours and Owls, the live music crew is bringing the party to Berry over 2023's Easter long weekend with brand-new festival Lazy Mountain. The one-day all-ages affair will be popping up at the Berry Showground on Saturday, April 8 with a stacked lineup of Australian favourites. Topping the list of acts is acclaimed Sydney band Gang of Youths, fresh off their run of arena shows and self-curated festivals. The rockstars will bring their catalogue of hits and new album Angel in Realtime to the showgrounds alongside an indie rock-heavy program. Joining Gang of Youths will be Tash Sultana, Middle Kids, Bad//Dreems, Slowly Slowly, Tyne-James Organ, Merci, Mercy and Aodhan. Living up to its lazy name, the music festival is designed for those sick of running around expansive festival grounds trying to catch their favourite acts between frustrating set time clashes. All acts will appear back-to-back on the one stage, meaning that you won't miss your favourite Middle Kids song because you're at Tash Sultana's set. Another enticing element of the new addition to New South Wales' collection of festivals is the location, set in the stunning surrounds of Berry on the NSW South Coast. Located two hours south of Sydney, the festival is a perfect excuse for a regional getaway across the long weekend. [caption id="attachment_886069" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ellen Virgona[/caption] The drawcards don't stop there, though. You can expect top-notch tipples and moreish snacks to enjoy between sets as well, with the team behind the South Coast Food and Wine Festival in charge of Lazy Mountain's food and drink lineup. Black Iron Smokers and BBQ, Samara's, Mama Kim's Kitchen and OysterLife are among the highlights of the food market, alongside Pip Duck who will be pulling together picnic hampers featuring local produce. Drinks will be on-hand from Hawke's Brewing Co, Truly, Aperol, Kraken Rum, Archie Rose Distilling Co and Henry Clive Caravan Bar, who will be in charge of showcasing some top-notch wines from the region. That's right, you can pair oysters and a picnic hamper with a local vino or craft beer at this festival. While the event is all ages, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Bringing the kids is encouraged, though, with a Lazy Mountain kids club being set up with crafts and face painting keeping the little ones occupied throughout the day. Camping and glamping are available to book through the festival at the Riverside Campgrounds, or you can book a local hotel or Airbnb — including the Palm Springs-inspired Berry View Hotel.
"Honey, we're home." Those words are uttered in the first sneak peek at Netflix's Heartbreak High revival and, especially if you were a 90s kid, they're filled with emotion. Screening for seven seasons and 210 episodes between 1994–99, the OG Heartbreak High wasn't just a high school-set Aussie show — it was the high school-set Aussie show of the era. The original series was filled with now-familiar faces, too, including Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid. Back in 2020, Netflix announced that it was bringing Heartbreak High back — and now that revival is almost here. The series itself will join your streaming queue on Wednesday, September 14, and the platform has dropped the first trailer in the interim. Yes, it definitely looks like a 2020s take on the Aussie classic. While the initial teaser sets the vibe rather than spells out the story, the show obviously returns to Hartley High — the fictional school that everyone watching was obsessed with way back when. This time around, a revelation turns Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect) into a pariah, and also sparks a rift with her best pal Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman). Attempting to repair her reputation, and just navigate the usual teen chaos, she calls on help from her new friends Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud) and Darren (first-timer James Majoos). If you're keen for a bit more background on the new show's characters, back when it announced the cast, Netflix described Amerie as a smart, big-hearted but loud working-class girl, and Harper as the person at Hartley that everyone is a little afraid of, including teachers. Quinni, who has autism, is "a brain trying to connect to a body and a heart", while Darren is "the warmest snarky shit-stirrer you're ever likely to meet". Other characters include Malakai (Thomas Weatherall, All My Friends Are Racist), a Bundjalung boy and basketballer who is new at Hartley High; Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), an insecure bass player in an indie rock band; Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC), who has been badged "the coolest, sexiest, and chiccest lesbian at the school"; and Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), a mullet-wearing drug dealer, food delivery driver and pet duck owner. Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Baby Done) plays Hartley High's principal, too — and yes, Netflix is still streaming the original series, should you feel like a double dose of nostalgia. Check out the first trailer for the new Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High will be available to stream via Netflix on Wednesday, September 14.
This year, Easter hunts are not just for kids. Inventive bakeries, restaurants and other businesses around Sydney are getting busy creating sweet treats and other Easter-themed goodies for an audience that may have outgrown the Easter bunny. From cocktail-filled chocolate eggs to all kinds of wild hot cross bun creations, here's a curated list of Easter goods worthy of a spot in every grown-up Sydneysider's Easter hunt. DIY COCKTAILS IN EASTER EGGS FROM COCKTAIL PORTER Like Gelato Messina? Love Easter eggs? Then Cocktail Porter's DIY kit is your kind of treat. The make-at-home pack lets you whip up your own boozy beverages — Messina dulce de leche salted caramel and coffee cocktails, no less. There's no gelato, but there is Messina's popular topping, Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, plus chocolate Easter eggs to pour your mixed liquids into (and drink them out of) — and pieces of salted caramel popcorn to pop on top. Go small and you'll pay $80 to make five drinks. The large costs $145, and makes 12. DARK CHOCOLATE HOT CROSS BUNS FROM BLACK STAR PASTRY AND KOKO BLACK Easter is a time for gorging on sweet things — so it's only fitting that two of Australia's best-loved dessert spots team up to release something special in honour of the occasion. The pastry masters at Black Star have come together with chocolatier Koko Black and launched their own dreamy take on the traditional hot cross bun. These beauties are spiked with Koko Black's 60-percent dark chocolate, topped with a lightly spiced glaze and finished with that all-important cross — reimagined with more chocolate, of course. They're available by the single serve, in a six-pack or by the dozen, to pick up from any of Black Star's Sydney stores up until Monday, April 10. You can also order a box online. DOUBLE CHOCOLATE HOT CROSS BAO FROM DIN TAI FUNG Din Tai Fung has once again created a delicious festive treat with its Easter hot cross bao. And these bao buns have taken things up a notch from the previous Nutella-filled creations of previous years. This time around, the treats are doubling down on the chocolate, pairing cocoa-rich dough with a molten chocolate filling. The bao are available at all Din Tai Fung locations, or can be delivered frozen to your home if you intend to stockpile them in your freezer to enjoy after Easter passes. The buns are available for $8.90 for two in stores, or $12 plus a delivery fee, for three delivered to your door. NOT-CROSS BUNS FROM SONOMA BAKERY If you're craving a new take on a traditional hot cross bun this Easter, Sonoma bakery has put its own twist on the dessert. Instead of the traditional cross you'll find at most bakeries, Sonoma adorns its treats with an "S" — giving them the name of "Not-Cross Buns." Before they're piped with the signature "S", however, each bun is baked with Sonoma's special blend of raisins, cranberries, apricots and candied orange. They are then brushed with a coffee- and spice-steeped sugar glaze for the perfect finish. The buns are available in-store until Monday, April 10, individually for $3.50 or in a box set of six for $20. You can also have a box delivered to you if you order online. SAKURA HOT CROSS BUNS AND HOT CROSS LAMINGTONS FROM TOKYO LAMINGTON Inner West lamington wizards and collaboration kings Tokyo Lamington have two limited-time Easter treats, both playing on the hot cross bun. Inspired by a meeting with a sakura farmer on a recent trip to Tokyo, the first creation is a more classic bun infused with yuzu and sakura, then finished with a sticky sakura cross to give it that Tokyo Lamington twist. The second is, of course, a hot cross lamington. The cubes of Easter goodness include spiced cream, mixed fruit, cinnamon sponge cake, spiced white chocolate and a crushed hot cross bun coating. You can head into the Newtown store to pick one up or order online. The hot cross lamingtons will set you back $7.50 and the sakura hot cross buns are $5 a pop, or you can claim an Easter pack with three of each in it for $35. NUTELLA BABKA AND PORTUGESE EASTER TREATS FROM TUGA PASTRIES Now boasting a newly revamped Clovelly home alongside its Alexandria outpost, Tuga Pastries has gone all out for Easter. While known for its Portuguese tarts, the beloved bakery has unveiled a stacked Easter menu of limited-time treats. To start, there's hot cross buns, made according to owner Diogo Ferreira's father's recipe — and available in original or chocolate. There's also Nutella babka, made with sweet braised brioche coated in chocolate and hazelnuts, and piped full of plenty of Nutella. Rounding out the selection of must-try baked goods are the Portuguese special occasion Pão de Ló de Ovar cake and Folar de Páscia, a traditional Portuguese Easter bread that's topped with mini Easter eggs. All of these creations are available at both stores or via the Tuga website until Monday, April 10. HOT CROSS CUBES FROM BANKSIA BAKEHOUSE Known for its multi-layered cream-filled croissant cubes, Banksia Bakehouse has gotten in on the Easter spirit with a hot cross variety. These buttery blocks are made from the bakery's famous croissant cube pastry, then filled with a cinnamon créme patisserie centre, as well as Australian Sunmuscat sultanas. They're available in-store all week up until Good Friday. If you want to make sure you get your hands on some for the Easter weekend, you can preorder a batch from the Banksia website for pick-up on the Friday. DARK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY LAMINGTON BOTTLED COCKTAIL FROM ARCHIE ROSE Archie Rose is taking a bit of a different approach to Easter, releasing a bottled cocktail inspired by the humble lamington. The limited-edition bottle is made using the distillery's signature dry gin combined with a mix of raspberry, chocolate, honeycomb, coconut and citrus. The result is a ready-to-drink cocktail with all of the nostalgic flavours of a lamington mixed into one sip. You can enjoy it poured over ice or topped with soda and a berry garnish. If you want to order a bottle in time for Easter, head to the Archie Rose website where you can find them for $59.
From architecture and interiors to world-class contemporary craft, this Canberra festival covers all things design. Running from Monday, November 9 through Sunday, November 29, Design Canberra celebrates our capital as a global design hub. As the city is home to top-notch food, wine and brews, too, it's the perfect excuse for a weekend getaway. The festival will see more than 150 (mostly free) events, exhibitions, talks, tours, collaborations, artist studios and workshops take place across 21 days. The program celebrates Canberra's epic design history, including the city's renowned 50s architecture and its thriving community of artists. Returning this year are the popular Open Studios, which will run every Saturday of the festival. You'll get to step inside the studios of some of Canberra's top makers and designers, where you can support local talent by directly purchasing handmade ceramics, furniture, jewellery, textiles, glass and more. [caption id="attachment_734024" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Design Canberra[/caption] Other program highlights include art installations and performances, behind-the-scenes tours of iconic architecture, hands-on workshops, a pop-up wine bar and a photography exhibition celebrating the streets of suburbia. With so much art, architecture and new design popping up in Canberra this spring, we suggest you pack a bag, take a trip south and spend a couple of days eating, drinking and exploring the capital. Design Canberra 2020 is taking place from Monday, November 9 to Sunday, November 29. For the full program, head here. Top image: Open Studios, Five Foot Photography For the latest info on ACT border restrictions, head here.
So nice, they're doing it twice. After hinting at a move into the city last year, Odd Culture Group has confirmed it will make its CBD debut with two new venues: an underground daiquiri bar and discotheque, plus a neighbourhood osteria, both set to land on York Street in early 2026. The openings mark the group's first foray into the CBD, following years spent building a loyal following across the Inner West and Inner East. Since the group's inception in the thick of the 2020 lockdowns, Odd Culture has carved out a reputation for community-driven — and tightly conceptualised — venues, including its eponymous Newtown wine bar Odd Culture, Bistro Grenier, Pleasure Club, The Duke of Enmore and The Old Fitz, the latter two among the best pubs in Sydney. Now, under newly appointed CEO Rebecca Lines (pictured below), the group is taking that neighbourhood-minded ethos into a part of town better known for power lunches and after-work drinks. For Lines, that contrast is exactly the point. "The biggest challenge in the Sydney CBD district is that it can feel transient, plus there is intense competition, rising costs, and a guest base that's often time-poor and choice-rich," says Lines. "You need to earn loyalty quickly, and I believe that's also the opportunity of this district — the CBD has huge energy, diversity, and frequency of trade if you get it right." [caption id="attachment_1077335" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Smart[/caption] While specifics remain under wraps, the two York Street spaces will lean into experience as much as hospitality. One will descend underground into daiquiris and late-night dancing, while the other will take a more relaxed approach. Both aim to inject warmth and personality in a district that can often skew transactional. "Our 'neighbourhood charm' has never just been about the postcode but rather how people are welcomed, remembered, and looked after," says Lines. "For us, the opportunity is to bring warmth, personality, and genuine hospitality into a part of the city that's often more transactional. Our goal is for the venues to be a moment of respite from the corporate world, with a bit of neighbourhood charm where people feel known, welcomed, and want to return to." It's a calculated move at a time when the CBD continues to navigate post-pandemic recovery and cost-of-living pressures. The numbers are trending in the right direction, though: a City of Sydney October 2025 Economic Insights Report recorded a 7.2 percent increase in overall CBD consumer spend in September 2025 compared to 2024, while the 2025 SevenRooms Hospitality Report found diners are increasingly seeking out "experience-led dining", with 82 percent more likely to book venues that offer something extra to justify the spend. It seems the times just may suit a group that has long blended food, drinks and entertainment. [caption id="attachment_1077337" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Smart[/caption] Odd Culture's two CBD venues are set to open on York Street in early 2026. For more information, head to the group's website.
Luxury Australian hotel chain Crystalbrook has opened its flagship rooftop restaurant on top of its Newcastle outpost, Crystalbrook Kingsley. Roundhouse is the new sky-high eatery perched above the harbour city with a strong focus on hyper-local produce. The newly opened restaurant boasts a modern Australian menu with 80-percent of its produce sourced from within a three-hour drive of the hotel. Local farmers, fisherman and artisans all make up the kitchen's bank of suppliers that come together to form dishes that celebrate the region's great produce. Drop in for a meal and enjoy the panoramic views of Newcastle and its surroundings, with local landmarks like Nobby's Head and the vast wineries of the Hunter Valley visible from the restaurant. Heading up the kitchen is chef Natalie Bolt who has previously worked in United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Thailand. "We have created a menu that celebrates native Australian ingredients and the world-class produce grown in our region," Bolt said. "It's an exciting new chapter for Newcastle and I'm loving working on the ground with incredible producers and providers." On the menu you'll find highlights like lamb rack from Pukura Estate served with smoked eggplant and wattleseed pickle, or sustainably caught Paperback market fish, baked whole and served with harissa duck fat potatoes. If you come for breakfast, you'll be treated to a tower of early morning treats and selections from the la carte menu like house-made waffles and breakfast bruschetta. Accompanying the dishes is an extensive wine list that is, of course, hyper-local. The wine on offer showcases the breadth of different wines currently being produced a stone's throw from Newcastle in the Hunter Valley. The Newcastle hotel is one of six locations owned by Crystalbrook Collection around Australia, with a seventh appearing in Brisbane next July. Earlier this year, the boutique hotel chain offered free hotel upgrades to fully vaccinated guests in a push to help encourage Australians to get out and get the jab. Bookings for Roundhouse can be made online and are recommended as the restaurant is known to book out. Roundhouse is located at Level Nine, 282 King Street, Newcastle. It's open for breakfast 7–10am Saturday and Sunday, and dinner 6–10pm Thursday–Saturday.
Chat Thai taps into the cafe market with its latest spin-off Boon Cafe, which sees Thai classics reinvented as sandwiches. Think crab cakes, pork crackling and soft Thai herbs between crusty slices of Brickfields sourdough. If only the Earl of Sandwich could see us now. Boon Cafe operates within its newly established Jarern Chai Asian grocer. It's probably the only destination in town where you can pick up Single Origin coffee, Penny Four pastries and a crate of birdseye chillies at once. Featuring a stencilled glass shopfront, white butcher tiles and industrial pendant lights, Boon Cafe looks like any fine foods providore in Darlinghurst (except it's in Haymarket). Instead of overpriced bottles of olive oil and coloured salts, this market sells Thai dry-goods, homewares, fresh flowers and specialty produce. In the front right quadrant of the store you'll find a walk-in cool room stocked with tropical fruits, herbs and Thai vegetables, including betel leaves and banana bells, as well as fresh coconut milk and cream extracted in-house. A glass counter filled with scrolls, croissants and brulee tarts runs down the side of the store, with cafe tables comfortably spaced at each end. From 7am, Boon Cafe serves traditional Thai breakfasts, including pork skewers with sticky rice ($7) and congee ($12), the local rice porridge with shredded chicken and shiitake mushrooms. Ordering a serve of toast at a cafe has always struck me as both boring and pointless — that is, until I tried Boon's Thai rendition. Served in a pile of chubby fingers slathered with organic Gympie cultured butter, it comes with your choice of sweet and savoury toppings, including pandan and red tea custard ($4), Kakawa chocolate and hazelnuts ($5.50), house-smoked chilli relish with dried shredded pork ($5.50) or organic, pasture-raised bacon ($7) and eggs ($3). At lunchtime, Boon Cafe gets adventurous between the bread slices. The nahm prik num ($13) sandwich combines Northern green chilli relish, spicy pork herb sausage, pork crackling crumbs and an unctuous egg with pickled cabbage salad. It's a winning combination, perfectly marrying hot, salty and sour flavours, and when it comes to crunch time, this won't disappoint. There's also an impressive Thai take on a crab spaghettini ($20) in a wonderfully mellow tomato sauce spiked with black pods of smoked chilli. In the evenings, there's serious northern Thai eats. Don't expect the same creamy curries as Chat Thai; these versions are spicy, herbal broths filled with leaves, stalks and hunks of meat on the bone. As in the whole Chat family, you can BYO ($3) and there's a range of both Eastern and Western teas, coffees and cold-pressed juices on offer. With fruit for sale just metres away, you can guarantee it'll be fresh.
Winter is coming. And while that might send shivers down the spine of some, the silver lining is the abundance of winter food to warm you from the inside out. Soup season is a great time to branch out or revisit some old favourites, be it a steaming broth, hearty laksa or super-rich ramen. Together with American Express, we've put together a list of belly-warming noodle soups you should seek out in Sydney as the days grow shorter and you find yourself needing a bowl of nourishing comfort to brighten your day.
'Male sex addiction' sounds almost tautological. If you're a man, research indicates you already turn your thoughts to sexual intercourse around 13 times a day (or 4,745 times a year). If you're a teenager, that number is so much larger NASA hasn't even invented it yet. But of course the key word is 'addiction'. However often men think about sex, few have the time, ability or — in this case — compulsion to continuously act upon it, and those that do find tend to find themselves trapped in a debilitating, self-destructive spiral. Shame, directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger) and co-authored by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady), gives us an insight into that cold and lonely world. Michael Fassbender stars as Brandon, an affluent New York City suit (we never find out his actual job) epitomising success and self-assurance to the outside world. He's handsome, confident and irresistible to women — capable of enticing complete strangers into romantic trysts with little more than lingering stares on a crowded subway carriage. Yet there's nothing even remotely romantic about Brandon's encounters. The motivation isn't companionship; it's sex, and when strangers aren't accommodating, prostitutes and masturbation take their place. Allusions to American Psycho's Patrick Bateman are not unwarranted, particularly given the ordered and sterile apartments in which they both reside. Like Bateman, Brandon effectively ghosts his way through a thin and trifling existence, oscillating between observing those around him with marked curiosity and quiet indifference. His condition precipitates detachment: a joyless obsession rendering him an outsider within an exclusive elite. But while Bateman's hunger for sex and violence was propelled by the need to fill a void, Brandon's hunger is the void. His addiction consumes him, along with his time and money, and it's only the unexpected arrival of his impulsive sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), that seems capable of interrupting his paralysing routine. Given its subject matter and tenor Shame would seem a curious film to describe as 'beautiful', yet there's simply no avoiding it. Between the performances, the cinematography and even the tragic plot, McQueen has crafted something sublime here. Both Fassbender and Mulligan are mesmerising as the troubled siblings condemned to lives of disappointment for reasons the film only ever hints at, and the supporting cast (led by James Badge Dale) shines around them. Shame deals with sex addiction without ever becoming a movie about sex addiction, and what we're left with is an intimate and uncompromising character study that lingers long beyond the credits. https://youtube.com/watch?v=62nelnMXW3M
Another vaccination milestone, another loosening of COVID-19 rules: that's becoming a Monday tradition in New South Wales. The Greater Sydney region just came out of lockdown this week, on Monday, October 11, after the state hit the 70-percent double-vaccinated mark — and now, with the 80-percent double-jabbed threshold set to be reached in the coming days, more rules will ease across NSW on Monday, October 18. All those restrictions you've been abiding by for the past few days? Yes, they're about to change. And while NSW has an existing roadmap for easing back to the pandemic version of normality, the new requirements that'll kick in at the 80-percent double-vaxxed mark have also been given a tweak, with regional travel from Greater Sydney pushed back until Monday, November 1. "Tomorrow we will probably hit 80-percent double-dose. We have set out a roadmap that from Monday will provide a removal of a number of restrictions put in place. We have only been able to do this because of the significant efforts of the people across New South Wales have made in getting us to this point," said NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at a press conference today, Friday, October 15. "We have made a decision today — and I know for many it will be unpopular, but as Premier I believe it is the right decision — and that is to defer regional travel from Greater Sydney until November 1," the Premier continued. "The reason we have made that decision is based on vaccination rates in front of us. If you look at where a percentage of LGAs have reached that 80-percent double-dose here in Sydney, that is where regional New South Wales will be on November 1." Media release: reopening roadmap update. #NSWPol #auspol2021 pic.twitter.com/mKbxdO0W53 — Dom Perrottet (@Dom_Perrottet) October 14, 2021 Accordingly, when Monday, October 18 arrives, at-home gatherings can have up to 20 double-vaccinated people in attendance (not including people under 12, who aren't counted as visitors), while outdoor gatherings can go up to 50 double-vaccinated folks. Also, weddings and funerals won't have attendee caps if everyone is double-vaccinated, but the density limit of one person per four-square-metres inside and and one person per two-square-metres outdoors will apply. Also, at both types of events — and in all hospitality venues other than nightclubs, eating and drinking while standing will be permitted both indoors and outdoors. Speaking of nightclubs, they can reopen for double-jabbed patrons, but only with seated drinking — and dancing won't be allowed. At other entertainment venues, up to 3000 double-vaccinated people can attend outdoor events that are both ticketed — or 200 double-vaxxed attendees if the event isn't ticketed or seated. Also, community sport returns for double-jabbed folks. Personal services stores, such as hairdressers and beauty salons, can keep serving double-jabbed customers but with a density limit of one person per four-square-metres — and no customer limit. Also, in offices, masks will no longer be required. The Premier also advised that as well as allowing regional travel throughout NSW from Monday, November 1, a few other changes will become effective on that date. That's when there'll no longer be caps on bookings at hospitality venues, for starters. Also, the quarantine requirement will also be dropped for double-vaxxed overseas arrivals. So, that's when NSW will open back up for international travellers. From there, the other eased conditions already outlined in the existing roadmap are still set to kick in on Wednesday, December 1. Today's announcement comes as revealed that 399 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, October 14. For more information about New South Wales' reopening roadmap, head to the NSW Government website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Opera Kitchen, courtesy of Sydney Opera House.
Consider this a case of better late than never: if you've been hanging out to discover if there's more Yellowjackets in your viewing future, that question has now been revealed. After the show's third season wrapped up in mid-April 2025, it has taken over a month to confirm that a fourth is in the works. The survival thriller's characters know more than a thing or two about waiting in both of its timelines — so consider this a case of standing in their shoes for a short stint, too. There's no word yet as to when Yellowjackets will be back, or even when production on season four will start. Season one debuted in 2021 and became one of the best new shows of that year, then season two arrived in 2023 and season three this February. Whether there's a two-year wait as in the past between seasons, or either less or more, getting to find out what happens after season three's cliffhanger is obviously an excellent development. The renewal comes after Yellowjackets' third season became its most-watched ever — and after season three's finale proved the most-streamed Yellowjackets episode in the show's history. As created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (Dispatches From Elsewhere), the series serves up the answer to a compelling question: if a plane transporting a New Jersey high school's girls' soccer team across America was to crash en route, how would its surviving passengers cope both at the time while lost in the wilderness and also a quarter of a century later back in their everyday lives? Accordingly, in its 90s-set scenes, Yellowjackets' teenagers do whatever it takes to endure. Hop to the 2020s era and the women that made it home aren't done with their trauma yet. Battling the elements, cannibalism, haunting secrets, shifting power dynamics, embracing the otherworldly, romantic tangles, fighting over whether being saved is even the best outcome: they're just some of the places that Yellowjackets has gone across its three seasons to date. Bringing that journey to life so far, the show's cast has spanned Melanie Lynskey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), Christina Ricci (Wednesday), Tawny Cypress (Law & Order), Juliette Lewis (Opus), Simone Kessell (Critical Incident), Lauren Ambrose (Caddo Lake), Hilary Swank (Ordinary Angels), Sophie Nélisse ( L'Indétectable), Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Dreams in Nightmares), Samantha Hanratty (Brilliant Minds), Courtney Eaton (Parachute), Liv Hewson (For Worse), Ella Purnell (Sweetpea), Sarah Desjardins (Dead Boy Detectives), Warren Kole (A Wonderful Way with Dragons), Kevin Alves (No Good Deed), Steven Krueger (Roswell, New Mexico), Joel McHale (Animal Control), Elijah Wood (The Monkey) and more. After it debuted, Yellowjackets was swiftly picked up for a second season because its first was that ace, then renewed for a third season before that second group of episodes even aired. In Australia, viewers can watch via Paramount+. In New Zealand, the series streams via Neon. There's obviously no sneak peek yet at season four, but check out the trailer for Yellowjackets season three below: Yellowjackets streams via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand — we'll update you with a release date for season four when one is announced. Read our review of season one and review of season two, plus our interviews with Melanie Lynskey and Simone Kessell. Images: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
UPDATE, March 12, 2021: She Dies Tomorrow is also now available to stream via Stan. When She Dies Tomorrow splashes Kate Lyn Sheil's face across the screen, then bathes it in neon flashes of pink, blue, red and purple, it isn't easily forgotten. It's a vivid, visceral, even psychedelic sight, which filmmaker Amy Seimetz lingers on, forcing her audience to do the same as well. Viewers aren't just soaking in trippy lights and colours, though. They're staring at the expression beneath the multi-hued glow, which seethes with harrowing levels of shock, fright, distress and anxiety. That's understandable; this is the look of someone who has just had the most unnerving realisation there is: that she is going to die tomorrow. In her second stint directing a feature after 2012's Sun Don't Shine, Pet Sematary, Lean on Pete and Alien: Covenant actor Seimetz does indeed serve up a straightforward concept that's all there in the title. In She Dies Tomorrow, her protagonist — who is also called Amy (Kate Plays Christine's Sheil) — believes that her life will end the next day, plain and simple. But it's how the on-screen Amy copes with the apocalyptic news, and how it also spreads virally from person to person, that fuels the movie. Initially, she responds by searching for urns, researching how leather jackets are made and roaming aimlessly around the new home she has recently purchased, and by brushing off her worried but sceptical friend Jane (Twin Peaks' Jane Adams). If Amy is merely being paranoid, that persecution-driven delusion soon proves contagious, with the feature's cast also including Katie Aselton (Bombshell), Chris Messina (Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)), Josh Lucas (Ford vs Ferrari), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story) and Jennifer Kim (Mozart in the Jungle). Among of the joys of She Dies Tomorrow is that it's never one for obvious or easy answers, or for explaining any more than it needs to. Indeed, how it morphs from exploring one woman's fears to cataloguing a shared nightmare that spreads like a pandemic is best discovered by watching; however Seimetz crafts a gloriously smart and unsettling thriller that toys with surreal Lynchian moments yet always feels disarmingly astute. The film was made prior to COVID-19 and was originally slated to premiere at this year's cancelled SXSW, so it pre-dates our coronavirus-afflicted world — but it's hard not to think of the real-life parallels. Earning ample buzz when it surfaced in the US in July, currently available to stream in Australia until Sunday, August 23 as a late addition to this year's online Melbourne International Film Festival, and hitting local video-on-demand platforms on Wednesday, September 2, She Dies Tomorrow isn't afraid to think big, tackle a difficult topic or do so in a thoroughly disquieting manner. Interrogating the messy horror that comes with knowing you'll die isn't easy, after all, and the film evocatively conveys that sensation. This is a movie that doesn't just want its audience to passively peer on as characters grapple with the possibility that their life is about to be cut short, but one determined to ensure that viewers feel as uncertain, anguished and chaotic as everyone on-screen. With her tension-dripping images, and a score by Mondo Boys that's equally bold, operatic and needling, Seimetz wholeheartedly achieves that aim. In the process, the writer/director ponders humanity's reaction to life-shattering news both on an individual and collective basis, the way that panic and doubt spreads oh-so-quickly, and how one idea can soon overtake entire communities. They're all very relevant notions at present, as is the idea of living every day as if there is no future, which the feature overtly, cleverly and even humorously toys with. But most perceptive here is how She Dies Tomorrow reflects the recognisable reality of passing each and every second with the knowledge that one day you'll no longer be alive. That's a situation we're all in, and that we all generally do our best to overlook as much as we can — and it's downright impossible to ignore here. She Dies Tomorrow also doubles as a moving exploration of confronting your mortality on a tangible and immediate level, too; forget the weepy schmaltz of stereotypical terminal illnesses dramas, because this haunting film couldn't be steeped any deeper in existential terror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNZQ2GG833o She Dies Tomorrow is currently available to stream online in Australia as part of MIFF 68 1/2, the Melbourne International Film Festival's 2020 online festival, until Sunday, August 23. It'll also be available to watch digitally via iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon and other video-on-demand platforms from Wednesday, September 2, and via DVD then as well.
The Act of Killing screened last week as part of the official competition at the Sydney Film Festival. And the consensus of nearly everybody who has seen it has been that it's one of the most compelling, original and affecting documentaries they have ever seen. More to the point, in the two and a half hours you sit in company with it in the dark of the cinema, The Act of Killing rips up your idea of what a documentary is supposed to be. Principally, The Act of Killing, directed by American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, traces the aftershocks of the coup that brought President Suharto to power in Indonesia. The government was overthrown by the military in 1965 and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) eradicated, alongside anybody accused of being a communist, including union members, 'leftists', intellectuals and the ethnic Chinese. "I started this project working in a community of survivors," Oppenheimer explains when he sat down with us earlier this week. "Trying to make a film about the horrors that had happened but also about the regime of fear and impunity and corruption under which they're still living. And every time we'd film together we'd be stopped by the military. But living in the same village as the survivors were the perpetrators. And they were boasting to me. I would meet them in the street, they would invite me in for tea, and they would boast about what they had done. That was the crack in the facade of normalcy. And I came to understand very quickly that the big story here is not what happened in 1965. This is about what's happening now." https://youtube.com/watch?v=zJ5_JAgoZ5Q Your friend, the war criminal The film's central focus is Anwar Congo, a self-styled gangster who made his money during the '60s as a ticket scalper at the local cinema in North Sumatra's capital city, Medan. When the coup began, the army used paramilitaries and gangsters like Anwar to carry out the massacre of what is estimated to be around 1 million people. With Anwar and his friends, Oppenheimer saw an "opportunity to document the nature of impunity honestly. It's a situation where the killers have won, they've been celebrated by the whole world, and therefore they're open about it. As opposed to what we normally see: killers either deny what they've done, or apologise for it." To try to understand the function of the men's boasting, he asked them to re-create scenes about the killings in whatever way they wished, and the men — fans of American films and culture — took to screenwriting and acting. "The film is my way of understanding a whole regime of impunity, the imagination of the impunity, the way they, like all of us, use storytelling to create their reality," says Oppenheimer. "And as part of that they use storytelling to escape from their most bitter truths." Turning Documentary On Its Head Documentary has a unique kind of power, if not exactly to reveal the invisible than to speak of things we prefer to ignore. And as media proliferate, diverge and splinter, non-fiction films seem to be finding a fresh voice. It isn't that documentary has ever really inhabited a magical land of objectivity and absolute 'truth'. The difference is that fact and fiction are increasingly hazy in our minds, and just about everything we once thought of as 'non-fiction' — politics, sport, celebrity, advertising — involves a certain amount of wavering between the real and the unreal. And waver between the real and unreal is precisely what The Act of Killing does, unfolding in a space that's both horrifyingly straightforward and technicolour phantasmagoria. The film flits between frank accounts of the men explaining and demonstrating how they killed their victims and surreal images from their re-creations — a line of women dancing in the mouth of a giant fish, Anwar's head decapitated but still speaking, a man in drag smoking a cigarette singing about taking his girlfriend to the movies. Many of the most powerful scenes in the film fit somewhere in between reality and fiction. "There were these moments of pure poetry that weren't scenes," says Oppenheimer. "They're observational scenes in a way — about how we're lost in our fantasies. They're documentary scenes, in a surreal space. So the film obtains a density and a richness because we have a sense that there are all these stories that are untold. There's a plot behind these scenes, but we don't know what it is and it doesn't matter." We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, who happens to be executive producer of The Act of Killing alongside Errol Morris, declared in 1999 that simply holding up a camera and capturing what's around you isn't sufficient in documentary filmmaking. "There are deeper strata of truth in cinema," he said, "And there is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylisation." That is precisely what The Act of Killing does. By asking Anwar and his friends to re-create scenes of the massacres, the filmmakers expose the unacknowledged complexity of the Indonesian genocide. "I think Anwar's trying to escape from his pain," says Oppenheimer, referring to many of the scenes where Anwar and his friends portray themselves as heroes for massacring thousands of people. "Every time he does it he re-avoids the moral meaning of the killing, and reifies his denial. It's a way of escaping the reality of what he's done, or so he thinks. But it also becomes the prism through which he recognises what he's done." What the film uncovers is that the stories told by the perpetrators are a product of something far more profound than simple cruelty. "Yes, those stories are instruments of fear and they keep everybody else afraid, but paradoxically they're not symptoms of the remorselessness of the perpetrators. On the contrary, they're symptoms of their humanity. The celebration of genocide can simply be a symptom of a stridency you adopt because you don't believe your own justification. And if there's a thread defining the film's development, it's Anwar's subtext — it's the look on his face showing he never seems to believe the things he's saying." What The Act of Killing does is take the storytelling process, and instead of using it as the Indonesian elite does — to keep people afraid — the film uses storytelling as an instrument of moral understanding. "Our entire world is made up of second-hand, third-rate stories. And I think we have no choice, since that's what our world is made of, but to recover these stupid stories for something humane. So the film is a kind of recycling, a kind of bricolage of shit, trying to make something beautiful out of the shit." When Art Makes A Difference The Act of Killing has received international acclaim since its premiere last September, but more importantly it has caused an upheaval in Indonesia. "It's screening every day," explains Oppenheimer. "As of March it had screened over 500 times. The Indonesian media is now publishing serious investigative reports about the genocide, whereas for forty-seven years they'd been silent about it. It's caused a sea change in how the country sees its past. It's come to the country like the child in The Emperor's New Clothes pointing to the king and saying "the king is naked". And everyone knew it. Maybe they didn't know the details. But now that it's been said so powerfully — and by the perpetrators themselves — there's no going back. The government has chosen to ignore it for the moment, although some army groups and some paramilitary generals have been threatening people screening the film, and threatening me. But it is making a real difference. "Werner [Herzog] said to me when I was talking about this to him over dinner, 'Josh, art doesn't make a difference.' And he looked at me for a long time and I felt rather deflated. And he smiled and then he said 'until it does'." The Act of Killing will get a limited Australian cinema release through Madman Entertainment on October 3, 2013.
Melbourne-based artist John Aslanidis has created an eye- and ear-bending series of works, miraculously merging line, colour and sound to send you spiralling through a warpy psychedelic matrix of infinities. Hosted by Gallery 9 as part of Art Month, Sonic Network no. 13 comprises 14 paintings spread over five rooms and is accompanied by a responsive and generative sound composition by his Berlin-based collaborator Brian May. Like walking from the bright outdoors into a dark room, it takes a while for your ears to adjust to May's omnipresent sound. It's hard to tell where it's coming from (an old Mac computer audio interface software hooked up to a subwoofer and some serious speakers in room 3). It feels like it's coming from everywhere. It feels like it's coming from inside your own head. Then you realise you are in your own head and your thoughts are a series of concentric circles like little planets riding on slinky orbits. In real life, the paintings do something that their internet photograph counterparts don't achieve. They move. The circles push against each other, throbbing alive, like atoms under a microscope, forcing your eye muscles to relax. Because there is no perspective — each circle is equally flat and overlaps to the point where you can't tell where one begins and the next ends — there is no focus point. What makes it even cooler is that these visual circular patterns are actually a secret language that corresponds to the patterns of sound you're listening to. The artists took a mathematical approach to achieve this effect: May used the structural elements within the paintings, the circular forms and colour, to represent the tonal language — a series of sine waves generated through an audio interface. The result is symbiotic. The paintings look like the music and the music sounds like the paintings, so it feels like you're looking at sound and listening to colour. An entire room is dedicated to the largest work in the series, Sonic Network no. 13 and generates the most engulfing experience. If you stand in front of it long enough, you'll probably have a spiritual epiphany.
Bangarra Dance Theatre embraces the Indigenous narration of modern-day Australia, and explores the construction of cultural identity through form-fusing choreography. With studios based in the arts precinct at Walsh Bay in Sydney, its productions have sold out across the States and Europe. Belong, the newest double-bill from Bangarra, is thematically challenging, technically accomplished, and tendon-achingly transportive. It fuses traditional and contemporary dance styles to investigate the concept of identity as it applies to contemporary Indigenous Australians. The premise of Belong is that to make sense of the enduring present, people must connect with the problematic past. Belong explores the energy and creative fluidity of Indigenous mythologies through movement, music and lighting; it asks innately compelling questions about social identity and cultural authenticity. Comprised of two separate sections, Belong begins with Elma Kris' new work, 'About', her second work for Bangarra. Kris' choreographic development since "Emeret Lu" as part of True Stories in 2007 is apparent in her deft and confident exploration of the connection between Indigenous communities and their physical environment. The opening segment, featuring Kris herself dancing the part of the Storyteller, is visually and thematically arresting; a reformation of contemporary island dance movements which delves into the legends and lore of the Torres Strait wind spirits. It deals with the ways in which totems and kinship interact with the art of story-telling, and whirls the audience through the movements of the wind, sky and sea. 'ID' asks tougher questions about just what it takes to achieve a sense of belonging. Choreographed by Stephen Page, who is an active mentor of creative artists and the Artistic Director of Bangarra, 'ID' is more of a psychological exploration than a mythological one. Painful rites of passage, like posing for school portraits, provide vehicles for Page to highlight how debate over degrees of Aboriginality based on skin colour have created internal division in Indigenous communities. The cut-out costumes, the set design and the dramatic lighting all enhance the capacity of the dancers to give physical expression to the ghosts of the past. Our ever-present search for identity is explored both within and across generations. The dancers of Belong literally embody that exhilarating sense of connection and emotional frustration which we collectively feel when identifying with a culture, community or country.
Here's two ways that 2025 will be better than 2024: The White Lotus will return for season three, as will The Last of Us for season two. If you've been hanging out for more holiday chaos and dystopian tension, you can now start marking your calendar. Neither show has exact return dates yet, but HBO has just gotten more specific about when each will be streaming. In February 2025, it'll be time to check in again. Your destination this time: Thailand. Walton Goggins (Fallout), Carrie Coon (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Jason Isaacs (The Crowded Room), Michelle Monaghan (MaXXXine), Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale), Parker Posey (Mr & Mrs Smith) and Lisa from BLACKPINK are among the new cast of The White Lotus season three, all playing characters that are bound to learn — and the anthology series' on-screen figures always do — that getaways and bliss don't always go hand in hand. From season one, Natasha Rothwell (How to Die Alone) is also returning. HBO is planning to drop big tentpole shows a few times a year — so it'll be in 2025's second quarter, which is autumn Down Under, that The Last of Us will return. There's no exact month as yet, but Joel and Ellie will be back. In their shoes, so will Pedro Pascal (The Wild Robot) and Bella Ramsey (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget), of course. This time around, the series' main duo have company from both familiar faces and a heap of newcomers. Rutina Wesley (Monster High) and Gabriel Luna (Fubar) return as Maria and Tommy, while Kaitlyn Dever (Good Grief), Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Young Mazino (Beef), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Spencer Lord (Family Law) and Danny Ramirez (Black Mirror) are the season's additions. The US cable network revealed the timing for both shows during a Wells Fargo-hosted conference, also advising that new Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to arrive in summer in the US — which is winter in Australia and New Zealand, fittingly. And if you can't wait for more Euphoria, the long-delayed and eagerly anticipated third season is now expected to arrive early in 2026. If you're wondering what else is in store for HBO in 2025 and beyond — or even to close out 2024 — the network dropped a trailer back in November teasing the slate to come. Also on the way, and also debuting never-before-seen footage in the clip: IT prequel series Welcome to Derry, season four of Hacks, season two of The Rehearsal, a new show led by Bottoms and Saturday Night's Rachel Sennott, two-part documentary Pee-Wee as Himself, The Righteous Gemstones season four, Peacemaker season two, The Pitt with ER veteran Noah Wyle, Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)-led FBI series Task and Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) comedy The Chair Company. Season three of And Just Like That... and The Gilded Age also feature in the trailer, albeit without any new material, with each series joining the list for 2025. You can spot scenes from Dune: Prophecy, season three of The Sex Lives of College Girls, the animated Creature Commandos and limited series Get Millie Black, too, all of which are 2024 releases. From 2025's lineup, newcomer Duster with Lost's Josh Holloway and season two of Conan O'Brien Must Go scored a look as well. Where Australians will be watching all of the above is yet to be revealed, however, given that HBO has confirmed that its own streaming service Max will launch here sometime in the first half of 2025. Watch HBO's most-recent 2024–25 roundup trailer below: The shows highlighted in HBO's new trailer will arrive across the end of 2024 and in 2025. At present, the bulk of the network's programs stream via Binge in Australia and on Neon in New Zealand. Images: HBO.
When I think of dumpling bars, chipped teapots spring to mind. I think of wobbly tables and watery soy, a plate of salt and pepper squid that was never ordered (but they won't take back), and finally the bill, so absurdly cheap, how can this possibly be right? Then there's Lotus Dumpling Bar, a glamorous 270-seater dining room with pretty blue day lounges and brasserie chairs, attentive wait staff and bathrooms so lovely you'll make the effort to go twice. Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Chinatown anymore. It's easy to start the evening a little sceptical when you notice that eight dumplings are going to set you back $25. I mean that's a banquet for two in Ashfield right there. Thankfully they're good, and by good, I mean some of the best I've ever had, in a long and illustrious career of dumpling eating. Gather round Mr Wong, Din Tai Fung and Tim Ho Wan, you've got lots to learn. Start your evening with the mixed dumpling plate ($25), a pretty array of siu mai, crystal clear gow gee and silky dumpling purses in blemish-free skins that look like perfect little jellyfish. While the squirty soup-bellied xiao long bao ($9) reach new levels of perfection, it's the jade dumplings that steal the show; their gossamer skins stained green with spinach, and from inside spills a tumble of ingredients, thickly cut shiitake stems, scallops, prawns and vegetables that will take you completely by surprise. For the perfect accompaniment, try the Asian soup-inspired Tom Yum Yum cocktail ($18) which features a mix of Wyborowa vodka, Havana three-year-old rum, lemongrass, fresh chilli, kaffir lime leaves, coconut and palm sugar; it's every bit as delicious as it is clever. From here, we make the move over to the food menu, starting with a knockout wok-fried pork with fermented chilli and black bean ($27) or change it up for the wok-fried wallaby rump if you're feeling game. On the restaurant's recommendation, we try the crispy eggplant ($16) coated in a thick, crunchy batter, drizzled in honey and sprinkled in sesame seeds, although it's a little too sweet for my taste. Instead, save room for the lemon myrtle creme caramel ($12) which puts us in absolute raptures with its golden disc of syrup and the hints of warm Asian flavours such as lemongrass and ginger. You've heard of high tea; well from 3-5pm Lotus serve their own brand of Lo Tea, an afternoon tea ceremony which includes a pot from their signature range of teas, handmade dumplings, artisan chocolates and Asian-inspired sweets such as sticky rice balls with sesame and chocolate and purple sweet potato and yam cake. You can keep your crumby cucumber sandwiches QVB. How I'll ever go back to Chinese lunch specials after this I'll never know.
A stunning new dining experience has arrived in Sydney's inner west, courtesy of restaurateur Bill Drakopoulos (Ormeggio at The Spit, LuMi Dining, Ripples Chowder Bay, Chiosco by Ormeggio and Jardin St James). The Fenwick, a heritage-listed waterfront building, has reopened as a cafe and gallery. It boasts sweeping harbour views, seasonal fare and exhibitions by local and international artists. The tiny sandstone space was built in the 1880s and was originally used as a tugboat store. Heaps of private development proposals were rejected before the building was finally acquired by the former Leichhardt Council in 2003 (now part of the Inner West Council), thanks to a campaign by local Balmain East residents. After a restoration that cost millions, The Fenwick is now finally open to the public. To us, the space better resembles a chapel — think a pitched roof, exposed timber beams and large barn doors that open out to views across Barangaroo, the Harbour Bridge and Luna Park. At the simple yet sleek cafe, co-owner and executive chef Davide Rebeccato (Aqua Dining) is serving up modern Australian eats with a focus on seasonal dishes. For breakfast, expect scrambled eggs served on French toast and topped with prawns and eggplant; pulled pork breakfast burgers with fried egg and cabbage slaw; and poached eggs on sourdough with haloumi, mushrooms, avocado and kale. Apart from all those eggs, you can tuck into homemade granola with fresh fruit and berry compote pancakes with banana, coconut and pistachio crumble. More refined fare is on offer for lunch, including pickled sardines, burrata with prosciutto and figs, and jalapeño kingfish with tiger milk. Larger plates feature snapper tail served in a lemon and garlic butter sauce; fish stew with fregola, olives and capers; and wild mushroom and black truffle gnocchi. For the morning, the cafe is slinging Little Marionette coffee and cold pressed juices. Once the arvo hits, a specialty cocktail list will accompany lunch — it includes the Chamomile Kicker (chamomile-infused gin, elderflower liqueur, lime juice and egg), the Lavender Martini (gin, Amaro Nonino, lavender syrup and lime) and the Dark Chocolate Negroni (gin, Campari, Regal Rouge vermouth and dark chocolate bitters). Jugs of Pimm's Cup and rosé spritzes are also up for grabs, as are heaps of local and international wine by the glass and bottle. Level two houses the public gallery, which will be open daily and offers regular exhibitions featuring local and international artists. Creative events held in partnership with other local galleries and community groups are also on the docket. Keep an eye on this space for upcoming exhibitions and events.
Redfern is one of Sydney's most-renowned and colourful areas, rich with Indigenous history, creative output, murals and lots of local flavour. In recent years, the suburb has seen an influx of bars, restaurants, cafes and cultural hotspots which have completely reimagined the neighbourhood while retaining much of its grit. And in Redfern's spirit of embracing people from all walks of life, the suburb has welcomed the influx with open arms (and full stomachs). Here, we bring you the must-sees of Redfern. Make sure you have an empty belly, and get set to tick off some stellar spots. Plus, for a few more hot tips, check out our video above for Liam Ridgeway's — co-founder of 100 percent Aboriginal-owned digital agency Ngakkan Nyaagu (NGNY) — favourite spots around the suburb.
Have you ever been half way through the work week and fantasised about living a simple life? Perhaps you've been dreaming about waking up in a timber cottage with nothing but rolling hills as far as the eye can see? Well, luckily for you, there's a small collection of architecturally designed houses on vineyards and cabins set amongst idyllic gardens in New South Wales — perfect for your next serene weekend venture. To help you live out your dungaree wearing, straw chewing, horse riding dreams, here's a list of the most charming farm stays across NSW you can book right now. Recommended reads: The Best Glamping Sites in NSW The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Luxury Getaways From Sydney The Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains The Blacksmith's Luxury Cabin, Bellbrook Perfect for a rejuvenating and relaxing getaway. Situated on a regenerative organic farm, you can preorder hampers filled with the farm's fresh produce, book meditation sessions at the nearby "spirit pools", one-on-one yoga classes, massages, and Ayurvedic diet coaching. From $250 a night, sleeps two. The Gate House by Yeates Wines, Eurunderee This architecturally designed, split-level farm stay shares a backyard with Yeates Wines cellar door, so expect a complimentary wine tasting on arrival. It also boasts high ceilings, a slow combustion fireplace, a kingsize bed and sprawling views of the vineyard. From $390 a night, sleeps two. Jaguar Stay, Mogo One of three adult-only luxury villas on the property, all of which have their own plunge pools. Jaguar Stay is close to nearby South Coast beaches and is directly next to Mogo Wildlife Park, a small, privately owned zoo, so you'll be waking up to the sound of exotic animals. From $575 a night, sleeps two. Rustic Country Escape, Tenterfield An idyllic cottage situated on a creek with homely, rustic interior styling in the Northern Highlands. Set amongst picturesque gardens with a view of the adjacent farm, this farm stay is the perfect spot to switch off and unwind. From $247 a night, sleeps two. Vibrant Meadow Lodge, Far Meadow Gaze across the rolling countryside while lounging by the pool in this quaint and summer-heat-friendly cottage. Inside, cook up a feast in the bright and colourful country kitchen. From $399 a night, sleeps five. Kestrel Nest Ecohut, Mount Adrah Halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, this eco-hut is nestled above a rocky mountain stream on the edge of rolling farmland and a conservation area, with an outdoor bathtub, a fireplace and firepit. From $460 a night, sleeps four. The Shearing Shed, Cowra A charming renovated shearing shed with an open-plan living room. Five kilometres from historically rich Wiradjuri Country (Cowra), what was once a vibrant area during the Gold Rush era. From $250 a night, sleeps two. The Loft, Kyangatha The perfect farm stay for animal lovers, this two-level timber loft is set in a paddock with two horses, a small herd of cows and free-range ducks. It also has outdoor shower, a galley-style kitchen and a river on its doorstep. From $195 a night, sleeps three. Kumbogie Cabin, Daruka Situated on a working sheep farm, this eco-friendly retreat is as secluded as they come. Kumbogie Cabin is 900 metres from any neighbours that aren't the kangaroos, wallabies, birds and echidnas that frequent the surrounding bushland. From $150 a night, sleeps two. Luxurious Farm Stay, Peak Hill A renovated two-bedroom 70-year old shearing shed with French doors leading onto decks with views across the 118-year old property. Offers a family-sized barbecue for open-air cooking, and an outdoor bar to match. From $240 a night, sleeps five. All photos courtesy of Airbnb. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
"Careful, you've got about seven cameras on you," Josh Niland quips to one of his chefs on a quiet Monday evening. The Saint Peter cook in question offers a nervous smile, but isn't distracted from his meticulous work: chargrilling twenty identical King George whiting over coal. The butterflied fish are served with a nostalgic play on hundreds-and-thousands — a rich butter sauce with bright chives, finger lime and popping orange tapioca pearls. "Make sure you start at the tail end, so the fish continues to cook evenly," Niland recommends to the group, who have been invited to preview his pop-up collaboration with whisky-maker Talisker. By all accounts, things are going swimmingly for Niland: he was the only Australian chef to be awarded a spot in this year's Best Chef Awards, also nabbing the Best Chef Innovation Award for his nose-to-tail approach to the ocean's finest. Back in 2020, he also won the James Beard Book of the Year Award for his magnum opus, The Whole Fish Cookbook. But the peerless seafood chef rarely dabbles in branded collaborations. So, we took the time to chat about the art of collaboration in the kitchen, teamwork and the best advice he's ever received. [caption id="attachment_873425" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Talisker and Saint Peter pop-up.[/caption] How do you go about choosing the right partners for your venues? "The initial engagement with Talisker was fascinating to me — there are very few metrics around for what you can do with fish and whisky. It's a very robust alcohol to weave into a fish dish. But, I like being pushed into the corner and told 'this is all you're allowed to do'. It's also about quality [when it comes to partnerships]. We're making a decision based on quality and the underlying ethics of the business — ensuring that they're working responsibly in terms of the procurement of their ingredients and how they work within the company. We have to do our due diligence and make sure that both parties are aligned." Speaking of quality products, I assume there were a few whisky tastings involved in the process? "There were definitely some... should we say 'quality checks' — not just from me, but also from my chef Ben, who gave it a good taste." [caption id="attachment_855330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Rob Palmer, Charcoal Fish[/caption] How do you approach collaborating with Julie, your wife and co-owner, particularly if you disagree? "I feel like Julie and I are obviously very aligned. We've been married nearly 13 years so we've had meals together and experiences together, and that polishes the edges of what we feel we want to be doing as professionals. But that continually changes all the time — the way we were pre-COVID is very different to the way we are now. And I think what you'll see from Saint Peter in the coming years will be starkly different to what you see now — that's just signs of a good, evolving business. Although there are moments of friction, above all it just comes down to trust — knowing that, if it doesn't seem 100% right because it's not the same as what we did at one time, then the trust is there that we're making the best decision. We trust that we're not going to steer the ship astray, and we rely a lot on the team around us to help us make those decisions — especially significant ones. We're very fortunate to be surrounded by some really extraordinary people in our management team and also the young chefs and front of house professionals." [caption id="attachment_870811" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Talisker and Saint Peter pop-up.[/caption] How do you collaborate with your chefs at Saint Peter? "It's been a learning experience the last two years, how to be a better coach as opposed to captain. We're now starting to see the benefits of mentorship and looking after the guys really well, and they're starting to feel more confident with what they can offer to the team. It's been a nice 12 months, even though it's been challenging — it's been super rewarding. You can go home at 6pm and put the kids to bed, and know that everyone is 100% behind you and they all believe in the one thing and they're all driving towards the same product. There are moments where you're like 'I wish I could've had my hands on that', but I've changed significantly in the last six years. I've gone from standing on the stove and going 'nobody touch anything, I'm doing it' to now going 'can somebody else do this cause I want to show you how to do it' and then people are thriving and they're showing the next people. It's all a maturity thing and a learning thing — I was 26 when we opened Saint Peter. I'm getting pulled in every direction personally and professionally so I'm just making sure that at its heart everyone understands what we're doing and why we're doing it." [caption id="attachment_739656" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Fish Butchery by Cody Duncan[/caption] Obviously finding consistent and reliable producers plays a huge role in what you do. How do you approach managing those relationships? "Consistent and reliable — that's actually the biggest challenge. You can never rely on anybody and you can never rely on the weather. When what we plan at the beginning of the week doesn't arrive, then we need to change. That's why when people always ask, 'why can't you leave dishes on the menu, why can't you just stop changing the menu?' It's not for not trying! It's because we always have to work like that. When you're a fish business you have to keep changing and evolving. We now have four teams all working on fish that is not always consistent and that is not reliable, so we rely on [the team] to remain flexible and adaptable and courageous enough to keep turning up. Finding the fishers that we've found — particularly Walkers Seafood in Mooloolaba in Queensland and Bruce Collis at Corner Inlet in Victoria — I would put that down to me having a relationship with Steve Hodges at Fish Face. So you've got Steve Hodges, Neil Perry, John Susman, Greg Doyle and Peter Doyle from the generation that's just gone through and they have carved out a pathway for our next generation and given us the ability to go direct to fisherman. But you have to be ready to pick up the phone and talk for an hour — about fish. The extension of that conversation is really powerful for the customer to hear about, because then there's a registering and appreciation for the price point, because they see the value of someone going out and intentionally catching something for their dinner." [caption id="attachment_870810" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Talisker and Saint Peter pop-up.[/caption] What's the best advice you've ever been given? "'Treat everyday as a sprint, but life is a marathon.' Simon Marnie from ABC Radio told me that, he's a friend from a long, long time ago. I had just got back from overseas and he could see all the layers of places I wanted to go and people I wanted to meet in my eyes, but he kind of slapped me over the head and said 'listen'. Even Luke Magen said to me as a second-year apprentice that 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. That came at a really poignant time in my cooking, I had been there for about eight months and I was really frustrated that I hadn't been 'seen' yet, because you were part of a 35-chef system. It really bothered me. So I went and I did a trial at Balzac with Matthew Kemp and he offered me a job. And then I got back to work the next day, not to have the conversation, but to continue to think about if I wanted the job. Luke came up to me and said 'I heard you had a conversation with Matt Kemp.' And I realised that the kid from Maitland didn't realise how small Sydney was. Luke said, 'Rome wasn't built in a day, you need to be patient.' You gotta — not necessarily earn your stripes — but understand that you can't have everything you want right now, but with a bit of application and intentionality and telling us that that's what you want, then let's get on with it. And then from there I got to really be exposed to a lot more." Josh Niland's Taste of Talisker will pop up in Sydney's North Head between Friday, October 21–Saturday, October 22. You can purchase tickets to either the three-course menu or the Made by the Sea whisky experience via Moshtix. Top image: Rob Palmer, from Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook
With colder weather ahead, adding some new ideas to your cosy winter menu ensures your soups, stews and roasts are better than ever. Fortunately, the Carriageworks Winter Seasonal Market is here to help from 8am–1pm on Saturday, June 14, featuring top-notch farmers from across NSW alongside a free live program exploring seasonality and sustainability. Spread across 60 stallholders, visitors have an array of delicious wares to look forward to, from fresh produce and artisan baked goods to handmade preserves and sustainable meats. With so many in one place, you won't get a better chance to stock up on citrus flavours, leafy greens and seasonal blooms shaped with the help of local farmers and producers that do what they do best. Also taking place is a free live program featuring fascinating talks and cooking demonstrations that elevate eco-conscious choices and everyday food skills. For instance, Louise Tran from OzHarvest — Australia's leading food rescue organisation — will share practical tips and tricks for fighting food waste in the kitchen. Plus, former Cornersmith owner and current Clove Head Chef Alex Elliot-Howery will cook up the best seasonal winter produce before your eyes. With the Carriageworks Farmers Market allowing visitors to chat with the growers themselves, learning more about where your food comes from and how best to prepare it is made easy. Images: Jacquie Manning.
You could easily be mistaken for thinking you'd walked into a wine bar at Izakaya Fujiyama, Kenji Maenaka's (ex-Bodega) newest Japanese venture. Rows of sake line the wall above the long wooden bar, where patrons propped up on bar stools get a front row view of the bustling open kitchen. All the usual suspects appear on the menu here – sushi, nigiri and sashimi – and they're done exceptionally well. But the real highlights are to be found on their tapas menu. The Kingfish Nuta with fried tortilla chips makes for an ideal precursor to Kenji's Fried Chicken, best enjoyed with a generous dollop of wasabi mayo. The Teriyaki Beef Rib is also a must-try. Rich, glazed and marbled with fat, I'd be surprised if the staff have yet to see anything other than raw left-over bones. Vegos need not despair: one of the best dishes is their delectable Three-Bean Salad with sesame dressing. If you can get through all of this without recourse to a defibrillator, then the gluttonous condensed milk ice-cream with chocolate cake and poached quince will surely finish you off. Dominating the drinks list are twenty-odd different sakes available by a generous 90ml pour. The wine list is concise and features some pleasant French drops but it's overshadowed by the beer selection, which includes some fantastic rarities like Hitachino Nest ales and more well-known favourites like Sapporo. And if Charlie Ainsbury's (ex-Duke Bistro) 'Fuji-Mama' is anything to go by, the cocktail list is also worth a nod. Indeed any bartender who can seamlessly blend Midori into a dry and delicious martini - without reminding me of those first few months of being eighteen - has my complete and utter confidence! Izayaka has a lot of ticks next to its name, so it's shame that it's let down by the uninspiring fit-out. Everything apart from the bar area seems somewhat carelessly thrown together and lacks that element of 'cool' that the people behind Bodega have down to a tee. Inject a little more love into the space, and Izakaya has the potential to become a Surry cult-favourite. [nggallery id=89]
UPDATE, September 4, 2020: High Life is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Another unique, distinctive and thrilling film by a stellar director. Another movie so impressive, it's instantly among the decade's standouts. And, another exceptional Robert Pattinson performance. We'd say that it's becoming a welcome trend, however this pattern has been recurring since RPatz stopped wearing sparkly makeup and fake fangs. Complain all you like about the Twilight series — we don't have much that's positive to add — but the vampire romance saga gave two of today's best young actors an enormous platform, as well as the currency to choose their next roles wisely. So both Pattinson and Kristen Stewart keep doing just that, and cinema is all the better for it. In the former's case, see the likes of Cosmopolis, The Rover, The Childhood of a Leader, The Lost City of Z, Good Time and now High Life. With his latest film, Pattinson rockets into space under the guidance of director Claire Denis, which proves a match made in movie heaven. In recent years, the future Batman star has increasingly cornered the market on existential yearning, a feat that the inimitable French auteur has also been pursuing since she first stepped behind the camera thirty years ago. There's a philosophical angle to both Pattinson and Denis' work, not just depicting the quest for purpose that drives us all, but delving into the intricacies and horrors of searching and struggling — as explored across multiple settings, stories and genres. Of course, there's no more apt a place than a spaceship to grapple with life's meaning, or lack thereof. Perhaps that's where Pattinson and Denis, either together or apart, were always headed. As their vessel charts a course for a black hole, Monte (Pattinson), Tcherny (Andre Benjamin), Boyse (Mia Goth) and the ship's other inhabitants bide their time doing what they're told. They're prisoners jettisoned into the great beyond in the name of punishment, redemption and science, although resident doctor Dibs (Juliette Binoche, star of Denis' last release Let the Sunshine In) has her own plans for the captives. That's the bulk of High Life's narrative, in a broad and linear sense. The film begins with Monte roaming the halls with just a baby named Willow for company, and pressing buttons every 24 hours to stay alive, adding a palpable sense of hellish foreboding to its already moody, brooding atmosphere. Also amplifying the movie's tone is its carnal obsession, and not just in the name of necessary procreation (a room dubbed the 'Fuck Box' is also onboard). With scripting assistance from both credited and uncredited co-scribes, including novelists Nick Laird and Zadie Smith, writer-director Denis teases out High Life's tale. Sometimes, the film gets caught in the minutiae of Monte and Willow's monotonous but happy-enough lives. Sometimes, it flashes back to the ship's busier, darker, more populous and tumultuous times. Sometimes, it ventures into memories on firm soil — recollections so steeped in nature, including thriving plant-life and scurrying animals, that the otherwise space-bound film always retains an earthy feel. Of course, it's that juxtaposition that sits at the heart of this immensely intelligent, ambitious and rewarding movie. To wrestle with human existence, and with our very purpose, is to realise that we're all careening forward in a state of constant chaos, hurtling towards inescapable darkness, all while trying to grasp onto whatever we can. Quiet moments spent chatting and contemplating in the ship's own garden; lustful encounters, both alone and with others; the need to connect, whether by sex, violence or love: as they each pop up on screen, they illustrate High Life's point. 'Illustrate' is a key word when it comes to Denis' work, as she has proven across her French-language career. High Life may be the director's first film in English, but her visuals have always transcended dialogue with their probing, patient stare — as well as the sensation that they're scrutinising everything in sight as deeply and carefully as possible. Here, clinical, institutional surfaces say so much when contrasted with babbling streams and sprouting leaves. They say even more when placed opposite bodies and fluids in all of their icky, sticky glory, and against ruminative faces with furrowed brows and eyes all a-flicker as well. While the movie boasts other acting highlights, including a no-holds-barred Binoche in her steeliest guise yet, it won't come as a surprise that Pattinson's restless gaze provides the film's favourite canvas. That said, Denis and her cinematographers Yorick Le Saux (Personal Shopper) and Tomasz Naumiuk (Nina) don't simply glare, but rather stalk, circle and glide around the picture's leading man. Denis's movie doesn't do much that similar science-fiction fare has, would and will, for that matter. But while shooting into the stratosphere to ponder what it all means has become a genre of its own, High Life proudly stands in its own space boots. Perhaps that's why both the film and Pattinson seem like such a perfect fit, and why the final product both soars high and burrows deep: you won't catch either meekly treading where everyone else has before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeIHrx7Oyc
If you were to round up three friends, hit up a chain of bars that are also mini-golf joints, play a couple of games and earn a $20,000 cash prize for your efforts, how would you react? Exclaiming "holy moly" might be the tamest response. You'll probably say those words — well, Holey Moley, to be specific — at least once just by signing up for this putting contest, however. Meet the Holey Moley Open, as hosted by the venues that first launched in Brisbane in 2016. At seven Queensland locations, nine spots in New South Wales, seven more in Victoria, four in Western Australia, and one apiece in South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, Holey Moley welcomes in mini-golf lovers to get tap, tap, tapping their way through pop culture-themed courses — including over cocktails if that's what takes your fancy. That's been the setup for almost a decade now. With the Holey Moley Open, the same is still on the agenda, but in a tournament that'll whittle down the contenders to 25 teams in each state, and then send one from each to hit the national finals. Here's how it works: first, you need a team of four, and also you all need to be over the age of 18. Then, you're required to register online between Saturday, February 1–Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The Holey Moley crew will select the best entries for the state finals, which'll take place at the OG Holey Moley in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Alexandria in Sydney, Crown Casino in Melbourne, Northbridge in Perth, and at the Adelaide and Canberra venues on Tuesday, February 25. If you win on home soil by achieving the lowest combined score, you're then off to Darlinghurst, Sydney on Tuesday, March 11 to vie for the $20,000. And yes, your flights and accommodation there from outside of the Harbour City will be covered by Holey Moley. Seasoned Holey Moley patrons knows that hitting the greens here means playing your way around everything from windmills and clowns to whatever other theming that the venues have dreamed up — usually inspired by movies and TV shows. At the grand final, there'll also be a string quartet providing tunes, champagne to drink, caddies helping the players, live commentary, and a food spread featuring mud cake, sausage rolls and party pies. If you want in on the fun without entering the contest, that's also on option across February — including a nine-hole round for $10 all month with the code TEEOFF. To enter the Holey Moley Open, register a team of four between Saturday, February 1–Wednesday, February 12, 2025 — with state finals set to be held on Tuesday, February 25 and the grand final taking place in Darlinghurst, Sydney on Tuesday, March 11. Head to the event's website for more details.
In Australia's ongoing war on waste, different states have been implementing different bans and schemes at different times. That includes scrapping single-use plastic bags, bringing in container deposit schemes, and ditching straws, plastic cutlery and other disposable items — with the details and timing changing depending on where in the country you live. Single-use plastic bags were banned in Queensland in 2018 and Victoria in 2019, for instance, with NSW signalling its intention to do the same in the future. When it comes to container deposit schemes, NSW brought one in 2017, Queensland did in 2018 and Victoria's is set to start in 2023. And, after South Australia became Australia's first state to ban single-use plastics earlier this year, Queensland will follow in its footsteps from this September, while Victoria has set a launch date of 2023 there as well. At the national level, the Federal Government pledged back in 2018 that it'd ensure that 100 percent of the country's packaging is recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. Earlier in 2021, it launched the National Plastics Plan, which brings forward that timeline in many instances to 2022. Now, at a meeting of the nation's environment ministers held yesterday, Thursday, April 15, agreement was reached regarding phasing out a range of single-use plastic items nationally. Set to be banned countrywide: lightweight plastic bags, and plastic straws, utensils and stirrers. The states have agreed to phase out eight "problematic and unnecessary" plastic product types under the National Waste Policy Action Plan, with expanded polystyrene food containers (such as cups and clamshells), expanded polystyrene loose fill and moulded packaging, and microbeads used in personal health care products also on the list. Other than coming to an agreement about the types of products to be banned and setting a 2025 deadline, no other firm details were released. In some cases, though — such as where individual states act earlier, or where the NPP has set an earlier date — a number of these items might be out of circulation sooner. Australia's states will also look to bring their respective container deposit schemes into line with each other, also by 2025. That'll include harmonisation regarding the size and types of containers that can be recycled, refund amounts and labelling standards. For more information about the Federal Government's National Plastics Plan, head to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment website. Further details about the recent Environment Ministers Meeting discussion can also be found on the same department site.
Tasmania has long been a pilgrimage for nature lovers, cold-weather chasers and anyone who thinks a weekend away should always involve at least one decent bakery. In recent years, it's also become a destination for whisky lovers. Given Australia's tropical to subtropical climate, whisky distilling has often been left to the pros in the Scottish Highlands. There was a brief flirtation with distilling spirits in the cooler climate of Tasmania during the 1800s, before Governor John Franklin outlawed the practice. But in 1992, the Lark family created the first Australian distillery to produce single malt whisky in 154 years, firmly rekindling Tasmania's love affair with the spirit. Now, Tasmania is the home of Australia's new whisky scene, and LARK Distillery is leading the charge. Whether you're heading to Hobart for a laidback long weekend or are island hopping for a while longer, LARK's whisky-fuelled experiences should be added to any itinerary. Here's what you can expect when visiting the home of Tasmania's thriving whisky scene. [caption id="attachment_1046083" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Still[/caption] The Still, Hobart Located in the heart of the city on Argyle Street, The Still is LARK's modern whisky bar. By day, the sleek yet warm flagship store is used as a retail space and tasting room for travellers wanting to learn more about Tasmania's whisky industry. During the 45-minute tasting experience, guests learn the story of LARK (from the fishing trip that began it all to its latest releases), and can enjoy a curated tasting of LARK's single malt whiskies. Guests will also receive a 10 percent discount on any bottles, so you can enjoy a taste of Tassie once you get home. If gin is more to your taste, The Still also offers a two-hour gin-making masterclass. Guests will receive a first-hand look behind the process of crafting native gin under the guidance of LARK's professors, who have created the award-winning Forty Spotted gin. During the booking, guests can explore the world of botanicals, try a refreshing native gin and tonic, learn about the history of the spirit, and even create their own Tasmanian gin as a souvenir. [caption id="attachment_1049089" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Still[/caption] Once the sun begins to set, The Still turns into a cocktail lounge and bustling bar. With its cosy booths, elevated food menu, and knowledgeable staff, even those less into whisky will be able to get out of their comfort zones and enjoy the spirit. Whether it's a tasting flight of impressive local whiskies from across the state, or a LARK whisky and soda, it's easy to spend a whole evening lapping up the atmosphere of The Still. You can try your luck at a walk-in or make a reservation to avoid missing out on a bucket list whisky experience. [caption id="attachment_1046084" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pontville Distillery[/caption] Pontville Distillery Thirty minutes' drive north of The Still, you'll find LARK's Pontville Distillery. Set amongst historical buildings, the Pontville Distillery is Tasmania's only working whisky village and offers visitors the chance to explore how LARK crafts its award-winning spirits. Its production and site tour is the closest you'll get to stepping inside Tasmania's whisky origin story. During the 45-minute tour, guests are guided through the distillery to learn how the spirit is made, as well as discover the secrets behind single malt whisky and the story of LARK's beginnings. Enjoy four tastings along the way, and take in the atmospheric surrounds of the historic estate. The tours run every day at both 12pm and 2pm, so be sure to book in a spot on your next Tasmanian trip. [caption id="attachment_1050645" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pontville Distillery[/caption] Between the sleek, design-driven interiors of The Still in Hobart and the rustic, historic beauty of Pontville Distillery, LARK's venues offer two quintessentially Tasmanian whisky experiences. Whether you're a tourist on a long weekend or are looking for a local team bonding experience, you'll be planning your next trip before you've polished off your last dram. Book a table for you, your team, family or friends for dinner, drinks or a guided tasting experience at The Still. Book a spot for you, your team, family or friends on a guided whisky tour at LARK's Pontville Distillery. Lead image credit: Lark Distillery
If you've had the words "bring on the Deadpool and Rob McElhеnney" stuck in your head since 2022, or "we've got Mullin, super Paul Mullin" instead — or as well — then you're either a fan of Welcome to Wrexham or Wrexham AFC, or both. It was back in 2020 that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mythic Quest's McElhenney bought the Welsh football club with Deadpool & Wolverine's Ryan Reynolds. Two years later, a documentary series about that huge move dropped its first season on Disney+. Success has followed both on the field and on the screen, including a run of promotions for the club and three more seasons of the series — the latest of which, the fourth, arrives on Friday, May 16, 2025. Thanks to a show that's not too far from an IRL Ted Lasso, Wrexham's fanbase has gone global. Hollywood's involvement will do that — but, as the series has chronicled to touching effect, Reynolds and McElhenney have always put revitalising the club, its stadium, and the town and community around it first. In 2025, Wrexham are heading Down Under, too, in a literal sense. The club has announced three games across Australia and New Zealand in July, visiting the two countries on its pre-season tour. "From the very beginning, we wanted to help make Wrexham a globally recognised team, town and brand," said McElhenney and Reynolds, announcing the Down Under trip, which will see the team play in Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington. "We could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand, and we are particularly proud that this announcement features neither a Men at Work or Hugh Jackman joke. The latter of which took maturity and tremendous restraint. We're proud of Ryan. Of course, we make no promises going forward." Wrexham will face off against a trio of local squads: lining up against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium on Friday, July 11; taking on Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, July 15; and competing against Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium on Saturday, July 19. For their past two pre-season tours, Wrexham have unsurprisingly journeyed to the US, including playing games against fellow UK sides Manchester United and Chelsea. Now, they're hitting Australia and Aotearoa as part of their plans to ideally be in the same league as both of those powerhouse English teams come the 2026–27 season. Since the 2022–23 season, Wrexham has been promoted every year under manager Phil Parkinson, first from the National League to League Two, then from the latter to League One — and next, in the 2025–26 season, they'll play in the Championship League, aiming to get promoted to the top-tier Premier League from there. If you can't make it to Wrexham's two Australian matches or one NZ game, they're being streamed via Paramount+. And for something to watch in the interim, check out trailer for Welcome to Wrexham season four below: Wrexham Down Under 2025 Fixtures Friday, July 11 — Melbourne Victory vs Wrexham AFC at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, from 7.30pm AEST Tuesday, July 15 — Sydney FC vs Wrexham AFC at Allianz Stadium, Melbourne, from 7.30pm AEST Saturday, July 19 — Wellington Phoenix vs Wrexham AFC at Sky Stadium, Wellington, from 5pm NZST [caption id="attachment_1003973" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Lord via Flickr[/caption] Wrexham's Down Under tour is taking place in July 2025. For more information, head to the Wrexham website — and for tickets, visit Ticketek in Australia and New Zealand. Welcome to Wrexham streams via Disney+, with season four arriving from Friday, May 16, 2025.
Crown Street's centrally located hotel is out to ditch the crusty old pub stigma and make its well-designed mark on the Sydney bar scene with new owner Solotel. Food-wise, expect some of the best pub feeds Surry Hills has to offer. Forget any tacky surf 'n' turf here, your feed has a French twist at The Clock. It's certainly proof that you don't need a dapper French waiter serving you a warm baguette for it to taste damn fine. This isn't specialty French, it's pub food with a French twist. Instead of chicken parmi, you'll find a crumbed chicken cordon bleu with ham, gruyere and pomme fries. Fancy a fish and chips? Opt for crispy skin barramundi with baby potatoes, green beans and wholegrain mustard. You get the idea; it stretches from starters like tuna tartare with parsley, caper vinaigrette and crispy wonton skin to desserts like blueberry cheesecake with confit orange and blueberry compote. Regarding cocktails, you'll find three menus available in three different areas. The street bar offers classics like espresso martinis and passionfruit margaritas, while the balcony and whisky room offer different menus with unique blends — made with spirits of every colour and taste. The Clock is more than just a dining room, though. Several spaces throughout the venue are available for patrons and group bookings alike. Just inside the entrance, there's space for mingling with a bev in hand, plus booths that can comfortably fit a small group to sit and enjoy your meal. If the air is pleasant and the vibes are right, by all means, grab a drink and a spare stool to enjoy the Crown Street ambience from the balcony. Want something else? Venture indoors again, and you'll notice several comfortable lounge areas. The Crown Street banquette and the Collins Street corner are available for event bookings, as is the intimate Whisky Room (high ceilings, private bar and an open deck, ooh la la). The biggest space is on the second floor: the pendulum lounge, ideal for a large celebration.
Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills: the rag trade centre of Sydney where many of the city's fashion flock have designed, tailored and traded their finery. And yet for all its garment glory, the area has not really offered anything much in the way of decent drinking quarters. So where can tired tailors and model slashies go for cocktails, cuddles and (air) kisses? Meet Li'l Darlin, the pizza and cocktail establishment of the eponymous small bar chain, that has opened up chic shop in the Hills. A white picket fence sections off the outdoor tables, sprawling Paris-like along the pavement. Potted plants line the windows and fairy lights twist, twinkling, through the hazy interior. The staff are bubblier than bubbly and the ambiance is immediately convivial. Li'l Darlin is a perfect fit for those around Elizabeth Street looking for a nibble and tipple after work or a casual catch up of a weekend. But Li'l Darlin is no enfant terrible. This is an establishment from where you can expect decent, non-designer, prices for unpretentious and delicious food. The lunch (from 12pm) and tapas (from 5pm) menus both focus on fun, fresh feasts. Far from haute cuisine, lunch is ready-to-wear, street-style fodder – expect treats like the Giant Chicken Schnitzel ($12) or the self-proclaimed World's Best Hotdog ($12). You'll find the tapas are equally as fabulous — the Li'l Cheeseburger ($13.90) comes slider-style, with homemade mustard and overflowing with fries. And seldom would a couturier otherwise delight in the discussion of plump, drumstick-like legs, but here the Crispy Chilli Chicken Drummers can't be overlooked ($11.90). Though the food is fabulous, Li'l Darlin is a bar at heart. Its extensive Australian and New Zealand-centric wine list and selection of beers and ciders mean no trendsetter is without a toast. Try the Li'l Old Fashioned, a drupe-driven take on the classic cocktail, with rye whisky, maraschino liqueur, cherry bitters and a brandy-infused cherry ($17.90) And while snobs might scoff at the Icyee Cocktails ($12), it's hard to resist their young at heart charm. Li'l Darlin is a fun and entertaining addition to this stretch of the Hills. Strut, don't stroll, in for the cocktails, tapas and kitsch.
Barossa Valley has a new winemaker in town and they're classing up the humble goon sack. Tote Wines is taking a distinct turn from the cheap plonk receptacles we're used to and introducing premium bagged wines into the Australian market — picked, produced and packaged in the Barossa Valley, no less. Developed for "active Australians", Tote Wines is geared toward those who love to bring a bit of wine on an outdoor adventure, but don't want to bring glass bottles along for the ride. Their lightweight and break-proof packaging acts as a practical alternative to accompany a hiking, camping or boating trip. Each 1.5L pouch comes complete with a tap (not of the lay-back variety), has a shelf life of up to twelve months prior to opening and remains fresh for four weeks once opened. Positioning themselves as an eco-friendly, high quality alternative, the recyclable pouches also produce one fifth the carbon footprint during the manufacturing process than glass bottles. For now, they're only producing a Barossa Valley Shiraz and Eden Valley Sauvignon Blanc out of their brand new facility in the heart of the Barossa Valley. Their wine specialists are focused on sourcing the best grapes for each wine, so drinkers should be getting a much tastier experience than one would usually associate with drinking wine from a bag. All Tote Wines are available purchase the on their website, but only by the carton of six ($179.70) — so some commitment to the idea is a must. Tote Wines are supremely confident though and promise a 100 percent discount (minus shipping) for any unsatisfied customers. While drinking wine from a plastic tap still brings back some fond and somewhat deplorable uni memories for us, it will be interesting to see how these wines hold up in a market of such world-class winemakers and to see if the goon bag mentality can be replaced by this classed-up affair.
Glamping is a nice change of pace but if you're looking to truly leave the luxuries of everyday life behind, go on a good ol' fashioned bush adventure in Kinchega National Park, about a 90-minute drive from Broken Hill. Here, you'll find fascinating wildlife, majestic river red gums, the Darling River and a rich Indigenous history. Be sure to pay a visit to the historic woolshed and complete the 2.3-kilometre Homestead billabong walk. Make Emu Lake campground your base for exploring the park. It's pretty bare-bones here, so be prepared to take everything you need. There are picnic tables, barbecue facilities and non-flushing toilets on-site, plus hot showers and bore water are available at the nearby Shearers' Quarters. Make sure to book in advance and keep an eye out on park alerts. [caption id="attachment_852405" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kinchega Woolshed, Broken Hill City Council[/caption] Top image: Destination NSW
AHW Studio is a bespoke jewellery maker located in The Rocks, down by Sydney Harbour. Specialising in mechanical art and custom jewellery creations, the artisans at AHW take the mechanical components of discarded watches and turn them into beautiful, bespoke rings and necklace pendants. It also crafts chunky statement rings — using predominantly gold and silver — that feature opals and owl faces, as well as diamonds and other precious stones, and play with rough textures to create unique pieces. Images: Arvin Prem Kumar
Another show from Mike Parr will be unveiled in June at Anna Schwartz Gallery. This batch of mixed media works on canvas will stir up something that has been repressed. The title ‘Deep North’ has been intentionally left open, but Parr hopes to inspire thinking about Australia’s relationship — or arrangement — with Nauru and Manus Island. Does our political consciousness end at our borders? Does compassion carry across international waters? Parr has been making art for over 40 years now and is still experimenting with new forms of aesthetic and political engagement. He co-created Australia’s first ARI in the 1970s, pioneered performance art in Sydney and has an extensive list of international accolades.
When it comes to buzzy capital cities, Australia has no shortage of options — but Sydney really does have it all. From cutting-edge underground bars and classic pub fare to historic sights and iconic performances, Sydney is a rich tapestry of creativity, culture, and natural splendour. It's hard to go wrong here, but a little insider intel can help you get it just right. If you're planning a weekend in the Harbour City, Marriott Bonvoy is offering 10% off your stay across six hotels—all you need to do is sign up to become a member (for free). It's also the perfect excuse to extend your stay. To play the role of your well-informed mate on the ground, we've curated a short list of reasons why Sydney is always worth checking into. Descend Into Sydney's Awesome Subterranean Bars When it comes to vibey watering holes, Sydney's list just keeps growing. But when the lights dim and the city starts to wind down, the real magic begins underground. Scattered across the CBD and its surrounding boroughs, these hidden gems require a little insider knowledge — knowing which alley to turn down and which door to knock on. From Mucho Group's Herbs Taverne and Swillhouse's swanky new Caterpillar Club, to The Gidley and Double Deuce Lounge, Sydney's subterranean bar scene is constantly evolving. Check out our full guide here. Check Into a Cosy Hotel Choosing the right hotel can make or break your Sydney stay. While there are plenty of options, it's the city centre's stunning skyline, harbour backdrop, and expansive parklands that set it apart—so you'll want a base that captures all that charm. Marriott Bonvoy's collection of premium hotels promises a memorable stay, plus, with 10% off it's the perfect time to plan a quick trip or extended getaway. From luxury stays like The W Sydney, Pier One Sydney Harbour and the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park to stylish, family-friendly options like the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel Circular Quay and Four Points By Sheraton Sydney in Central Park, you're spoilt for choice. Watch a Performance at The Sydney Opera House Sure, visiting the Opera House for a quick picture is a Sydney bucket list moment for locals and travellers alike — but catching a show inside? That's when the magic really takes place. Beyond the grandeur of the Concert Hall, this cultural icon also houses intimate spaces that host everything from indie gigs and theatre to symphonies and ballet. Visit in the coming months and you can expect atmospheric sets by the likes of early-thousands throwback Bachelor Girl, Lime Cordiale with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and The Australian Ballet — plus a post-show drink with a view that's hard to top. If you're looking to stay within walking distance of the Sydney Opera House, check into the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel Circular Quay for a stylish slice of convenience. Devour an Award-Winning Steak at Bistecca When it comes to must-try meals, few live up to the hype — but Bistecca delivers. Tucked down a CBD laneway, this moody, Tuscan-inspired spot has earned international acclaim, and a place on our list of Sydney's best steaks, for its signature bistecca alla Fiorentina, a thick-cut T-bone, prepared over ironbark and charcoal. You'll surrender your phone at the door, leaving you to focus solely on your steak, vino, and conversation. Equal parts speakeasy and Italian fine dining steakhouse, it's a must for meat lovers and experiential diners. Catch a Film at Sydney's Revamped IMAX Theatre After a seven-year hiatus, Sydney's IMAX theatre has roared back to life — and it's bigger and bolder than ever. Now home to the world's third-largest screen (a jaw-dropping 693 square metres), the high-tech space is tucked beneath the W Sydney and reserved for only the biggest blockbusters. Whether you're seeing Superman, F1 The Movie, or Fantastic Four, expect next-level visuals via a 4K laser projection, crystal-clear surround sound, and custom-designed lenses that'll make every explosion, car chase and close-up feel massive. Tickets are limited, so get in quick. Oh, and be sure to grab a pre-blockbuster cocktail at the W Sydney's rooftop bar, 29/30. Hook Into a Sunday Roast at The Lord Dudley When it comes to winter pub fare, few places are as beloved as The Lord Dudley in Woollahra. Established in 1895, this old-school charmer channels the ambience of a British country manor, with its open fireplaces, dark wooden interiors, and traditional English ales. The main event? It's legendary Sunday roast — chicken or pork — served with crispy roast potatoes, steamed greens, rich gravy, and a golden Yorkshire pudding. Just be warned: if it's cold outside, or there's a good game on, you might be fighting for a patch of carpet, let alone a table. Wander The Halls Of Sydney's Art Institutions Art galleries say a lot about a city — and if Sydney's gallery walls could talk, they'd speak of multiculturalism, a complex past and an enduring thirst for artistic ingenuity. The city is home to a broad stroke of galleries, and wandering through them on a chilly winter's day is the perfect antidote to a deep chill. From intimate spaces like China Heights, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, and White Rabbit Gallery to internationally revered institutions like the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, there's something to suit every creative appetite. Hot tip: The Art Gallery of NSW stays open late every Wednesday for Art After Hours, an enticing lineup of talks, art, and music, while White Rabbit Gallery is just a stone's throw from Four Points By Sheraton Central Park. Rug Up And Cheer On Your Team At Accor Stadium Another true Sydney bucket list moment? Watching your ride-or-die team go head-to-head at one of the country's largest and loudest stadiums. Whether you're into rugby league, rugby union, AFL, soccer or cricket, Accor Stadium creates an electrifying atmosphere—especially when 83,000 fellow fans surround you. This winter, the stadium will host a string of rugby league finals, plus the third and final State of Origin showdown. It's an easy trip by public transport, but if you're feeling fancy, split a limo with a few mates—it can cost about the same as a cab. Or better yet, check into the Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel and stay in style just a short drive from the action. Book your Sydney escape before September 30 to access 10% off your stay and dining with Marriott Bonvoy. All you have to do is sign up as a member—and it's completely free. Book 10% off your stay and rediscover Sydney. T&C's apply and vary by participating hotels including blackout dates, cancellation restrictions and more. Offer may not apply in properties not participating in the award and redemption of Marriott Bonvoy. By Elise Cullen
UPDATE, Friday, July 7: Limbo streams via ABC iView from 8.30pm on Sunday, July 9. When Ivan Sen sent a police detective chasing a murdered girl and a missing woman in the Australian outback in 2013's Mystery Road and its 2016 sequel Goldstone, he saw the country's dusty, rust-hued expanse in sun-bleached and eye-scorching colour. In the process, the writer, director, co-producer, cinematographer, editor and composer used his first two Aussie noir films and their immaculately shot sights to call attention to how the nation treats people of colour — historically since its colonial days and still now well over two centuries later. Seven years after the last Jay Swan movie, following a period that's seen that character make the leap to the small screen in three television seasons, Sen is back with a disappearance, a cop, all that inimitable terrain and the crimes against its Indigenous inhabitants that nothing can hide. Amid evident similarities, there's a plethora of differences between the Mystery Road franchise and Limbo; however, one of its simplest is also one of its most glaring and powerful: shooting Australia's ochre-toned landscape in black and white. Going monochrome in a place that's so connected with a red-, orange- and clay-heavy palette is a visually spectacular choice. Doing just that in a film made in Coober Pedy, the globally famous "opal capital of the world" that's known for its underground dwellings beneath the blazing South Australian earth, is a bold decision, too. Sen strips away the colour to heighten the details — and also makes an emotionally and thematically loaded move. In every second, in every image that Limbo has flicker across the screen, there's no escaping the contrast that lingers plain as day as the audience watches on. There isn't meant to any reprieve, of course. As a stranger once more rides into town western-style within one of the auteur's movies, this is another rich, impassioned and affecting feature about the vast chasm between being Black and white in Australia, and it refuses to see hurt, pain and unspeakable loss with anything but the clearest of eyes. Limbo's setting: the fictional locale that shares its name, unmistakably sports an otherworldly topography dotted by dugouts to avoid the baking heat and hasn't been able to overcome the murder of a local Indigenous girl two decades earlier. The title is symbolic several times over, including to the visiting Travis Hurley (Simon Baker, Blaze), whose first task upon arrival is checking into his subterranean hotel, rolling up his sleeves and indulging his heroin addiction. Later, he'll be told that he looks more like a drug dealer than a police officer — but, long before then, it's obvious that his line of work and the sorrows he surveys along the way have kept him hovering in a void. While he'll also unburden a few biographical details about mistakes made and regrets held before the film comes to an end, this tattooed cop with wings inked onto his back is already in limbo before he's literally in Limbo. Travis has been dispatched to give Charlotte Hayes' vanishing a fresh examination; her brother Charlie (Rob Collins, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) is quick to say that exactly that should've happened 20 years prior. Back then, the investigation was brief, with fingers pointed swiftly and lazily at Limbo's First Nations men — sometimes even by each other simply to get the law off their own backs. "I don't talk to cops, especially white ones," is the initial response now. When Travis approaches Charlie's estranged sister Emma (Natasha Wanganeen, The Survival of Kindness), she's equally unwelcoming. But as the detective's line of cold-case questioning also draws in Joseph (Nicolas Hope, Black Snow), the brother of the now-dead prime suspect from all that time back, Charlotte's siblings and the new badge in town have no choice but to keep crossing paths. In the movie's deeply biting script, there's no doubting that Charlotte's case would've been handled differently from the outset if she was white — and that the racially motivated blame directed towards Charlie and Limbo's other Indigenous scapegoats has left irreparable scars. As in Mystery Road and Goldstone, Sen unpacks what such disdain for First Nations lives means in outback Australia; the fractures its causes in lives and locations; the impact upon generations that follow; and the way that this horrific state of affairs haunts at a personal, community and national level alike. Actually, perhaps it's more accurate to say that Limbo dwells with these ideas and truths, steeping in and sitting in purgatory beside them. There are some answers to be found in the film's narrative, but also no easy answers. Not just because Travis gets caught in Limbo longer than he expects or wants due to car troubles, there's no straightforward route out, either. With his layered, pointed and soul-searing stories that make perceptive use of silence (and make every word of dialogue count), Sen is an exceptional screenwriter. That's true when he's returning to familiar parts but never merely retracing his own footsteps; Limbo is the cinema equivalent of stopping on another trail in the same desert to Mystery Road and Goldstone, rather than hitting the next town in line. The auteur is one of Australia's foremost talents at every skill he plies behind the camera, in fact — and his way with actors is among them. Under his gaze, Baker is in career-best form, which is no minor feat given the actor's extensive career, plus his impressive fellow recent homegrown turns in 2017's Breath, 2020's High Ground and 2022's Blaze. Beneath close-cropped hair and wire-rimmed glasses, there's such weariness and heaviness to his portrayal, all while playing a man whose investment in the case and connection with Charlie, Emma and the former's son Zac (expressive first-timer Mark Coe) manages to surprise himself. Again shooting in Coober Pedy, as they both did for TV series Firebite, Collins and Wanganeen also give weighty performances that say so much even when they're uttering little, including about the yearning that everyone has to be seen, recognised and appreciated for who they are. Limbo's cast is contemplative in a film that's purposefully meditative — and for a filmmaker unwilling to shy away from the toll that racism constantly has, plus grief and Australia's inequitable justice system, as he ruminates. As a cinematographer, Sen's work is just as meticulous, motivated and moving. As an editor, he's exacting while knowing when to savour the moment. And Limbo is indeed a breathtaking feature to savour, staring intently as it does at harsh realities turned into a strikingly crafted and stunningly performed Aussie crime thriller.
Provided you're not lactose intolerant (or you are, but have your lactase at the ready), chances are that melted cheese is at the top of your winter favourite food list. Well, Swissôtel has something to fulfil your ooey gooey cheese dreams well past the cold weather and into the end of the year. The alpine-inspired hotel on Market Street is hosting Swiss fondue for two (or more) every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night this winter. The team at Swissôtel has developed a fondue based on traditional recipes featuring emmental and gruyere melted together with white wine and garlic and delivered to your table in a warm pot for $34 per person. Upon request (and for an extra charge), chefs will add other flavours like gorgonzola and truffle to enhance the dip. Now, cheese connoisseurs will know that the biggest factor to consider with fondue is what bite-sized sides you'll coat with the decadent cheese blend. You'll have your pick of the classics like baguette and vegetables, but Swissôtel is also serving up some next level dip-ins if you're willing to shell out some extra cash: spiced meatballs, salami, potato rosti, prawns and more. With copious amounts of savoury tastes, you may need something sweet to balance out the night. Swissôtel is also offering a milk chocolate fondue option for $25 with sides like marshmallows, pound cake and strawberries for your dipping pleasure. There's a list of beverages, too — with mulled wine, peach schnapps and calvados to name a few — to pair with your fondue for a flavour-filled evening. This is a cosy date night or crafty dinner option with mates. We suggest following the tradition where the person that loses their bread in the pot buys the group drinks. Dip responsibly, friends. Images: Jesse Jaco.
When your relationship kicks off with a flashed nipple and an injured dog, it clearly doesn't start smoothly. When Colin From Accounts returns for its second season, the romance between Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) is set to continue as it began. The titular canine is still a key part of their connection — and they're trying to get him back — but so is couple banter about each others' past, and just the general kind of chaos that rom-coms can bring. It was back in 2022 that Colin From Accounts won audiences over as quickly as a cute pooch, and became one of that year's best new TV shows. When it debuted, Colin From Accounts had everyone bingeing their way through a tale of an awkward but memorable meet-cute, which began when a medical student and a microbrewery owner crossed paths in Sydney, then went from strangers to pet co-owners almost instantly. The series starts dropping its second season from Thursday, May 30 — but this time, however, it will be releasing its episodes weekly on Binge instead of in one batch. If you're new to Colin From Accounts, which won Best Narrative Comedy Series at the 2024 AACTAs and a trio of Logies — Most Outstanding Comedy Program, Most Outstanding Actor and Most Outstanding Actress — in 2023, it's the latest collaboration between real-life couple and No Activity stars Dyer and Brammall. Story-wise, the first season of Colin From Accounts charted what happened after Gordon was distracted by Ashley one otherwise ordinary morning, then accidentally hit a stray dog with his car. The pair took the pooch to receive veterinary treatment, then committed to look after him — and, yes, named him Colin From Accounts — causing their lives to intertwine. In season two, Ashley and Gordon are now living together, which brings its own mess — including the quest to get Colin From Accounts back from his new owners. A heap of fresh faces are joining the series for its second date, such as Celeste Barber (Wellmania), Virginia Gay (Mother and Son), Justin Rosniak (Wolf Like Me), Lynne Porteous (Frayed), John Howard (Bump) and Aunty Donna's Broden Kelly (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe). Check out the trailer for season two of Colin From Accounts below: Colin From Accounts season two will stream via Binge from Thursday, May 30, 2024. Read our review of season one. Images: Lisa Tomasetti.
Not everyone is a sports fan, but if you like live tunes, the Australian Open should still be on your radar even if you care little about on-the-court action. Only one music event in the world takes place as part of a Grand Slam, and that's AO Live. On the lineup for 2025's iteration: none other than Kesha, Armand Van Helden, Kaytranada and Benson Boone. Game, set, match, music: that's what's on offer when the Australian Open returns in January 2025 with two jam-packed weeks of tennis, plus a few aces for music lovers in the form of its three-day festival. It was back in 2023 that the annual Melbourne sports event launched the AO Finals Festival, getting a heap of talents taking to the stage. Unsurprisingly proving a hit, the fest returned in 2024, and will now be back again in 2025 under a new name. The venue: John Cain Arena, where AO Live will run from Thursday, January 23–Saturday, January 25. 2025's version features the event's biggest lineup so far — complete with Bag Raiders, Bella Amor, Channel Tres, Dijok, Kah-Lo and Jade Zoe. The fest kicks off with Boone on the Thursday, followed by Kaytranada on the Friday. Both days will span 5–9pm. Come Saturday, coinciding with the women's finals, Kesha will make her first visit to Australia in seven years, joined by Van Helden. Wrapping up AO Live, the day will kick off at 2pm and finish at 7pm. Expect plenty of company, with the 2023 fest selling out, then 2024's moving venues to John Cain Arena to take advantage of its 10,000-person capacity. AO Live ticketholders will also get a ground pass to the Australian Open, so you can watch the tennis as well as catching live tunes. As always, there'll be scores of food and drink pop-ups scattered throughout Melbourne Park, as well as big screens showing all the on-court action. [caption id="attachment_975223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendan Walter[/caption] AO Live 2024 Lineup Thursday, January 23: Benson Boone Bella Amor Friday, January 24: Kaytranada Channel Tres Dijok Saturday, January 25: Kesha Armand Van Helden Bag Raiders Kah-Lo Jade Zoe AO Finals Festival images: Ashlea Caygill.
Sydney's southern suburb of Kogarah suffered a devastating loss to its culinary community when Pino's Dolce Vita caught fire and ultimately closed back in 2016. The award-winning Italian deli was founded by Pino Tomini Foresti back in 1978 and was the heart of the local food scene for decades. Now, after much deliberation and over one year's worth of renovations, the butcher, deli and cafe has returned to its original President Avenue location. Pino's reopened in December 2018 with a brand new fit-out and an extended offering of authentic Italian fare. The shop now sells over 100 types of handmade Italian sausages and salumi, plus cuts of meat that are exclusive to the butchery. There's also an extensive collection of local and international cheeses and a huge range of artisan small goods, too. In the cafe, the team is slinging freshly brewed coffee, breakfast and lunch, plus homemade cakes and pastries — including these cannoli. It's a true family affair here, with Foresti's wife Pia, daughter Carla, son-in-law Michael and sons Fabiano and Marco all taking part in the business. The new digs put emphasis on this family-friendly atmosphere and emulate the bustling vibes of a true Italian deli. If you're looking to book your next gathering, Pino's now offers a catered, warehouse-style event space, too — packages including grazing boards and Italian wines that'll transport your party to the European coast.
One of the best directors to ever step behind the camera. Two of the absolute top living actors. An unnerving true tale. A Cannes-premiering film. That's a helluva combination — aka Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, events in the 1920s in Osage County in Oklahoma and Killers of the Flower Moon. And, if you're not already excited, a third trailer for the soon-to-release movie has just been unveiled. Every Scorsese film is worth waiting for, but Killers of the Flower Moon has been decades in the making. The nonfiction book that the acclaimed director's latest film adapts also steps a century back, detailing a time when members of the Osage Nation became wealthy through oil, then targets for white interlopers. To bring this real-life story to the screen, the filmmaker has finally united DiCaprio and De Niro in one of his full-length flicks, too, after spending decades working with both separately. The end result, and Scorsese's first feature since 2019's The Irishman, premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in May. Next, it's headed to cinemas Down Under in October and then Apple TV+ after that. De Niro and DiCaprio have been in so many of the legendary director's movies that it's rare for any of his titles to not include one or the other. The former's run gave viewers gangster masterpieces such as Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino; also spans the iconic Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King of Comedy; and covers musical New York, New York and thriller remake Cape Fear, too — and, of course The Irishman. The latter began leading Scorsese's films in the early 2000s, kicking off with Gangs of New York, then starring in The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street. That's a mighty impressive resume for both actors, and for their favourite helmer. Killers of the Flower Moon is actually the second time that De Niro and DiCaprio have joined forces for Scorsese, but the first time in one of his features, with the pair playing themselves in the director's 2015 comedy short The Audition. The actors also have a past on-screen beyond that thanks to the non-Marty helmed This Boy's Life in 1993, back when DiCaprio was still a teen. Its main talents aside, Killers of the Flower Moon has looking backwards on its mind as well. As seen in the initial teaser in May, then the first full trailer and now this just-dropped next sneak peek, the film jumps into a series of real-life of murders. DiCaprio (Don't Look Up) and Certain Women standout Lily Gladstone play Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle, a couple that gets caught up in the investigations surrounding the mounting killings — with Burkhart facing off against his scheming uncle William Hale (De Niro, Amsterdam). The deaths start when oil turns the Osage Nation into some of the richest folks on the planet, and quickly, which attracts the wrong kind of notice — attention fuelled by greed and envy, and resulting in manipulation, extortion and homicide. Killers of the Flower Moon surveys that story through Burkhart, Kyle and their romance, while also taking in the bitter resentment (and worse) expressed by Hale. Scorsese also co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth (Dune, and an Oscar-winner for Forest Gump), adapting David Gann's 2017 non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. And, movie co-stars Jesse Plemons (Love & Death), John Lithgow (Sharper) and newly minted Best Actor Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser (The Whale). Oh, and Scorsese himself, albeit in a small part. Check out the latest trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon below: Killers of the Flower Moon releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 19, and will then stream via Apple TV+ at a later date — we'll update you with streaming details when they're announced.
