The giggliest time of the year is back this month, as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival kicks off its 2023 instalment in a blaze of witty punchlines. Descending on the city from Wednesday, March 29–Sunday, April 23, this year's fest is set to serve up more than 600 shows, guaranteeing a huge month of laughs. The fun kicks off with the famed Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow, this year hosted by the internationally acclaimed Hannah Gadsby at the Palais Theatre and featuring a jam-packed lineup of hilarious guests. Other big-ticket highlights to follow include the national grand final of esteemed open mic competition RAW Comedy; Upfront's one-night showcase of stereotype-smashing female and non-binary comics; and the Deadly Funny National Grand Final, which is set to spotlight the country's funniest First Nations talent. As always, MICF will see comedic heroes flying in from all corners of the globe, taking the stage for sidesplitting solo shows and special events alike. Among them are celebrated British stars like Paul Foot, Carl Donnelly, Josie Long and Rosie Jones, plus Irish funnymen David O'Doherty and Dylan Moran, Emmy Award-winning US stand-up artist Sara Schaefer, Icelandic icon Ari Edljárn and Glasgow's Larry Dean. Homegrown heroes pack out the program, with big-name guests aplenty — Tripod, Claire Hooper, Lawrence Mooney, Kirsty Webeck, Wil Anderson, Akmal, Rhys Nicholson and Alex Ward are all there, along with the likes of Lano & Woodley, Dilruk Jayasinha, Osher Günsberg doing Night Time News Network National News, Dave Thornton, Diana Nguyen and stacks more. Of course, the rising stars of Aussie comedy will also get a huge look-in across the month, with MICF offering loads of opportunity for punters to scout out fresh talent. Check out the next generation of comic geniuses with a show at Comedy Zone, or stick closer to home and get your comedy kicks at one of the famed Neighbourhood Sessions. Meanwhile, Best of Comedy Zone Asia will deliver a lineup of emerging and celebrated talent from across Malaysia, India, Singapore and more. And, Headliners is set to dish up a hilarious taste of the US comedy circuit, featuring The Lucas Brothers, Patti Harrison, Sheng Wang and Shalewa Sharpe. [caption id="attachment_849381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jim Lee[/caption] Melbourne International Comedy Festival will take over venues across the city from Wednesday, March 29–Sunday, April 23. See the full program and grab tickets over at the website. Top image: Jim Lee.
If there's ever been a reason to jump out of bed early on a Saturday morning (or stay up until daybreak after a big night out), it's seeing cosmic history made before your very eyes. The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century delivered just that when it put on its sky-high show from 3.14am AEST — with the partial eclipse starting at 4.24am, the total eclipse at 5.30am and maximum eclipse occurring at 6.21am. For anyone that missed the event — and the news in the lead-up — this lengthy event lasted 103 minutes in the total eclipse phase, a duration that won't be seen again until the 2100s. It was also the last total lunar eclipse of any length that is visible from Australia again until May 2021. And, thanks to sunlight that was filtered and refracted by the earth's atmosphere, the moon also turned a blood-red share as well. So, in addition to spying a total lunar eclipse and a full moon, sky-gazers also saw a blood moon as well. Last but by no means least, Mars was also seen twinkling in the sky right next to the moon, with the planet at its closest position to earth in 15 years. As always, social media is packed full of stellar photo from those who saw and snapped the astronomical event — so whether you saw it with your own eyes or blissfully slept through it, here are some of the best shots of the lunar eclipse from around the planet. https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv7VuFHds_/?taken-by=seathebreezee https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv6W6klmLn/?taken-by=bodrumlayasa https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwBF0PHUUk/?taken-by=dorpell https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwBAQRlHpR/?taken-by=imikov https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwFT2cntgc/?tagged=lunareclipse2018 https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv4yWnBsC7/?taken-by=daves_snippets https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv2RLhnqqB/?taken-by=evrensongun https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwEgD1H6jO/?taken-by=matthias.hangst https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwHTeTn207/?taken-by=mel_weber_photography https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwFhjXH5K1/?taken-by=milkyway_scientists
It's been 15 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Thankfully, Laneway Festival has just confirmed it will be heading back to its collection of unconventional venues for another year, revealing its jam-packed 2020 lineup. Returning to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Fremantle in February, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with one heck of a lineup. This year's eclectic program is headlined by dance-pop powerhouse Charli XCX. The British songwriter's latest album Charli — which dropped just last week — features everyone from Lizzo to Troye Sivan and Sky Ferreira. It'll be her only Aussie show, as it'll also be for fellow international heavy hitter, American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. They'll be joined onstage by Canadian electro artist — and TikTok sensation — BBNO$, New Zealand's Benee, London crooner Col3trane and Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC. On the local front, you'll be able to get down to DMA's, Hatchie, Stella Donnelly, Hockey Dad, King Gizzard and the Lizard Gizard and this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winners, Ocean Alley. This year, the Sydney leg of the festival will be heading to its new inner-city location for the first time: The Domain. According to organisers, it'll allow the festival to have bigger stages and better sound — and it will be a bit more accessible by public transport. The Melbourne festival will be heading back to Footscray Park for its second year, too. But, enough chit-chat — here's the full 2020 lineup. LANEWAY 2020 LINEUP The 1975 Charli XCX (exclusive) Ruel Earl Sweatshirt (exclusive) Ocean Alley DMA's JID Tones and I King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Hockey Dad BBNO$ The Chats Mahalia* KAIIT Benee Stella Donnelly Oliver Tree Fontaines DC Omar Apollo Col3trane Hatchie* Spacey Jane Kucka Pist Idiots JessB* The Lazy Eyes** *East coast only ** Sydney only LANEWAY 2020 DATES Brisbane — Brisbane Showgrounds, Saturday, February 1 Sydney — The Domain, Sunday, February 2 Adelaide — Hart's Mill, Friday, February 7 Melbourne — Footscray Park, Saturday, February 8 Fremantle — Esplanade Reserve and West End, Sunday, February 9 Laneway Festival pre-sale tickets are available from Tuesday, September 24 — you can sign-up for access over here. Top image: BCS Imaging
Keen to escape the cold weather in a cinema, but your wallet doesn't want to play ball? Call Dendy's latest special a case of great timing, then. For the weekend spanning Friday, June 14 to Monday, June 17, its Newtown cinema is offering up discount tickets that'll solve your problem — as long as you purchase tickets to one of three flicks, you'll only pay $6. The three flicks you have to choose from are: Keanu Reeves' latest action-packed assassin thriller, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum; the director of That Sugar Film's hopeful new climate change doco 2040; and Brightburn, a subversive and sinister take on Superman. You can score the cheap tickets in person at the cinema or online (although the latter will cost you an extra $1.50 booking fee). The deal is valid for all sessions of all three films across all four days.
Sydney Festival kicks off this week, and while we've been pouring over the events for months now, there's been one section of the program that's been hanging like a question mark over our hungry little heads: what food will we be eating? Or, more specifically, what ice cream creations will those crazy kids at Messina put together this time? Well, we've got out answer, and it includes doughnuts, fairy floss and those gelato hot dogs. Yes, the gelato gods are once again gifting us with the goods for the duration of the 20-day festival, creating a seven-piece menu of stupidly creative (and delicious) ice creamery. Dubbed Il Carnivale di Gelato Messina, this year is all about carnie food — which means that tooth-rotting candy and deep-fried food on a stick features heavily. Those who went along to the festival last year, will be happy to see the return of the Messinawiener (a Pluto Pup-like stick of maple syrup gelato coated in batter, deep fried, and dipped in plum sauce), and the milk gelato hot dog served in a brioche bun with all the 'condiments'. This thing looks so much like a real hot dog that some poor guy returned his last year saying it wasn't cooked properly. Bless. New additions will include a gelato 'toffee apple' and The Bearded Lady: a cream cheese gelato paddle pop with a chocolate coating, red velvet cake crunch and red fairy floss floating around the outside. There'll also be a doughnut bar, serving up ice cream doughnut sandwiches like the Five Million Dough-Lars (a doughnut version of their Magic Mushroom cake), and The Biggest Gainer: a doughie with peanut butter gelato, fresh banana, a milk chocolate glaze, peanuts and bacon sprinkles. If you're not already heading to Sydney Festival, this is good enough reason to get down there and check it out. Il Carnivale di Gelato Messina will be open every day of the festival from 12pm at the Festival Village in Hyde Park. Sydney Festival kicks off this Thursday, January 7 and run until Tuesday, January 26. Check out our top ten gigs of the festival, and picks for the best bang-for-your-buck events.
Oh, 2021. To be honest, we can't say we'll miss you — so let's end this traumatic year with a bang. Whether you're eager to see the back of 2021 with a few champagnes in hand, or looking to set a cheerier tone for 2022 by bouncing into it with DJ tunes and a good ol' d-floor session, a slew of Sydney bars, pubs and restaurants are happy to help. We've compiled a list of Sydney's best restaurants, rooftop bars and experiences to ring in the New Year with style — no matter your budget. And, if you've still got some fight in you, there are some sneaky kick-ons included come New Year's Day. [caption id="attachment_828769" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vic on the Park's beer garden[/caption] FREE Waywards at the Bank: Put on your dancing shoes and get ready for two jam-packed levels loaded with live bands and DJs. With a lineup like Breadclub, Dom Alessio and Adam Lewis, you won't be able to resist having a boogie. The best part? Entry will be free all night and the party won't stop until 4am. The Bearded Tit: Redfern's most eclectic and colourful arts bar is hosting a Tit's NYE Party full of performers and wondrous DJs. Hosted by Betty Grumble, you're guaranteed to be delighted and entirely entertained for the whole night. Vic On The Park: The perfect place for all punk fans — kicking off from 8pm is an impressive lineup including punk act, These New South Whales. With Itchy and the Nits and Astrodeath supporting, you won't be able to resist dancing your way into the new year. Marly Bar: One of Newtown's most beloved bars is hosting a Deuces Ball with some of Sydney's best hip hop and afrobeats DJs spinning the decks all night. Tickets aren't necessary, so there's nothing left to do but grab a seat, get comfy and order some juicy burgers, mac 'n' cheese and crinkle-cut fries. UNDER $50 The Lansdowne: With two levels of live music and a rooftop, The Lansdowne Hotel is hosting one of the biggest NYE parties in the CBD. With Bodega Collective and the Swanky Array team set to take over the venue, join the fun from 9pm till late. Harbord Hotel: From Las Vegas to Ibiza and Bali, DJ Generik has been creating waves with his energy and distinctive house music style. Generik is no stranger to the stage, and has regularly opened for Calvin Harris in the past. The party kicks off at 5pm and tickets include three drink tokens (your choice of house beer, wine or spirits) that are redeemable before 7pm. 101 George Street: Bid farewell to 2021 alfresco-style under the fireworks. Tickets include a drink on arrival and access to all the best fireworks vantage points harbourside. With DJ Nitecall spinning a sophisticated mix of obscure funk and Euro groove, good vibes are guaranteed for the entire night. UNDER $200 Cafe Freda's: Cafe Freda's is running two jam-packed sessions with live entertainment playing throughout the night. With an option of a 6pm seating or a 9:15pm until countdown seating, this will surely make for a special evening in the bright lights of the CBD. The dinner session includes a full dinner set menu and NYE cocktail on arrival, while the party session comes with a grazing snacks menu, cocktail and a glass of bubbles at midnight. NYE in the Park: With tickets still available, this is one of the best events to get the most bang for your buck. Headliners include ILLY, PNAU, Spacey Jane, The Presets and What So Not — just to name a few. The best part? You'll get to experience the full firework show without having to battle the crowds at Sydney Harbour. Wharf Bar: Enjoy front row seats for the local harbourside fireworks before Touch Sensitive takes the decks. The music marathon continues on New Year's Day with homegrown heroes Winston Surfshirt warming up the dance floor from 3pm till midnight. Butter Block Party: Sydney's most hyped dining concept, Butter, has gained a cult following for their stores which combine rare sneakers, fancy champagne and hot fried chicken. Now, they're throwing their very first exclusive outdoor, openair courtyard party to say goodbye to 2021. There are three different ticket packages (silver, gold or platinum) that include a range of goodies from a beverage on arrival to a feast of canapes. Monopole: Travel back to the 80s with a nostalgic lineup of classic snacks, vintage wines and greatest hits. Think devilled eggs, prawn cocktails and a show-stopping bombe alaska to finish. Dress to impress and dance the night away until 2am. Details here. Smoke Bar at Barangaroo House: The team at Barangaroo House have teamed up with Patrón to host a night to remember. With an all-star line-up including Late Nite Tuff Guy, Lazy Wax and Ariane, there's something for everyone. Tickets include canapes (think oysters, beef tartare tartlets and crispy chicken), live entertainment & a Paloma spritz on arrival. Frank Mac's: Calling all gin lovers – say farewell to 2021 with a boozy celebration right in the heart of The Rocks. Tickets include a drink on arrival, bubbles at midnight, and most importantly, unique access to George Street for the spectacular fireworks displays. Did we mention that the cocktail bar also serves more than 100 juniper blends sourced from all corners of the globe? You're welcome. Bookings are available here. [caption id="attachment_830236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Taronga Zoo via DNSW[/caption] BLOWOUT Sydney Tower Eye: Arguably the best seat in the city for Sydney's iconic firework show – enjoy 360-degree views of the city as you countdown to the New Year with a truly unforgettable experience. With a glass of champagne in hand, choose one of two time slots (9pm or midnight) and decide how high you want to go. Botswana Butchery: Following in the footsteps of its popular sister restaurants in Queenstown and Auckland, Botswana Butchery is Sydney's newest premium CBD rooftop. Entry is inclusive of a premium four-hour food and beverage package full of free-flowing G.H. Mumm Champagne, beer, wine and spirits. Taronga Zoo: Don't feel like braving the crowds in the CBD? Secure a spot at one of Taronga Zoo's vantage points instead and enjoy a front-row seat of the Harbour fireworks. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks to the event, or alternatively, grab a bite to eat at the Food Market – there will be a variety of snacks (hot chips, homemade meat pies and sandwiches) as well as both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on offer. Hickson House: The legends at Hickson House are no stranger to a celebration, with the part working distillery and part destination cocktail bar set in the former Saatchi & Saatchi garage – the location of many infamous warehouse parties. DJs Lavida and Aidan Bega will be in charge of the tunes, with canapes and cocktails set to be served throughout the evening. And to make things more memorable, tickets also include access to view the fireworks at Campbells Cove – less than a minute's walk from Hickson House. Opera Bar: Opera Bar is back again with another iconic harbour-side party – and it's set to be better than ever. With live music and entertainment from Bermuda Social, Soulphonics, Dark Horse and Natural Selector, you'll be able to dance the night away with non-stop entertainment. Tickets are inclusive of an unlimited amount of food from multiple stalls, so grab a bite to eat as you watch the sun set behind the Opera House and count down the hours until 2022. Aria: Aria is hosting two luxurious NYE dining experiences set against one of the best views of Sydney Harbour. For $300, you can enjoy a four-course dinner from 5pm – think wagyu striploin 9+, murray cod and smoked eel parfait. The early seating gives you plenty of time to wander off to your next destination or catch the 9pm fireworks. Alternatively, Aria's NYE Main Event kicks off from 7:30pm and will set you back $1,450 per head – don't worry, you won't be having any regrets after feasting on executive chef Thomas Gorringe's six-course tasting menu. It features plenty of champagne and wine throughout the night and, most importantly, you'll get to watch the fireworks happening mere metres away.
Do you sometimes find yourself resenting Chet Faker for his award-winning whisker-wearing*? Do you refuse to listen to Mumford & Sons, not only for their blatant commercial success but also their rugged yet luxurious face forests? Well, you're not alone. Men in the US have been dealing with similar beard-related anxieties and have undergone facial hair transplants to compensate. Using similar techniques to that of Shane Warne and the Advanced Hair Studio, facial hair transplants take hair from the patient's head, make micro-incisions on a bare patch of face, and insert the roots into empty follicles. Even when the hair falls out, the implanted roots begin to grow new hair. All in all, it's a process that ranges from US$3,000 - $7,000. And, for that money, here's hoping it's worth the pain. Though plastics surgeons have reported an increase in "hip" and "fashionable" young men from Brooklyn seeking the procedure, it also has roots in more substantial causes. Many who seek the transplant are the victims of facial scars, women seeking gender reassignment, or Hasidic Jews trying to achieve a denser payot. (Now you feel bad about laughing, right?) Though it may be easy to make fun of those seeking the procedure for the wrong reasons, it's also pretty concerning. Are men developing body image problems about their bare chin in the same way some women are about their flat chests? So what if you don't look like a homeless lumberjack? It doesn't make you less of a man. If anything, it takes you one step away from the likes of Zach Galifianakis and Shia LaBeouf. And, if you ask us, that's surely something to be thankful for. *Can neither confirm nor deny his ARIA win was beard-related. Via DNAinfo. Image by Juan Luis.
When you're picking out a park that needs to tick lots of boxes — harbour views, places for the kids to play, off-leash areas and toilets close by — Birchgrove Park is an excellent choice. The inner west park surrounds Birchgrove Oval and its backdrop is the Sydney Harbour, complete with uninterrupted views of the Bridge and all the waterside activity around it. Unsurprisingly, it's a popular spot for watching the New Year's Eve fireworks. What you might not know is that you can BYO bottle of wine or four-pack down to the park for a sunset picnic, so long as you're packed up by 9pm. Birchgrove Park also has tennis courts, a jetty for getting that ultimate Harbour Bridge shot, and it's only a ten-minute walk from Birchgrove ferry wharf. Image: Flickr; Creative Commons
Have you ever dreamed of spending the night in a giant transparent bubble, with the twinkling stars in full view above you? Well, now you can, thanks to Bubbletent's Aussie-first inflatable glamping tent, which sits in a remote pocket of a working farm, between Mudgee and Lithgow. Overlooking the Capertee Valley, this hi-tech bubble tent has a zero carbon footprint. But while it's off-grid, it certainly doesn't skimp on comfort, boasting a plush queen-sized bed, cooking facilities and a separate bathroom area complete with compost toilet and a sink with pump water. There's even a telescope for late-night stargazing sessions from the comfort of your bed. Getting a booking might be tricky though — so good luck. [caption id="attachment_830260" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Images: Destination NSW
Like beer and sunshine, cheese and crackers and Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey, wine and cycling are made for one another. And if there's one undoubtedly dreamy way to spend an afternoon, it's meandering through idyllic vineyards on two wheels. Fortunately, Australia's expansive, uncrowded wine regions are made for such adventures. So, we've scoured every vineyard in the country to find cycling trails filled with cellar doors and ocean vistas — just for you, our dedicated wine lovers. Here are nine of the prettiest and tastiest. While these trails are made for cycling between wineries, don't forget it's still a crime to ride a bike while intoxicated in all states. So drink and ride responsibly, and be safe on the road. If you plan on drinking at every winery, consider booking a mini bus instead. [caption id="attachment_685954" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] BAROSSA TRAIL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA This 40-kilometre sealed rail trail, shared by cyclists and walkers, travels through the heart of the Barossa Valley, a world-famous wine region located 80 minutes' drive northeast of Adelaide. Your journey begins in the north in Angaston, one of South Australia's oldest settlements, before passing through the villages of Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Lyndoch, to reach Gawler's heritage-listed buildings. Look out for Mengler Hill Sculpture Park, the Barossa Museum, epic views of the Barossa Range and kangaroos, among countless cellar doors and eateries. [caption id="attachment_680367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Bruzzone[/caption] CLARE VALLEY RIESLING TRAIL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA If too much riesling is never enough, this car-free cycling trail is made for you. Find it in idyllic Clare Valley, around two hours' drive north of Adelaide. Your adventure starts on the Valley's southern edge in the gateway town of Auburn, before rolling 35 kilometres north to Barinia. Among the cellar doors you shouldn't miss are O'Leary Walker Wines, surrounded by rural panoramas; Skillogalee, whose rieslings are renowned; and Sevenhill, the Valley's oldest winery, founded in 1851 by a bunch of Jesuits who fled Poland due to persecution. [caption id="attachment_685953" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacqui Way[/caption] SHIRAZ TRAIL, MCLAREN VALE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Forty-five minutes' drive beyond Adelaide's southern border lies McLaren Vale, known for its Mediterranean climate, excellent reds and proximity to the Fleurieu Peninsula's spectacular coastline. On the Shiraz Trail, you'll cycle 14 kilometres, kicking off in the McLaren Vale township and heading south to the cute village of Willunga. Make slight diversions to visit experimental winemakers Alpha Box & Dice, who are currently working on an entire alphabet of wines, and Hamilton Winery, home to Australia's longest-serving wine making family, who's been stomping on grapes for over 180 years. The Shiraz Trail is one section of the 37-kilometre Coast to Vines Trail. [caption id="attachment_685960" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Swan Valley[/caption] SWAN VALLEY CYCLE TRAIL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA This picturesque trail in Swan Valley — around 90 minutes' drive northwest of Perth — gives you not one, but four routes to choose from. For maximum reward for your efforts, conquer the three-kilometre loop starting at Baskerville Oval, which takes in five wineries. Or, if you're keen to spend more time in the saddle, opt for the 18-kilometre loop beginning at Maali Footbridge, Swan River. You'll pass several cellar doors, as well as artists' studios, local produce and a sculpture park. You'll find maps and more info here. [caption id="attachment_685785" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] RUTHERGLEN TO WAHGUNYAH RIDE, VICTORIA Here, your boozy escapades occur in the majestic company of the Murray River. Climb aboard at Rutherglen, a town three hours' drive northeast of Melbourne that's home to more than 20 wineries, and pedal nine kilometres north to riverside Wahgunyah. Along the way, you'll come across Jones Winery, where you can taste shiraz made from 113-year-old vines; Rutherglen Estates, whose home dates to 1886; and Valhalla Wines, which specialises in Rhone Valley varietals. The Rutherglen to Wahgunyah Ride is one section of the mighty 100-kilometre Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. MILAWA GOURMET RIDE, VICTORIA For easy-peasy pedalling along super-flat terrain, make tracks to Milawa, a foodie's mecca found three hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. The Milawa Gourmet Ride stretches for five kilometres, from Brown Brothers Cellar Door, where you can borrow a bike for free, to Sam Miranda Winery. In between swirling and sipping, tuck into an array of gourmet deliciousness, including handmade dairy at Milawa Cheese, condiments at Milawa Mustards and fresh fruit at Blue Ox Berries farm gate. Like the Rutherglen to Wahgunyah Ride, this journey is part of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. If you want to continue exploring the Victorian High Country by bike, you'll find more great rides here. [caption id="attachment_686034" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] STANTHORPE TO BALLANDEAN BIKE TRAIL, GRANITE BELT, QUEENSLAND Three-and-a-half hours' drive inland from Byron Bay is Queensland's Granite Belt. Elevated 1000 metres above sea level, this dramatic landscape is a wonderland of rugged granite formations and dense woodlands. See it all from two wheels on the Stanthorpe to Ballandean bike trail. For 30 kilometres, you'll wind along tranquil country roads, pausing at wineries, picnic spots and maybe a brewery or two. The way is dotted with signposts, to keep you on track. The Granite Belt's claim to fame is producing varietals seldom grown in Australia. Among the whites, you'll find roussane, alvarinho and petit manseng, and, among the reds, sagrantino and montepulciano. HUNTER VALLEY CYCLEWAY, NEW SOUTH WALES Opened in 2017, this 10.6-kilometre cycleway runs alongside Hermitage Road – through one of the most winery-dense spots in the Hunter Valley, which lies around 90 kilometres' drive northwest of Sydney. Be sure to visit De Iuliis' stunning cellar door for a cheese and wine flight, as well as Peter Drayton Wines, and its onsite brewery Iron Bark Hill Brewhouse, for excellent wines and craft beers. Meanwhile, at Mistletoe Wines, you'll be sipping sparkling rosé in a sculpture garden, and at Tintilla, sangiovese in an olive grove. You'll find more great wine-filled Hunter Valley bike rides here, too. [caption id="attachment_685963" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lowe Wines, Destination NSW[/caption] MUDGEE WINERY RIDE, NEW SOUTH WALES Three hours' drive northwest of Sydney, the friendly country town of Mudgee has been cultivating grapes since the mid-1800s. There are now more than 35 cellar doors and you can visit 22 of them along a ten-kilometre loop that starts in town, at the Clock Tower. At Lowe Wines, you'll be sampling organic drops and taking a self-guided tour of the vineyards, while at Vinifera, Di Lusso and Mansfield, you'll be working your way through Mediterranean varietals, from Spanish tempranillo to Italian barbera. The map's over here.
In the coming years, the Gold Coast is set to welcome a new man-made surf wave pool, as well as a hotel and resort at Dreamworld. Later in 2021, it'll also boast a cabana-filled oceanside precinct on a rooftop. But before all of that comes to fruition, the popular southeast Queensland tourist destination is set to score another new attraction — with its new $60.5 million, six-level art gallery opening its doors on Saturday, May 8. First announced back in 2018, and given a launch date earlier this year, the new addition is part of HOTA, Home of the Arts in Surfers Paradise. Simply called the HOTA Gallery, it has been built at the top of the site's concert lawn, overlooking HOTA's outdoor stage. It's now the country's largest art gallery outside of a capital city and, obviously, it's giving art lovers both locally and Australia-wide plenty to get excited about. Designed by Melbourne-based architects ARM, the multi-floor gallery spans more than 2000 square metres of exhibition space. That includes a main area for touring exhibitions, a permanent collection space across three levels and a children's gallery. There's also an area for storing works that aren't on display, which is pivotal given that the site houses the Gold Coast's $32 million, 4400-piece City Collection. [caption id="attachment_811097" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Back wall: Nicola Moss Local Air 2021; Kirsty Bruce Wonderwall 2021; Aaron Chapman The Towers Project 2021; Back right: Michael Candy, Steal the Sunshine 2021; Front: Ali Bezer I Can Hear Water 2021; SOLID GOLD: Artists from Paradise, HOTA Gallery. Photo by Paul Harris Photography.[/caption] View-wise, there's much to look at already if you're keen on gazing at creative pieces. Running until July 4, Solid Gold: Artists from Paradise, showcases new works by Gold Coast artists, while Lyrical Landscapes: The Art of William Robinson pays tribute to one of Australia's greatest landscape painters until October 3. There's also Contemporary Masters from New York: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, which makes its world premiere until February 27 – and features 70 works from the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Richard Prince and Jeff Koons. In the children's gallery, World Upside Down runs until October 10, and is designed to be interactive for audiences of all ages. Visitors can also peer at more than just the art gracing the walls. The building's windows offer a stellar view of Surfers Paradise — and, outside, sculptural installations await. Queensland Waanyi artist Judy Watson's addition to the site heroes Indigenous native plants, and includes a pathway that forms a topographical map of Nerang prior to European settlement. It also spans Piccabeen basket and dilly bag sculptures designed with Quandamooka artists Libby Harward and Elisa Jane Carmichael, and features a two-metre-tall feather canopy and snippets of local language sandblasted onto the bleachers. And Sri-Lankan born, Sydney based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has crafted a six-metre-high, double-sided sculpture made out of bronze, concrete, neon and fibreglass that's designed to reflect the vibrancy of the new building. [caption id="attachment_811082" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Brett Boardman[/caption] Back inside the building, a rooftop bar and restaurant is also opening its doors. Called The Exhibitionist Bar, it takes over 233 square metres, and pairs panoramic views with tapas, share plates, cocktails, wine, beer and house-made sodas. Both indoor and outdoor terrace seating are a feature, and you'll get a vantage that sprawls over the Goldie's waterways, Surfers' Paradise skyline and the hinterland. Plus, in terms of decor, the venue takes its cues from rainforests — as does the immensely colourful building itself, which is inspired by William Robinson's 'The Rainforest'. HOTA Gallery and The Exhibitionist Bar will both open at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise on Saturday, May 8. For more information, visit the HOTA website. Top images: Brett Boardman
The Eveleigh Works blacksmithing school is celebrating its one-year anniversary with an anything-but-average crafting party on Good Friday. It'll swing its doors wide open for a day of free forging demonstrations, sculpting workshops and competitions, with a sausage sizzle to boot. Located in the Australia Technology Park, the school goes back to the building's 130-year-old roots as a traditional craft school, running weekly short courses in metal sculpture, hand forging, knife-making and traditional tool making. These courses are on the pricey side, so the event is a rare chance to getting involved without dropping lots of cash. Joining the festivities are renowned Italian sculptures Roberto and Niko Giordani, who have just completing a month-long residency at Eveleigh Works and will unveil a new three-metre sculpture, created with the school's founder Matt Mewburn. Throughout the day, competitions and raffles will be up for grabs, with some legit prizes for the winners. Entry and all demonstrations are free — the only thing you'll be out of pocket for is the by-donation barbecue lunch of sausages, burgers and a veg option. Proceeds from the food will go toward refurbishing one of the school's old industrial machines, so, all-in-all, it's a few bucks well spent.
Clarence Street is set to welcome yet another exciting new dining destination, this time from one of Sydney's top hospitality teams, the Bentley Restaurant Group. Sydney's CBD has long been home to top-notch bars and restaurants but over the last couple of years it feels as if the scene has gained another level of momentum. Following the one-two punch to Sydney's nightlife that was the lockout laws and the pandemic, we've seen a wave of new venues contributing to a rebuilt and revived cultural boom — from additions to the now globally recognised YCK Precinct (see: Palazzo Salato, Pinky Ji, Ginny's Canoe Club), to new arrivals in Merviale's ivy precinct (Oti', MuMu) and lavish new hotels with adjoining bars and restaurants (Capella, Hotel Morris). Now the Bentley Group is adding to Clarence Street's slate of new openings with King Clarence. Set to open in October, King Clarence will be an expansive celebration of Asian cuisines taking inspiration from China, Korea and Japan, with co-owner and chef Brent Savage explaining that he wants the restaurant to be "fun, loud, and busy". The menu here is designed around the kitchen's custom-built barbecue and grill, as well as plans for substantial live seafood tanks. The Asian-inspired eats will be paired with an impressive drinks menu. Diners will be able to choose from 40 different wines by the glass and dip into the Bentley Wine Vault for rare drops. There will also be a robust selection of cocktails that play on the classics and are designed to pair with the eats on offer. Expect a welcoming 100-seat dining room designed by longtime Bentley collaborator, Pascale Gomes-McNabb, with help from New Zealand-based design studio Jasmax. King Clarence marks the second new opening the Bentley Group has brought to the CBD this year, joining Circular Quay's Brasserie 1930 in the city. This pair of fresh openings sit alongside Yellow, Monopole, Cirrus and Bentley Restaurant + Bar in the hospitality group's acclaimed collection of venues. [caption id="attachment_637790" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monopole[/caption] "This is new and exciting territory for us. We think the dining experience at King Clarence will appeal to all, whether it be a celebration, a corporate lunch or a late-night snack," says co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt. "It's been a big year for us with the opening of Brasserie 1930 in March, and we look forward to rounding out the year opening a venue Brent and I have long been planning." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bentley Restaurant Group (@bentleyrestaurantgroup) King Clarence will open at 171 Clarence Street, Sydney in mid-October.
Since late in 2019, when Disney launched its own streaming platform, fans of its animated classics, beloved hits and many, many super-popular franchises have been able to binge their way through the Mouse House's back catalogue from the comfort of their couch. For a few weeks in October and November, however, movie buffs are being asked to leave their houses to check out a selection of the company's famed titles — all thanks to the new pop-up Disney+ Drive-In that's coming to Sydney. Yes, a streaming service is running a drive-in. Or, to put it another way, a product designed to get everyone watching on small screens at home is now endeavouring to lure viewers out to watch its flicks on a big screen from their cars. That's a very 2020 situation, with Disney+ teaming up with Openair Cinemas to make it happen. The drive-in will arrive in Sydney — at the Northern Private Carpark of Bankwest Stadium, to be specific — on Thursday, October 22, screening films every night (except Tuesdays) until Sunday, November 15. As for what'll be screening, the Disney+ Drive-In is working through the Mouse House's hits, screening single features each night. On the bill: Star Wars flicks The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, plus throwback titles like 10 Things I Hate About You, Mrs Doubtfire, Mighty Ducks and Edward Scissorhands. If you really love your Disney movies, you can also expect live-action and animated versions of Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as sing-along Moana, The Little Mermaid and the first Frozen film. You can croon tunes to The Greatest Showman, too, and watch Pixar's gorgeous Coco. Plus, Marvel fans can look forward to Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg Popcorn, snacks and drinks will be available onsite — or you can bring your own. It's strictly a no-alcohol affair, though. And, ticket-wise, you'll be paying per car; however, prices vary depending the number of people in your car. Disney+ Drive-In presented by Openair Cinemas hits Sydney, at the Northern Private Carpark of Bankwest Stadium, on Thursday, October 22 — with its season running until Sunday, November 15.
Autumn and winter might seem like the ideal seasons to stay indoors, but, if you don't mind the occasional gust of wind or spot of rain, then regional Victoria presents some incredible adventures. Leave behind familiarity and head to untrodden areas of the country which provide plenty of outdoorsy romps to discover — taking you to some scenic locations that might just include some great food and drink as well. Over the past few decades, Macpac has been providing new and expert adventurers with high-quality technical clothing that keeps everybody warm and dry no matter the conditions. So together, we've picked out five great outdoor expeditions around Victoria that showcase the very best of that state's natural landscape. Plan an unforgettable trip down to the southeast — just remember to pack a jacket. [caption id="attachment_717214" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Rob Blackburn.[/caption] GO FROM IGLOO TO SKIDOO This time of year, Victoria's High Country becomes covered in snow and frost, making it an ideal winter destination. One unconventional trip you can take is the Igloo to Skidoo tour, which leads you on a two-day journey through Mount Hotham's icy landscape and includes some delightful winter-warmer treats. Set off at sunset, and snowshoe your way through the backcountry, making your way to a hearty feast of French fondue. Stay in a remote eco-village as you slide into your plush, wood-heated snowdome and settle in for one of the best night's sleep of your life. In the morning, you'll wake up to a big brekkie before you round out your wintery escapade with a one-hour snowmobile tour through the sprawling alpine resort. GET SUBTERRANEAN AT BRITANNIA CREEK CAVES Formed thousands of years ago, the Britannia Creek cave system is one of only five found in the state. Featuring a series of huge underground granite boulders, this place isn't for the claustrophobic. The massive subterranean chasm exhibits flowing streams, phosphorus glow worms and tightly packed rock climbing to delight the keenest of explorers. This Adventure Caving experience is not for the faint of heart. Prepare to get grimy on your hands and knees as you squeeze and slide your way through dozens of obstacles. Less than a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, the Brittania Creek cave system is one of the best adventures you can have this close to the city. [caption id="attachment_717215" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Josie Withers.[/caption] TAKE AN OVERNIGHT KAYAK TREK Winding its way down from the Victorian Alps, the Ovens River is flanked by several scenic red gum forests and wetlands that are home to numerous threatened and endangered species. This Overnight Kayaking Adventure tour showcases many of the region's top features as you paddle down the river and make camp once the sun sets. Crowd around the fireside and crack open a beer beneath the sprawling, starlit sky. Kayakers can choose to use the Tarrawingee Camp Ground as a base, with food and equipment provided throughout the journey, or you can build your own adventure, launching from wherever you please and choosing how many days you'd like to paddle. Once you experience the Ovens River's serene atmosphere, you may be tempted to stay here forever. MILAWA GOURMET RIDE Renowned for its fantastic collection of wineries, pristine countryside and farm-to-table restaurants, Milawa can be found three hours northeast of Melbourne. It's also quite flat, making it ideal for taking a slow peddle through the charming community. The Milawa Gourmet Ride offers visitors a ten-kilometre return bike ride from the Brown Brothers Cellar Door to the Sam Miranda Winery. There's a wealth of gourmet cafes and eateries along the route that highlight the region's much-loved producers and growers, so make sure you stop in and grab yourself a finely crafted block of cheese or a perfectly made coffee. GRAMPIANS PEAKS TRAIL Undoubtedly one of Victoria's most spectacular regions, the Grampians are hard to beat when it comes to native scenery. The lakes, bushland and wildlife found here are simply remarkable. The Grampians Peaks Trail puts the very best on display. Covering 37 kilometres of astounding countryside, the trail is ideal for a multi-day hike. Plan your trek and take in some of the key highlights. Climb to the summit and admire the impressive view of the entire range, explore the ancient rock formations at the Grand Canyon and take in the views from Mount Rosea, which presents panoramic vistas that span across the Serra and Mount William Ranges.
Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of your favourite creative artist's studio? Field Trip is about as close as you can get to seeing them in action. Field Trip is a cross between a cooking demonstration and a music festival (minus the sweaty mosh pit) and will see seven artists share the secrets behind their signature work, and also recreate their designs through presentations and live performances. With a line-up that includes 3D paper extraordinaire Benja Harney, airbrusher-turned-digital-artist Nigel Buchanan, the sibling duo known for making embroidery cool again, MaricorMaricar, and font fanatic Gemma O'Brien, expect to walk away from Field Trip with a lot of ‘ah-ha’ moments. If the conference has your creative juices flowing, the Field Trip After Party at The Rose is your best chance to rub shoulders with the artisan of your choice.
If you live in Adelaide, you probably already think your city is the best place in Australia. For two days this spring, music fans across the country will share that view, too. Come November, the South Australian capital will play host to a brand-new — and huge — music festival called Harvest Rock, and it boasts one helluva lineup. Headlining the bill is Jack White, with The White Stripes frontman playing his only Australian show — and, at Rymill Park and King Rodney Park across Saturday, November 19–Sunday, November 20, he'll be joined by plenty of international talent. The Black Crowes, Khruangbin and Groove Armada are all on the roster, as are The Lumineers and Hot Chip. Yes, that's a lineup worth planning a weekend in Adelaide for. From the local contingent, Crowded House will bring a hefty dose of nostalgia — don't dream it's over indeed. The Avalanches sit among the other big drawcards, as do Courtney Barnett, You Am I and Tones And I. [caption id="attachment_865436" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mia Mala McDonald[/caption] Hailing from Secret Sounds, the crew behind Splendour in the Grass, Harvest Rock's two-day run will also place a big focus on the other part of its moniker: food. That'll include a dedicated stage for chef and bar stars to showcase their skills, a clear marquee serving up curated bites by chef Jake Kellie (arkhé, Burnt Ends), and a food truck park. Plus, the bar lineup is being curated by Australian wine critic Nick Stock, and features Archie Rose Distilling Co pouring spirits, wine tastings at a cellar door pop-up, a beer hall and a champagne bar. One watering hole will be a LGBTQI+ space, too, and there'll also be a booze-free bar for anyone keen on avoiding a post-fest hangover. HARVEST ROCK 2022 LINEUP: Jack White Crowded House The Black Crowes Khruangbin Groove Armada Sam Fender The Lumineers Tones And I The Avalanches Courtney Barnett Kurt Vile Angus & Julia Stone The Teskey Brothers Hot Chip Goanna Genesis Owusu The Living End Cat Power You Am I Meg Mac Marlon Williams Holy Holy Alex Cameron Ruby Fields Allen Stone Electric Fields TOWNS Slowmango Harvest Rock will take over Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, on Saturday, November 19–Sunday, November 20, with tickets on sale from 9am AEST on Wednesday, August 24. Top image: Paige Sara.
You may be acquainted with Nick Stathopoulos via his recent Archibald entry, Ugly, which controversially didn't make the 54 finalists. The portrait of author Robert Hoge, who was born with a tumour on his forehead and distorted facial features, wasn't chosen as a finalist, but did take out the People's Choice Award at the Salon des Refuses. The work in Stathopoulos's new exhibition, Anthropocene, is of a decidedly less photorealistic bent. This collection of paintings and sculptures was born out of hundreds of the artist's sketchbook doodles — and the result is a hodgepodge of the bizarre, the ethereal, the surreal and his previous toy obsession. It's easy to see why Stathopoulos also does science fiction cover art. There are skeletal things and giant balloon-like heads floating like clouds in the sky and desolate post-apocalyptic-type landscapes. An afternoon spent here would probably leave you feeling like you'd entered a strange other universe. Go on and drift away.
Even without sourcing and quoting an exact number, it's obvious that an immense amount of people owe their lives to Marie and Pierre Curie's research on radioactivity. Without their work — Marie's passion project, which she reluctantly agreed to collaborate on with Pierre after they first crossed paths in Paris — cancer treatment would've likely been vastly different over the past century. The results for scores of cancer patients would've been as well. But the pair's discovery of two new elements, radium and polonium, also led to disturbing side effects and cataclysmic events that changed the course of history in other ways. Radioactive touches upon both, from life-saving oncology usage and the ability to conduct x-rays on World War I battlefields to the bombing of Hiroshima and Chernobyl's nuclear reactor meltdown. It might seem strange for a biopic about Marie to leap forward at different moments, jumping to years and decades past her death in 1934, all to show how the physicist and chemist's work made and continues to make a colossal impact upon the world. But that's the most interesting thing about Radioactive: its willingness to contemplate both the significant benefits and proven dangers of Marie (Rosamund Pike, an Oscar-nominee for Gone Girl) and Pierre's (Sam Riley, Rebecca) pioneering discoveries. The latter is tasked with vocalising this battle in his acceptance speech for their shared 1903 Nobel Prize in physics, acknowledging the struggle but opining that "mankind will derive more good than harm". The film doesn't simply take him at his word, however. It shows his radiation sickness, and Marie's. It touches upon the backlash when news of radioactivity's health effects started becoming widely known. And those aforementioned flash-forwards to both positive and negative applications of the Curies' research keep the same conversation going, because Radioactive doesn't try to offer a right or wrong answer. Instead, as directed by Marjane Satrapi (The Voices), Radioactive recognises how the efforts of an astonishing woman have led to a complex array of outcomes. The movie doesn't weigh up saving the cancer-afflicted against deaths contributed to nuclear atrocities, but shows how they're both consequences of her work — and that, even though she died before some of the events mentioned above, Marie grappled with the pros and cons of her discoveries herself. This is such a crucial part of this adaptation of Lauren Redniss' graphic novel about the Curies, in fact, that it stands out in multiple ways. Curie deserves all the praise and acclaim that have been showered upon her, and this is an affectionate film, but Radioactive isn't a glossy exercise in hero worship. That said, the movie's complications and probing stem primarily from its unconventional line of thinking; take out the clips in a 50s hospital, in Japan, in the Ukraine and at a nuclear bomb test in Nevada in 1961, and a far less thoughtful feature would result. After an opening glimpse of an elderly Marie collapsing in her Paris laboratory, Radioactive heads back to 1893, where she's one of few female scientists in the French city. Expectedly given the era, she's reviled by her male peers and the decision-making powers-that-be — but a goateed Pierre has already heard of her when they meet-cute in the streets over a microbiology book. Marie is adamant that she be judged on her own merits, and that of her work, so she's resistant to his early professional advances. But the fact that she's kicked out of her existing lab space on the day she initially makes her future husband's acquaintance sets obvious wheels in motion. Being seen as an equal is a fight she'll keep waging, even after not one but two Nobel Prizes come her way. Pierre never regards her otherwise, but altering the scientific establishment and society in general's minds is a far tougher job. By design, it's dismaying how familiar Marie's treatment feels; her work has changed the world, but engraining gender equality as a given sadly doesn't rank among her achievements. The same can be said about the race-based attacks she's forced to weather, with her Polish background used as an insult to a chilling degree in early 20th-century Europe. Satrapi has brought similar themes and experiences to the screen before, as evidenced in 2007's Persepolis. Based on her own autobiographical comics about growing up in Iran and Austria both during and after the Islamic Revolution, it unsurprisingly felt far more urgent and personal — two traits that Radioactive lacks. From fast-paced montages of Marie and Pierre's scientific experimentation to snippets of their home life as their family expands with their fame, the process of detailing the Curies' lives largely takes on a routine air, with much of Jack Thorne's (Dirt Music, Enola Holmes, The Secret Garden) script reading from the biopic playbook. Thankfully, Radioactive looks as textured as its best moments feel, and sometimes as bold as well. That it springs from an illustrated text, and that Satrapi has experience in the medium herself, comes across in stylised frames shot by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (The Undoing) that could've leapt from a page. The film also benefits from not only Pike as Marie, but Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma) as the adult version of her eldest daughter Irène, another Nobel Prize-winner. There's a spiky determination to both — a willingness to forge on with doing the right thing despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles — that effortlessly links their performances. Of course, Radioactive also asks Pike to spend its first half asserting that Marie will never be defined by a man, then to spend its second struggling when Pierre is killed. That plays a little too neatly, but it's actually in tune with the many contrasts that sit at the film's core; something can be two things at once, after all, as Radioactive's rumination upon the Curies' discoveries firmly shows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVe_8CS6vU
The mornings have lost their icy chill. The weekends are getting sunnier. And — if you're like us — you might be feeling a little sluggish from all that raclette and cheese-wheel pasta and binge-watching Stranger Things 2. So, now's the perfect time to dust off your runners, get outside and start training. Keen to conquer your first fun run? Determined to beat those City2Surf hills that took the wind out of you this winter? Upping the stakes from a half- to a full-marathon? We've teamed up with Hahn to track down the most picturesque running locations in your city. Whether it's a waterside run in the CBD or a rainforest trail a short drive away, we've found it. And because we all need a little motivation to get those hearts pounding and those legs moving, we've also picked the best pub nearby to cooldown with a post-run beer. Balance is key. SYDNEY CBD: MRS MACQUARIE'S CHAIR THEN OPERA BAR Smack bang in the centre of the CBD is one of Sydney's most picturesque runs. Start in the Domain, jog up to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and continue around the sparkling harbour to the Sydney Opera House. Stop to take a photo (because how else can you prove you've been for a run if you don't document it on social media?) and continue around Circular Quay to The Rocks. If you're feeling extra active, we suggest running across the Harbour Bridge — the views alone make it worth the extra kilometre. When you're done, head back to Opera Bar for a cold pint. The best part? You can easily fit this run into your lunch break. SYDNEY FURTHER AFIELD: SPIT BRIDGE TO MANLY THEN HOTEL STEYNE If you, like many Sydneysiders, have jogged the Bondi to Bronte path a few (hundred) times, you're probably looking for somewhere less populated, but equally photogenic to visit. Look no further than the Spit Bridge to Manly trail. The 10-kilometre trek takes runners through the Sydney Harbour National Park, past small beaches and inlets and up high with elevated views over the city. If you stray off the track, you may run into Crater Cove's historic (and hidden) 80-year-old cabins. A word of warning: it's a hilly run (with more than a few steps) so we suggest packing plenty of water, a camera and your credit card, and heading toward the waterside Hotel Steyne for a cooldown dip and icy pint when you finish. MELBOURNE CBD: YARRA TRAILS THEN FORESTER'S The Main Yarra Trail, which runs from the northeast suburb of Eltham to Southbank, is a cool 33 kilometres. If you're up to this stage in your training, great — tie up those laces, slap on that Garmin and start jogging — but, if the thought of running that far fills you with dizzying, nauseating dread (we feel it), fret not. The Yarra Trails encompass a range of different length runs for different levels of fitness. Head to the lush Yarra Bend Park, a short ten-minute drive from the CBD, and pick your distance. You can head off on a quick one-kilometre jog around the oval or a seven-kilometre loop past Dight Falls. When you've finished, walk (or run) across to Forester's Beer & Music Hall for a pint and a parma (hot tip: the pub offers $5 parmas every night from 5–10pm). MELBOURNE FURTHER AFIELD: BLACK ROCK TO BRIGHTON THEN HALF MOON Black Rock may only be a 30-minute drive from the city, but its isolated location and stunning views over Port Philip Bay make it feel much further away. It's also the perfect place to go for an early morning run. Start the ten-kilometre track at the Black Rock Yacht Club, pass the Red Bluff Lookout, do some sand sprints on Hampton Beach and end at Brighton Beach's 82 colourful bathing boxes. If you're looking to extend your run, continue up the coast to Elwood beach or even further to St Kilda Pier. Once you're done, head back to Half Moon in Brighton. The rustic pub boasts six different dining areas where you can unwind with a pint. [caption id="attachment_593141" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Emily Davies.[/caption] BRISBANE CBD: THE RIVER LOOP THEN THE CHARMING SQUIRE A waterside jog isn't a bad way to spend a lunch break, especially when it's right in the middle of the CBD. How far you want to run is up to you, but we recommend kicking off on the southern side of Goodwill Bridge. After something short and sweet? Jog down to Victoria Bridge, over and back for a 3.5-kilometre loop. Something a bit longer? Head the opposite way to Story Bridge for a 6.5-kilometre loop. Getting close to completing a marathon? Look to the 35-kilometre Brisbane River Loop. It follows the river from South Bank all the way to Indooroopilly and back. When you're done The Charming Squire is serving up brews and views, waterside. BRISBANE FURTHER AFIELD: MOUNT COOT-THA THEN SUMMIT RESTAURANT & BAR Half-an-hour drive from Brisbane's CBD is Mount Coot-tha Forest — 1500 hectares of lush eucalypt forest. Inside this reservation, you'll find a heap of different running tracks. While the Brisbane City Council gives a full rundown of all your options here, these are a couple of our favourites. The Summit Track, a four-kilometre round loop, takes you from JC Slaughter Falls picnic area to Mount Coot-tha Lookout. It's a steep run up, but you'll be rewarded with an easy jog downhill on the way back. If you're more ambitious, there's a ten-kilometre loop that starts at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, heads across to the lookout, then follows Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, through the trees and back to the starting point. Since you survived, you deserve a beer and Summit Restaurant & Bar (next to the lookout) has some chilled for you. Top image: Brooke James Get outside and on a run now — there's an ice cold Hahn waiting for you at the end.
Ready for it? Whether you danced in the aisles at your local cinema or you haven't yet seen the concert film version of one of the biggest music tours currently traversing the globe, you'll be able to enjoy Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour at home from Thursday, December 14. Swifties, you'll be able to celebrate the pop star and newly crowned TIME Person of the Year's blockbuster film to celebrate the singer-songwriter's birthday. That falls on Wednesday, December 13 in 2023; however, with the time difference, Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour is hitting digital on the Thursday in Australia and New Zealand. If your wildest dreams have been about getting in on Taylor Swift's Eras tour since it was first announced, then the pop superstar comes bearing gorgeous and enchanted news, clearly — including while the movie is still in cinemas. Missed out on tickets to see Swift when she plays Melbourne and Sydney in early 2024? Consider this the next best thing. Look what the world made Swift do: turn her current massive tour into a movie that's also proven a smash, taking in almost $250 million at the worldwide box office since releasing in October, ranking it in the top 20 for takings so far this year. While fans have been able to experience a money-can't-buy view of the 'Shake It Off', 'We Are Never Getting Back Together' and 'Bad Blood' musician's gig — working through her entire career so far, playing tracks from each of her studio albums in a three-hour, 44-song, ten-act spectacular — on the big screen, the extended version is coming to digital. Accordingly, donning your friendship bracelets at home means seeing three songs performed that aren't in the theatrical cut. The IRL Eras Tour kicked off in March in the US, then headed to Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. Next on the list: Japan, Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Canada, a return to the US and, of course, Australia, all in 2024. Check out the trailer for Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film below: Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour is still in cinemas, and will be available to rent on digital from Thursday, December 14 in Australia and New Zealand. Read our review.
Come with us now on a journey through time and space, as Matthew McConaughey takes the top spot as heroic protagonist in the new Christopher Nolan film, Interstellar. The brand new (awesome) trailer can only be watched at Interstellar's newly launched website. Once you get there, you'll need a special passcode — '7201969' — the date Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Badass. The film sees McConaughey and fellow astronaut Anne Hathaway travel through a wormhole with the simple goal of saving humanity. The newly-released trailer gives a tiny insight into McConaughey’s character — an engineer and widowed father with two children — as well as vast landscapes of alien worlds and a spaceship hurtling through empty space. We can tell this is not going to be a smooth-sailing intergalactic ride, as McConaughey philosophises in the opening lines, "We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt." Cue goosebumps. The highly-anticipated film also stars Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace and Matt Damon. That’s one stellar Interstellar line-up right there (#sorrynotsorry). This is Nolan’s first film since wrapping up the Batman trilogy with The Dark Night Rises. Interstellar will be in cinemas November 7 and has a pretty killer poster lurking around: Via The Verge.
A fire has broken out at the historic Mosman Rowers on Centenary Drive, with the incident starting in the fireplace on the building's second level. Emergency services were called to the site earlier this morning, with large plumes of smoke seen coming from the three-level harbourside building. Fire and Rescue NSW reported that several crews and trucks were on-site and have since controlled the blaze. The fire was was contained to the second floor, the newly opened Archie Bear cafe. According to Mosman Rowers, all staff and customers were evacuated and have been accounted for. No injuries have been recorded. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvxh6lFg3Nk/ Mosman Rowers is one of the oldest sports clubs in Sydney, and, after falling into disrepair, had reopened just last month under the Bird & Bear Group. The club announced via its Facebook page that the venue would remain closed until further. Mosman Rowers is located at 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman, and will remain closed until further notice. Image: Mosman Girl.
Maybe you first heard of Peloton when US President Joe Biden took office, with his use of the company's technology-enabled equipment giving rise to questions about its potential White House security risks. Perhaps you've seen the mocking ad created by Ryan Reynolds' Aviation American Gin, or the Saturday Night Live spoof. Or, you could just really like expensive additions to your home gym setup, or getting guided through your workout routine by an instructor without having to leave the house. Whichever fits, Australians will soon be able to get their hands on the brand's indoor bikes — and, as of this week, you can now take part in its streamed classes as well. Back in March, the company announced plans to launch Down Under this year — and it's currently in the process of doing just that. First up: the Peloton app, which Australians can download now. It's where you'll find the company's popular workout content, including via a free trial for the next 90 days. After that, you can pay $16.99 per month to keep accessing its at-home exercise sessions via a digital subscription. On offer: instructor-led classes, motivational tracks and curated playlists, with the latter featuring the likes of Beyoncé and The Beatles. The sessions cover cycling, running, strength training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, barre, pilates, dance cardio, bootcamp and meditation. Time-wise, they span from five to 60 minutes in length and, in terms of skill, range from beginner to advanced. And if you'd like an all-access membership for your entire household — because your partner and/or housemates are keen, too — that'll cost $59 per month. Next, from Wednesday, July 14, Peloton will be roll out its physical equipment in Australia. Presumably, it won't be doing so by using its controversial 2019 TV commercial, which received considerable backlash and gave rise to the aforementioned parodies. Australians will be able to choose from two Peloton bikes to begin with, and neither comes cheap. The Peloton Bike will cost $2895, while the Bike+ will set you back $3695. If you're wondering what the difference is, the latter comes with a bigger screen that can rotate 360 degrees, and with a better sound system — because connecting to the Peloton app and streaming its workouts while you're hitting the pedals is all part of the process. The Peloton app includes material that doesn't require the brand's equipment, so you can give it a try without breaking your budget. Peloton is also setting up physical showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, should you want to give its bikes a test run in person. The brand also makes treadmills, although when they'll be available in Australia hasn't yet been announced. Now that Peloton has arrived Down Under, it has set up shop in its fifth country worldwide, after the US, the UK, Canada and Germany. The Peloton app is now available in Australia, and the brand's bikes will be available from Wednesday, July 14. For further details, keep an eye on the company's website.
This article is sponsored by our partners, Wotif.com. Going to the Whitsundays and staying in a hotel without an ocean view is a bit like going to Rome without seeing the Colosseum. It’s kind of the whole point. The good news is that, whether you’re begging and borrowing to make your trip possible or spending all of your life savings in one extravagant indulgence, there are options. Here’s a list of the Whitsundays’ most beautiful, stylish, secluded and romantic hotels. CORAL SEA RESORT, AIRLIE BEACH The 4.5 star Coral Sea Resort is so close to the ocean you can pretty much reach out of your hotel window and test out the water. On top of that, a teeny-tiny stroll along a waterside boardwalk carries you to the uber-hip, laidback village of Airlie Beach. Getting to the islands is merely a matter of walking in the other direction, to Abell Point Marina, where you can jump on a ferry. Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and Whitehaven Beach are all doable on a half-day or full-day jaunt. HAMILTON ISLAND REEF VIEW If your ideal tropical holiday involves snorkelling above coral beds, windsurfing from dawn to dusk or testing out your paddle skiing prowess, the 4 star Hamilton Island Reef View Hotel is the go. That’s because the hotel offers complimentary access to a bunch of non-motorised water equipment. So you can pretty much wake up, munch down on breakfast and be out on the water within a matter of minutes. If you’re not a fan of self-propulsion, there’s the option of hiring a golf buggy and cruising the island on wheels. Either way, the hotel pool, complete with waterside cocktail bar, is the place to kick back after a day spent adventuring. DAYDREAM ISLAND RESORT AND SPA For a holiday that’s all about relaxing and pampering, Daydream Island Resort and Spa has the goods. That’s mainly because it’s home to the Rejuvenation Spa, where signature treatments are on the menu — from 1.5-hour Caviar Facials to four-hour Mermaid’s Dream indulgences. You can spend your entire holiday lying around, but, if you decide to move, mini golf, volleyball and badminton are all on offer. Plus, the resort is right on the edge of one of the world’s biggest manmade coral reef lagoons. BREAKFREE LONG ISLAND RESORT To make the most of a stay at the 3.5 star Breakfree Long Island Resort, you’ll need to be very, very skilled at the art of doing absolutely nothing. That’s because as soon as you see their hammocks, you’ll want to lie in them all day long. That said, the island’s national park is home to more than 20 kilometres of walking trails, so you can roam if you want to. And there’s also volleyball and paddle boarding opportunities aplenty. For beverages, there’s a poolside cocktail bar and, for food, the onsite Palm’s Restaurant. PINNACLES RESORT AND SPA The 5 star Pinnacles is the full monty. If there’s someone in your life who you really, really want to impress or thank or hold captive forever and ever and ever (yourself, perhaps?), it’s the one. For a start, the rooms are 20 metres from the water, with panoramic views across Airlie Beach and the ocean. Second up, there’s an Endota Spa with a private verandah. If you want go the whole hog, opt for a two- or three-bedroom apartment with its own terrace Jacuzzi. BOATHOUSE APARTMENTS BY OUTRIGGER Wanna take a bunch of buddies or a whole football team or your mum, dad, sis and bro on holiday with you? And your cousins? Outrigger’s Boathouse Apartments, situated on the water at the shiny new port of Airlie Marina, have loads of space. If there are eight of you, check out the four-bedroom Penthouse apartments, featuring balconies and a rooftop spa. Host your own mini-Wimbledon at the resort’s private tennis court or chill out poolside. Book your Whitsundays escape now via Wotif.com.
If 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater wants to catch a wave, but doesn't feel like going to the beach, he can hop on a board at his inland surf ranch in Lemoore, California. Next time the surfing champ is in Australia, he'll be able to hang ten at a second facility on the Sunshine Coast. While no dates have been announced, the second surf ranch is set to open in Coolum, a 90-minute drive from Brisbane. It'll sprawl over a 510-hectare site, with 75 percent of the space dedicated to wetlands, public areas and lakes — although the surf ranch is clearly the main attraction. Like the Californian spot, the Sunny Coast's surf ranch will use the Kelly Slater Wave System — which, after taking ten years to develop, is crucial to the whole concept. It creates "repeatable man-made waves that convincingly deliver the power and shape of ocean waves most sought after by accomplished surfers, including a hollow barrel allowing for long tube rides". It was the impressiveness of these man-made waves that convinced surfing's governing body World Surf League (WSL) to acquire a majority stake in the Kelly Slater Wave Company (which created the wave technology and owns the Lemoore ranch) back in 2016. Opening more surf ranches was always part of WSL's plans — and, thankfully for us, it's launching the next one in Australia. [caption id="attachment_747864" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kelly Slater surfing at World Surf League's surf ranch in Lemoore, California.[/caption] As well as serving up all of the waves and none of the rips, unpredictable conditions and not-so-friendly sea creatures, the $1.1 billion development surrounding WSL's first Aussie ranch will also feature an eco-resort, a hotel, shops, a 'farm to plate' restaurant, serviced apartments, a sports centre, a school and houses. That means that you can head by for a surfing vacation or, if you're super-dedicated and have always wanted an excuse to pretend that you're in Point Break, you can move into the residential area. Like the Lemoore facility, the surf resort will be used for both competitions and coaching purposes. And if you're wondering why WSL has Queensland on its radar, the reasons are twofold. Firstly, surfing is set to become an Olympic sport at the Tokyo games next year. Secondly, the Sunshine State is contemplating putting in a bid for the 2032 Olympics. Australia already has a few man-made surfing spots for the public in the works, with Urbnsurf Melbourne launching this summer, and a Sydney location due to open next year. An outfit called Surf Lakes has also built a prototype spot at Yeppoon in regional Queensland, but it's only for testing — although the ultimate hope is that commercial versions will follow. WSL Surf Ranch is set to open in Coolum, Sunshine Coast. We'll let you know when exact dates are announced. Images: WSL Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California.
When the first Bourne movie premiered back in 2002, it was gratefully received as a dark and gritty counterpoint to the increasing absurdity of the James Bond franchise. While Pierce Brosnan's 007 was windsurfing an arctic tidal wave forged from the dislodging of a polar ice cap by a space laser (Die Another Day), Matt Damon's Jason Bourne was stabbing a man with a biro. While Bond was driving an invisible car through an ice palace, Bourne was being driven around by an unemployed German girl in a banged up Mini. The smaller, intimate scale of the films resonated with audiences no longer amused by special effects gimmickry, and pretty soon even Bond followed suit. Ten years and two films later, the main challenge for writer Tony Gilroy (who'd also penned the previous movies) was figuring out how to slot The Bourne Legacy into the franchise without actually featuring Jason Bourne. His nifty solution was placing Legacy concurrent with the events of Bourne Ultimatum, offering audiences continuity whilst also opening up new plots and characters. As a consequence, and even without the trademark shaky cam of Paul Greengrass, Legacy feels very much a part of the Bourne universe. Taking over the reigns from Damon is current action everyman Jeremy Renner. Part hit man, part chemistry experiment, Renner's character is every bit as capable, demonstrating the requisite Man vs Wild survival skills and MacGyver-like ingenuity that helped define the series. Where Legacy diverges is in its protagonist's motivation. Unburdened by the amnesia that underscored Bourne's ambition, Renner's character simply seeks the medication needed to sustain his above-average traits. It's less pedestrian than it sounds but also far less compelling or memorable than the earlier movies. In fact, less than a day after the screening, I couldn't for the life of me remember a single character’s name aside from Jason Bourne (who's not in it) and an incidental lab technician (who's, well…entirely incidental). That's not Renner’s fault, and in a roundabout way almost fitting for a film about nameless assassins. Joining Renner on his flight from the authorities is Rachel Weisz in a role not dissimilar from her fugitive scientist in 1996's Chain Reaction. Theirs is actually a more appealing relationship than Bourne's from the original, and it's refreshing to see a genuine male/female partnership in an action film rather than the traditional hero/damsel dynamic. Edward Norton is characteristically absorbing as the agent leading their pursuit, and the only real shocker is Aussie actor Shane Jacobson popping up in a cameo that offers the textbook definition of cultural cringe. Well-paced, full of action and with an engaging leading man, Bourne Legacy ensures we've not seen the end of the franchise just yet.
Chat Thai is the worst kept secret amongst us Thai people living in Sydney. With a focus on Thai street food and dishes that are meant to be for Thai palates only, Chat Thai was meant to be a Thai person's Thai restaurant. But when you do the mainstay favorites pretty well, and at very, very reasonable prices, it's inevitable that the cat will get out of the bag. If you want to try something new, sample the yen ta for ($10.90, lunch menu only), a radioactively pink vinegary soup, served with very thick rice noodles, garnished with fried wonton triangles, fried soft tofu, blood jelly and your choice of animal (pork, chicken, beef, seafood). For those who are less adventurous, the chilli fried rice ($14), padt si-ew ($13) or ki mao ($13) are excellent. Chat Thai has 5 varieties of som dtum (green papaya salad), which personifies the balance between the salty, sweet, sour and spicy elements Thai cuisine has become known for. This dish is often the yard stick for how Thai people rate a restaurant as the authentically complex flavors require expert mortar and pestle technique, knowing how to obtain a balance from the strong flavours. For the uninitiated start with the som dtum thai ($12) and venture onto the pickled crab or fermented fish variants ($13) when feeling brave. Also remember to specify your level of spiciness because the default is often too hot for most. To drink, it would be hard not have Thai milk tea ($4), but Chat Thai has turned Thai people's love of Yakult (yes, the probiotic drink) into an ice blend ($5) which is embarrassingly hard to resist. Located across from the Capitol Theatre, the open desert kitchen welcomes you in, with the bare brick walls covered with crayon artwork by a famous Thai comedian. If you've arrived during the dinner rush hour expect to be waiting at least 45 minutes or longer for a table; try and get in early and they might be able to offer you dishes still made from the lunch menu as well.
Not a company to stick strictly to the confines of the theatre, Urban Theatre Projects has launched a new immersive arts event that takes you on an adventure through Blacktown. Dubbed Right Here. Right Now., the unique experience is set to run from 6pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from November 1 to 17, delivering a smorgasbord of art, performance, film, music and food in the spirit of sharing contemporary Australian stories. The 'show' goes for 3.5 hours and will take you on a roving showcase of this dynamic pocket of Sydney, enjoying various local works and performances displayed across restaurants, arcades and public spaces throughout Blacktown's colourful Main Street. As part of the experience, you'll sit down to a communal feast, enjoyed side by side with a table full of strangers — or new friends, depending how you look at it — at some of the strip's best-loved eateries. Persian restaurant Dark Blue plates up a parade of Irani favourites, Abyssina Ethiopian Restaurant promises to impress with its authentic coffee ceremony, and Pameer Afghan Restaurant and Bakery delivers signature Afghani dishes against a backdrop of classic Afghani art. Tickets are $59 and include both show and dinner.
Daylesford is a haven of spa retreats, friendly pubs, roaring fireplaces and mountainous beauty. Nestled into the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and just a stone's throw from the healing powers of Hepburn Springs, it's lovely at anytime of year, but winter brings a special kind of magic. Rather than feeling like you should be out, relentlessly doing, you can shamelessly surrender to warm, cosy, heartening indulgences — from soaking in hot tubs filled with nutrient-rich mineral water to sipping craft ales by a roaring fire. Here's your guide to winter decadence in Daylesford and its neighbouring towns. Winter slips by quicker than you think, so make plans soon. WHERE BREAKFAST MEETS DESSERT The French sure know how to do a winter's breakfast: with hot chocolate. Follow their lead at the Chocolate Mill, a strawbale marvel 7km north of Daylesford that produces handmade chocolates. Peer into the open kitchen to witness the creators in action before claiming a table at the Hot Chocolate Cafe. Next stop, real breakfast. You'll get it with a stone fireplace at Moto Bean Coffee Roasters in Malmsbury, about 30 kilometres' north-east of Daylesford. Formerly a farmer's barn, this epic, industrial-inspired cafe is dotted with classic motorbikes and dedicated to roasting coffee beans. Tuck into an apple hotcake with whipped honey mascarpone, walnut crumbs and baby herbs. FUEL UP BY THE FIRE Come lunchtime, head to the Farmers Arms, where you can hide away in a booth or soak up some rays in the beer garden, accompanied by your dog. The menu is all about fancied-up pub classics, such as roasted pork belly with mash, broccolini, Harcourt apple cider jelly and red wine jus. Another spot where it's easy to while away a winter's afternoon is the Cosmopolitan in Trentham. This gorgeous 1866 pub, encircled by weatherboard verandahs, was rebuilt in 2009 following a 2005 fire. The extensive craft beer and local wine lists will keep you sampling for hours, plus, on Sundays, there's live music. Eats are gastropub-style — think smoked duck breast with grilled witlof, beans, kipflers, hazelnuts, sherry vinegar and maple dressing. If you want to treat yourself, then swing over to Kyneton – about 30km north-west – for dinner. At Source Dining, owner-chef Tim Foster serves up hatted creations, accompanied by a wine list that holds two Australian Wine List of the Year Glasses. Try the local beef tartare, with pickled farm beetroot, beetroot mayonnaise, cured yolk, fresh horseradish, salt and vinegar kale, and potato chips. Most produce comes straight from the kitchen garden. Alternatively, there are excellent woodfired pizzas at Olive Jones in Macedon. SOAK AND SINK INTO SPAS Every visit to Daylesford should involve a long, long soak in Hepburn Springs' warm, nutrient-rich mineral waters. Victorians have been onto this since 1895, when Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa was built. The complex, which scored a $13-million revamp in 2008, hosts two social pools, as well as private tubs for those keen to rejuvenate in peace. Once you've bathed, try drinking the waters: various springs are dotted around Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. Alternatively, at Salus Day Spa at Lake House Hotel, sink into a deep tub in a treehouse, surrounded by blonde timber and lush greenery. Also in Hepburn Springs is Shizuka Ryokan, a Japanese wellness retreat, inspired by ryokans: ancient inns where samurai warriors would go to rest and reflect. Don a kimono and wander around the minimalist grounds before settling in for a spa treatment – be it a Geisha facial based on 1200-year-old techniques or a shiatsu massage. FINE INDOOR PURSUITS Now that you're thoroughly relaxed, it's time to get arty at the Convent Gallery, a mansion turned convent turned gallery. Or get your hands dirty with a sourdough-making workshop at RedBeard Historic Bakery, Trentham, where the results will be baked in a massive 19th-century oven. If that sounds like too much thinking, get even more relaxed with a wine tasting session at Passing Clouds' stunning cellar door in Musk, just five minutes' drive from town, before continuing to Daylesford Cider Company for mulled ciders, made with organic apples, by the fire. THE COSIEST SLEEP SPOTS One of the hands-down best things about winter is snuggling in bed, ensconced in doonas, woollen blankets and piles of pillows. Add a roaring fire, and there's no going anywhere. Luckily, Daylesford and its surrounds are packed with dreamy retreats. At the luxe end of the scale is Clifftop At Hepburn, where private villas come with spectacular views, spas, stone hot tubs, massage chairs and fireplaces. Another collection of beautiful villas surrounded by bushland is Kudos. These architect-designed wonders offer fireplaces and spa areas that open onto private decks. To step back in time, sleep over at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel, built in 1935. There's a day spa onsite, with mineral water baths, heated to 37 degrees Celsius, stunning Italian gardens and Stuart Rattle-designed lounges, splashed with marble, leather and polished wood. Rooms vary from cosy classics to a four-bedroom villa built in 1864. For a stay in downtown Daylesford, book at Frangos. Think high ceilings, spa baths and quirky touches, such as hand-embroidered pillows, mirror walls and velvet bed heads. There's also an in-house Endota Spa. To explore more winter indulgences in the Daylesford region and get booking, visit the Wander Victoria website. Top image: Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel.
Sydney's iconic Portuguese chicken institution since 1989, Frango has opened its latest outpost in the Marrickville Metro, and to celebrate, it's hosting a Family Fun Fair on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8. Frango's first chicken shop was opened in Petersham in 1989 by the Fernandes family, who entranced chicken lovers in the Inner West with their signature hot, rich and creamy chilli sauce. It led to eight other locations — including Sydney's first-ever charcoal chicken drive-thru in Edmondson Park. Luis Fernandes Jnr, son of the Frango founders, and his wife Rima Fernandes are helming the business growth across Sydney, including this latest location in Marrickville. Luis grew up in the suburb and is passionate about bringing his family's legacy to the local community. Besides offering lots of parking options and longer opening hours, the Marrickville Metro location will offer all the same menu items as Petersham and is equipped with plenty of al fresco seating. Frango was an instant hit with Sydney chicken lovers over 30 years ago with its fusion of traditional Portuguese charcoal cooking and the rich flavours of the founders' Angolan heritage to produce succulent chicken. At the grand opening on Saturday, October 7, there'll be chicken slathered in the signature chilli sauce, of course, as well as face painting, balloons for kids and lots of freebies to take home. Two more stores are confirmed to be opening soon, and the family have said they are scouting more drive-thru locations so Sydneysiders all over the city can enjoy some charcoal chicken. Frango Portuguese Charcoal Chicken at Marrickville Metro is open from 10.30am–9pm from Monday to Saturday and 10.30am–8pm on Sunday. The Family Fun Fair is happening all day on Saturday, October 7.
Exercise is no longer limited to the gym, and alternative 'fun' workout trends just keep on coming. The latest in this long line is FloatFit, a floating fitness class created by UK-based water fitness company Aqua Physical. The class was introduced to Europe in 2017 and will now launch on Aussie shores as of this Saturday, November 3 — starting with a free class overlooking Sydney Harbour at the Cabarita Swimming Centre. The 40-minute class is exactly what it sounds like — participants will stand on a floating exercise mat in the pool and proceed through a series of yoga-inspired, high-intensity workouts. At the free Cabarita class, you can expect plenty of squats, mountain climbers and lunges in this full-body workout. While this much movement on your run-of-the-mill beach floaty sounds impossible, these patented AquaBase mats feature a textured surface for grip. Participants are also tethered to ropes to avoid an embarrassing tumble into the pool. Going forward, FloatFit classes will be available at six Belgravia Leisure locations around greater Sydney — including at the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, Camperdown's Victoria Park Pool, Baulkham Hills' Waves Fitness & Aquatic Centre, Liverpool's Whitlam Leisure Centre, Lidcombe's Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, the Drummoyne Swimming Centre and Cabarita Swimming Centre — and two Port Stephens aquatic centres in Salamander Bay and Mallabula. Additional classes will also take place at Bendigo's Faith Leech Aquatic Centre in Victoria. The free launch class at Cabarita is limited to sixty people and registration is a must, so head here to reserve your floating mat now.
Balmy spring nights, classic flicks and botanical-driven cocktails. If that sounds like your kind of midweek situation, you're going to want to snap up tickets to this month's Canvas Cinema series. The Golden Sheaf is teaming up with your mates at global gin brand Bombay Sapphire, hosting outdoor cinema screenings across four Thursday in October in the pub's fairy light-lit upstairs Canopy Bar. There's big love for inspirational classics in this movie lineup, kicking off with 2002 biographical drama Frida on Thursday, October 3. You'll also catch Academy Award-winning film, Lost in Translation (October 10), seminal hit Almost Famous (October 24) and a glimpse into the world of fashion photography with documentary, Bill Cunningham: New York (October 31). To match, Bombay Sapphire will be offering a range of gin and tonic options, complete with a diverse choice of garnishes, as well as cocktails like the rhubarb and vanilla gimlet. You'll enjoy it all from atop one of the Bombay Sapphire velvet couches, and you can get snacks delivered right to your seat, too. Tickets are just ten bucks, which includes the film screening and a gin and tonic on arrival. Further drinks and snacks are available to purchase on the night.
There's no shortage of museums in Germany. Berlin has a whole area dedicated to them, serious and important centres exploring the events of Second World War can be found all around the country, and separate spaces celebrate everything from currywurst and Easter eggs to lipstick and David Hasselhoff. The European nation's newest addition just might be its cutest, however — and a reason to make a dash to the Bavarian town of Passau, particularly if you're a dog lover. With a name like Dackelmuseum, there's only one four-legged critter that could be in the spotlight: the daschund. Also known as the Dachshund Small Residence, it boasts the world's largest collection of dachshund-related items. Inside, you'll find more than 4500 objects, and here's guessing that they're all as adorable as dachshund themselves. Drawing upon a collection compiled by florists Seppi Küblbeck and Oliver Stor over the course of 25 years, the museum steps through the history and impact of the sausage-shaped pooch in 21 display cases, with types, cultural references, music, toys and their connection to nobility all covered. Other topics include the dachshund as a muse — which is something anyone who has spent too long looking at the elongated doggos can relate to — plus dachshunds and beer, famous dachshunds, sleeping dachshunds and the 1972 Olympic mascot (who, you've guessed it, was a dachshund called Waldi when the event was held in Munich). Next time you're in Germany, you'd be barking mad to miss it. Images: Dackelmuseum
These days, there are plenty of places to find cheesy dishes and elaborate cheese boards — but there's nothing quite like purchasing a few quality wedges of hand-picked fromage, freshly sliced charcuterie and a matching bottle of wine to take away and dig into. Home to some of the largest cheese selections in the country, Sydney's cheese shops are defined by honest, passionate owners, an appreciation for Australian-made products and exceptional cheese options. From long-running historic operations in the CBD to small artisan cheese shops in Manly, we've put together a list of the best shops to pick up a slice or two — whether you're just after your go-to favourite or something fancy and new.
Drinking coffee is a lot like dating. The first taste: hot and strong, your heart begins to pound — you are energised by these blissful new senses. But inevitably, it has to come to an end. The coffee goes cold and the honeymoon is over. Your hot caffeine Casanova has turned into a cold crumpet. Sadly, this whole process can drag on. Weeks of flipping back and forth, too hot or too cold? While your friends find it easy to pick their perfect match, you struggle to make it past the cheap and easy 'instant' to be left wondering if it's all worthwhile? So for the hopeless coffee-obsessed among us or those just looking for an upgrade, head for The Rock's Aroma Festival, which is doing for coffee-lovers what speed dating did for singles. Now in its 12th year, for a whole day the finest barista's will be selling brews from around the world that are bound to please even the most fussy pallets. Ask the right questions, try before you buy and don't come on too strong. Spend the day browsing the exotic Latin quarter, the 'Oasis' of Turkish delights, Continental Europe's smooth aromas, the Orient of spicy Indonesia and then end up with a nice brew-next-door from down under. There are also teas, hot chocolate and cakes of all shapes and sizes so nobody goes home empty handed.
The northern beaches' dreamy beachside pub Harbord Hotel is hosting a month-long margarita and tostada pop-up throughout February. The tostadas are a classic mix of Mexican flavours created by Head Chef Adam Rust and made using locally sourced seafood. Think lobster, achiote chicken, crispy prawn or raw tuna tostadas, all on offer to enjoy in the pub's bright and sunny courtyard throughout the rest of the month. As for the margaritas, the beloved beverage has received an exciting twist with the help of one of Sydney's favourite dessert specialists. Alongside classic, spicy and Harbord Hotel specialty margs, there will also be Gelato Messina margaritas on offer using the gelato chain's fruitier scoops to create the perfect summer drink. The Classico marg combines lime sorbet, Blanco tequila, agave and sea salt, while the Blood Orange Anejo is pretty self-explanatory with blood orange sorbet, Anejo Tequilas, mezcal mist and an orange slice. All up there are nine flavours of margaritas ranging from $18-22 for you to try alongside the tostadas. The bar will be serving up this food and beverage combo every weekend this month from midday until late.
Bearhug's first album has been hotly anticipated since they were featured on 2009's Spunk Singles Club. In 2010, they released their EP To Anything and have since landed supporting spots alongside the likes of Built to Spill and Broken Social Scene. With all of that initial work behind this Aussie group, it is finally time for Bearhug to perform their first album Bill, Dance, Shiner, which was released this March. Expect quirky, quality indie rock that vacillates between classic rock guitar and dreamy melodies. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rk9WOTwtUO8
Easily taking out the title for the cutest and fluffiest fundraising initiative of the year, Pawgust is doing the real good work — raising money for Guide Dogs, while letting you spend some quality time with your best four-legged pal. It costs more than $50,000 to raise and train a Guide or Assistance Dog, and these pups are dearly needed by those they assist. There are over 450,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision, and to them, Guide Dogs are often a constant companion providing a vital service. Pawgust is a simple premise, but a sweet one: just walk your dog. Spend 30 minutes every day walking your doggo, for 30 days, or the whole month of August. Registering for Pawgust means you'll get sent a pedometer to use to measure your steps and how far you travel with your furry mate all up – half an hour is approximately 2km, so seems likely you'll make some decent tracks. The other side of the challenge is a little less dog-friendly: raising funds. Reach out to the people in your life who like dogs (or just like you) and get them digging into their pockets – if you're stuck for ideas, the pack you receive upon registering has some ideas and plans for how to reach out. If you're reading this dogless, that's okay too: you can just walk alone, or enlist a human two-legged friend to do it with you. There are even prizes up for grabs for those who raise the most funds or walk the greatest distance, but let's face it — achieving something pretty cool with the help of your dog is probably its own reward. To register you and your pup for Pawgust, head to pawgust.com.au.
Former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning has announced a huge, 17-date national tour — including several all-ages shows — to promote his debut album, Battleships, out June 7 on Dew Process/Universal. It's been a long wait for Fanning fans (which, in keeping with the precedent set by Beliebers and Directioners, we'll henceforth be calling Fan-nings), with this tour their first opportunity to see the great man since Powderfinger's farewell tour in 2010. He'll be traversing the country, from Nambour to Hobart, along with his special guests, Big Scary and Vance Joy. And if you're in Townsville on August 17, you'll get a special mini-festival when that already-awesome lineup is bolstered by The Rubens, The Medics AND Snakadaktal. With Fanning also announced for Splendour in the Grass following hot on the heels of the release of the album's debut single (and title track), it's sure to be a busy few months for one of Australia's favourite songwriters. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 7, via an exclusive fan club presale through bernardfanning.com. The Telstra Thanks presale is available from Wednesday, May 8, before the public on-sale kicks off on Friday, May 10. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fi8OciiVIA4
UPDATE, May 7, 2021: Us is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. With his Oscar-winning directorial debut Get Out, Jordan Peele gave the world a powerful metaphor for everyday, engrained oppression. In the sunken place, the film's black characters are sent falling down an endless rabbit hole while their lives are controlled by wealthy white folks. African Americans are forced to watch from a cavernous expanse of darkness, all as someone else pulls their strings. Robbed of agency, they become passengers in their own journey, rather than drivers of their fate. The movie's brilliant blend of scares and social satire gives more flesh to the scenario, but the mechanics are straightforward: one race is sent plummeting; the other climbs higher through their subjugation. Peele's concept isn't a one-time idea, as his sophomore film shows. Us doesn't feel like Get Out redux for even a split second, but it does give another clever and chilling dimension to the notion of flailing versus prospering — and another example of who's doing both. This time, the writer-director puts class under his magnifying glass, while still training his gaze firmly at his country. It's not by accident that the movie's title can be read as U.S., aka the United States. That's not supposed to escape anyone's attention. Perhaps the greatest trick that Peele pulls, however, is slicing into the horror of just peering in the mirror and thoroughly detesting what's looking back. After a quick glimpse at an ad for 80s charity campaign Hands Across America, Us' 1986-set prologue sends a young girl (Madison Curry) into an actual house of mirrors. "Find yourself" the funhouse at the Santa Cruz beachside amusement park promises. She does, although not in the usual way — and as flashbacks remembered by the adult Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) reveal, she's left forever shaken by the process. In the present day, Adelaide returns to the Californian spot with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex). She's wary and worried as her family pals around on the beach with their better-off friends, the Tylers (Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon and Noelle Sheldon). Later, Adelaide tries to explain her visible unease to Gabe, confessing that she has always felt as if her other self was coming for her. With the arrival of the Wilsons' doppelgängers on their driveway that night, her words are proven accurate. Decked out in matching red jumpsuits, wearing lone tan gloves and clutching golden scissors, the sinister doubles call themselves 'the tethered' — and they're here to cut that name to ribbons. What begins as a tense, terrifically staged home invasion soon becomes much more, as Adelaide and her loved ones face off against their murderous counterparts. The terror that follows boasts more angles than the reflective maze that starts this unnerving story. It also contains more twists and turns than the abandoned and unused tunnels buried beneath the U.S., as pointedly referenced in the film's opening title card. Finally, it features more meticulously deployed pop culture references and nods than might be expected in a movie that remains so thoughtfully distinctive. Us is a creeper in multiple senses of the word. It's disquieting from the outset (even more so when it spends its opening credits staring at caged rabbits), but Peele knows how to let that unease fester and grow. While the 'master of suspense' label was bestowed decades ago, the comedian-turned-filmmaker is just as devastating at cultivating distress as Hitchcock or any other iconic horror or thriller director. He's similarly adept at using every tool in his arsenal. After giving It Follows such a disconcerting look, cinematographer Mike Gioulakis does so again here, especially while shooting in domestic spaces. Aided by a few choice song selections that range from NWA to the Beach Boys, Get Out composer Michael Abels conjures up another needling score designed to set viewers on edge. But it's the way that Us' agitated, anxious mood refuses to dissipate that marks the movie as something special. The narrative and its ideas are undeniably creepy and, even when some aspects initially seem a tad too obvious, the film resonates long after viewing. Us' tone, images and sounds reach further, however, truly and deeply creeping under the audience's skin. The simple sight of four shadowy figures looming over a house in the dark of night instantly demonstrates how effective Us is in a visual sense. Choreographed movements of the balletic, stilted and frantic kind do as well. They also highlight Us' other key element, because central to the malaise is Peele's cast. Their characters might battle themselves, but the actors never do the same, always making their dual roles feel like individual creations. If Daniel Kaluuya can earn an Academy Award nomination for Get Out, there's no reason that Nyong'o can't achieve the feat for her twin parts as both a fraught, complex victim and a calm, unrelenting aggressor. Her performance as Red, Adelaide's mirror image, is as delightfully disconcerting and affecting as the doppelgänger's gravelly, haunted voice. From Duke's transformation from goofy dad to non-verbal brute, to Joseph's expressiveness as both a too-cool teen and a psychopathic killer, to a particularly flighty then unhinged turn from Moss, Nyong'o is also in great company. Of course, that's one of the movie's mischievous tricks: as it delves into the divide between 'us' and 'them', it puts everyone in the same unsettling situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bavqDA_3vIo
Located within walking distance of Allianz Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground, this fixture of Woollahra has been a natural sports fan favourite for decades. Since it first opened in the 1880s, the building has gone through many renovations, but don't worry, this latest glow-up, completed in November 2024, retains the classic pub feel that locals have fallen in love with over the decades while bringing in many modern touches. Spread over four floors, there's something different for punters to discover on each level. The ground-floor Brigade Bar remains a stalwart feature of the venue, matching the exterior's casual pub look. On the first floor, customers can find laidback dining at Brigade Bistro, while the second floor is home to the intimate Brigade Lounge featuring a cocktail bar draped in art deco flair inspired by the 1920s. The stunning city skyline views from the Brigade Rooftop terrace are reason alone to visit, but you'll stay for the playful cocktails, colourful beach-style umbrellas and terracotta furniture that transports guests to a Miami pool club. A new menu - created by Chefs Jamie Gannon and Grant Stevenson - continues to bring the pub feel with crowd-pleasing favourites alongside Italian-inspired options like papperardelle carbonara and woodfired pizzas. The pub also offers specials every day of the week to make eating out that much easier on your wallet, including $22 Steak Night and Margarita deals to celebrate the end of the week, while kids also eat for free seven days a week. With late night trading hours (which are a rarity for the area), the venue is set to redefine itself as an eastern suburbs nightlife hotspot. This Woollahra hero may be under new management, but everything you love remains - now with a new look sure to keep visitors coming back for decades to come.
Since 2017 in Brisbane, crooning tunes at the pub with a drink in your hand is no longer just something that you do with your mates when you've had enough liquid courage. It's the whole idea behind Pub Choir, which started out in the Queensland capital, still hosts local shows regularly and has also taken its boozy communal karaoke setup on the road around the country. It pivoted to the couch to keep everyone entertained during lockdown, too, and has made the leap to television as well. Over the past five years, Pub Choir has gotten big, unsurprisingly. It's a fantastic concept. So, it no longer just pops up in pubs, but in huge venues — such as Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall at its most recent homegrown session at the end of June, where 1600 strangers showed up to sip, sing and be merry. The song they were belting out? None other than the current tune of winter, and of 2022, even though it was initially released 37 years ago. That'd be Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)', which has surged back to popularity thanks to its prominence on Stranger Things season four. If you've seen the Netflix hit's latest episodes, you'll know why. [caption id="attachment_809627" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacob Morrison[/caption] Busting out that track in that way must've been something special. It looks like it on the video from the event, which you can find below. But the fact that Kate Bush saw it and loved it as well takes the whole thing up several hills worth of levels. Pub Choir's organisers posted a picture of the email they received from Bush herself after she'd watched their 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' video. The British singer noted that she's been busy, understandably, but that she was incredibly touched by everyone's "warmth and smiling faces". If that doesn't boost Pub Choir's numbers — not that they need boosting, given that the event already sells out quickly — than nothing will. Reacting to the note, the Pub Choir team said "life as we know it is over, and all that remains is this email from KATE. BUSH. Happy Kate Bush Saw Our Video Day, everybody!!!!!". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pub Choir (@pubchoir) If you want to be like Bush — and don't we all — you can watch Pub Choir's 'Running Up That Hill' efforts below now. Brisbane also plays host to The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever each year, where a different Bush track — 'Wuthering Heights', obviously — is in the spotlight. 2022's event takes place on Saturday, July 30 if you want to show your Kate Bush love, and dressing up in a red dress, red stockings and black belt to copy Bush's swaying, kicky dance in the wily, windy moors of Milton's Frew Park is a must. Sydneysiders are getting their own 'Wuthering Heights' event on the same day, in Sydney Park in St Peters — and the same concept applies. For more information about Pub Choir — including upcoming dates around the country — head to the event's website.
Australia is getting its first Pride Centre. About time. After announcing the idea as part of the 2016/17 budget, the Victorian Government has revealed the centre's location: St Kilda. 79-81 Fitzroy Street will become a community hub dedicated to highlighting queer art and history; bringing together advisory, health and support services; providing community spaces and offering a safe environment. It'll be modelled after San Francisco's LGBTI Community Centre, though that's just a starting point. In fact, the government is thinking bigger than its US predecessor when it comes to size. The St Kilda spot was chosen after extensive consultation with the LGBTI community to find the right site, although, given that the suburb has played host to the annual Pride March since 1996, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Currently vacant, it has been secured for at least the next 20 years. The government has pledged $15 million towards what'll be called the Victorian Pride Centre, with work expected to begin in the next 12 months. "We will own this site in perpetuity — and march by it every Pride March knowing it is ours," offered Victorian Pride Centre Board Jude Munro AO. "The Pride Centre is long overdue — it is exciting news for the LGBTI community and yet another welcome addition to St Kilda," said Victorian Minister for Equality Martin Foley. "Our LGBTI community has a lot to be proud of, I congratulate everyone involved and we looking forward to see the site come to life."
To say 2020 has been a tough year is an understatement, but it's worth reiterating that the impact on the hospitality industry may continue long after business has returned to 'normal'. Long gone are the days when you could rock up to a restaurant without a reservation, or enter a venue without signing in via a QR code and a customary squirt of hand sanitiser. We all know the new rules, and it's important that we still follow them to ensure our hospo friends can keep going. With varying restrictions in place in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, we wanted to find out how businesses are navigating the new normal. In partnership with Square, we've spoken with four business owners to find out how they've adapted, and what lessons they've learnt along the way. Here's what they said. "YOU NEED TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF TO HELP OTHERS" When COVID-19 restrictions were first announced, Made Well Group (Falco, Bar Liberty and Capitano) Director Michael Bascetta wasn't sure if his business would make it through to the other side. The Melbourne-based group moved quickly to create online stores for all three businesses, cross-promoting products between them. Falco shifted from solely selling bakery goods to also serving wine and meals from its sister restaurants. It also sold vouchers that could be redeemed across any of its stores, and offered bonus credit through a buy-now-eat-later scheme, as well as store merchandise. Bascetta says the biggest thing he's learnt during this period is that "you need to look after yourself in order to help everyone", and the co-founder says how grateful he is for his customers' support during such a difficult time. Moving forward, Falco will continue to cross-promote products between all venues within the Made Well Group, while continuing to serve delicious, house-made baked goods, which can be purchased in-store, online and through vouchers. "MAKE PRACTICAL DECISIONS TO SEE THE TEAM THROUGH" The first thing the team at Black Star Pastry did when COVID-19 restrictions were announced was to shutter all five stores across Sydney and Melbourne. The bakery, which is famous for its Strawberry Watermelon Cake (aka 'The World's Most Instagrammed Cake'), was forced into a new normal of online ordering, delivery and reduced trading hours. General Manager, Josef Murray, says in the early days he relied heavily on "taking the emotion out of the thought process" and "making practical decisions to see the team through". In line with varying restrictions across Victoria and New South Wales, the stores each had a different approach to the pandemic. In Victoria, under heavier restrictions, the stores launched a Melbourne-wide delivery service, while in Sydney it focused on improving the online ordering and cake collection experience. "While cake is inherently a celebratory snack, it's also a tremendous comfort during tough times," says Murray. "We are so pleased that we've been able to reopen and do our bit to bring joy to people's days in a time when we all need to savour the sweet things in life." HAVE A CAN-DO ATTITUDE "Every day really was a new day," says Nicolas Pestalozzi, Co-Founder of Fishbowl. "We were shocked. We'd never expected this curveball, but also felt confident that we could find a way to not only push through to make the most of lockdown but also to evolve and move forward." Pestalozzi and his team's can-do attitude allowed the Japanese-inspired salad bar to shift its in-store operations (going cashless, implementing the 1.5-metre distancing rules within the store and having designated hygiene marshals), as well as expand its online presence. The team began focusing heavily on digital ordering through its website and delivery apps, and created a brand new e-store named Fish-Shop. This newly created online store sells market-fresh sashimi boxes, whole fish, oysters and other Australian seafood, allowing the business to expand from the takeaway space and into catering. "Fish-Shop only came about with the closure of our stores," says Pestalozzi. "Our Feed The Frontline initiative also gave our customers the chance to order Fishbowl delivery and nominate a medical worker, friend doing it tough, hospital or teacher for a free meal," he says. "Our customers transitioning to digital has been really positive and once we have in-store traffic back to normal, we will hopefully be in a better position coming out of this than we were going in." HAVE A STRONG, MOTIVATED TEAM As Barrel One Coffee Roasters Co-owner Samuel Graham discovered "adaptation is key, and running off four hours' sleep is doable." The Sydney Northern Beaches coffee shop was able to adapt quickly to the changes imposed in March, and it went cashless as soon as restrictions were enforced. Barrel One began using Square's contactless payment system, which allowed for speedy in-store transactions and resulted in shorter lines, which made physical distancing even easier. The team also launched its weekend Breakfast Box service, which allowed customers to create their own Barrel One breakfast at home with a box of goodies delivered to their doorstep. The boxes were filled with bagels, smoked trout, cream cheese, avocado and more. Graham says his biggest lesson from the pandemic is the importance of having a strong and motivated team, and being able to create stronger connections with his customers. "Our staff are the backbone of our venues and they continue to operate at the forefront of the forever changing situation we find ourselves in. But, we are all connecting with our customers that little bit more, which is really nice," he says. "It's something I hope will stay long after this is all over." Find out how Square is supporting small businesses with the tools they need to grow, here. Top image: Falco's team L–R: Manu Potoi, Christine Tran, Michael Bascetta and Casey Wall.
Clare Smyth has achieved a lot during her career as a chef. Her London restaurant Core was awarded two Michelin stars, Smyth was named the World's Best Female Chef at the 2018 World's 50 Best Restaurants and she cooked at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Smyth also worked at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV (both three Michelin starred-restaurants), guest judged on Netflix's The Final Table and, locally, appeared on MasterChef Australia. But expect to see a lot more of her soon — the highly lauded chef set to open her first Australian restaurant in Sydney next year. Set to open in February 2021, the unnamed restaurant will be located in the Crown Sydney — yes, James Packer's controversial $2.4 billion casino and hotel — which is also set to launch on that date. [caption id="attachment_759287" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Food Story Media[/caption] While details on what exactly Smyth will be plating up are scarce for now, she says it'll have a similar emphasis to Core on "sustainable food sourced from local farmers and food producers". "The quality and diversity of the produce available in Australia is incredible." Smyth said in a statement. "I look forward to spending a lot of time [in Australia] further exploring its food and wine regions to create our menu which will showcase the best produce sourced from Australia's most dedicated farmers and food producers." Smyth's Aussie venture will be just one of 14 bars and restaurants opening at the Barangaroo site, with the other big-name chefs set to be announced in the coming months. Details are firmly under wraps at the moment, but we've been told "some of the most exciting names in the culinary food scene" from Australia and abroad will be involved. We'll let you know as soon as any more are announced. Clare Smyth's so far unnamed restaurant is set to open in Crown Sydney, Barangaroo in February 2021. Top images: Core by Food Story Media
Street art enthusiast and fine art teacher Lou Chamberlin has spent a good part of the last decade documenting the creative work that has graced laneway walls all over Melbourne. Her latest book, Street Art: Melbourne, includes photographs of everything from stencils to yarn bombing. The street art movement has not blossomed in Melbourne alone, of course; it has become a global phenomenon that shows no sign of slowing down. Lou believes that this positive reaction has a lot to do with the accessibility of this type of art. "It has been likened to pop art and how that was a reaction to the very intellectual and academic art that was being put in galleries," she says. "I think the same thing was happening with postmodernism, it was becoming difficult for people to understand. That's why I think street art is such a revolution; it's giving art back to the masses." Lou also believes that the temporary nature of this art form is also very appealing to both passers-by and artists alike. "The artists do not have a sense of preciousness. Their work is expressive and serves a purpose, but when it's gone, it's gone." Street Art:Melbourne is not Lou's first book dedicated to street art photography; she has previously released Street Art: Rio and Street Art: Valparaiso. She has recently returned from a trip to New York, where Banksy is currently working as an artist in residence, selling his stencils for $60 a pop and driving around in a livestock truck filled with wailing stuffed toy animals. "I was three blocks away when that happened!" says Lou. "I'm working on a book for New York now. I think I'll do one for Berlin soon; there are some absolutely enormous walls with the best artists working there.” Lou’s favourite street art lane in Melbourne is Hosier Lane, but she also recommends that we keep our eye on Artists Lane in Windsor for some exciting new pieces. Out of the hundreds of street artists work she has snapped, she has her favourites both from the local and international scene. "I love TWOONE, I like the quirkiness of Ghostpatrol. I love Ears, he's a Sydney-based artist. Internationally I like Herakut, and Blu." Lou says that she has noticed a change in practice and in quality of street art in Melbourne over the last eight years. "It's become more complex," she says. "I think it's become more collaborative, as there are more groups of artists working together on particular walls. And the quality has become a lot stronger, a lot better." We had Lou tell us about six or her favourite works of Melbourne street art that no longer remain. All the photographs are from her book Street Art: Melbourne, out on November 1 through Explore Australia Publishing, RRP $39.95, and used with permission. "This stencil is one of the first to pique my interest. I photographed it in Rutledge Lane in Melbourne's CBD in 2006. I was so impressed by it that I used it in a secondary school art textbook as an example of contemporary art borrowing from the past to make a social comment." "This glorious work by German duo Herakut was painted in Union Lane in Melbourne's CBD in February this year. It has since been slowly covered by tagging so that only one eye and the top of the head remain. Herakut were in Melbourne painting an enormous wall as part of their global Giant Storybook Project." "This collaborative piece by Ears and Adnate adorned the wall of a small lane in Fitzroy for a short time. I love the way it fragments and reassembles the features of the face. It's almost a 21st-century twist on Picasso's Cubism." "Ghostpatrol has painted some wonderful commissioned walls in Melbourne's inner suburbs. I photographed this one in 2008. It was repainted by the same artist in 2012. It's very interesting to see how artists' styles and subject matter change over time." "Owen Dippie (known internationally as OD) painted this portrait of Heath Ledger as The Joker in Hosier Lane in 2012. I've just been to New York where I saw an enormous piece by OD at the fabled (and soon to be demolished) 5Pointz in Brooklyn. His photorealist style is readily recognisable." "It doesn't get much more transient than this! I was fortunate enough to be walking down Swanston Street one night when the Taiwanese artist who uses the title Splash Baron was painting in water. His animal characters lasted about 10 minutes before disappearing forever." Street Art: Melbourne by Lou Chamberlin, published by Explore Australia Publishing.
