With innovative startups taking centre stage in the tech industry, it was only a matter of time before the ideas behind creative culture, technology and entrepreneurship converged. Creators of the website Culture Label observed this trend with fascination and created Remix, a conference that focuses on the growing entwinement of technology and cultural consumption. The global summit is making a stop at Carriageworks and features two days of lectures, panels and masterclasses from some of world's best and brightest creative leaders. With over 75 speakers, the variety of industries they represent is vast. Presenters include Fabien Riggall, founder of the massive Secret Cinema in London; Tom Uglow, creative director of Google's Creative Lab; and Louise Herron, CEO of Sydney Opera House. These corporate leaders and creative entrepreneurs come together to talk about how they can use the challenges they face in their business sectors to grow their industries in the future. Initially launched in London, the Remix global summit aims to explore the digital culture in some of the most influential cities in the world, including New York, Hong Kong and Dubai.
So far in December 2020, Australia has experienced heat, snow and a patch of wet weather that has caused a Byron Bay beach to erode. That's an erratic set of conditions — so if you're wondering what Friday, December 25 has in store, that's understandable. Is a sweltering hot Christmas on the cards, or is it literally set to rain on everyone's festive parade? According to the Bureau of Meteorology, most of the country's capital cities will fall in the middle of those extremes. On the east coast, it'll be warm, but not sweltering, and either cloudy or mostly sunny. If you're still making barbecuing, beach-going and festive-feasting plans, take note. In Sydney, a maximum of 28 degrees is currently forecast, with a medium (30–40 percent) chance of showers and rain possible across the partly cloudy day. It'll also be a little windy, with northeasterly gusts getting up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. Conditions are expected to be mostly the same on Wednesday, December 23 and Thursday, December 24, too. For Melburnians, prepare for a mild Christmas — with the mercury only set to reach 21 degrees maximum (and with a minimum of 12 degrees predicted). Like Sydney, the Victorian capital will be partly cloudy and experience winds up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. There's only a 20-percent chance of rain or a shower, though. In Brisbane, it'll also be cooler than usual. Yes, we know that 25 degrees isn't exactly cold, but it's much, much milder than usual Brissie summer weather. It's also cooler than the temps leading up to December 25, which'll range from 27–33 across the week prior. The temperature isn't forecast to fluctuate much on Christmas day, with a minimum of 21 degrees expected. Also, it'll be cloudy, with light winds and a 50-percent likelihood of showers interrupting your game of backyard cricket. https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1339866903884513282 Over in the west, Perth will be hot, getting up to 31 degrees — although, given that temps of 38 and 39 degrees are forecast between Tuesday, December 22–Thursday, December 24, it's likely to feel like a cooler reprieve. There is little expected chance of rain, at just five percent, but winds up to 15–20 kilometres per hour are possible on what's predicted to be a mostly sunny day. Folks in Adelaide can expect sun, warmth and wind. It'll be mostly sunny, like Perth, while the mercury will hit 29 degrees and gusts will get up to 25–35 kilometres per hour. Meanwhile, Darwin looks set to be the hottest state capital for Christmas, getting to 32 degrees with showers, light winds and a possible thunderstorm — and Hobart will be the coldest, at just 16 degrees, with a 40-percent chance of morning rain and winds of up to 15–20 kilometres per hour. And in Canberra, it's expected to hit 28, with a medium (30–40 percent) chance of showers and rain possible and gusts getting up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. Of course, while these are BOM's forecasts just under a week out from December 25, conditions may change — so keep an eye on the Bureau's website for the most up-to-date information. For further details about the Bureau of Meteorology's Christmas forecasts, head to the BOM website.
Sydney, it's your time to play the most entertaining game of "what if?" there is, especially if you love classic tales, pop songs and sensational musicals. Whether you studied it in high school or just obsessed over Baz Luhrmann's glorious 90s movie, everyone knows how Romeo and Juliet ends — and it doesn't conclude happily for either of its eponymous star-crossed lovers. But what if it didn't wrap up that way? What if Juliet lived to love again? And what if her experiences from there, after thwarting theatre's greatest tragedy, involved a whole heap of earworm tunes from the last couple of decades? The answer to how all of that might turn out already exists, all thanks to Olivier Award-winning jukebox musical & Juliet. A hit in London's West End since 2019, it remixes the iconic love story in multiple ways — tinkering with its narrative and throwing in all that toe-tapping music. And, the Shakespeare-meets-pop spectacle is playing at Riverside Theatres this October. If you're now thinking "wherefore art thou?" about & Juliet's setup, it picks up after the ending we all know doesn't eventuate. And, it muses on what might happen if Juliet could choose her own fate instead. That scenario involves Anne Hathaway — no, not that one — and her husband William Shakespeare, and features songs by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Robyn, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Kelly Clarkson and more. Tunes that get a spin: 'Larger Than Life', 'I Want It That Way', '... Baby One More Time', 'Show Me Love', 'Oops!... I Did It Again', 'As Long As You Love Me', 'Stronger', 'I Kissed a Girl', 'Since U Been Gone', 'It's My Life', 'It's Gonna Be Me' and a whole heap of others. The common factor between them all is Swedish songwriter Max Martin, who penned or co-penned every track on the musical's soundtrack. As well as Martin's involvement — including as one of & Juliet's co-creators — the musical features a book by the Emmy-winning Schitt's Creek writer and The Big Door Prize creator David West Read. And if you're wondering about the show's shiny Olivier Awards, it was nominated for nine for its West End debut season, and nabbed three: for Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tho82JYwz0s[/embed]
On Friday, June 25, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick Local Government Areas in Sydney will be placed under stay-at-home orders for a week in a bid to stop the spread of Sydney's latest COVID-19 outbreak. The outbreak began on Wednesday, July 16, and has seen case numbers grow daily — including 11 new cases yesterday and 17 so far today. The list of exposure sites has been expanding rapidly as well. The stay-at-home conditions are scheduled to start at 11.59pm tonight, Friday, June 25, and run until at least the same time on Friday, July 2. They'll apply to people who live in the four LGAs — and also to anyone who works within them as well. The restrictions include the reinstatement of the four reasons to leave your home, which should be familiar from 2020. Still, the list of things you can and can't do can be a bit overwhelming, so we've broken it down for you. This information is correct as of Friday, June 25. For what reasons am I allowed to leave the house? Remember those four reasons announced back in March 2020? Yes, that long ago. Well, they've been reintroduced. So, folks who either live or work in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick LGAs can only leave home for work and study if you can't do it from your house, for essential shopping, for exercise — outdoors in groups of ten or fewer — and for compassionate reasons, which includes emergency medical treatment. Otherwise, everyone must stay at home. However, there are no restrictions on when you can go shopping or go out for exercise, and there's no curfew. You can find out more on the NSW coronavirus website and the NSW Health website. For how long can I leave the house? There are no limits on how long you can leave the house, including to exercise or to shop for groceries and other essentials. There are also no limits on how many people can leave the house. And, time-wise, there are no limits on how long you can leave for permitted work or caregiving. Why do the stay-at-home orders apply to folks who work in the four LGAs, but don't live there? Even if you don't live in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick, you'll still be under stay-at-home conditions if you work in any of the four LGAS. Wondering why? Good question. The Premier said that "in this outbreak, we're seeing too many examples of workers coming in from other areas, getting infected in the workplace but then passing on the infection to multiple clients — and that is, without being specific, it hasn't just happened in one instance, it's happened in multiple instances." Is there a curfew? No, there is no curfew. You are allowed out of your house at any hour as long as it is for one of the four permitted reasons. Do I have to wear a mask? Yes, masks are compulsory in all indoor spaces outside of your own home — and on public transport and in public indoor spaces as well. How far can I travel? Residents of the four Sydney LGAs can only travel within the metropolitan Sydney area — and only for one of the four permitted reasons. Other than that, you can't venture beyond the city limits. Residents of the Bayside, Canada Bay and Inner West LGAs won't be placed under a stay-at-home order, but they also can't leave the metropolitan Sydney area as part of restrictions implemented on Wednesday, June 23. Those restrictions will also stay in place until at least 11.59pm tonight on Friday, July 2. Can I see friends and family? No, you can't have generally visitors to your home. That isn't one of the four permitted reasons to leave the house, either. And, you can't gather with friends and family in a public place under the stay-at-home order. That said, you are allowed to exercise outdoors with up to ten people — and there's no rule requiring those nine other folks other than yourself to all come from your household. Partners who live separately are allowed to visit each other at home, though. "We always have some components which are around intimate partner visits, and that will extend in this circumstance," said NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant. Can I drive to a park to exercise? Yes, but only to exercise — not to picnic or to do anything else. Can I take my pet out for a walk in the park? Yes, you can take your dog for a walk as it's considered exercise. Can I go to the beach? Again, yes, but only to exercise — not to simply hang out or to do anything else. During Sydney's last lockdown, many local beaches closed, so you'd be best to check your local council website before heading out. Can I go on a holiday to a coastal/regional town? In short, no. Since residents of the four Sydney LGAs can only travel within the metropolitan Sydney area — and only for one of the four permitted reasons — you can't head out of town for a holiday. The same applies to residents of the Bayside, Canada Bay and Inner West LGAs, with restrictions implemented on Wednesday, June 23 also forbidding folks in those areas from leaving the metropolitan Sydney area. Can I road trip to an out-of-town beach for a day? Again, no. The ban on leaving the metropolitan Sydney area applies in all circumstances, including day trips. How about driving to my holiday house? Once again, no. Spending time at a holiday house isn't classed as one of the four essential reasons for leaving your home. Can I go to a gym? Exercise is only permitted outdoors, so visiting an indoor gym isn't allowed under the stay-at-home conditions. "For a business like a gym in those four Local Government Areas, we're saying only exercise outdoors up to groups of ten. That means that any gyms or indoor exercise places won't be open," said the Premier. Can I go shopping? For groceries and other essentials, yes. Supermarkets, food and liquor stores, and pet stores will be open. You must shop for essentials only within the metropolitan Sydney area if you can. How about to a restaurant or cafe? You can pick up takeaway from a hospitality venue located within the metropolitan Sydney area, but dine-in service is off the cards. "Clearly, if you are a business in those four Local Government Areas, unfortunately, unless you're providing essential food and services — that is take away food and services or grocery services of that nature — we don't expect those businesses to remain open in the next week," said the Premier. Can I buy alcohol for the weekend from a bottle shop? Yes, you can — bottle shops will remain open. Can I go out for a takeaway coffee? Yes, you can — but you won't be able to sit and sip while you're out. For more information on what you can and can't do in NSW, head to the NSW Government website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
In case you haven't heard, some pretty big names in the art world are calling the Art Gallery of NSW home at the moment. The Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition features over 65 works from the late 19th- and early 20th-century's most revered artists, drawn extensively from St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. This is a rare opportunity for Sydneysiders to come face-to-face with iconic paintings from the likes of Monet, Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso — works which have come to define a revolutionary point in art history. To celebrate this blockbuster exhibition, the Art Gallery of NSW's much-loved restaurant Chiswick at the Gallery is hosting a suitably artistic dining package. For $82 per person, you'll dine on a delicious two-course meal with a glass of wine or 4 Pines beer before setting off to explore the exhibition. Dishes are prepared by head chef Tim Brindley and stay true to the restaurant's 'garden-to-plate' philosophy — with ingredients even thrown in from the garden outside. Choose from seared snapper with capers, witlof and asparagus or grilled spatchcock served with zucchini and flowers for your main, and then, for dessert, there's strawberry, coconut and lemon balm or Valrhona flourless chocolate cake with cherry liquor and cherry sorbet. The Chiswick team has designed a series of artist-inspired cocktails to add to your meal ($20 each), too. There's the Monet, with vodka, strawberry-rose syrup and citrus, the Picasso, with bourbon, sherry, mandarin syrup and bitters, and the Cézanne, with gin, apple liqueur, citrus and bitters. It's food (and drink) meets art and, in our opinion, the tastiest way to experience one of the Art Gallery of NSW's landmark exhibitions. The dining series is available at Chiswick at the Gallery throughout the duration of Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition. It's available for lunch daily and for dinner on Wednesday nights until Sunday, March 3. The menu price also includes entry into the exhibition. To make a reservation, head to the restaurant's website. Images: Rachel Kara.
Following the introduction of Nike+, the sporting giant has created its most technologically-savvy and personalised piece of performance measurement yet. The Nike FuelBand uses Nike Fuel, a new measurement system developed by the company. This allows you to measure your data such as steps, calories and distance throughout the day against other competitors of different body types and skill levels. You can also set goals for yourself and the band's screen will notify you if you have achieved them by changing from red to green. Perhaps the greatest tool of the Nike FuelBand is its ability to sync with iPhones via Bluetooth, where the information can then be shared through social media or explored in greater depth. The Nike FuelBand also has a built-in USB drive for computer access. At midnight, the FuelBand resets itself so that all your daily information is kept succinct. Technology is now playing a pivotal role in fitness, where data is now becoming more in-depth and accessible for athletes. Such technology offers much more than standard pedometers, and Nike Vice President of Digital Sport Stefan Olander believes that this has a tremendous psychological benefit for those wanting to keep in shape. He states that Nike are attempting to allow customers to "make it really easy to level something — give yourself a goal, but then allow yourself to adjust that all the time to what you want to do." The Nike FuelBand is now avaliable for preorder in the United States, with plans to become avaliable in Europe in mid-2012. This idea of data-collection and goal-setting for fitness has been explored by other products such as the Jawbone UP, a similar wristband that also comes with an app. However, the Nike FuelBand has built upon what was criticised as one of UP's major flaws - an inability to transfer data via Bluetooth because of battery life issues. Therefore, transferring such data from the UP became much more intrusive on daily routines. In any case, the development of such devices have seen technology become a double-edged sword within modern society. On one hand, the increasing dependence on computers and iPhones have been blamed for tragic obesity levels, yet such technology can also be used as a great motivational and measuring tool for physical exercise. Certainly, we are far removed from the days where an Mp3 player was only used to blast uptempo techno music while running on the treadmill. Nike FuelBand https://youtube.com/watch?v=-eAjsFl22HM [via CoolHunting]
Summer holidays throughout Australia are all about sun, surf and sand. That's what the nation is known for, after all. But, when winter hits, this country of ours boasts several ace places to hit the snow — including in the Snowy Mountains and the Victoria Alps. Started planning your mid-year escape now that autumn is already upon us? Not usually a skier or snowboarder, but looking for somewhere to head this winter given that international travel is still off the cards for at least the next few months? To help Sydneysiders and Brisbanites head south for snow season, Qantas has just announced three new routes that'll take you closer to the snowfields (so you can spend less time travelling, and more actually making the most of your frosty destination). If you're venturing from Sydney, you'll be able to fly direct to Cooma three days a week, which is great news if you're looking at holidaying in Perisher Valley, Thredbo and Charlotte Pass in New South Wales. The flights will leave Sydney on Thursdays and Fridays, and return on Sundays. Yes, they're tailor-made for weekend trips. For those making the trip from Brisbane, the airline will fly the same route two days a week. It'll also head from Brissie to Albury three days a week, should you prefer to hit the slopes at Falls Creek or Hotham in Victoria instead. The new routes will operate between July 1 and September 26 this year, and use QantasLink's turboprop Q400 aircraft. Prices will start at $179 one way from Sydney and $239 one way from Brisbane. And, Qantas will obviously let you take ski and snowboard equipment as part of your checked baggage — because, if that's where you're heading, you'll need it. For more information about Qantas' new Sydney–Cooma, Brisbane–Cooma and Brisbane–Albury routes, or to book, head to the airline's website.
When mid-February rolls around each year, a specific feeling starts to sink in: the yearning for these sunny, summery days to keep on stretching on. But autumn will soon be upon us, and cooler weather, too — unless you decide to chase an endless summer by spending time anywhere from the Gold Coast up to Cairns while it gets frosty down south. After a chaotic couple of years due to the pandemic, Queensland holidays have been back on the agenda since late 2021. Just last month, the Sunshine State also ditched all of its remaining domestic border restrictions. And, if you're keen to make an autumn date with plenty of sun, surf and sand — or even to book in a winter getaway, too — Virgin Australia has just dropped a huge Queensland flight sale. Running until midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 or sold out, whichever arrives first, this sale is solely about trips to and from the Sunshine State — with more than a 1.5 million fares on offer. It might be focused on one part of the country, but you still have options in terms of departure points and destinations. Within Queensland, you can leave or arrive in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Mt Isa and Proserpine. And, around the rest of the country, flights to and from Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney are all covered. One-way fares start at $59 — which'll get you from Sydney to the Gold Coast, Launceston to Brisbane, Newcastle to Brisbane and Brisbane to Prosperine (and vice versa). Other sale flights include Sydney–Sunshine Coast from $65, Melbourne–Gold Coast from $69, Melbourne–Townsville from $99 and Sydney–Hamilton Island from $109. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the travel periods depend on the leg — but some span up till spring. Only some fares cover seat selection and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in August that it is now splitting its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights also became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin's Great Queensland Getaway sale runs from today, Monday, February 14–midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 — or until sold out.
When the weather starts to cool down, the urge to devour big bowls of pasta, warm soups and pot pies usually comes with it. Despite all the blankets and fuzzy slippers in the world, sometimes you just need some carbs — and a few boozy concoctions to wash them down with. And, really, there's nothing like curling up with just the thing you're hankering for. When the heart is calling for a cheesy carbonara or a bespoke negroni, you'd best answer it. To help you out when the cravings strike, we've teamed up with Australia Cocktail Month. The inaugural month-long celebration of Aussie-made cocktails takes place throughout May, so it's just the ticket as winter approaches. Alongside everything from yum cha to countryside fire feasts, it's also one of our six recommended ways to indulge when only cocktails and comfort food will do. [caption id="attachment_644421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] HIT UP YOUR LOCAL FOR A SUNDAY ROAST Warm up from the inside out with a hearty Sunday pub roast. Based on the traditional British end-of-weekend meal, the Australian take on the pub roast usually features all the fan favourites (yes, including brussels sprouts) to help chase away the cold weather blues. Think succulent roast meats, crunchy potatoes, juicy vegetables, copious pours of gravy, and a nice glass of red or two on the side. Right across the nation — including in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — there are plenty of pubs to hit up. Pick your favourite, then spoil your tastebuds with a filling roast lunch or dinner. Is there anything more comforting? [caption id="attachment_755166" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Death and Taxes[/caption] CURL UP WITH A COCKTAIL AT A TOP BAR If you're in the mood for a cocktail, you're going to love Australian Cocktail Month, a month-long celebration of Australian bars and bartenders that starts on Saturday, May 1. Across the event, 72 bars in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide are partnering with local and international alcohol brands to shake and stir up some bespoke cocktails, and to also offer discounts and unique bar experiences. To attend, all you need to do is grab a general admission ticket from the event's website, then head to a participating bar. Show said ticket and you'll be able to sip a $14 cocktail (or a $10 non-alcoholic version) while you're getting comfy. [caption id="attachment_780994" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] TUCK INTO A YUM CHA FEAST It's pretty universally known that one does not leave yum cha hungry. After all, the meal involves a steady rotation of small portions of dim sum dishes, including steamed, pan-fried and deep-fried options. Think juicy dumplings, prawn har gow, xiaolongbao (steamed soup dumplings), barbecue pork buns and pork ribs — all washed down with piping hot tea. There are plenty of places in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to get your feast on, too. So, forget the cooking and feed your hankering for Cantonese food by heading to your local yum cha house — and indulging until your heart (and tummy) is content. Just make sure not to eat beforehand. [caption id="attachment_779829" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] HIBERNATE IN A CINEMA WITH POPCORN AND CHOC TOPS Grabbing a snack at a movie theatre isn't always easy to justify. But when you're nestled in your seat, it's hard to be sorry about the big box of popcorn in your hands. A choc top never goes astray, either, and neither does a bag of Maltesers. Accordingly, to feed that comfort food craving in your belly, grab a mate or date and head to your local cinema. There, you can hibernate in a supremely cosy setting and enjoy a flick with some quality movie theatre bites. Some venues even serve cocktails too, such as Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Sydney, Classic Cinemas in Melbourne and Blue Room Cinebar in Brisbane. THROW A POTLUCK DINNER WITH YOUR MATES Why indulge in comfort food and cocktails all on your own when you can do it as a group activity with your nearest and dearest? The easiest way: get on that group chat and arrange a potluck dinner at yours with your friends. Either get everyone to bring a surprise dish, or arrange for someone to take care of entrees, others to look after mains and the best cooks in the gang to whip up desserts. You could even try out a new recipe or two, and wow your pals with a skill they mightn't have realised you have. And the best part? There are usually leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. COOK A FEAST OVER FIRE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Fill up your car, pack an overnight bag and hit the road. It's time to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for some fresh country air and camping-style food. Get a fire roaring, then try your hand at some damper, classic s'mores, snags or corn on the cob. You could even give campfire nachos or some camping quesadilla a whirl. There are plenty of country towns to stay at just a hop, skip and jump from main cities, too, including near Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It's a two-for-one deal, really, because you'll indulge in the charm of the countryside and fill your belly at the same time. Australian Cocktail Month is taking over top bars across the Australia from May 1–31. To buy your ticket, and for the full list of participating bars, head to the event's website. Top image: The Duke of Clarence, Kitti Gould
New Zealanders wanting to enter Australia without quarantining will have to hold off a little longer on their travel plans, after the Australian Government extended the existing pause on the current one-way trans-Tasman travel bubble. New Zealand's previous quarantine-free border arrangements were halted on Monday, January 25 after a NZ resident tested positive to the new, more transmissible B1351 variant of COVID-19. The bubble was scheduled to resume today, Thursday, January 26, after a 72-hour pause; however, the suspension will now continue for another three days. As announced in a statement by Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt, the pause will now run through until 2pm, Sunday, January 31, in line with the recommendation from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the Australian Government Chief Medical Officer. The latest suspension comes after two more New Zealanders tested positive to COVID-19 in recent days, with both linked to the same Auckland hotel as the initial case. The bubble suspension will give health authorities a chance to do further digging and gather test results for all the close contacts linked to the outbreak. In a press conference, Australia's Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, also advised that there are concerns that a small group of people who had stayed at the Auckland hotel at the same time as the other cases have since travelled to Australia under the previous quarantine-free arrangement. They flew into the country before the bubble was paused on Monday, and are now being contacted by local health authorities. https://twitter.com/healthgovau/status/1354640405485248514 Anyone who has entered Australia from NZ since January 9 is also encouraged to get a COVID-19 test immediately, and go into self-isolation until results are received. The one-way travel bubble from NZ to Australia was introduced in mid-October last year, initially allowing New Zealanders to travel into certain Australian states without quarantine, before being expanded to include access to most of the country. It was also hoped that a reciprocal arrangement wouldn't be far off, after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in December that the NZ Cabinet had agreed to establishing a two-way bubble from early 2021. It's unknown what impact the recent outbreak will have on those plans. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. To find out more about the virus and travel restrictions in New Zealand, head over to the NZ Government's COVID-19 hub.
Presented by Casus, Australia's only Indigenous contemporary circus ensemble, The Women of Chasing Smoke, explores the world's oldest living culture, delving into 40,000 years of history and covering family, art and the power of women. It's an honest, evocative, playful and triumphant quest for identity that reflects on what has been — and what might yet be. Directed by Samoan-Australian Natano Fa'anana, the show stars traditional dancer Pearl Thompson; Gudjala Kabulba woman Lara Croydon, a trapeze artist, juggler and storyteller; and Wakka Wakka woman Ally Humphris, a dancer, gymnast and circus artist who specialises in flying, hand balance and ground acrobatics. The show will run on Friday, September 28 at 7.30pm, Saturday, September 29 at 3pm and 8.45pm and Sunday, September 30 at 5pm.
Before 2020 comes to an end, Queenslanders will be able to gather in bigger numbers, outdoor events will be permitted to expand their capacity and New South Wales residents will be welcomed back into the Sunshine State. They're all on the agenda as part of Queensland's new 'COVID Safe Future' roadmap, which was revealed today, Friday, October 2, by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. While the state has unveiled similar plans before, we all know that nothing in 2020 remains certain for long — and that the situation regarding COVID-19 is constantly changing. So, this new outline responds to the current circumstances, and is designed to make clear how the state will be changing between now and the end of the year, in an effort to provide more certainty to both businesses and the community. Already, as at 1am on Thursday, October 1, the first step of the new plan has come into effect — with northern NSW residents allowed into Queensland without quarantining as part of an expanded border zone, and density restrictions easing for outdoor venues, events and stadiums. There's one more newly annonced element to this phase, however, and it'll kick off at 4pm today, Friday, October 2, with Queenslanders once again allowed to eat and drink while standing at indoor and outdoor venues with a COVID-Safe plan or checklist in place. Next, when 1am on Sunday, November 1 rolls around, a new step will start — and it'll be of great interest to anyone eager to head further into NSW, or for NSW residents keen to come north to soak up the sunshine. At that point, no one from NSW will need to enter mandatory quarantine when they come to Queensland. Relaxing that rule is contingent on the southern state having community transmission under control but, just this week, NSW reported a seven-day stretch without any new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, so fingers crossed that continues. Also on November 1, Queenslanders will be able to gather in groups of 40 at home and in public spaces, which is an increase from the current limit of 30. Plus, up to 40 people at weddings will be able to dance, as long as there's a COVID-Safe plan in place. Finally, from 1am on Tuesday, December 1, gatherings at home and in public spaces will increase to 50 people, just in time for Christmas. Outdoor events with COVID-Safe checklists will be able to host 1500 attendees, up from 1000, while weddings will no longer resemble Footloose in any shape or form (unless, for some reason, Kevin Bacon is invited) — because unlimited dancing will be permitted. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1311817281438019584 For now, Queensland will remain closed to Victoria throughout this whole period, but the roadmap notes that the state will reassess the situation when community transmission is under control. And, while the present announcement is all about opening back up again, it does specify that limits may come back into place if there's community transmission in Queensland. It's likely this'll happen in impacted areas only, and could include capping gatherings at ten people again, requiring the wearing of masks, increased testing, only allowing seating rather than standing in venues and scrapping dancing at weddings once more. Announcing the changes, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young advised that it's thanks to the state's compliance with restrictions thus far that Queensland can reopen further. "The hard work of Queenslanders has helped us to the strong position our state is in today — it has been a fantastic result," Dr Young noted. That said, she also stressed the need to remain cautious regarding hygiene and social distancing. "So that we can keep easing restrictions, it is vital that we maintain physical distance, wear a face mask in public when physical distancing is not possible and wash your hands." For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 gathering restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Atlanta Bell.
Huxtaburger's first Sydney store hasn't even received its final lick of paint, but the company has already announced plans to open 10 new stores across NSW in the next four years. The decision is part of the company's plans to enter into a franchise model, which will see it open 20 new stores across Victoria, WA, ACT and NSW, with future plans to expand into Asia, too. Huxtaburger has teamed up with franchising consulting agency DC Strategy — which has previously worked with Ben & Jerry's, Zeus Street Greek and Turkish ice cream vendors Hakiki — to facilitate the expansion, with the first franchise store already open in Melbourne's Footscray. In NSW, Huxtaburger is working alongside investment group Yesdac to rapidly expand. The now cult favourite American-style burger joint first launched back in 2011, and has since opened six stores (five in Vic and one in Perth) with its seventh store, and first NSW store, which is launching with $1 burgers in Redfern this weekend. Construction has already begun on its second WA store, in Fremantle, too. The company's has international expansion plans in the pipeline, too, and hopes to roll out stores across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and China. If you'd like to get your own slice of Huxtaburger, you can sign up for your own franchise in Vic and WA. You'll have to have some cash handy, though, as it will set you back a cool $550,000. While rapid expansion may be a good thing for burger lovers, let us not forget the story of Doughnut Time.
Get your fill of art and culture for the week at the Thursday Lates series so you can free up your weekend to nurse that hangover guilt-free! After a series of record-breaking attendances at the MCA, the gallery has decided to swing its doors open late on Thursday evenings until the smack bang middle of the year, June 14. Each week, enjoy the current exhibitions, hear informal talks by curators and other creative penseurs on the curious, the controversial and the deeply personal. Soon enough you’ll be walking around talking like Craig Schuftan from Triple J’s much-missed Culture Club. Here are a few tasters to get you riled up and ready. If you’re keen to get a little challenged, attend a free speech session - for free! Snap. Get up on your soapbox and address audiences at the MCA at Soap Box. You know, get something off your chest. Everyone, including your boss, in-laws and ex-lovers (who might be there perhaps out of view behind a column or something) actually do want to hear your ranting and raving. How liberating! Lectures, freestyles, sermons and other spoken-word art forms are welcome. If you’re not so assertive, rally and jeer as an onlooker. It’s tempting to go just in case a fight breaks out. Perhaps that’s all a little nuanced, and you would rather get universal. Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Project talk on April 26 is what it’s all about. Hear astronomer Duane Hamacher from the Macquarie University Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Astrophotonics speak about a collaboration of researchers studying the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Indigenous Australians. Coolness. For the souls of quills and ink, Poet’s Corner (no, not the wine) features Eileen Chong, contributor to the publication for Volume One: MCA Collection. Aside, the ritzy new MCA cafe is open day and night, too, so you can come for dinner and then catch up with the artwork. What a dreamy way to end the night. Also running overnight on Thursday nights is Christian Marclay's the Clock.
In the last couple of years, the humble bicycle has come to symbolise a few things. On one hand, it's been used as a symbol of sartorial hipness and, on the other, it's been held as the hero alternative to cars that consume too much space and omit carbon pollutants. But in the battle of 'car vs. bike', there's been a vital part of 'travel' that the bike lacks. Aside from its eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing points, traveling via bike leaves no room for stuck-in-traffic music, which can help with lightening your mood a great deal. Taiwan-based Bone Collection has designed a bike horn that doubles as an amplifier. The silicone case holds the iPhone and can be attached to your bicycle, allowing you to use it to play sweet music and use the inbuilt iPhone GPS app to help you leisurely navigate your way through sticky traffic situations. An added brown (or should I say green?) point is that the silicone cases are washable. It can also be used as a speaker (without an external power source) and has an additional spot for your charger. [via PSFK]
Sydney Fringe Festival is setting a new precedent for a rooftop's potential with their ambitious program's newest addition — a rooftop roller skating rink. From September 5 through 30, the massive arts and culture festival will take over the open air rooftop of the Broadway shopping centre (which apparently is a thing) and install a roller rink for the masses. Cue the 80s dance moves and big ol' hairdos. The rink will be open Wednesdays through Sundays (weekdays 5–10pm; weekends 9am–10pm) and entry tickets are available at the rink only. In an upside-down-world change of norms, weekend tickets will actually be on the cheap — from 9am–5pm you can nab entry tickets for just five bucks a pop. All other operating times will cost you $15, with rental roller skates included. A DJ will be on hand each night too, with a playlist of tunes you can skate along to. Along with the rink will be a pop-up store featuring two Sydney-based designers, Stavroula Adameits and Katie-Louise Nicol-Ford, who have created one-off designs for the shop and are also the creators of this year's custom Fringe Festival print. Pieces from their respective fashion labels, Frida Las Vegas and Nicol & Ford, will be available for purchase at the pop-ups throughout the month.
Darling Quarter is diving head first into the spirit of eating, drinking and being merry at its redeveloped dining precinct. There's a collection of fresh, new restaurants that have opened just in time to add a little food-focused fun to your end-of-year festivities. While that stand-out playground and waterpark — the big draw card for the kids — in Tumbalong Park is ready and waiting, so too are a whole host of places. Take Dopa, the retro, Tokyo-inspired donburi and dessert bar by the crew who brought us cult Surry Hills fave Devon; and Goobne, which is slinging its famed Korean oven-roasted roast chicken. There's also MuMian (pictured below), little sister to Tao, one of Sydney's most stunning Cantonese restaurants; the cool new Japanese joint Ichoume (and its strikingly colourful interiors); Vesta Italian (top image), which will be serving up pizzas and Aperol Spritzes all summer long; and the classic fave Gelatissimo — because what's summer without a scoop of ice cream? Whether you plan to squeeze in a long, lazy, last-minute office Christmas lunch, a breezy evening family meal close to the CBD or a festive gathering with your pals in the new year, Darling Quarter has the spot for you. Plus, it's a top notch area for a picturesque stroll — the large-scale vertical garden boxes dressed in red bows are ideal for a 'gram refresh (and the plants will even be available for purchase in the new year, with all proceeds going to charity). Darling Quarter has a range of fresh, new festive dining options ready and waiting for you — head to the website for the full list.
By now, you've probably had an absolute gutful of your house, backyard, neighbourhood and city. You've probably spent much of the past 13 months daydreaming about getaways, too. Well, wannabe jetsetters with a vacation-shaped hole in your life, it turns out this is your lucky week, because a mammoth travel sale is hitting the internet tonight. The bargain-filled Click Frenzy Travel sale returns for a 53-hour online shopping riot, kicking off at 7pm (9pm NZT) on Tuesday, April 20. And it's chock full of airfare, accommodation, tour and holiday package deals, for all kinds of budgets. Obviously, international travel isn't back to normal yet — the trans-Tasman bubble between Australia and New Zealand only just opened this past weekend — but there are plenty of bargains to be found if you're keen to either stay local or plan well ahead. Virgin Australia is offering up to 25 percent off a range of domestic journeys, with prices starting from just $75. You can nab ten percent off flights with Air New Zealand, too. And, if you're thinking further afield in the hope that borders will reopen sooner rather than later, Qatar is doing up to ten percent off flights to places such as the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy and Spain. Obviously, you'll need to take into the consideration the fact Aussies can't currently leave the country for holidays anywhere other than NZ at the moment while you're booking. Staying close to home, Wotif is offering up to 25 percent off Aussie hotels, Park Regis and Leisure Inn hotels are doing up to 40 percent off, and Ascott Australia is taking up to 30 percent off their hotels and apartments in Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart and Perth. Oaks Hotels, Resorts and Suites is offering the same 30 percent discount, but at select locations in Australia and NZ if you stay for two nights or more. Fancy seeing the country by road? Greyhound Australia is taking 20 percent off all tickets and passes if a leisurely bus trip — complete with free wifi — sounds like your idea of a great holiday. If you're in need of a few travel essentials for your next getaway, Click Frenzy also does 99 percent off deals on some items, such as GoPros for $5, Beats headphones for $2, Weber barbecues for $3 and beach umbrellas for $2. Dust off that suitcase and start plotting your annual leave — it's holiday time, finally. The Click Frenzy Travel sale runs from 7pm (9pm NZT) on Tuesday, April 20, until midnight on Thursday, April 22. You can find it and all the tasty travel bargains on the Click Frenzy website.
Maybe you've changed your computer backdrop to a picture of Hamilton Island. Perhaps you keep perusing snaps from a past Byron Bay getaway on your phone. Can't stop thinking about your previous holidays? The midwinter blues will do that. We've said it before and we'll say it again: another cure is planning your next vacation, especially when there's a flight sale to capitalise upon. Qantas has dropped another massive round of discounted fares. In June, it put more than one million cheap seats up for grabs. A month later, it's doing the same. The focus is still on its domestic network, spanning 60-plus routes — and this time, prices start at under $160 one-way on more than 40 of them. You'll be able to travel between August 2024–March 2025, although the specifics vary per destination. If you're keen, you'll need to get in quick as this is a 72-hour-only sale, running until 11.59pm AEST on Thursday, July 25, 2024. And yes, the usual caveat applies: if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. Options include Sydney to the Gold Coast for $109, and to Byron Bay for the same price; Melbourne to Launceston from $119, and to Maroochydore for $179; and Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast from $119, or to Hamilton Island for $169. Other routes and fares span both Brisbane to Sydney and Adelaide to Melbourne from $129, Brisbane to Cairns from $159, Sydney to Albury for $149 and Melbourne to Coffs Harbour for $169. Trips to and from Perth, Hobart, Alice Springs, Darwin, Canberra, Newcastle, Mildura, the Fraser Coast, Wagga Wagga, Devonport, Broken Hill, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton and Townsville are also on the sale list — and there's more after that as well. Inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, wifi and seat selection. Qantas' 72-hour surprise sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Thursday, July 25, 2024, or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Whether you like it or not, summer's balmy weather is set to last a little bit longer this year, with most of Australia forecast to score a hotter-than-average autumn. Off the back of a record-breaking summer — with January the hottest month ever recorded in Australia — the good folk at the Bureau of Meteorology have released their climate outlook for the March to May period, revealing that most of the country is in for warmer days and stickier nights than we usually see at this time of year. Yep, the soupy weather is set to continue. In fact, if you call mainland Australia home, there's an 80 percent chance you'll experience autumn temperatures that are a whole lot warmer than the median. To give an idea of exactly what that all means, the average daily maximum temperature for March sits at around 24.2 degrees in Melbourne, 24.8 in Sydney and 29.1 in Brisbane. In May, it's around 16.7 degrees for Melbourne, with 19.5 for Sydney and 24.5 for Brisbane. The BOM is forecasting that we'll see warmer than that across the three months. Unfortunately for farmers, large parts of the north are looking to struggle through drier-than-average autumns, too. The southern part of the country, however, is expected to cop the usual rainfall. Looking further into the year — and getting a touch technical — the BOM's senior hydrologist, Dr Robert Pipunic, says there's a 50 percent chance of El Niño forming over the next couple of months, which is double the normal risk this time of year. This means we could see warmer-than-average temperatures and low levels of rainfall continue into winter, too. If you'd like to know more about what exactly El Niño is, and how it impacts Australia, the BOM has a whole heap of fun facts over here. NSW folk survived their second-warmest autumn on record last year, with the statewide mean temperature clocking in at 1.88 degrees hotter than the average. And let's not forget that in 2018, overall, Australia copped its third-warmest year ever. With another sweaty autumn on the way, 2019 looks well set to steal that title. Image: Mark Chew for Visit Victoria.
You've probably heard all about the power of blockchain, but we bet you didn't know cryptocurrency could get you free burgers and gelato. Well, it can (kind of). To celebrate the launch of Liven Coin (LVN), the world's first digital currency for food, Liven has teamed up with Gelato Messina and 8bit to bring you a whole month of crypto-inspired dishes. And if you're a new Liven user, you can get your hands on them for free — or discounted if you're an existing user. Available in Sydney and Melbourne until Monday, November 19, the limited-edition dishes are both creative and innovative. It allows you the opportunity to invest in LVN coin just by dining at your favourite restaurants and rewards you every time you eat out. 8bit will be serving up the Insert Coin burger with a beef patty, american cheese, smashed avo, feta and the much-loved 8bit sauce. New users can score it for free while existing users will get $5 off. Meanwhile, Gelato Messina will sling scoops of ChipOCurrency, a decadent peanut butter gelato with white chocolate and potato chips. New users can get two scoops for free and existing users get one. If one month of freebies is not enough, Liven is also giving one lucky person free gelato and burgers for 12 beautiful months — all you have to do is enter with a quick comment on this Facebook post. Good luck and happy feasting.
In the words of Tyrion Lannister, it's not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it if it were easy. That may be true, but you can certainly give it a go, when Game of Rhones returns for another year. An epic wine tasting event inspired by the grapes of France's Rhone Valley and the works of George R. R. Martin, this year's Game of Rhones will visit Carriageworks on Sunday, June 18. The event will welcome more than 100 wines from winemakers such as Shaw + Smith, Yarra Yering, Ministry of Clouds, Henschke, Yalumba (and many more). There'll also be food from Melbourne's Burn City Smokers and cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy to ensure you don't go hungry. In between goblets, ticketholders will get the chance to chat with sommeliers at the Rhone Bar, where you can purchase full glasses of wine. If you're really keen, you can purchase a Royal Pass, which will get you access to the event an hour earlier, a food voucher and some one-on-one time with a sommelier to help you work out which wines you like best. It should also go without saying that dressing up as your favourite GoT character is highly encouraged. Zombie John Snow, anyone?
If, this January 26, you're looking for a thoughtful way to reflect on the impact of the arrival of the First Fleet and Australia's colonisation on its First Nations people, you should join the folks from Sydney Festival the evening prior. The fest will hold two events on the evening of Saturday, January 25: Procession and The Vigil. Led by Aboriginal Elders at Sydney Town Hall at 6pm, the procession will make its way through the CBD streets until it reaches Barangaroo Reserve at around 8pm. There, after the raising of Jacob Nash's huge flag installation, the overnight vigil will begin. For the second time, Sydneysiders will stake out at Barangaroo from sunset right through to dawn on the morning of January 26 (that is, what's recognised as Australia Day). It's a long night, but there will be performances and talks from First Nations artists happening throughout; as well as a traditional smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country, you'll be able to see Dan Sultan, Muruwari musician Matthew Doyle. the Buudja Buudja Dance Clan and the Meuram Murray Island Dancers perform. You can drop by at any time or stay all night — if you're in it for the long haul, make sure you bring warm clothes and snacks. Feel free to take some mates with you, but the event is also a good opportunity to meet new people and have conversations around the anniversary and what it means for all Australians. Both events are free, but you should register your interest for Procession here.
Sydney's light rail project has come with more than its fair share of problems, not least of all the legal stoush between the NSW Government and the project's subcontractor Acciona, which has blown out the completion date. And now, it seems we could also be waiting months longer than anticipated for more of the barriers surrounding the construction sites to be removed. While initial plans suggested the Sydney Light Rail would be up and running by 2019, the ALTRAC consortium behind the project yesterday confirmed that some barriers will be sticking around well into the new year. ALTRAC Chief Executive Officer Glenn Bentley put a positive spin on this latest progress report, saying local businesses and residents would soon notice civil construction works nearing completion. But while he revealed some barriers around the northern CBD, Surry Hills and Moore Park would be removed by November, he also explained those in Randwick, Kensington and Kingsford — which affect businesses on Anzac Parade — could be staying put until early next year. Some have already been removed on George Street and the Central end of Devonshire Street. Bentley said that "where possible, zones may be opened sooner than these dates", though Sydneysiders would have to deal with localised barriers until cabling and paving work in each area is completed. ALTRAC said project delays were being managed as fast as possible, confirming track has been laid in 29 of the 31 light rail zones. Testing on a stretch of the new 12.7-kilometre route from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford began in February, with the initial aim to have trams running on it 2019. If barriers are to stay up until early next year, that looks very unlikely to happen. Here's hoping that, if trams aren't running, the removal of the construction will at least allow us to navigate and enjoy the city without being blocked at every turn. Image: Sydney Light Rail.
The urge to explore can be a little tricky to satisfy in this day and age, but the desire to find something new, go somewhere different and get an adrenalin hit along the way remains. Silent UK tells the stories of urban explorers, an emerging (and international) subcultural group dedicated to delving into closed, unknown and abandoned city spaces— the derelict buildings and the drainpipes we walk past everyday. In a new short film that takes viewers into London's underground tube network, the explorers talk frankly about what motivates their adventures — the appeal of unknown places, the beauty in what others may deem ugly, and the photographic opportunities. Mostly the explorers just do it because it's fun. That, and the fact that there is also a real risk of danger, something you should give some serious thought to if you find yourself eyeing off your local drainpipe.
The next level of the global transport economy is fast approaching — even Down Under. First, there was news that Melbourne could be one of the first cities to test Uber's flying cars, then came the announcement of the proposed Hyperloop Transport System, which would get you from Sydney to Melbourne, or Brisbane to Sydney, in just 37 minutes. Sure, these are still a relatively distant dream, but one such technological advance is much closer than you may think — an Uber-like service with driverless electric cars, courtesy of Tesla. At a conference earlier this week, Tesla founder Elon Musk announced that the company is planning to roll out a massive fleet of one million self-driving 'robotaxis' as early as next year. These autonomous vehicles are planned to hit roads in the US by mid-2020 — regulatory approvals pending, of course. If all goes to Musk's plan, here's how it'll work: the app will function much the way all ride-sharing apps do — except the car will drive itself. The existing Tesla app will be fitted with a 'summon' option, where you'll be able to order the closest robotaxi from its stored location, and it'll drive itself over to pick you up. [caption id="attachment_718225" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tesla ride-sharing app[/caption] Plus, some Telsa owners will be able to add their own car to the service, with the options to limit sharing to friends, co-workers or social media contacts. In areas where not enough share vehicles are available, Tesla will release a dedicated fleet to ensure short wait times. But what does this mean for Australia? According to the ABC, Australian transport ministers plan to have a regulation for commercial self-driving vehicles in place by next year — a neatly timed goal with Musk's ambitious roll out. So, depending on which way next month's election swings, we could soon be riding in cars with no-one at the wheel. If you're really interested, a four-hour livestream of the Tesla conference, in which Musk discusses the ride-sharing service, is available to watch here. Tesla is aiming to put one million self-driving 'robotaxis' on US roads by mid-next year, depending on regulatory approvals. In Australia, regulations for commercial autonomous vehicles are set to be in place by next year.
Sydney's newest vending machines are a little different to what you're probably used to. They're not stocked with chocolate bars, chip packets or even soft drinks — rather, they're dispensing a healthy and planet-friendly serve of OJ. The Juice For Good machines are the work of ForPurposeCo, an innovative social enterprise and fundraising offshoot of food rescue charity OzHarvest. At just the press of a button, and $4, they can whip you up a cup (between 320–370mls, depending on the size of the oranges) of 100 percent fruit juice, made from their stock of rescued oranges — you know, the ones that taste delicious, but that might not look absolutely perfect on the outside. The unwanted fruit has been collected from local producers and given a freshly squeezed lease on life, at a time when almost half of our Aussie-grown fruit and vegetables don't even make it off the farm. As well as being a whole lot healthier than your usual cola fix, these drinks are also doing great things for fellow Australians, with all machine profits going straight to support OzHarvest's work. [caption id="attachment_704126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Chen[/caption] A couple of Juice For Good machines have been operating since September, with ones currently located near Steam Mill Lane, at OzHarvest's Alexandria HQ, near 44 Market Street in the CBD, at The Cannery in Rosebery, Harbourside Shopping Centre in Darling Harbour and at Birkenhead Point in Drummoyne. Keep an eye on the Juice for Good website for new machines. Images: Chris Chen.
Famous for its 55-minute workouts and worldwide following, Barry's Bootcamp has become a fitness heavyweight since first setting up shop in West Hollywood back in 1998 — and now it's bringing its studios to Australia. From tomorrow, September 15, Sydneysiders will be able to put themselves through Barry's high-intensity interval training sessions in Surry Hills. It'll be the company's first Aussie studio, but not its last — Barry's will launch its flagship Martin Place studio this October, and in early 2019 it will launch another yet-to-be-revealed Sydney CBD spot and its first Melbourne location. If you're a gym junkie, celebrity obsessive or just familiar with the term "Barry's body", then you'll have heard of Barry's. Already active in 18 cities around the globe — including Los Angeles, New York, Milan, London and Dubai — it's claimed that the studio's sessions burn over 4000 kilojoules. That's thanks to a regimented program that incorporates 25 minutes of treadmill work, 25 minutes of strength and conditioning with free weights and resistance bands, and then a five-minute cool-down. The focus of each class changes daily across Barry's weekly schedule, with each session targeting a different muscle group. As extra motivation, Barry's classes are held in high-energy red rooms, complete with mood lighting and the kind of music you're more likely to hear in a nightclub. Adding to the vibe, each location features its own bar serving up locally designed shakes and smoothies — and patrons will also be able to buy workout outfits onsite. As expected, the world-renowned bootcamp class comes with hefty price tag — $36 a pop. You could, alternatively, purchase a 50-class pack for $1550, which works out at $31 a class. Find Barry's Bootcamp at 66-72 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills from Saturday, September 15. Open 5am–8pm Mon–Fri, 7am–3pm Sat and 8am–3pm Sun.
Art Month 2013 returns for a fourth year of art, and this time around it's rocking some alternative credentials. Art performance duo Penelope Benton and Alexandra Clapham — best known for their papery, dinner party concoctions — have gone from side dish to chef, co-artistically directing this year's extravaganza of art, performance, and exploration. It's a long table of artistic talent that they've laid out, running from returning favourites Art at Night and Two-Wheeled Tours to new-addition adventures west and behind-the-scenes at local art schools. Not to mention all the galleries running shows on the side. It's a big, broad, and city-spanning program. Sampling the whole menu could be the business of a month in itself, so to help you out, Concrete Playground has picked out 10 of the tastiest morsels for you to sink your teeth into. 1. Precinct Nights Gallery-hopping is always more exciting in the romantic half-light of evening, wouldn't you agree? Similar to Art at Night last year, Precinct Nights offer you the golden opportunity to enjoy a spate of art venues open late, transforming your art viewing into an after-hours adventure trail. Participating precincts include Paddington/Woollahra, Alexandria/Waterloo, Surry Hills, Chippendale/Redfern, Rozelle, and East/Darlinghurst. Rozelle's night also features some performance events that have caught our eye: for example, dLux MediaArts presents DTV, an outdoor screening of single channel artworks in the Artereal Gallery car park. 2 & 3. MOST and LOST Open Studio Trails In 2011 Marrickville jumped onto the Art Month bandwagon with the Marrickville Open Studio Trail (MOST), and 2012 saw Leichhardt jump in with the Leichhardt Open Studio Trail (LOST). Both got you close to artists in their natural habitat: galleries and studios. This year, both suburbs have opted in, which makes for two weekends of sanctioned, behind-the-scenes art nosiness. MOST will run tours over the weekend on every type of transport you set your foot to: pedal (Saturday and Sunday), bus, foot, or expert, as Match Box Projects return to run their tours of local ARIs. Open spaces include eclectic warehouse space the Red Rattler, MEKanarky descendants Tortuga Studios and Salmagundi, and a new micro space, the Marrickville Garage. There will also be a citizens-meet-street-artists street art forum. LOST, meanwhile, gets in on the Art Cycling and opens the doors to spaces like Art Est, house-size Pseudo Space, the Mosaic Art School, School of Footwear, the Kinema space, and Higher Ground. MOST (map and guide) runs 11am-4pm, March 9 and 10. LOST (map and guide) runs 10am-3.30pm, March 23 and 24. 4. Tours: East Sydney Street Art Tour We love street artworks, because they enliven the built environment for jaded city dwellers. And we love cocktails, because they too enliven the built environment for jaded city dwellers. The guided tour East Sydney: Contextualising Art in the Streets cleverly marries the two, as artist, curator and publisher Joseph Allen Shea of Izrock Mixed Business helps you bespoke-drink your way through the small bars of Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, and Chinatown, discovering local commissioned street artworks and mingling with the creative minds who executed them. Works to be viewed include Reko Rennie’s Always Was, Always Will Be in Taylor Square, Jason Wing’s In Between Two Worlds in Chinatown, and more. 4-7pm, March 16. Places are limited (book) and drinks are $10 each. 5. Debate: Is Contemporary Art a Joke? There are few topics more polarising than contemporary art, and so the fiery debate rages on. For the Love of God: Is Contemporary Art a Joke? provides the perfect forum for experts to sound off about competing scales of value when it comes to judging the creative work of our peers and contemporaries. The relevance of the ready-made, Damien Hirst, and the fundamental question of whether any of it has any meaning are all fair game, and even hecklers will be indulged. This illuminating ideas throwdown will be adjudicated by artist Frances Barrett, and the well-appointed debaters include arts writer and curator Chrisoula Lionis, writer and performer Eddie Sharp, art critic Andrew Frost, artist and Firstdraft Depot co-founder Connie Anthes, COFA lecturer Dr David McNeill, and performance artist Matte Rochford. 6-8pm, March 16, at Alaska Projects (book). It's free. 6. Tours West As well as leading you around the inner city's art highlights, Art Month takes you on two easy jaunts outside the city centre. Go West hits most of the major Western Sydney cultural institutions on a single free bus trip led by artist Tom Polo. From Create to Space — A Parramatta Tour is a guided look at Pop Up Parramatta, Parramatta's answer to the Renew Newcastle model. The tour is led by Sydney cultural nexus Jess Scully, a recent SMAC of the Year, the curatorial powerhouse behind Vivid Ideas and probably the single person with the broadest overview of Sydney's creative second life. Go West runs on March 10 (book) and From Create to Space runs March 16, (book via studios@parracity.nsw.gov.au or 9687 6090). Both are free. 7. Celebrating Women in the Arts Several Art Month events focus in particular on the mark made by notable women in the arts. First up, the discussion Make a Mark: Celebrating Women in the Arts, hosted by Radio National's Janne Ryan, profiles the brilliant, bold strokes made by art world heavyweights including Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah, artist Deborah Kelly, gallerist Roslyn Oxley, writer Tess Allas, and architect Penelope Seidler. If Not, Why Not? Feminisim in Contemporary Art, meanwhile, gathers an intergenerational group of artists and academics who will share their views on issues surrounding the relevance of feminism in contemporary art. Finally, the Women in Sport Forum offers two days of discussion panels complementing Casula Powerhouse's intriguing group exhibition Onside. Make A Mark takes place 3-5pm on 9 March at Carriageworks (book). If Not, Why Not? is 2-5pm on 23 March, at Artspace 23 (book). Women in Sport Forum runs 15-16 March at Casula Powerhouse (call 9824 1121 for reservations). All are free. 8. Drawing with Scissors: A collage masterclass for adults Collaging is a unique art form — something that we all did without inhibition as kids but have probably neglected to develop further as adults, despite the undeniable fun of hacking into visual materials and reconfiguring them to suit our own bizarre and beautiful visions. Enter the hands-on workshop Drawing with Scissors: A collage masterclass for adults, piloted by conceptual artist Oli Watts. The workshop will commence by reviewing historical collaging methods pioneered by the greats, including Matisse and Picasso, then progress into a fully interactive opportunity to click your own shears. Let the inner child out to play, and see what emerges — chances are, there's no way to predict the end product, as your subconscious dabbles in creative free association. 2-5pm, 3 March at Chalk Horse. Free (book); materials provided. 9. Exhibition: Speculative Spaces What is the psychological draw of the miniature? Smallness has its own ineffable appeal, and the artists in this exhibition curated by David Eastwood explore their own attraction to miniature models, with petite dioramas and maquettes, and with other expressions across varied media, from oil paint to clay to perspex to video to plywood. Featured artists include Kylie Banyard (Galerie pompom), Anna Carey (Artereal Gallery), David Eastwood (Robin Gibson Gallery), Eugenia Ivanissevich (Robin Gibson Gallery), Col Jordan (Mossenson Galleries & Peter Pinson Gallery), Mark Kimber (Stills Gallery), Amanda Marburg (Olsen Irwin Gallery), Rob McHaffie (Darren Knight Gallery) and Peter Nelson. The show is also open late on March 22 as part of the Precinct Nights schedule. Runs March 2 to March 26 at Robin Gibson Gallery. 10. Exhibition: SCREAM Multiple media collide in SCREAM, the latest high-octane offering from European hyper-creative collective Chicks on Speed. Fresh from their residency at ZKM Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany, for this exhibition the Chicks have hatched an interactive app that lets spectators participate in the artwork. A combo of live performance and technological mayhem, SCREAM centres on a huge sculpture that plays canvas to the iPad-controlled whims of the viewer, who can pick and mix the audiovisual elements that are projected into the space. The work is a logical progression from the Chicks' Objekt Instruments, which landed here during Mardi Gras. Colliding art, fashion and music, you can see them firsthand at the Red Rattler on March 8. SCREAM runs March 13 to April 21 at ArtSpace. By Shirin Borthwick and Zacha Rosen.
Are you tending to your herb gardens, upcycling or actual cycling? That's some good hood. The Good Hood website, which is part of the the City of Sydney's Green Villages program, is about celebrating the little things Sydneysiders are doing to make the city more green. It's pretty simple: just snap a photo of your 'good' and upload it to the website — or if you're on Instagram, just turn on Photo Map and use the hashtag #goodhood. There's some pretty cool rewards, too, including vouchers for Megan Morton's The School and Clarence Street Cyclery and dinner for eight at Urban Food Market's pop-up restaurant in Chippendale. Kylie Boyd, the sustainability marketing campaign officer for the City, says she's really happy with the way people are engaging with the site. "We've got people making birdhouses and people completely decking out their backyards with boxes that they're planning on growing vegies in," she says. "Someone rescued a chair off the street and upholstered it with some really cute fabric." "We're loving seeing them come in but we're going to reserve judgement until the very end!" The prizes are on offer until September 25 for users who upload pictures of cycling, upcycling and sustainable food, with winners being picked by the City and the prize partners for each category. Tim Elwin, the managing director of Urban Food Market, is helping choose the winners in the food category. Tim says he's looking for entries that make an effort to grow and source local produce as much as possible. "What we’re after is for people to experiment and go out and see how they can eat on a sustainable level, things like, what can people grow at home to add into a meal that they’re doing?" he says. "Even going out and making sure that they source locally and source products that haven’t been treated in a bad way." Urban Food Market are mainly wholesalers of ethical, sustainable produce, but they also run cooking classes and a pop-up restaurant in Cafe Giulia on Friday and Saturday nights. "What we’re trying to teach people is that you might be buying a product that yes, is more expensive, but [you] eat less of it," says Tim. "There’s no need for a big massive steak. Add some vegetables so you get a well-balanced meal. It’s about reducing the demand for growing so much produce when so much gets thrown away. "We’re very excited to be helping promote the Good Hood. It’s a wonderful thing to see [the City] getting behind such a great initiative, to ultimately get people to wake up and review how they’re living their lives, and what effects their eating and living can have on the environment." Want to win one of three $100 vouchers to Urban Food Market's online store? Just share the best picture of a sustainable meal — it can be a meal with organic, homegrown, locally grown or ethically farmed ingredients, served at your own home or at your favourite cafe. Share the image on the Good Hood website or via Instagram by hashtagging #thegoodhood and #concreteplayground. Entries close on September 11. Urban Food Market's online store is a treasure trove of classes, free range meat, sustainable seafood, cooking equipment and dry goods such as Farmer Jo's muesli.
After headlining Splendour in the Grass earlier this year, The National are bringing their moody, Nick Cave-esque brand of indie rock back to Australia in February 2014. The tour kicks off in Adelaide before heading to Sydney (where they'll be performing on the Opera House forecourt), Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Given we're an island on the other side of the world, it took the New York-based band a while to make their way Down Under, but better late than never right? We've loved them doubly ever since. The National first came to Australia in 2008 to promote their fourth album, Boxer, before coming back in 2010 and 2011 for the Falls Festival and Harvest. They took a break for a few years before returning with their sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, which is being hailed as their best to date. After appearances at several major festivals like Reading and Leeds and Lollapalooza, The National are fast building a reputation as a must-see live act. Fans can expect to hear some of their older songs, like 'Demons', 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' and 'Fake Empire' (which was controversially used in a Mitt Romney election video without their knowledge) as well as newer stuff from Trouble Will Find Me. Update 4 September: The National will perform a second and final show on the Forecourt, on Friday, 7 February, after selling out their first performance in under an hour. Tickets will go on sale at midday tomorrow, Thursday 5 September. The 2014 tour dates are: Thursday 6 February – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide Handsome Tours pre-sale from Thursday 29th August. General public tickets on sale Tuesday 3rd September, 9am AEST. Saturday 8 February– Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney. Opera House pre-sale from Tuesday 29th August. General public tickets on sale Friday 30th August, 9am AEST. Sunday 9 February - Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne. Handsome Tours pre-sale from Thursday 29th August. General public tickets on sale Tuesday 3rd September, 9am AEST. Tuesday 11 February - Riverstage, Brisbane. Handsome Tours pre-sale from Thursday 29th August. General public tickets on sale Tuesday 3rd September, 9am AEST. Friday 14 February - Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth. Perth Festival pre sale from Thursday 7 November. General public tickets on sale Tuesday 12 November, 9am WST. For more information see the Handsome Tours website.
Three years ago, Perth rockers Little Birdy decided to take a break. They'd been in the business since 2002 and, emphasising that their collaborative journey was on hiatus rather than at an end, explained that some solo exploration was nigh. While the boys embarked on various songwriting and production projects, Katy Steele jumped on a plane bound for New York City, drawn to "the largeness, the intensity, the struggle". 2010 saw two returns home — firstly for a massive, sold-out solo tour and secondly to support Richard Ashcroft of The Verve. Since then, Katy's been busy with a new album, and we're hoping to have it in our hands by the end of the year. March 13 marked the dropping of the single 'Fire Me Up', which you can download gratis via Bandcamp or hear on Triple J's Home and Hosed. Mind you, there's no substitute for the indie rock goddess doing her thing live. She'll be touring nationally in April, making her Sydney appearance at Goodgod Small Club. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sGrkPbXnCVA
In the early '60s, while Australian and American authorities were still clinging to '50s notions of decorum, Jewish-American comedian Lenny Bruce was asking why 'titties' were considered dirty when words like 'dago' and 'Abo' were part of common parlance. A champion of free speech, Bruce agitated the authorities with his fearless, expletive-rich exposure of racism and hypocrisy. Sydney was hardly ready for the outspoken stand-up genius when he arrived in 1962. Brought out by big-time promoter Lee Gordon (Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Johnny O'Keefe), Bruce was scheduled to perform a two-week stint of one-man shows. However, a hostile opening-night crowd followed by front-cover press depicting him as "sick", saw the rest of the tour cancelled. For the next 13 days, Bruce kept a low profile in Kings Cross, hanging out with folk singer Tina Date and sustaining his drug habit, while Gordon tried to negotiate alternative venues. Bruce did not mention the visit in his autobiography, How to talk dirty and influence people, but author Damian Kringas researched enough material to write a book about it, Lenny Bruce: 13 Days in Sydney, which Benito Di Fonzo has adapted into a play. Fonzo’s script, with its unconventional structure and beat rhythms, is something akin to a Lenny Bruce performance. The comedian's Sydney story is the eye of the cyclone, with varying faces, places and scenes (both past and present) revolving around him at a stormy speed. We meet the lovers, journalists and law enforcers who swept through Bruce's world, extending either support or scorn. The lead role presents a challenging task. Sam Haft seemed hesitant at first, tending to lack projection, but his grip on the role strengthened in the second half, as did his expression of Bruce's blend of rebellious candour and fragility. Despite displaying the effrontery to tell a heckler to fuck off, Bruce crumbles when confronted with public rejection. A cast of just three takes on the spectrum of satellite characters: Dorje Swallow, Lenore Munro and Damien Strouthos. In a swirling, surreal amalgam of dream, myth and reality, we witness imaginative representations of Gordon’s exchanges with Elvis, the airport scene that prevented Frank Sinatra's second Australian tour and a rather exotic ukulele duo, amongst other scenes. Complete with upright piano, fading rugs, and low-key lamp lighting, Andrea Espinoza’s set successfully transports us into the 1960s club scene. Live jazz improvisations and folk songs, performed by the actors, punctuate the narrative. Unfortunately, occasional oversights reduce the play's ability to punch — some comic moments are lost due to poor timing and/or execution and, without prior knowledge, our understanding of Bruce’s political relevance takes perhaps too much time. That said, Lenny Bruce: 13 Daze Un-Dug in Sydney 1962 is a brave attempt to capture an important story. According to Richard Neville, Bruce's main legacy "was to alert young people to the fact that a lot of dickheads running the country wanted to keep the '50s going forever". Di Fonzo's drama certainly sends that message home.
Back in 2018, KFC wanted us all to relax to the sound of sizzling chicken. Over the past few years, IKEA has tried to put everyone to sleep by listening to its catalogue read aloud — and to get folks to bliss out while watching its products take a 14-day journey to Australia, too. Now, it's Lego's turn to help relieve our stresses, with the toy brand releasing a new relaxation playlist that has been created using its interlocking bricks. If that familiar clicking sound makes you feel zen, you'll be keen to give Lego's 'White Noise' tracks a whirl. If you instantly feel calmer whenever you hear a heap of bricks jumbled together, then you'll be in your element as well. The playlist runs for three and a half hours, and has just hit the company's website, as well as 15 different streaming services including Spotify and iTunes. It only uses Lego bricks, too, so everything you'll hear was made with the famed blocks. More than 10,000 pieces were used to create tracks with names like 'It All Clicks', 'The Waterfall' and 'Searching for the One (Brick)', with the full playlist spanning seven tunes that all clock in at around 30 minutes each. And yes, they do indeed sound like they've been created using Lego. Yes, if you've ever played with the bricks yourself, you already have all those sounds committed to memory. Lego has been touting its wellness credentials of late, including via its new Botanical Collection — which is designed to help adults destress, unwind and get mindful. So, it should come as little surprise that the company suggests you listen to its new playlist while you're building its latest kits. To listen to Lego's White Noise playlist, head to the company's website — or check out your streaming service of choice, such as Spotify and iTunes.
If you're a fan of the Apple iPad be sure to pencil March 7, 2012 into your diaries. According to tech site iMore.com, this is the day that Apple will unveil the iPad 3 — or iPad HD. These predictions are in sync with AllThingsD's earlier report that the iPad 3 will be announced in the first week of March. In addition, Apple insider, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, has indirectly accepted this rumoured announcement date with a solid "Yep." Citing "sources who have been reliable in the past", iMore suggests that features of the next-gen iPad are to include 4G LTE networking, a 2048 x 1536 Retina Display and a quad-core A6 processor. These are considerable upgrades when considering the current iPad 2's specs. Other circulating rumours anticipate an improved camera (either 5 or 8-megapixels), a HD front camera and the possibility of a mini 7" iPad. Considering Apple's world domination in the business of technology, one thing that's for certain is that you'll have to fight off a hoard of iPad-loving vultures before you can get your hands on Apple's newest edition to the iPad family.
Meeting mates for Vivid this year and not sure where to begin? The Rook is inviting you to Vivid Liftoff. On Monday–Saturday evenings, the hidden rooftop bar in the CBD is peddling Vivid-themed cocktails and share plates. And they're all backdropped by pretty views of the Sydney skyline. Start with a Firefly Glow (gin, mango purée, passionfruit, lime) while snacking on crispy fried bread with whipped ricotta and house hot honey. Then move onto a Lunar Lagoon (vodka, blue curaçao, coconut syrup) alongside zucchini tempura with parmesan and hot honey drizzle. Or, if you're in the mood for bubbles, go for the Starlight Spritz (prosecco, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit) alongside squid fritti with paprika salt and tom yum mayo, or Southern-Style buffalo chicken with blue cheese mayo. Whatever you eat and drink, The Rook is a handily central spot to start your night. It's just a stone's throw from Darling Harbour, Town Hall and Martin Place.
The planned construction of anything 'bold, provocative and edgy' seems innately destined for failure — the aforementioned buzzwords, particularly when used in quick succession, conjure up images of middle-aged, fat-cat executives chain smoking cigars around a boardroom table or, worse still, mid-life crisis Mum trying with thinly veiled desperation to shake it with her 20-something-year-old daughters. In short, not an uplifting portrait. It could be argued that SBS2's recent youth-targeted makeover, which saw the digital channel relaunch on April 1 in a bid to ensnare a specific 16-to-39-year-old demographic, is destined to go the way of other 'cool, hip' initiatives that sadly end up being neither of the two. What Even Is Emerging Culture? By attempting to reach 'young people' as an isolated bracket, SBS2 have been criticised for assuming that age is an effective means by which to categorise and target the behaviours of viewers. Admittedly, if shows like Network Ten's Being Lara Bingle and The Shire are indicative of what Gen-Y supposedly wants, it would appear that young people people are in fact the dullest, worst kind of viewer and, more widely, human. What's different about SBS2's approach is the diversity of their programming — already popular offerings like US comedy series Community and gritty drama Skins feature alongside A-League football coverage, Japanese game shows and documentaries on everything from the truth about smoking marijuana to a history of controversial sex in cinema. The breadth of subject matter covered suggests that SBS2 is not targeted at some imagined, specific breed of young person with a narrow, mundane sphere of interest; it's an attempt to engage a younger but no less intelligent consumer in a meaningful way. Facilitating Your Binge A particularly interesting component of the new SBS2 is the Back 2 Back feature, where after the first episode of a series has screened on free to air, viewers can watch the entire season of some shows via SBS On Demand. A response to what Tony Iffland, SBS's director of TV and online content , calls 'binge watching' the feature allows viewers the kind of total control over their viewing habits that most of us have been enjoying since we learnt how to illegally download content (everybody does it but nobody talks about it). While the idea of huddling around the box once a week for a single episode of one's personal brand of entertainment crack might provide great fodder for water-cooler banter the next day at the office, in today's fast-paced media landscape the notion seems as quaint and outmoded as listening to the wireless, yet most traditional TV networks still privilege this lost model, for lack of another way. News for the Attention-Challenged Another of SBS2's responses to changing media consumption habits is the addition of a 15-minute news bulletin with 30-second headlines, which offers a time-poor alternative to the increasingly archaic traditional news bulletin. Although this opens up a contentious debate about the dangers of pandering to rapidly shrinking attention spans, it seems that regardless of such protestations, behavioural and attitudinal changes are inevitable. If this is the case, fast news is still better than none at all, right? SBS Is Your Friend Where, as a 'young person' your natural reaction might be to boldly and feverishly reject any initiative that attempts to examine, categorise and subsequently cater to your complex needs and desires in a collective way, it's important to remember who the one doing the talking is. SBS isn't he dreaded man — they're an independent, underfunded TV channel, committed to providing high-quality, culturally relevant media to all Australians regardless of geography, background, language skills and, indeed, age. Seven billion stories and counting, only now some of those are digital, on demand and ready for your binging pleasure, 'bold, provocative and edgy', or otherwise.
If you didn't manage to snag tickets to one of The Cure's four Sydney shows this May, we have some good news: the legendary band has announced a fifth show. On Thursday, May 30, the post-punk luminaries, headed by the Robert Smith (with his teased hair, eyeliner and lipstick), will take to the Sydney Opera House stage for another Vivid Live headline performance. The catch? You had to have signed up for the original The Cure ticket ballot back in February to be eligible. If you didn't? There is a pretty decent consolation prize. The Opera House has announced that it'll be streaming the fifth performance live on Facebook and YouTube (below). So, we suggest you start planning your The Cure watching party stat — and stocking up on hairspray. The Cure will be performing their 1989 album Disintegration in its entirety in a world-premiere, and Australian-exclusive, performance celebrating the 30th anniversary of the landmark album. The gothic rock-style record contains hits such as 'Lovesong' and 'Pictures of You', and, according to Smith, is meant to be played at max volume. "This album was mixed to be played loud... so turn it up!", Smith said in a statement about the live stream. Maybe this a good excuse to invest in a new set of speakers. The British band is just one of the big-name performances heading to Sydney for the 2019 Vivid festival. Others include FKA Twigs, Rüfüs Du Soul, folk rock singer Sharon Van Etten and Perth up-and-comer Stella Donnelly. You can check out the full lineup and snag tickets to more shows over here. Check back here to watch the livestream — and Robert Smith in all his eyelinered glory — from 8pm on Thursday, May 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9uSPf9WDbw The Cure will perform its fifth show in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Thursday, May 30. The concert will be live streamed from 8pm via the SOH's Facebook page and YouTube channel (above). For more information about The Cure ballot and live stream, head here. Images: Andy Vella. Updated: May 30, 2019.
Renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa, best known for his beloved Nobu restaurants worldwide, will visit his venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth as part of a highly anticipated Australian tour this May. Fans will have a chance to interact with the culinary maestro in person and sample his signature Japanese dishes at a special lunch event on Saturday, May 4, at Crown Sydney. Priced at $120 per person, the Gochiso Lunch banquet with Chef Matsuhisa runs from 12–3pm and includes an array of iconic Nobu dishes, along with a glass of Oatley wine. If you're keen to spend even more time with the acclaimed chef, there's also a pool party with live entertainment, a Don Julio station and food from 6.30–9.30pm on Thursday, May 2, which will set you back $475 per person. "I can't wait to return to Australia. It is a place very close to my heart, and I love visiting my team and local suppliers. The Australian dining scene and hospitality industry is one of the best in the world; brimming with creative culinary talent, incredible produce, and a passionate community of diners," said Matsuhisa.
Nobody knows how to put on a gay old time better than Heaps Gay. The collective of Sydney LGBTIQ+ party starters hits the nail on the head every time, and now it's teamed up with Thredbo for a whole five days of back-to-back fiestas. Running from August 29 till September 2, Rainbow Mountain: A Heaps Gay Snow Week promised to be a glittery, colourful all-out fun affair. Grab your 80s bunny suits and your rainbow flags and strap yourselves in for a long, long weekend of silly snow times, including après pool parties, a queer movie nights and Champagne lunches. Can you believe? Well, you better, because that lineup is topped only by drag bingo with added karaoke. In short, it's going to be a heaps gay ski week of heaps epic proportions. To find out more about Thredbo's exciting winter program, head to thredbo.com.au.
Passion Pit are returning to Australia. Those six words should instil excitement in all who have seen the band perform previously, likely on their previous Splendour in the Grass tour back in 2010 where their performance lit up the Woodford Amphitheatre and various venues across the country. For those who have not yet experienced Passion Pit live, this is your chance to understand why those of us who have are so excited. Their explosive pop is transmitted from band to audience from the moment the opening chord is struck, sending your body into dancing raptures that will only abate once the band has left the stage — and even then it will probably take a few hours. Since their spectacular 2010 visit, the band has grown into one of the premier pop groups on the planet, last year claiming third spot on Rolling Stone's best songs of 2012 with 'Take a Walk', the hit single from their sophomore release, Gossamer. They have also recently played New York City's Governors Ball, Coachella and a sold-out Madison Square Garden and they are now ready to bring their buzzing brilliance all the way to the Enmore Theatre for one night only. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dZX6Q-Bj_xg
Self-sufficiency is not simply an environmental goal but an all-consuming way of life for Spanish design company, Elii Studio. With their brilliant new invention — the Jane Fonda Kit House — these Mediterranean innovators have created an experimental home powered almost entirely through that most futuristic of technologies: human movement. The concept itself is startlingly simple. The house, which resembles something between a DIY greenhouse and an M.C. Escher design, is fitted with a number of low-tech exercise devices hooked up to some pretty high-tech generators. Every time you punch out some sit-ups, jump on the exercise bike or even water the plants, these generators convert your kinetic energy into energy that can be used to power your household appliances. Thus, the fitter you get get yourself, the more episodes of Game of Thrones you can watch. While JF-Kit may certainly isn't for everyone, if you're the kind of person who likes to put their fitness first and likes to keep energy expenses to a minimum, then this might just be future-you's perfect home. Via Inhabitat
Get ready Sydney, the overwhelmingly grand-titled Dinner of the Decade is about to happen — literally. Talented chefs, sommeliers and waiters from around the country are coming together to celebrate ten years of Appetite for Excellence at Mojo by Luke Mangan. So who's cookin'? The culinary talents taking care of you on the night come from well-established Australian establishments you may already know. Think Melbourne's Supernormal, Sydney's Est., Flying Fish and Ananas and more. You're even encouraged to grill the chefs and waiters for DIY ideas and insider knowledge to impress your foodie friends afterwards. It's a bit of a pricey night out with tickets sitting at $130pp, but if you're due for a 'treat yourself' moment, this is a pretty decadently delicious option. Each table gets their own chef and waiter who will put their own personal spin on your menu. You'll be able to relive their career through each plate and of course, beverage matching. Appetite for Excellence has put the spotlight on many talents in the hospitality industry over the years and this dinner is like a big high school reunion — without a party pie or sausage roll in sight. To book, call (02) 9002 5346 or email mojo@lukemangan.com.
Across its five seasons to date, Black Mirror has dedicated 22 episodes to imagining dystopian futures — and while it makes for compelling viewing, none of the sci-fi anthology series' predictions are particularly pretty. But, for all of its prognosticating, the Charlie Brooker-created show didn't foresee 2020's chaos. And now we've all endured this hectic year and are about to see it come to an end, the team behind Black Mirror has something to say about it. At some point soon — presumably before 2020 is out — Netflix will drop a new comedy special called Death to 2020, which is made by the Black Mirror crew. Exactly what's in store is being kept a surprise for now, but the show will obviously look back on the year. And, it'll have high-profile help in the form of Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgan, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery. Netflix has just revealed a teaser trailer for Death to 2020, although that doesn't provide any further info — other than confirming that the Black Mirror team couldn't have made up a year as bleak as this, and that they'll be satirising and savaging the year's developments. That said, Brooker has a history of looking back at events that have just passed, as Newswipe with Charlie Brooker and his end-of-year Wipe specials between 2010–16 have all demonstrated. Brooker and Netflix also love releasing new material over the holiday period with little pre-warning, with interactive Black Mirror special Bandersnatch dropping between Christmas and New Year's Eve back in 2018. So, you might be receiving an extra festive — and grimly funny — present this year. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxR9Zo36rbo&feature=emb_logo Death to 2020 looks set to hit Netflix sometime before 2020 is out — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Top image: Black Mirror.
It has been three months since Queensland closed its borders to Greater Sydney, making the Sunshine State off limits to residents of specific local government areas in the New South Wales capital. Over that period, the status of Queensland's borders has changed multiple times — as it has throughout much of 2020 — including shutting out all of NSW, then reopening to all of NSW except Greater Sydney. But, finally, Sydneysiders will be able to make the journey north from Tuesday, December 1. Today, Tuesday, November 24, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that Queensland will reopen its border to all of NSW, including Sydney, from the first of next month — which is just seven days away. The Premier said Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was now "satisfied" that NSW was safe as it had reached more than 28 days of no unlinked community transmission. The state is also set to open its border to Victoria from December 1, as long as the southern state does not record a new case tomorrow. Victoria has had 25 consecutive days with zero new cases and has today hit the milestone of zero active COVID-19 cases for the first time since February. "I hope this is welcome news," the Queensland Premier said at the announcement. "I think it's great news in the lead-up to Christmas, but, once again, that timely reminder for everybody — we need to make sure that we continue to keep up our social distancing." https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1331015192155541507 This is also good news if you're a Queenslander now keen on a southern getaway, as you'll be able to head to Sydney or Melbourne (if all goes well in the next 24 hours) and not have to worry about quarantining on return. The Sunshine State will continue to keep its borders closed to 20 South Australian LGAs for the foreseeable future. Whichever way you're heading, though, you will still need a border pass. It isn't required to leave the state, but you'll need one to enter, regardless of whether you're a tourist or returning resident. To obtain a pass, you'll need to apply online, with each one valid for seven days. For more information about Queensland's border policies, head to the Queensland Government website.
Come Wednesday, it can feel like time is moving in slow motion and you're running through jelly towards the golden moment that is 5.01pm on Friday. Why is the jelly so dense and your limbs so heavy? Probably because you spend so many hours serving customers or calming down angry clients. And let's not forget the time spent sending emails or in meetings that could've been an email. The working week is a necessity unfortunately, but there are some tricks of the trade for making it a little easier so you can cut down on the brainwork (and sometimes the legwork). Deputy, a software that does a bunch of those manual tasks for you, plays right into this. It knows your true heart's desire is not rostering alone in an office on a computer but rather just having a nice time bonding with your team. And other ways to get through the week, you ask? Well, here's a couple of ideas. [caption id="attachment_731201" align="alignnone" width="1920"] No Lights No Lycra[/caption] BOOK IN FOR A FUN EXERCISE CLASS AFTER WORK Leaving on time is certainly a basic human right — but we know it's much easier said than done. Sometimes you need a little incentive to push you into pressing save on your excel doc and blowing the joint. A tip? Book into an exercise class after work that will have you looking forward to your knock-off time all day, and changing into your runners at 4.57pm. Try judgement-free dance class No Lights No Lycra or a burlesque class at Sky Sirens to get the blood pumping. They'll make you remember that movement is nice, endorphins are your little buddies and sweat is just your body crying out all the toxic "as per my last emails" of the past week. TURN THE OFFICE INTO A MINI MOVIE THEATRE Generally speaking, if there's one thing a lot of offices are good for, it's expanses of white walls. Move aside the whiteboards and mindmaps, and clear space to make an impromptu screen. If you and your colleagues all chip in a few bucks to buy a cheap pocket projector (or convince your boss to do so), it'll soon be paying for itself — and you'll be doing movie nights the right way. Roll your desk chairs in, microwave some popcorn, flick off the lights and BAM, you're basically at a boutique cinema. Don't have a spare wall? Cop some cheap bean bags and get yourself flat on the floor to use the ceiling as a screen. After a long, hard week, you deserve a little lie down. [caption id="attachment_654556" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Golden Barley Hotel[/caption] FIND A NEW PUB TRIVIA EVERY WEEK If there's one way in which Sydney proves its mettle, it's in having a plethora of pub trivias themed for all occasions. Ru Paul's Drag Race trivia? Check. Broad City trivia? Yup. Murder Mystery pub trivia? Yeah, you'll find it somewhere. Work your way around town by picking a new trivia night every week. Some of our favourites include Golden Barley Hotel's themed trivia nights, Golden Age Cinema's fortnightly film trivia events and The Wild Rover weekly general knowledge quizzes. Start thinking of punny team names now — you can do better than 'You're a Quizzard, Harry'. Get a pub meal, flex your brain muscles, appoint a scribe and get thinking — you might even win the meat tray for Friday's lunch cook-up. [caption id="attachment_622126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] GO TO A DOG PARK FOR MAXIMUM PATS DURING LUNCH Sure, you may work nowhere near a beach or a park — and, if you do, we're jealous. Take a longer lunch to schlep you and your sandwich across to the nearest dog-friendly spot, and max out on those endorphins that come with hanging out with furry friends. Fact: dogs cuddles are good for mental health. Fact number two: dog cuddles are great for helping the week fly by. DO A LUNCH SWAP WITH YOUR COLLEAGUE Your chicken salad may be grand, but it may also be as done to death as your perennial Tuesday lunch. Routine is all well and good but so is stepping outside your culinary boundaries, so try a lunch swap with a colleague once a week. It'll be like roulette (with considerably lower stakes), and you'll get to offload that chicken salad on Angela. Surprises are the spice of life, and maybe you'll get lucky and score something like a fun curry. You may even find you enjoy cooking more when it's for someone else. INTRODUCE DEPUTY Manual tasks and paperwork are the bane of any business owner's life. Things like rostering or payroll could make even the most patient person think seriously about throwing their computer into the sea and calling it a day. Deputy takes the reins on this one by helping you with the boring, fiddly manual stuff. Used by Aussie companies like Gelato Messina, Ume Burger and San Churro, Deputy simplifies scheduling, timesheets and communication thereby leaving you, the newly relaxed and calm person, with no urge to throw computers — and able to join your team for the fun activities listed above. If work-life balance is the goal (which it should be), Deputy might be the answer. To learn more about Deputy and how it could help your workplace, visit the website.
Elizabeth Bay House is reviving the excitement and 1940s glamour of World War II's Victory in Europe (VE) Day with the Historic Houses Trust's GI Dance. On May 8, 1945 WWII finally came to an end; 67 years later, that victorious moment comes alive again at the harbourside estate of Elizabeth Bay House. Join the party dressed in your best retro attire, and ladies, stop by the in-house salon for festive 'victory curls' and pin-up-perfect makeup. Then hit the dance-floor to the tunes of the era, all while sipping vintage cocktails and mingling with dashing American GIs. Stop by the kitchen for a 1940s cooking tutorial with colonial gastronomer Jacqui Newling or sneak a peek at burlesque pin-up Foxtrot India, posing for a bedroom portrait. Tickets tend to sell out well before the night itself, so if you're thinking of going, book soon.
This event has reached capacity and is unable to accept any further RSVPs. If action-packed yet artful heist films are your thing — and why wouldn't they be? — Julius Avery's debut feature, Son of a Gun, is bound to tickle your armchair thrill-seeking side. Newcomer Brenton Thwaites is JR, a 19-year-old locked up for a minor offence. While inside, he is taken under the calculating wing of crime boss Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor). In an inevitably no-don't-you've-got-so-much-going-for-you! move, JR helps Lynch's crew orchestrate a daring prison escape — and is then invited to join in on the high-stakes heist they're planning next. Things, of course, turn progressively more dangerous. The film is all Aussie — written and directed by Avery (whose short film Jerrycan was a Jury Prize winner at Cannes), and shot in the disparate and desolate landscapes of Melbourne, Perth and Kalgoorlie. It's a nail-biting, chill-inducing thriller you'll need to psychologically prepare for. We warned you. We're offering competition winners the chance to see Son of a Gun with a friend at an exclusive preview screening on Monday, October 13, 6.30pm at Palace Verona (17 Oxford Street, Paddington). To enter, click here. Son of a Gun officially releases in cinemas from October 16. See the film in style at Palace Cinemas. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eTOBcelRo9M
Yes, it's sad but true — Stills Gallery is closing their doors after almost 26 years. Join them for Curtain Call, a final exhibition that looks back at the gallery's history, from their humble beginnings in 1991 to now, and presents what they're calling "the mother of all salon hangs" featuring over 60 artists from close to three decades of exhibitions. Visit their social channels and you'll also see a featured 'work a day', where friends, colleagues, artists and collectors will nominate a work or artist that spoke to them during the gallery's history. "It has been a privilege to work with such a diverse range of talented artists," say co-directors Kathy Freedman and Bronwyn Rennex. "And we've enjoyed sharing their works with the world — whether in Paddington or Paris, William St or Waterloo… We have relished their power to challenge and move us." Head along to pay your respects and bid Stills a fond farewell. Image: Pat Brassington, By the way, 2010.
