If you only get stranded on one island this year, be sure to make it this one. After the colossal success of their inaugural endeavour, Wine Island is returning to Sydney Harbour this November for another long weekend of fun, food and sweet, sweet wine. For those who missed out last time, Wine Island is more or less what it sounds like, in that it's an island where you drink a lot of wine. More specifically, it's a four-day mini festival on Clark Island in Sydney Harbour, where you can spend your time knocking back glass after glass while feasting on mouth-watering cuisine. If it's anything like last year, there'll also be a range of activities to enjoy – think cooking classes and treasure hunts. Yes, treasure hunts. No wonder we dubbed it the Best New Event of 2015. Wine Island 2016 is set to run from Thursday, November 10 to Sunday November 13, and general admission tickets ($95) include vintage ferry transport to and from the island with a glass of sparking on board, five wine tastings, masterclasses and your own wine glass — however, there's only a few tickets left for the Thursday session at this point. For the real fancypantses, the VIP package ($190) gives you all that plus a meal voucher, licence to sip away to your heart's content with unlimited tastings (not a challenge), and access to the Friday sessions.
Francophiles, rejoice! Circular Quay and The Rocks will once again overflow with the spirit of liberté, egalité et fraternité — as well as lots and lots of cheese — for the annual Bastille Festival, a free-to-enter four-day celebration of all things French from Thursday, July 11 until Sunday, July 14. The event has been a winter mainstay in the Harbour City since 2012, so while it is technically in honour of France's national holiday, commemorating the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, the fest has become just as much a local tradition as it is an international one. This year, revellers can enjoy 124 free performances from 344 artists across seven locations around Sydney's historic harbourfront including live performances, DJ sets, pumping dance classes and even al fresco film screenings at Le Mulled Wine Cinema at Cadmans Cottage. From jazz and samba to cabaret and capoeira, the range of creative talents on show is set to be truly dazzling. Food is always a major drawcard, with numerous stalls selling French street-eat favourites including ooey-gooey raclette, garlic-drenched escargot, freshly-made crêpes, hearty saucisson and of course, more fine fromage than you can shake a warm baguette at. This year, however, gastronomes can delve even deeper into France's rich culinary traditions via a series of cookery masterclasses. Highlights include a class from the coach of the 2019 Australian World Pastry Cup team, master pâtissier Yves Scherrer, showcasing his legendary soufflé and chocolate fondant recipes and sessions from chef Fabio Salvato, who'll be sharing techniques learned during his stints in Michelin-starred kitchens. Still hungry? Another new addition this year, Le Diner Extraordinaire is a series of luxe meals at Quay Quarter Lanes, championing the culinary talents of this new hospitality hotspot. The collaborative four-course menu will include tapas from Deux Freres, Italian-inspired dishes from Bar Mammoni and a creamy dessert from Zini Contemporary Gelateria. There'll be different live entertainment accompanying each of the sessions, too, ranging from a classical symphony to a DJ and sax live-set combo. If there's one thing the French love as much as dining, it's wine. The Bastille Festival's wine-tasting tour is an annual staple, spanning 1.4 kilometres and featuring bottles from top wine regions including the Loire Valley, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Alsace, Rhône Valley, Provence and Languedoc. Simply grab your Bastille Festival wine passport and branded tasting glass and tick off each drop on your self-guided tour. One notable addition to this year's proceedings is the Bastille Olympic Village outside Customs House, where sculptures of iconic Parisian landmarks, including a six-metre-high Eiffel Tower, will transport Sydneysiders to the heart of the French capital. To mark the 2024 summer games — the first Summer Olympic Games to be held in France in a century — visitors will be able to take part in fencing, basketball, badminton, and archery workshops led by seasoned coaches. Finally, on Saturday, July 13, an Olympic Parade, featuring a procession of athletes, local organisations and roaming performers, will march from Circular Quay to the Rocks to celebrate the Olympic values of sportsmanship and community.
2024 was a year of heartbreaking cancellations in the Australian music scene. Not every festival that took some time out has returned a year later, but 2025 has thankfully seen more than a few comebacks. Here's the latest: Harvest Rock, the Adelaide event that cemented itself as a fest worth travelling to in its 2022 debut and 2023's second spin, has locked in a two-day 2025 instalment in October. It was in August 2024 that Harvest Rock revealed that just two years after initially popping up, the decision had been made to postpone that year's event. The news came after Splendour in the Grass announced its 2024 dates and lineup, then ditched its plans — and following Groovin the Moo going through the same cycle of reveals and cancellations. Spilt Milk, Summergrounds Music Festival and Dark Mofo also sat the year out or said goodbye permanently. Dark Mofo returned for 2025, as is Spilt Milk — and now Harvest Rock is joining them. Only Teenage Joans have been named on the lineup for this year's stint at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina so far, but you can pop Tuesday, August 12 in your diary, as that's when the full roster of acts that'll be taking to the stage will be unveiled. Also crucial, dates-wise: Saturday, October 25–Sunday, October 26, when the festival is taking place. When Harvest Rock was first born, hailing from the Secret Sounds crew — who were also behind Splendour in the Grass — it aimed to get everyone dancing in a park in Adelaide each spring, including interstaters heading to South Australia to enjoy the fest's visitworthy lineups. The first year welcomed Jack White, Groove Armada, The Avalanches, Crowded House and Courtney Barnett, for starters. 2023 backed that up with Jamiroquai and Beck doing Australian-exclusive shows, plus everyone from Sparks and Nile Rogers & Chic to Bright Eyes and Paul Kelly. A two-day blend of music, food and wine — well, it is in SA — Harvest Rock also spans Adelaide's top restaurants and eateries serving up dishes, a culinary-focused stage and wine tastings. 2025's iteration will include Wildwoods & Cellar Door by Duncan Welgemoed and Nick Stock, for starters. "We're thrilled to see Harvest Rock return to its Adelaide home to deliver a festival that brings global stadium-sized artists to South Australia, while also championing the region's world-class food, wine and culture for interstate guests. Harvest Rock not only drives tourism and benefits local businesses, but offers a unique festival experience for all ages across the local community and beyond," advised Festival Director of Harvest Rock Ryan Sabet. "Music to the ears of festival lovers and our hospitality and tourism operators, Harvest Rock will return to Adelaide this October. The beauty of this festival is that it combines what we do best in South Australia — offering premium food and beverages and delivering memorable events," said SA Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison about Harvest Rock's comeback. "Held in 2022 and 2023, Harvest Rock has contributed a combined $34.5 million to the state's economy. We continue to see the impact major events like this deliver to our economy, while reinforcing our state's reputation as the ultimate destination for bucket-list events — whether you are a sports fan, art lover, foodie or just enjoy a good festival." Harvest Rock 2025 is set to take place across Saturday, October 25–Sunday, October 26 at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide. Head to the festival's website for further details — with presale tickets available from Tuesday, August 19 and general sales from Wednesday, August 20. And check back here on Tuesday, August 12 for the lineup. Image: Ian Laidlaw / Mitch Lowe / Zennieshia Butts.
For most people, a trip to Noosa means soaking up the sun on pristine beaches, hiking through verdant rainforests and shopping on Hastings Street. But there's so much more on offer throughout the region, from beachfront dining and kayaking through the Everglades to chasing dolphins and meeting local artists. Together with Visit Noosa, we've put together a guide on some lesser-known experiences around Noosa so you can discover something new on your next adventure to the Sunshine Coast. Whether you're after an adrenaline fix or want to sample some oysters by the beach, all you need to do is book your flight, check into one of our suggested accommodation options, and start exploring. Play Kick off your Noosa trip in style as soon as you touch down. Book a Tesla Transfer service to pick you up from the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane airports and take you straight from the terminal to your accommodation in Noosa. There are a range of Tesla sedans and SUVs to choose from, with complimentary child seats available. Noosa is famed for its tranquil beaches and lush hinterland, but if you're keen to inject some excitement into your visit, join the Adventure Tribe for one of its many outdoor experiences. The team hosts tours and expeditions around Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, from rock climbing and abseiling to kayaking the Noosa Everglades and hiking the Cooloola Great Walk. The experiences range from two hours to multi-day trips, with private tours also available. For more thrills, spend a day at Aussie World, which features over 30 rides, attractions and games like mini-golf, a haunted maze and a trippy 'illusionarium', as well as eateries and a beer garden. There is a range of rides to suit the whole family, from the cruisy ferris wheel and carousel for smaller tots to the unmissable Dingo Racer rollercoaster and SX360 pendulum — the latter of which reaches speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour as it completes full revolutions 32 metres up in the air. There's no better way to explore the coast than from the water so book in for one of Noosa Wave's four maritime adventures to meet Queensland locals of a different kind, including whales, dolphins, turtles and tropical fish. Embark on a whale-watching tour or an exhilarating dolphin-spotting boat ride, or get up close and personal with a snorkelling or swimming-with-whales experience. But Noosa doesn't have to be all about chasing thrills and outdoor expeditions — culture vultures can get their fix at Noosa Open Studios, which hosts a free annual Art Trail. For 10 days, visitors are invited to explore the workshops and studios of 100-plus local artists around Noosa to meet the creatives, discover their processes and purchase artworks. Eat There's nothing quite like cracking open a cold one after a day spent outdoors, so hit up the Heads of Noosa Brewing Co taproom for an icy bev. Pair one of its crisp lagers with share plates such as fried brussels sprouts with lime mayo, tempura king prawns with golden curry mayo, Thai satay chicken roti, or beef cheeks braised in Heads Black Lager with mashed potato and honey carrots. For an intimate dining experience, visit Humble on Duke in Sunshine Beach. The cosy, 14-seater restaurant is run by sole chef Stacey Conner and partner Jade Tareha and offers a seasonally changing set menu inspired by modern Australian and Middle Eastern flavours. Expect snacks such as Lebanese fried dumplings with spiced lamb and house-made Turkish bread with baba ganoush, followed by larger dishes like spiced wagyu flank with salsa verde or line-caught Pearl Perch with carrot sauce and barbecue fennel. Sides, desserts and wines are available to add on as you wish. You can't leave Noosa without dining by the beach, and Bistro C is the ideal spot to wrap up your Sunshine Coast holiday. Situated right on the boardwalk, the airy restaurant looks out onto Laguna Bay. For dinner, start with Coffin Bay oysters and calamari before moving onto bigger plates such as pork and prawn tortellini with XO butter, caramelised pork belly with toffee pear and crackling, or a spatchcock pie with pickled blueberries and a sticky jus. Finish off with a Mars Bar-inspired caramel chocolate delice, sticky date and ginger pudding with pear ice cream or coconut kaffir tapioca pudding with lychee and pineapple salsa. Start planning your Noosa getaway and find out more at the Visit Noosa website. Images: Tourism Noosa
One thing is certain: the Affordable Art Fair is one of the best opportunities to refresh your home with a little more colour and flair. And with the Sydney edition headed to Carriageworks for the first time from Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9, getting to know the program ensures you not only discover great pieces from leading galleries, but also catch all the unskippable live events, kid-friendly encounters and foodie endeavours. Joining over 65 galleries in attendance, Surry Hills' N Smith Gallery is bringing its artist roster to the event for the first time, including Sulman Prize winners Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, as well as award-winning First Nations artist Sally Scales. Plus, other Sydney galleries making their hometown debut are Paddington's Art2Muse Gallery, Pyrmont's Audrey Fine Art and Woolloomooloo's Frances Keevil Gallery. "Our new venue allows the event to grow its footprint and impact, while staying true to its mission of making art accessible, affordable and exciting for all," says Australian Fair Director Georgia Huestis, estimating that 14,000 art-lovers will roam the venue across its four jam-packed days. The Artist in Action live demonstrations return once more, featuring renowned creatives like Brad Turner, Joanna Davies, Wendi Leigh and the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. Melbourne-based artist Jackie Case's Art ATM will also reappear, with visitors inserting a drawing idea only to have it emerge from the machine shortly after. Meanwhile, Jason Parker will debut his large-scale suspended rotating floral mural, in addition to completing a six-metre work he began on-site at the Melbourne event. As you browse the huge collections on display — priced from $100 and $10,000, as always — sip back a glass of sparkling from the new Bird in Hand Wine Bar. Families should also make tracks for a newly unveiled Children's Art Studio, curated by artist Tenyka Jay. Here, kids of all ages can explore an underwater wonderland filled with sea life and submarines, from a seven-metre hand-painted mural to watercolour whales and free face painting. "Affordable Art Fair is hands-down the easiest and most enjoyable way to explore and buy art, whether you're hunting for your first piece or your fiftieth," says Huestis. "Everything is from a living artist, prices are clearly listed and you can take your new artwork home on the day. What's not to love?" Affordable Art Fair Sydney is happening Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9, at Carriageworks. Head to the website for more information.
Winter might currently be in full swing in Australia, but here's a trusty reminder that there's plenty of summer fun to look forward to: the ticket ballot for 2025's Meredith Music Festival is officially open. If spending three days and two nights watching one stage at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre is your favourite way to kick off the warmest season of the year, then you'll want to go in the running to attend the regional Victorian fest ASAP. 2025 marks the beloved event's 33rd year, and its' promising "a midland melodrama in three parts". This three-decade-plus tradition will take over its namesake locale across Friday, December 5–Sunday, December 7, 2025. In the festival's own words, patrons can look forward to the "same shape, same size, and all on the one stage" once more. The other crucial date for your diary right now is Monday, August 11, 2025 — and 10.33pm AEST specifically that day. As at Wednesday, July 16, 2025, that's when the three-day BYO camping festival's ticket ballot is open until for this year. So, book that long weekend, enter for tickets, then cross your fingers that you'll be spending a trio of days at The Sup. There's no lineup as yet, as Meredith has long stopped being the kind of festival where attendance is dictated by whoever is taking to the stage. In both 2023 and 2024, the roster of acts dropped in mid-August. This year, Meredith has confirmed that 2025 lineup will be revealed with the ballot draws. 2023 saw Kraftwerk, Caroline Polachek, Alvvays, Alex G, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Flowdan, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Sneaky Sound System, No Fixed Address, Souls of Mischief and plenty more on the bill. For 2024, Jamie xx, Waxahatchee, Genesis Owusu, Mk.gee, ZAPP, Angie McMahon, The Dare and Glass Beams were just some of the fest's names. Meredith Music Festival will return to Meredith from Friday, December 5–Sunday, December 7, 2025. To put your name in the ballot to get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website before 10.33pm AEST on Monday, August 11. Images: Chip Mooney, Ben Fletcher, Chelsea King and Steve Benn.
International sportswear label Adidas continues its efforts to save the world's oceans, unveiling a new range of running kicks crafted ingeniously from recycled plastic pulled from the beach. It's the latest in a series of collaborations with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans, with the two groups teaming up to reduce ocean plastic by transforming it into sports gear. Set to drop on April 16, the planet-friendly range features two slick new shoe designs — the UltraBOOST and UltraBOOST X — in variations for both guys and girls. The colour palette of deep blues and greens takes its cues from "the urban harbour", and an integrated NFC chip in the right sole lets you access learning experiences about plastic pollution with a few taps of your phone. But even better than looking and feeling good, each pair means that approximately 11 plastic bottles will prevented from reaching the ocean. This new line follows the success of Adidas' previous Parley collaborations, which sold over one million products in 2017 alone. This year, the two companies have their sights set on cracking the five million mark, which you have to agree is no small drop in the ocean. The UltraBOOST and UltraBOOST X will only be available for a limited time, though keep your eyes peeled for new and updated Adidas X Parley products dropping regularly throughout the year. Adidas has also committed to phasing out the use of newly-manufactured plastic in its products, and to supporting Parley in a range of research and development, innovation and education initiatives. Find the latest collaborative ocean plastic range online and instore.
Fancy soaking in Sydney's expansive coastal surroundings while putting one foot in front of the other? Then head to the city's newest attraction. Stretching between the two titular beaches, the just-launched Bondi to Manly Walk spans 80 kilometres along the east coast and harbour foreshore — connecting the existing tracks in the area into one epic, super-scenic seaside trek. First announced in November 2018 and now open for Sydneysiders to stroll along, B2MW meanders past all of the expected highlights; think secluded coves, spectacular views, bushland, clifftops, and landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. As the name makes plain, it starts and ends at Bondi and Manly beaches, but there's plenty to see in-between. You'll also wander everywhere from the Hornby Lighthouse and Mrs Macquarie's Chair to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Curlew Camp. Specifically winding through Bondi, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay, Darling Point and Kirribilli, past Taronga Zoo, over to Spit Bridge, then through Manly Wharf to Manly Beach, the track combines a host of already-popular trails. Stroll along the South Head Heritage Trail, Green Point Walking Track, Hermitage Foreshore Track, Bradleys Head Walk and Georges Heights Walk, then head through the Manly Scenic Walkway, North Head Sanctuary, Australian Memorial Walk and Fairfax Track. Emphasising the people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land through which the B2MW travels, the trail also journeys past significant Indigenous sites such as an Aboriginal People's midden between Fisher Bay and Sandy Bay, Aboriginal engravings at Grotto Point, and the ancestral reburial site and rock art at Reef Beach. Plus, while you're moseying, you'll follow 350 Aboriginal Whale Symbol signs along the mega trail's lengthy expanse — with an app also available to help you plan and track your walk. Sixty kilometres of the massive track runs over public land, including bushwalking paths, while the other 20 kilometres takes walkers along footpaths — with the trek coming about after considerable co-operation between the relevant local, state and federal government bodies. And if you're wondering how long it takes, suggested itineraries split the walk into four, five and seven-day routes, although you can obviously make the journey however you see fit. The Bondi to Manly Walk is now open. For more information, visit the walk's website. Images: Destination NSW.
Naeem Rana and Nusra Qureshi are both artists of Pakistani birth who have adapted traditional forms of representation to depict their contemporary experience of the world. Having migrated to Australia in 2001, Rana and Qureshi have continued to practice Urdu calligraphy and Mughal miniature painting, and for this exhibition combine them with sculpture and digital photography in a reflection on (in)visibility and adopted spaces. Qureshi's calligraphy is recontextualised within advertising and pop culture and digital media, and Rana has transformed the scope and the scale of the works she creates using techniques for miniatures. This exhibition offers insights on several levels: into Pakistani art, history and development, and on how the ancient and contemporary can be synthesised. There's also a point being made about how Australian culture has responded to and influenced Rana and Qureshi as people and as artists, perhaps suggesting that they've garnered more recognition as the latter than the former.
Lego Camera is a 3-Megapixel camera made entirely out of its namesake. It is a new go-to gadget for any shelf that’s looking a little bare and any hands that are feeling a little bored because, being Lego, you can add extra pieces to build a totally customised camera. Fortunately, it can't be pulled apart, which means you won’t find yourself scrambling on all fours looking for that missing piece. The camera, available online at Urban Outfitters, has pretty simple features: fixed focus, digital zoom, in-built flash and a 1.5 inch colour-screen with memory to store 8 shots. This may be marketed to the younger generation, but for those who never outgrew their childhood Lego fixation to operate this is certainly a fun option. [Via Desktop Mag]
A clear sign of a great place to feast is a short menu — there's not a lot of choice, but it's a good bet that what is on offer is top notch. To see this theory in action, head to Banh Cuon Ba Oanh on Marrickville's Illawarra Road. The tiny Vietnamese corner spot is signposted with its sunshine-hued walls, hanging baskets and long lunchtime lines. And it specialises in a singular dish: banh cuon. The dish consists of thin rice noodle — made in house — filled with mince and wood-ear mushroom, then folded into delicate parcels. Banh cuon cha que ($11) sees the filled noodles served alongside fried cinnamon pork, fresh herby greens, dipping sauce and housemade fried onions. Want to pump it up? Adding a $3 serve of extra cha que (fried cinnamon pork) or a $3 hit of thit nuong (grilled pork) is a very sensible choice.
Once the full effects of summer take hold it's hard not to feel a little trapped in the big city. Luckily, Sydney is so big that you don't need to try too hard to escape the chaos. Tucked away at the uppermost corner of Sydney, the coastal haven of the northern beaches feels more like a collection of sleepy beach villages than suburbia, and it's well worth the drive for the views alone. If you find yourself with a spare day and wanting to explore a part of Sydney that you don't usually frequent, this guide to the 'insular peninsula' will sort you out. And since the area isn't exactly renowned for its public transport, if you're in need of some wheels, check out Popcar. The car-sharing service has brand-new cars, kept in immaculate condition, stationed in parking bays all over the city — including small city hatches to spacious SUVs if you need extra room. Just make a quick booking via the app, turn up to the vehicle, tap your access card to unlock the doors and start your adventure to one (or all) of these epic northern beaches gems. Update: This year's bushfire season is particularly dangerous. Before you head on an out-of-town adventure, check the RFS NSW and NSW National Parks websites and heed any alerts and warnings. [caption id="attachment_717598" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] GRAB A SNACK FOR THE ROAD AT ROLLERS BAKEHOUSE It would be a mortal sin if, fresh off the morning ferry into Manly, you skipped out on a pre-trip power snack from the legendary Rollers Bakehouse. The sheer volume of decadent pastries that this joint churns out every day — from savoury scrolls to sugary sweet croissants — is nuts. And these OTT treats make the perfect snack for your road trip around the northern beaches. Before you pick up your Popcar and set off your adventure, nab a still-warm croissant to enjoy as you wind your way up the peninsula. STOP FOR BRUNCH AT CAFE MONAKA Northern beaches locals take their breakfast food seriously — they definitely don't give just anyone their golden stamp of brunch approval. So when you come across a place that's filled with regulars, it's a good sign. That's exactly why Mona Vale's Cafe Monaka is a non-negotiable for your brunch fix north of the bridge. The asagohan Japanese-style breakfast is a sight to behold — featuring steamed rice with furikake seasoning, grilled salmon, egg omelette, marinated vegetables and miso soup — and the matcha chiffon cake is so light it shouldn't count as dessert. For drinks, you'll find coffee by Single O and a selection of single origin Japanese teas by PNT. HIT THE SHOPS IN AVALON VILLAGE Did you really go to the northern beaches if you didn't buy something a little bougie? To pick up a unique souvenir, take a leisurely stroll through one of the northern beaches most eccentric high streets filled with cosy fashion boutiques and luxe homewares stores. This is the spot for an unusual shopping spree and a nosy around. Special shout out to the longstanding Bookoccino, which combines great coffee with even better book recommendations, and Avalon Art Gallery, which supports both local established and emerging artists. [caption id="attachment_703445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Gregory / Destination NSW[/caption] TAKE A HIKE THROUGH KU-RING-GAI NATIONAL PARK There are not a lot of major cities with beautiful national parks on their doorstep, so it's a little surprising that there aren't swarms of people in Ku-Ring-Gai National Park every day — but that's a very good thing when you're chasing some solitude. A massive stretch of almost 100 square-kilometres, this park could take weeks to explore in full, but if you just want a little taster of some of the best bits, start with a mid-morning visit to Great Mackerel Beach. Next, try the Red Hands Cave Walk for a look at some of the area's oldest Aboriginal cave art, then finish your adventure off with a stop at West Head Lookout for truly awe-inspiring water views. STOP FOR LUNCH AT BERT'S OR BARREL ONE COFFEE ROASTERS You're spoiled for choice come lunchtime. Whether you're looking to go all out or pig out on a budget, rest easy knowing there are plenty of top-notch options. For a taste of the high life, try Bert's Bar and Brasserie atop The Newport. The lobster pasta will make your eyes pop — first thanks to the price (a cool $129) and then from the taste. Suffice to say, it goes down pretty well when you're propped up with a cocktail on the waterfront patio. For a more low-key approach to lunch, head to Brookvale's Barrel One Roasters. Sweet-toothed visitors will enjoy the Nutella, banana and cinnamon maple syrup bagel paired with a coconut jaffa hot chocolate, while savoury lovers should opt for the Cubano sandwich of roasted pork belly, smoked ham and cheddar or the grilled cheese sando with jalapeño cheddar, roasted red peppers and cornichons. TAKE A STROLL ALONG NARRABEEN LAGOON TRAIL There's something really magical about Narrabeen Lagoon Trail — it's a winding, otherworldly trail that transforms with every step. At one point, you'll be deep in the thick of a forest that is alive with wildlife, then all of a sudden you'll be covered in basking light and admiring a wide-open view of the tranquil lagoon. It's a great walk for everyone — long enough for you to really burn off that long lunch, but flat and forgiving enough for a food coma stroll. If you're not up for a trek, you can always hire a kayak or paddleboat from Pro Kayaks. [caption id="attachment_718035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] STOP FOR DINNER AT CORRETTO DEE WHY Like most good venues in this neck of the woods, Corretto prides itself on understated quality by serving up some lavish eats — seared yellowfin tuna salad is a must-try — at a surfed-up location right on Dee Why Beach. Ransack the sharing menu for a feast of baked parmesan scallops, pulled pork sliders, grilled haloumi and glazed barbecue wings — you've earned it after a long day of adventuring. Thirsty passengers can take their pick from 15 different cocktails, including The Corretto — a super-sweet take on the espresso martini bolstered by aniseed myrtle — or a native old-fashioned, which features beeswax Jim Beam Black, wattleseed, hopped grapefruit bitters and green ants. HEAD BACK TO MANLY FOR A NIGHTCAP AT SUNSET SABI Drop your Popcar back to its dedicated bay in Manly and you'll be within walking distance of one of the suburb's best cocktail spots. At Sunset Sabi, you'll find excellent Japanese-inspired tipples. We think there's no passing up the Dragon Ball Tea, which has tea vodka with rockmelon and yuzu, or the Aloe'ha Big Wave with tequila, aloe and umeshu. If you're still a little hungry, you can order some Japanese bites from the share-style menu, too — think sushi rolls, cold soba and gyoza. A big day needs a big finish, and Sunset Sabi is the perfect goodbye before the ferry ride home. Get out and explore beyond the city this summer with Popcar car share. To sign up for just $1 and get one-day free hire ($80 driving credit), head this way. Top image: NSW Parks.
Walking around Brisbane is a great way to enjoy your own backyard, see the local sights and get in some exercise. For a 17-day period between Friday, March 12–Sunday, March 28 in 2021, doing just that will also allow you to engage with a series interactive installations. They're called 'curiocities', and they're part of the returning Curiocity Brisbane festival, which focuses on the interaction of science, technology, innovation and the arts. Spread around town — across a 6.8-kilometre circuit that links the City Botanic Gardens, South Bank, the Cultural Precinct and the Brisbane CBD, in fact — these hubs will serve up both physical and virtual experiences. One, Platonic Volumes & Cosmologies by Bits to Atoms, is a large scale-translucent matrix of recycled plastic beams, while another, Evanescent by Chimera Atelier and Pineapple Design Studios, will use colour-changing film that'll make it look like a huge bubble. Or, you can check out two augmented reality works, either venturing back to Brisbane on the day prior to First Settlement or working with other folks to build a digital ecosystem. Also on the bill: a chat-fuelled program called Curious Conversations, where Benjamin Law will host a range of speakers to talk about the future; a giant vertical kaleidoscope in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens; and The Party Button, an interactive artwork on the Goodwill Bridge that plays party tracks and turns on flashing lights when pressed. And, a number of other big events fall within the program also — such as World Science Festival Brisbane and GOMA's Up Late sessions as part of its new motorcycle-focused exhibition.
Steam Mill Lane nabbed another good'un when Edition Coffee Roasters opened its second location in the foodie precinct this June. And it's a good thing, considering the recent announcement that the original will close in Darlinghurst location this October. Edition Haymarket has a similar minimalist vibe to the Darlinghurst digs, but is otherwise a stark departure from the original. Haymarket takes note from its surroundings and focuses on Japanese design to match its cuisine — it's meant to emulate a traditional Japanese-style farm house. While Darlinghurst was more bright and airy, Haymarket has a much darker colour palette with charred and exposed beams, a gray-blue concrete bar with stone tiles and textured walls. The seasonal menu carries across the cafe's signature Japanese-meets-Scandinavian flare, though this time it has a deeper focus on the former, thanks to Japanese-born head chef Shinichi Hasegawa (Bentley, Icebergs). There's a lot of Japanese representation in the team, actually. "I have a Japanese army over here," says owner Daniel Jackson. "[There's also] store manager Cana Terasawa, who has been in the coffee industry for years, [and] our head roaster Taku Kimura, who will be running the coffee section. We have scored some new up and coming chefs for the kitchen, too." Many of the Darlinghurst cafe's cult favourites have already made their way to Haymarket, including the famous soufflé pancake topped with berry compote. New dishes have a bit of a fine-dining lean — something not common in cafes — with the likes of grilled king prawns with shellfish butter and charred lemon. In case you haven't noticed, this team really likes to char veggies. More casual lunch dishes include the udon noodle bowl with pipis, egg yolk and XO sauce, pork katsu breakfast rolls and a Japanese twist on skagen (Swedish prawns on toast) with pepper prawns, apple, radish and yuzu on rye crisps. And you can, of course, expect the brand's top-notch cuppas all day, too. As for the the Darlinghurst closure, it's a bitter-sweet goodbye for patrons and owners alike. "With the lease coming up for renewal soon, it was the right time," says Jackson. "Of course we are sad to see it go. It's where Edition started. But its time to move on to bigger and better things." Images: Trent van der Jagt
Whatever your plans are on Tuesday, November 8, change them — or find a way to include peering at the sky into your diary, too. For 85 minutes, folks Down Under will be treated to a blood moon and a total lunar eclipse, giving you a stellar reason to spend your night staring upwards. While blood moons aren't particularly rare, there is one big reason to look up this time around. This total lunar eclipse is the last one that'll be able to be seen in Australia and New Zealand until 2025. If you're wondering what else you need to know, we've run through the details below. WHAT IS IT? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. When a full moon happens to coincide with a total lunar eclipse, it's also called a blood moon. Why? Yes, it has to do with the colour. When the astronomical body passes directly into the earth's actual shadow, it turns a blood-red shade thanks to sunlight that's filtered and refracted by the earth's atmosphere. WHEN CAN I SEE IT? If you're keen to catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside on Tuesday, November 8. According to Timeanddate.com, the total lunar eclipse is due to begin at 9.16pm AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne — and, because of daylight saving in the southern states, at 8.16pm AEST in Brisbane. Those times adjust accordingly in Adelaide (8.46pm) and Perth (6.16pm) — with the full total lunar eclipse running for 85 minutes. In NZ, you'll be looking up from 11.16pm. Moonrise will happen before that, and the partial eclipse will begin 67 minutes prior to the totality times, too — so at 8.09pm in Sydney and Melbourne and 7.09pm in Brisbane, for instance. WHERE CAN I SEE IT? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies. So, city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Naturally, you'll be hoping for cloud-free skies that evening. If you can't get a clear vantage, The Virtual Telescope Project will be live-streaming from the skyline above Rome from 8.30pm AEDT / 7.30pm AEST / 10.30pm NZ time. The blood moon and total lunar eclipse will take place on Tuesday, November 8, with the full total lunar eclipse starting at 9.16pm AEDT / 8.16pm AEST / 11.16pm NZ time. For further information, including about timing, head to Timeanddate.com.
If you don't like anything to stand between you and the sea, here are your new plans for Sunday, March 1. At 8am the third Sydney Skinny will be kicking off, as hundreds of people disrobe and dive into the calm waters of Cobblers Beach at Mosman's Middle Head for a nude swim. For those of who you didn't hear about last year's event, basically it's a ticketed swim (and the largest nude ocean swim in the world, apparently; on a similar scale to Hobart's Dark Mofo winter solstice swim) that raises money for the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife's conservation work. In 2014 more than 700 totally starkers Sydneysiders took part, and by all accounts it was a pretty liberating, joyous experience for all involved. All participants must be over 18 and capable of swimming at least ten laps of a 50-metre pool. If you're a bit of a novice, choose the 300m option, while the more confident can plump for the 900m swim. Lifeguards will be stationed out on the water, and only people with tickets to swim get access to the beach, so you don't have to worry about creepy clothed spectators watching you disrobe. There will even be a festival area with refreshments and post-plunge freebies from event partners like Nudie juice. Non-participants are welcome to join in this portion of the event for free. You can organise to swim with a group of friends, or go solo. Whatever works. Just be mentally prepared for the possibility of running into your old high school physics teacher or your ex-boyfriend's dad.
What do Byron Bay, Busselton, Bali and Bangkok all have in common? Alongside everywhere from Launceston, Newcastle, Uluru, Cairns, Darwin, The Whitsundays, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts through to Singapore and Phuket, you can nab a cheap flight there and back as part of Jetstar's latest sale. This time around, fares start at $33. The one catch: you'll need to be a Club Jetstar member (but you can sign up now to get in on the bargains). There always seems to be an airline sale popping up, but this one has a heap of discounts on a huge number of fares, with 100,000 flights on offer. You do need to get in quick, however, as it's running for just 48 hours. The cheapest domestic price, $33, gets you between Sydney and Ballina/Byron, but Launceston–Melbourne is only $43, Brisbane–Whitsunday Coast and Newcastle–Melbourne are both $49, Gold Coast–Sydney is $50, Sunshine Coast–Sydney starts at $52 and Hobart–Melbourne begins at $58. To get from Brisbane to Cairns, you'll pay $76 — and from Sydney to Uluru is $105, Melbourne–Busselton / Margaret River is $135 and Darwin–Sydney is $156. The list goes on, including for overseas jaunts, where the Perth–Singapore route starts at $139, Melbourne–Singapore begins at $189, Adelaide–Bali is $215, Sydney–Phuket kicks off at $279 and Brisbane–Bangkok starts at $285. If you're keen, the sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 19–11.59am ADST on Friday, March 21, 2025 — or until sold out, if snapped up earlier. And yes, if you're eager for a holiday at reduced prices, you'll want to get in quick. Travel periods vary, but you should find dates betwen late-March 2025–early-February 2026 across the full spread of specials. You'll pay extra for checked baggage if you need it, however, or you'll want to travel super light. Club Jetstar membership costs $65 a year, which you can join online while making a flight booking, and also gives you 20-percent off checked bags and seat selection. [caption id="attachment_976497" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Shaw Photography[/caption] The Club Jetstar March member-only sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 19–11.59am ADST on Friday, March 21, 2025 — or until sold out, if snapped up earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
The summer of 2021–22 is shaping up to be the summer of travel, as Australia's borders start to reopen. That'll apply internationally, much to the delight of everyone who has long been dreaming of an overseas holiday — and it'll also kick in domestically, too, as Aussie states and territories begin to reopen up to each other. Queensland has recently announced when it'll welcome in residents from other parts of the country — specifically states who've just weathered big outbreaks and lockdowns, such as New South Wales and Victoria. And, for the past week, those latter two states have been revealing their plans with each other. The big news: from Monday, November 1, double-jabbed folks from both NSW and Victoria can travel between the two states without quarantining. On Thursday, October 21, NSW Health advised that the current public health orders requiring 14 days quarantine for Victorian arrivals are still in place, but will lift when next month hits — just for the double-vaxxed. If you haven't had both jabs and you've been in Victoria from that date onwards, you won't actually be permitted to enter NSW for a holiday or recreation at all. That announcement follows Victoria's similar revelation last week, on Friday, October 15, that it was changing its border permit system for double-vaccinated NSW residents. All Aussies need a permit to enter Victoria under its traffic light-style setup; however, since 11.59pm on Tuesday, October 19, those hailing from places deemed 'red zones' in NSW — including folks who aren't Victorian residents — have been able to head to the southern state without quarantining. [caption id="attachment_776506" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mulwala Bridge by Yun Huang Yong via Flickr.[/caption] In Victoria, you do still need to get a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of your arrival if you're coming in from a NSW red zone — and, after entering the state, you need to get tested again within 72 hours, and isolate until that comes back negative. If you aren't double-jabbed and you're heading to Victoria from a NSW red zone, you also have to do 14 days quarantine in addition to those tests. Those arriving from NSW orange zones who are double-vaxxed don't need to do any of the testing. NSW hasn't yet revealed if there'll be testing requirements for those heading north, with more detail expected before Monday, November 1 hits. Still, whether you're a Victorian eager to visit Sydney or a NSW resident keen for a trip to Melbourne — for a holiday, to see loved ones, or for any other reason — you can now start planning. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria, head over to the Victorian Government's website.
"I never expected that my work would amount to anything," says celebrated Australian Chinese artist Lindy Lee in conversation with Concrete Playground. "One dreams, but I never dreamed that I would ever have a proper career in art," she says. It's a humbling statement from the artist whose retrospective Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop opened at MCA Australia earlier this month. Celebrating her dynamic and often experimental 40-year practice, with more than 70 works including paintings, flung metal pieces and immersive installations, the exhibition is one of the most exciting events in Australia this summer. If you're not familiar with Lee's art, she says her work is never about giving off a message or trying to explain something. "But rather [to create] an experience for the viewer where they find themselves whittling out questions and curiosities," says Lee. "Art exceeds what anyone can say about it. When viewing it, it is almost self-reflective." The multidisciplinary artist has a playful approach to her art in which process is as important as the finished piece. There are Lee's early photocopy works from the 80s, wax paintings and whole-room installations. And there's the dazzling steel sculpture 'Secret World of a Starlight Ember', made up of thousands of tiny perforations and located in the Museum's forecourt, which you'll want to catch at night — and undoubtedly take a selfie. But there are also six artworks that are particularly close to Lee's heart, which, according to the artist are not to be missed. For Lee, they represent different points of her practice, direction and philosophies — and they're pretty great to look at, too. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] 'NO UP, NO DOWN, I AM THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS' Lee's practice is deeply rooted in Daoism and Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism philosophies, with her works often examining the connection between humanity and the cosmos. But it wasn't always so, which is why her work 'No Up, No Down, I Am the Ten Thousand Things' is such a seminal piece. "[It] was the first work that I ever created with a direct intentional relationship with Zen philosophy," says Lee. 'No Up, No Down, I Am the Ten Thousand Things' takes over an entire corner of the Museum, with approximately 1200 colourful photocopies, marked with flung ink (an ancient Chinese art form), scattered across the walls and floor. The bold work first exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW in 1995 and has been recreated by Lee thanks to the MCA's Director and exhibition curator Elizabeth Ann Macgregor — her first curated exhibition since the MCA's 2012 Anish Kapoor show. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ken Leanfore[/caption] 'MOONLIGHT DEITIES' This massive, immersive piece of art was commissioned especially for the exhibition and is made up of 31 perforated paper discs, varying from two to ten metres in diameter. So expect the wow-factor when walking through this one. Predominantly black and white with "the silvery light you get on a full moon night", 'Moonlight Deities' has a sense of otherworldliness to it. On the surface, it's all about dark and light, silhouettes and shadow, with moon crater-like projections dancing across the room. There's little difference between the discs and the shadows they cast, which, as you walk through the room, create a sense of liminality — all connecting back to Ch'an buddhism. "I have a fascination with time. In Zen philosophy, the thing I find immeasurably fascinating is the notion that time is actually an ingredient of what we are," says Lee. "We're all impermanent. And in the universe everything changes." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] 'BIRTH AND DEATH' 'Birth and Death' is Lee's most personal work in the exhibition. "It remains one of the most important works I've ever done," says the artist. Created as an homage to her late nephew Ben after he passed away aged 22 from cancer, 'Birth and Death' touches on political and cultural themes such as migration, Chinese culture and the White Australia policy. "But the essential purpose of this piece was to honour Ben and give him his place in five generations of family," she says. "It's about paying honour to someone I cared very much about." The work is made up of 100 accordion books, with books dedicated to members of Lee's family at various stages of their life. Using red, the work evokes an association with blood as much as it does with China. It is as visually impactful as it is evocative. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] 'STRANGE CONDENSATIONS' Lindy Lee is no stranger to experimentation in art. In fact, it is a major part of her process and with 'Strange Condensations' she surrenders to it. Her flung bronze works came about from seeing accidental bronze drippings on a foundry floor and, naturally, she wanted to turn it into art. By taking molten bronze and flinging it at surfaces, the artist creates almost cosmic constellations — in a hazmat suit, no less. Again stemming from her Buddhist beliefs, 'Strange Condensations' — and its making — is symbolic of the universe as an infinite net, constructed and dependent on everything within it. "What I love about [flung bronze] is that it's uncontrollable. Everything that exists in that moment makes that mark," says Lee. "Each shape is unique and it is absolutely about the conditions of the time that creates them. And thus it is with life." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] 'OPEN AS THE SKY' AND 'UNNAMEABLE' If you thought splashing 1200-degree metal around was experimental, think again. Wanting to make her flung bronze works three-dimensional, Lee turned to a litre of Pauls custard — as a cooling substance to drop molten metal into. With the metal rolling into itself while cooling, it creates spontaneous forms that Lee then scales up. The end result is a series of gnarled, pitted sculptures like 'Open As the Sky' and 'Unnameable'. As well as being the product of a cool science experiment, these works are the artist's own version of gonshi (ancient scholar's rocks) and, in turn, celebrate her Chinese heritage. "It takes an immense energy of geological transitions and force over thousands of years to make [gonshi]. That's why they're admired; they literally contain the movement of the universe through them. So, you know, I wanted to make my own." 'Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop is showing at MCA Australia until February 2021. The gallery is currently open 10am–5pm, Tuesday–Sunday, with COVID-19 measures in place. Entry is free and unticketed. For the latest info on NSW border restrictions, head here. If travelling from Queensland or Victoria, check out Queensland Health and DHHS websites, respectively. Top images: Anna Kucera.
SXSW is taking over Sydney between Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22. It's the first time that the world-renowned music, film, tech and gaming conference has left the US — and it has a jam-packed eight-day program in store. Included on the lineup is a slate of over 700 speakers, who will be appearing on talks and panels during the festival's massive conference. You can browse the full schedule at the SXSW Sydney website, but it's pretty overwhelming with plenty of not-to-be-missed sessions popping up each and every day. In order to help you plan out your fest, we've compiled our picks for the cream of the crop — ten absolute must-catch conference sessions at SXSW Sydney 2023. Our recommendations include looks at Australia's arts and culinary scenes, big-name creatives sitting down for exclusive chats, and even a panel that we've pulled together ourselves pondering the future of journalism and digital learning. APPETITE FOR DISTRACTION: YOUTH, INFORMATION AND THE DIGITAL AGE Gone are the days of "I read an article about". Gone are even the days of "actually, I just saw the headline". We're now well and truly in the age of "I watched a TikTok". The way that we absorb information is constantly changing, and right now video is ruling — especially among gen z and millennials. Concrete Playground's very own SXSW Sydney panel is looking at just this, pulling together a group of video-first creatives to discuss how young people are consuming info in the digital age. The panel will feature Pedestrian.TV's Issy Phillips to discuss news and journalism in the era of short-form video; astrophysicist and scientific communicator Kirsten Banks to chat about the role of TikTok, Reels and YouTube in sparking people's love in all things space; and Concrete Playground's very own Ben Hansen to talk about how we're searching for recommendations and deciding how to fill our calendar in 2023. Catch Appetite for Distraction: Youth Information and the Digital Age at 2pm on Wednesday, October 18 at Room E3.9, ICC Sydney. [caption id="attachment_917272" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony Quintano via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIP HOP FEATURING CHANCE THE RAPPER "As we celebrate 50 years of hip hop in 2023, I'm reminded of the transformative power this culture has had, not just on the world stage, but on the streets of Chicago's South Side," said Chance The Rapper, announcing his SXSW Sydney appearance. The three-time Grammy winner is appearing on the event's lineup to discuss the global impact of the genre five decades after DJ Kool Herc first isolated percussion breaks, then repeated them — and made history. "Chance The Rapper is renowned for both his chart topping and community advocacy. There's few out there like him, who take what they've made and use it to build the dreams of others," noted SXSW Sydney Managing Director Colin Daniels. The conversation should be top of the must-see list for all hip hop heads and music lovers in general. It also stands as the marquee session in a program full of hip hop — including other panels like Hip Hop How a Generation Is Changing the World, films like OneFour: Against All Odds, and boundary-pushing sets from rappers Redveil, Barkaa, Zion Garcia and Flyanna Boss. Catch 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop ft. Chance the Rapper at 1pm on Thursday, October 19 — check the website for venue details. [caption id="attachment_856346" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Boud[/caption] THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY — MICHAEL CASSEL AM AND KIP WILLIAMS IN CONVERSATION After selling out multiple Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland runs, and before it hits the UK's West End with an iteration starring Succession's Sarah Snook, Sydney Theatre Company's The Picture of Dorian Gray is being dissected at SXSW Sydney. Premiering in Sydney in 2020, this take on the tale uses video and theatre to get its star playing 26 characters. In the Australian runs, Eryn Jean Norvill has done the honours, and brilliantly, with Snook following in the actor's footsteps abroad. Renowned producer Michael Cassel AM will sit down with Sydney Theatre Company's Artistic Director Kip Williams to discuss the imaginative, groundbreaking and thought-provoking stage show. Developed right here in Australia by a local creative team during the pandemic, the The Picture of Dorian Gray is a real success story for Australia's arts scene — and this is your chance to take a look under the hood and hear what's next for the production. Catch The Picture of Dorian Gray — Michael Cassel AM and Kip Williams at 4pm on Tuesday, October 17 — check the website for venue details. [caption id="attachment_820444" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nine Perfect Strangers, Vince Valitutti/Hulu[/caption] A SPOTLIGHT ON BLOSSOM FILMS In a late addition to the SXSW Sydney program, Australian icon Nicole Kidman is joining the event. Adding one of the nation's most famous acting names at home and in America to perhaps the biggest tech, innovation, screen, music, games and culture festival that Australia has ever seen is fitting. 2023 marks 40 years since Kidman starred in BMX Bandits, but that's not why she'll be taking to the SXSW Sydney stage as part of its massive speaker lineup. Instead, she'll be chatting with her producing partner Per Saari about her production company Blossom Films. On its resume: the Nickers-starring Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and Rabbit Hole, as well as this year's Elizabeth Olsen (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)-led Love & Death. Catch A Spotlight on Blossom Films on at 11am on Thursday, October 19 — check the website for venue details. DERRICK GEE — HOW TO TALK MUSIC (ON THE INTERNET) You may have come across the soothing tones of Derrick Gee's voice on your TikTok or Instagram feeds chatting about Erika De Casier, audio equipment or the international influence of yacht rock. If you haven't, this is your sign to get lost in his videos right now. Gee will be hitting the SXSW Sydney stage to discuss the wonders of discussing music on the world wide web. Sometimes music feels like this indescribable thing, but other times genres feel like they've been talked to death; however, Gee has a distinct way of finding the story and the humanity in the music he chats about. This is a must-see session whether you're a band or promoter looking to change up how you communicate your music online, a lover of all things sound or just like Derrick Gee's videos. Catch Derrick Gee — How to Talk Music (On the Internet) at 11.30am on Friday, October 20 at The Guthrie Theatre, UTS Building 6. INDIGENOUS COLLABORATION: MAKING FILMS THAT HEAL Māoriland Film Festival, the world's largest Indigenous film festival, joins the SXSW Sydney lineup in conjunction with UNESCO Wellington City of Film with a panel featuring award-winning talent from across the film industry. The focus: discussing Indigenous collaboration, plus creating films that facilitate change, and help the audience and the filmmakers heal. On the panel: writer and director Chantelle Murray (My Name is Mudju, Elvis, Thor: Love and Thunder); Chelsea Winstanley (Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows, Moana Reo Māori, Talk to Me), the first Indigenous woman to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar; Māoriland Film Festival Director and producer Libby Hakaraia; and independent film and television producer, director, writer and presenter Tainui Stephens. Catch Indigenous Collaboration: Making Films That Heal at 3.30pm on Monday, October 16 at Cinema Theatre, UTS Building 6. BETTER THAN YESTERDAY WITH OSHER GÜNSBERG TV personality and author Osher Günsberg is bringing two live episodes of his podcast Better Than Yesterday to SXSW Sydney. The man of many talents — including the host of Australian Idol and The Bachelor, creator of the satirical news parody NTNNNN: Night Time News Network Nightly News and narrator of Bondi Rescue — will take to the stage for two long-form interviews about how we can work towards a brighter tomorrow. The first, on Wednesday, October 18, will be with psychotherapist and holistic counsellor Diane Young. Günsberg and Young will discuss the ramifications of addiction — however, they'll do so with the hope of creating a constructive conversation that will leave the audience feeling "better than yesterday". The following day, Günsberg will sit down with activist, politician and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett. The conversation will traverse Garrett's storied career and also see the musician announce a brand new musical project. Catch Better Than Yesterday with Osher Günsberg at 10am on Wednesday, October 18 and 10am on Thursday, October 19 — check the website for venue details. [caption id="attachment_917939" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] CHARLIE BROOKER IN CONVERSATION If you're a bit wary of technology's ever-growing influence in humanity's daily lives — be it artificial intelligence, streaming algorithms, social media, drones, augmented reality or online dating, to name just a few examples — then Charlie Brooker and Black Mirror might be one of the reasons. Since 2011, they've been spinning dystopian nightmares about what might happen as tech evolves. In plenty of cases, they've been satirising and interrogating innovations we use today, and what their next step might be. Yes, that makes Brooker the perfect speaker to get chatting at SXSW Sydney. "Black Mirror consistently leads the cultural conversation on what we face in the now or may confront in our future, offering a chance for reflection and change. Charlie embodies what attendees can expect from SXSW Sydney: creativity and innovation," says SXSW Sydney Managing Director Colin Daniels. Catch Charlie Brooker in Conversation at 1pm on Wednesday, October 18 — check the website for venue details. [caption id="attachment_759108" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption] WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF CHINATOWN? Sydney's Chinatown finds itself in an interesting situation. In some ways, it's continuing to thrive, with the streets packed every Friday night and a fleet of new venues arriving post-lockdown. At the same time, urban sprawl, the cost of living and changing migration patterns have seen the city's Asian diaspora move out to the suburbs more and more. Moderated by Soul of Chinatown's Eddie Ma, this panel will break down where Chinatown is now and what's to come for the bustling inner-city district. The roster of experts joining Ma includes acclaimed chef and Chinatown resident Dan Hong (Mr Wong, Ms. G's, MuMu), property developer and Chinatown advocate Brad Chan, and award-winning architect Qianyi Lim. Catch What Is The Future of Chinatown? at 10am on Wednesday, October 18 at Theatrette, Powerhouse Museum. HORROR & AUDIENCE: WHY WE LOVE TO BE TERRIFIED Whether you love them, hate them or love to hate them, people flock to horror movies — and thanks to studios like A24 and an exciting batch of homegrown horror filmmakers, the genre is having a real moment right now. This panel features four leading voices in horror movies, discussing why they find the genre enthralling, the art of horror storytelling and where the spookiest of films are heading. Daley Pearson leads the lineup of speakers, bringing experience from his eclectic career to the stage, including executive producing Bluey, creating the concept for Danny and Michael Philippou's Talk to Me and playing Thor's roommate Darryl on Team Thor and Team Daryl. Joining Pearson will be Wyrmwood director Kiah Roache-Turner, filmmaker Natalie Erika James (Relic) and Causeway Films producer Samantha Jennings (Talk to Me, You Won't Be Alone, Of An Age). Catch Horror & Audience: Why We Love to Be Terrified at 2pm on Thursday, October 19 at Cinema Theatre, UTS Building 6. SXSW Sydney runs from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Top image: Brittany Hallberg.
If Brisbane has a centrepiece other than the river snaking through the city, it's the most-famous bridge that sits atop the waterway. The Story Bridge is one of the Queensland capital's best-known landmarks. Its steel expanse is frequently the image used to depict Brissie. Now, whether you're a local or a tourist, it's also the perfect place to explore the city from a great height and from a First Nations viewpoint in tandem. Scaling the Story Bridge thanks to Story Bridge Adventure Climb has been a quintessential Brisbane activity since 2005. Taking in the stunning vista is only part of the new Indigenous Story Bridge Adventure Climb experience, however. You'll still reach the structure's heights, but you'll do so led by either Birrunga Wiradyuri and Jessica Skeen, with the two artists sharing stories about history, Country and culture in Meanjin along the way. Set to open in August 2024 — and already taking bookings from Tuesday, August 6 onwards — this is a two-hour, first-of-its-kind climb that's all about sharing the First Nations perspective on the city and honouring the storytelling that goes with it. Story Bridge Adventure Climb, Howard Smith Wharves and Birrunga Gallery, Wiradyuri's gallery, are behind the new experience. And while the new climb itself promises a must-do addition to Brissie, you can also expand it with native herb- and spice-seasoned crocodile and kangaroo as part of an Indigenous food platter, plus Skeen's boomerang-painting workshop. Via the Birrunga Gallery Cultural Creative Development Program, artist talks will also be on offer, and so will workshops about the importance of place. "Storytelling is an important part of Indigenous culture across Australia. Creating this experience with my friends and colleagues has been an incredibly rewarding and exciting process," said Wiradyuri. "Our goal is simple: it's to provide a safe, inclusive and creative space to immerse yourself in the history, tradition and practices of First Nations Australians. The bridge climb represents the upward journey we are on together and like all journeys, it starts with one foot in front of the other." "We hope that visitors take away a fresh perspective on Brisbane, art and their life. It's more than just a bucket-list experience, it's an opportunity to see life from another point of view." Brisbane's Indigenous Story Bridge Adventure Climb starts operating from Tuesday, August 6, 2024 — head to the Story Bridge Adventure Climb website for further details and bookings.
For all the talk of the inner west becoming a culinary Brooklyn to Sydney's Manhattan — a stretch given the much smaller person-to-band ratio and number of restaurants — there's been little movement in the finer dining scene in the past year. There was Hartsyard, Spencer Gutherie and Sixpenny, and then it went quiet. Congrats to former The Bridge Room and Quay chef Jason Saxby and front-of-house man Mark Russo for opening this new Italian joint bang in the middle of Enmore Road, which has been revitalised with the aforementioned Hartsyard. Yes, it looks like a set from The Godfather and, yes, there's 'old world charm' mixed with nouveau Mediterranean cooking, and not like your mama used to make. Much has already been made of the quaint curtains on the front windows, the faintly tacky paintings on the walls and the menus stuck in vintage hardback books. It's not exactly gloss rather a dusty cover to the meals. Saxby bent the norm at The Bridge Room with nice, quirky takes on traditional dishes, but he's free from the semi-corporate environment there. It's almost a surprise to have a chef of such standing in humble Enmore Road, amid the takeaway chippers and bottle shops. Saxby is still finding his feet and so the menu and specials are in flux at the moment, or at least the basic ingredients. What will be present among the pages of whatever novella you find at your table is a neat little bowl of fried school prawns with deep-fried broccoli and almonds, and a side plate of tomato and capsicum salsa rossa. There are no Italian standards on the menu, but rather busy, fussy dishes such as the wild hare ragu intertwined with scarlet red, hand-rolled beetroot pasta ($24). The glazed beef cheeks with semolina gnocchi, broad beans and radicchio ($28) is a hit, too, but the desserts oddly fall flat after the previous dishes. The semifreddo ($16) is an odd mix of thyme, strawberry and balsamic vinegar, while the chocolate, hazelnut deconstructed 'rocher' ($16) is overly familiar in one form or another in restaurants these days, and is the only non-surprise on the menu. Russo and Russo have opened at the right time — the food is wintery, warm and welcoming, much like the restaurant itself.
If sunning yourself on a beach, surrounded by palm trees and crystal blue waters, sounds like total bliss, we'd say you're not alone. Most of us have a pang of wanderlust from time-to-time and, after a pretty stressful year, kicking back in a bikini or boardies with a cocktail in hand sounds like paradise. Sure, you can't yet jet off to the sandy white shores of Puerto Rico, the turquoise seas of the Maldives or the buzzing streets of Havana, but you can still get plenty of vacay vibes in Australia. We've teamed up with our friends at go-to rum label Bacardi to bring you four cruisy cocktails that you can whip up fuss-free over summer. We bet these tasty tipples will transport you to a tropical island in no time. So, don your favourite holiday outfit, whack on some bossa nova tunes and get ready makes some next-level drinks. THE COOL ONE: FROZEN DAIQUIRI Serves one Aussie summers are hot, so you'll want an ice-cold beverage on those days where the cicadas thrum and the air is thick and sticky. Enter the frozen daiquiri, a cool riff on the classic daiquiri. Basically, it's summer in a glass. To make it, you'll need a blender, so you can make multiple serves at once, meaning it's the perfect party drink. Just be sure to stick to the ratios to ensure you're serving up a sweet-but-equally-tangy concoction. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Carta Blanca 30ml sugar syrup 30ml fresh lime juice 1 lime wedge (optional) 3/4 cup ice Method Combine all ingredients and ice in blender and blitz until a slushie consistency is achieved. Serve in a highball glass, or, if you're feeling fancy, a martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge and serve. THE PARTY STARTER: SPICED PIÑA COLADA Serves one If you like this fun drink and getting caught in the rain on a sweltering summer evening, then you should be making yourself one stat. Originating from Puerto Rico, the piña colada is typically made with white rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice aplenty. But this version, using Bacardi Spiced to hints of vanilla and cinnamon, is sure to get any party going. It has a surprisingly smooth finish, too, and the coconut water instead of cream or milk keeps things fresh. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Spiced 30ml fresh pineapple juice 30ml coconut water 2 teaspoons castor sugar 3–4 cubes of fresh pineapple 1 pineapple slice (optional) 1 tropical leaf (optional) Ice Method Place pineapple cubes and castor sugar in cocktail shaker and slightly crush using a muddler or spoon. Add pineapple juice and coconut water to mixture and stir to dissolve the sugar, then add Bacardi Spiced. Half fill cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain into a highball glass and add ice cubes. Top with crushed ice and garnish with pineapple slice and leaf to serve. THE COOL ONE'S FUN COUSIN: FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI Serves one This frosty, fruity take on the daiquiri is pretty much an adult slushie. Again, to make this frozen delight you'll be using a blender, meaning you can easily make it in batches. Not only is it delicious, but its vibrant colour makes it an ideal go-to throughout the holiday season. Best of all, it is easy as a Sunday morning to whip up. Ingredients 45ml Bacardi Carta Blanca 20ml sugar syrup 30ml fresh lime juice 3–4 strawberries 1 partially sliced strawberry (optional) 1 cup ice Method Combine all ingredients and crushed ice in blender and blitz until a slushie consistency is achieved. Serve in a highball glass or any glass, really. Garnish with sliced strawberry and serve. THE CLASSIC: MOJITO Serves one If there's one drink that has you dreaming of salsa dancing in Cuba upon first sip it's the mojito. It's got all the ingredients for a refreshing summer drink without being utterly dull. There's zesty citrus, the freshness of mint, a slight sweetness and some fizz to keep things light and bubbly. Of course, there's also the rum. If you want to keep things old-school opt for Bacardi Carta Blanca, or you can spice things up a bit by using Bacardi Spiced. Either way, it's an A-class cocktail. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Carta Blanca or Bacardi Spiced 4 lime wedges 2 teaspoons castor sugar 6–8 mint leaves 15–30ml soda water 1 mint sprig (optional) Method Squeeze lime into a highball glass, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add mint leaves and muddle. Half fill glass with crushed ice, pour Bacardi Carta Blanca, or Bacardi Spiced if you're making a spiced mojito, then stir to combine. Top up with more crushed ice, add a dash of soda (to taste) and garnish with mint sprig. Do what moves you this summer with these super-easy tropical cocktails from Bacardi. Once you've mastered the art of rum cocktails, check out Bacardi's competition, where you and 20 mates could win the chance to attend Australia's smallest music festival. Top image: Mushroom Creative House
Thanks to our sweltering weather, abundance of beaches and all-round love of creamy, frosty desserts, Australia has given rise to many a great ice cream. But, one has always reigned supreme. That'd be the humble, colourful, swirl-filled Rainbow Paddle Pop, which tastes like caramel, summer, nostalgia and not having a care in the world (and every Aussie has the childhood memories to prove it). Licking your way through a single Rainbow Paddle Pop on a stick is all well and good (and often messy and sticky). In fact, even though it's the king of Aussie ice creams, you probably no longer give buying a whole box of them a second thought. Plunging a scoop into a tub of Rainbow Paddle Pop ice cream is something new, special and completely different, however — and, thanks to Streets' new one-litre range, it's now on the menu. The ice cream company has rolled out tub versions of three classic Aussie flavours — so, if you're not obsessed with Rainbow Paddle Pops for some reason, you can also tuck into scoopable servings of Bubble O'Bill and Golden Gaytime. And yes, the Bubble O'Bill tub includes bubble gum-flavoured candy pieces scattered throughout its chocolate and caramel ice cream, because we all know that it'd be pointless without them. Expect the new dessert line to be popular — announcing the tubs, Streets' Brand Manager Samantha Jarmul advised that "these are the top requests we receive from Streets' fans". If that's your next at-home sundae sorted, you can pick up tubs for $8 each from IGA supermarkets. They'll also be available in Woolworths stores nationwide by mid-next week, and will then be on Coles' shelves from mid-August. Streets' Bubble O'Bill, Rainbow Paddle Pop and Golden Gaytime tubs are now available at IGA supermarkets, will hit Woolworths stores by mid-next week, and will then be on Coles' shelves from mid-August — and will set you back $8 each.
Provocative in both name and nature is Inner Course, the performance art duo of New York City's Tora Lopez and Rya Kleinpeter. Incidents in Romance Technologies: 101 Making Love (Out of Nothing at All) is their latest so-called course, which "introduces the basic concepts and methodologies that characterise romance as a field of inquiry." But Lopez and Kleinpeter aren't overzealous Bridget Jones theorists; Incidents in Romance Technologies, if you hadn't already picked it, is a bit of a farce. With 'celebrity guest dance therapists', Daphane Park, Emiliano Maggi, Cat Glennon, Michael Gruenglas, Lisa Lozano and Bryony Geeves. Inner Course will perform Incidents in Romance Technologies: 101 Making Love (Out of Nothing at All) from 6-8pm on Wednesday, February 19, until Friday, February 21. Alaska Projects, a Kings Cross artist-run initiative, will host the absurdist performance. Just know that viewers are unlikely to remain mere viewers. You know, breaking the fourth wall and all.
It's a tradition we all know well: go to IKEA with the intention of picking up some new water glasses, spend two hours wandering the labyrinth and filling a basket with tea light candles (you can never have too many), bath rugs (so soft!) and plants (you'll keep this one alive, promise), then sit down for a plate of delicious meatballs and mash. During COVID-19, IKEA has had to temporarily shut its in-store restaurants, in line with the government's closure of non-essential indoor venues. But, so you can get your fix at home, it has just released the recipe to its blessed meatballs. The Swedish flatpack experts are also now offering contactless delivery (in Australia) and have a podcast that reads through the IKEA catalogue, so you can really relive your time strolling through its endless corridors. But, we'll skip the smalltalk and get straight to what you're all looking for: the recipe. IKEA'S MEATBALLS Serves four 500 grams beef mince 250 grams pork mince 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic (crushed or minced) 100 grams breadcrumbs 1 egg 5 tablespoons of milk Salt and pepper to taste For the cream sauce Dash of oil 40 grams butter 40 grams plain flour 150 millilitres vegetable stock 150 millilitres beef stock 150 millilitres thick double cream 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon dijon mustard To make the meatballs Combine beef and pork mince and mix with your fingers to break up any lumps. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs and egg and mix. Add milk and season well with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into small, round balls. Place on a clean plate, cover and store in the fridge for two hours (this will help them hold their shape while cooking). In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. When hot, gently add your meatballs and brown on all sides. Add to an overproof dish and cover with aluminium. Place in a hot oven (180°C conventional or 160°C fan) and cook for a further 30 minutes. To make the cream sauce Melt butter in a frying pan. Whisk in flour, stirring continuously for two minutes. Stir in vegetable and beef stock. Stir in double cream, soy sauce and dijon mustard. Bring to a simmer and allow sauce to thicken. Serve with your favourite potatoes — either creamy mash or mini new boiled potatoes.
Back in 2018, a new 270-metre-tall, 79-storey tower was proposed for Sydney's CBD, taking over the space at 505-523 George Street. Two years later, that development has just received approval — meaning that Event Cinemas George Street, which currently sprawls across the site, is set to be torn down. As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, two development applications for the inner-city address were approved by the City of Sydney this week. The aforementioned towering skyscraper, which will include more than 500 apartments in a $692 million project, is one of them. Also receiving the go-ahead is a 43-storey building, which will feature a hotel, residential apartments and a car park. When news of the site's redevelopment first surfaced two years ago, retaining a cinema was part of the plan. That's still the case, although submitted design documents indicate that the current setup will be replaced by a one-level boutique cinema on the second floor of the building's public podium. Clearly, that's quite different to the existing multiplex, which means that it's the end of an era for cinephiles. Event Cinemas George Street definitely isn't the flashiest cinema in Sydney, but it is a huge multi-screen picture palace in the heart of the CBD, with cinemas forming part of the site since the 1970s. The current building was originally a seven-screen Hoyts complex and, in its present guise, it plays new release films, hosts high-profile movie premieres and welcomes a number of film festivals each year — including the Sydney Film Festival. As the ABC reports, Event Hospitality and Entertainment CEO Jane Hastings has said that "there are no plans at this stage to close the George Street cinemas" — although the development obviously can't go ahead without doing just that. Demolishing historic CBD cinemas isn't a new trend, but the Event Cinemas George Street news follows similar big losses across the east coast over the past decade. Melbourne's Greater Union Russell Street was torn down partway through the 2010s, with a hotel now standing on the site. Brisbane's Regent Cinema was demolished at the beginning of the decade; however the replacement development has yet to be built, with the space now a hole in the ground. Via Sydney Morning Herald / ABC. Top image: Russavia via Wikimedia Commons.
It's been in the works for almost 50 years, but the NSW Government has announced plans to complete Woollahra Station in Sydney's eastern suburbs. In addition to bringing much-needed public transport infrastructure to the area, the station will support up to 10,000 higher-density homes permitted under newly rezoned sections of Woollahra and Edgecliff. Although this moneyed part of the world is home to some of Australia's most expensive property, Woollahra has been earmarked as one of the most feasible areas to construct new housing within touching distance of the city. With the area lagging on new home approvals, the neighbourhood's population has dropped 11 percent over the last 50 years. As reported by Guardian Australia, an up-and-running Woollahra Station would allow commuters to reach the CBD in just eight minutes. And with the line only operating at 43 percent capacity during the morning rush, it has the most potential for increased passenger numbers of any line in the city. If all goes to plan, construction will begin in 2027 with an opening date pencilled in for 2029. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YIAGA (@yiaga.au) So, why has Woollahra Station taken so long to open? While it was partially built in 1976, it was abandoned to reduce growing costs around Sydney's soon-to-open Eastern Suburbs Railway line. Meanwhile, the project faced stiff opposition from some locals, who had adopted the previously empty green space as a park. So concerned were the resident groups about construction that they took the matter to the High Court. As for the project's rebirth, it's safe to assume significant pushback will come from pockets of the surrounding community, with Premier Chris Minns saying he doesn't expect the decision to be "met with universal happiness." However, Minns and the NSW Government see Woollahra Station and its rezoning plans as key to addressing Sydney's housing shortage. "For too long, young people and families in New South Wales have been forced to choose between moving away from the Sydney CBD and not being able to afford a home at all," said Premier Minns in a statement. Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson took an even stronger line: "We are not afraid to take on NIMBYs to deliver more housing where there is the space and infrastructure to support it. This new station just makes sense." Construction on Woollahra Station is expected to begin in 2027, with an opening date planned for 2029.
The term institution gets thrown around perhaps more than it should, but one restaurant that embodies the word and all its meaning is Lee Ho Fook. Founded over a decade ago in Melbourne by celebrated chef Victor Liong, the two-hatted landmark has played a pivotal role in redefining Chinese cuisine in Australia. Now the restaurant is ready to turn the page on a new chapter, announcing a soon-to-open outpost in Sydney at The Porter House Hotel. Launching on Wednesday, September 17, Lee Ho Fook will join an already impressive lineup of dining destinations within the neighbouring precinct. Guided by hospitality operator Trippas White Group, guests encounter European deli charm at Porter House Grounds & Cellar Door, rooftop cocktails at Bar See See and pan-Asian inspiration at Moutai. Yet the arrival of Lee Ho Fook is set to add a heap more culinary weight thanks to its prestige reputation. "Our aim has always been to create food that's delicious, engaging and a little unexpected," says Liong. "Lee Ho Fook in Sydney will continue to respect the foundations of Chinese cooking while presenting them through a contemporary Australian lens — refined yet warm, with service that makes you feel like you've found a place you'll keep coming back to." The Sydney iteration will carry on Lee Ho Fook's celebration of China's diverse regional cuisine, with Liong bringing an elegantly simple flair to the equation. Expect signature small plates like prawn toast with Tasmanian sea urchin, and its acclaimed crispy eggplant with spiced red vinegar. Meanwhile, mains at the new restaurant will include Kung Pao Skull Island prawns, and steamed Glacier 51 Toothfish with silken tofu. An experienced team supports Liong's vision in both front and back of house. In the kitchen, Head Chef Brad Guest brings vast experience working alongside leading culinary names like Martin Benn, Neil Perry, Daniel Puskas, Clare Smyth and Pasi Petӓnen. Then, Victor's sister Nianci takes up the reins as restaurant manager, drawing on years of experience working in renowned eateries like Momofuku Seiobo, Fred's, King Clarence and Sokyo. Though Lee Ho Fook is making its move north, the design of the Sydney outpost will maintain its Melbourne aesthetic. Think raw brickwork and deep-toned polished timber floors set against neon lights and moody red and brass accents. With the restaurant's launch only a few weeks away, Lee Ho Fook will be open for lunch from Wednesday–Sunday and dinner from Monday–Saturday. Bookings are now open. Lee Ho Fook - The Porter House Hotel is expected to open on Wednesday, September 17, at 203 Castlereagh St, Sydney. Head to the website for more information. Images: Parker Blain.
Seltzer brand Part Time Rangers has arrived with a new line of summer-ready drinks that are helping make a difference. The Peach Penguin is a flavour-packed addition to the brand's range and, as the name suggests, it has an affinity for one of the world's cutest creatures: the penguin. If you pick up a four-pack of these fruity vodka and peach juice drinks, you can feel a little better about your latest boozy purchase than usual. For every seltzer sold, Part Time Rangers donates to conservation initiatives around the world — and this time, a portion of the profits from the peach flavour are going directly to the Conservation Council of Western Australia and penguin expert Dr Erin Clitheroe. WA's Little Penguin has seen an 80-percent population decline since 2007 due to warmer ocean conditions and increased air temperature. It's species like the little penguin that the Conservation Council is working to save. On top of donating these proceeds to help provide assistance with the penguin population of Penguin Island, Part Time Rangers also wants you to get involved directly. After conducting a survey that found only five percent of young Australians consider the Little Penguin a conservation concern, the seltzer brand has launched a competition to try and raise awareness for these fluffy little animals. The seltzer brand is giving away an all-expenses-paid trip to Western Australia to help Clitheroe with her conservation efforts. The winner of this major prize will get to spend three days with the scientist, in what Part Time Rangers has described as a "scholar-sip". They'll also get return flights to Perth, four nights accommodation, $1500 to spend on food and transport, $2000 prize money and a case of seltzer. There will also be ten runner-ups who will each win a hat and a four-pack of seltzer. To enter, just head to the Part Time Rangers website and explain in 25 words or less why you want to fly to Perth and hang out with Dr Erin Clitheroe. Applications for the competition close at 5pm on Monday, February 20. Outside of the Peach Penguin flavour, you'll also find other drinks in the range — like the Pink Rhino, with proceeds going to Rhinos Without Borders, plus the Black and Yellow Elephant flavours, which both raise money for the Big Life Foundation. For more information on Part Time Rangers and the competition head to the brand's website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Thirty-five years ago, Spike Lee (American Utopia) directed his fourth film. Following a jazz trumpeter portrayed by Denzel Washington (Gladiator II), Mo' Better Blues started one of cinema's finest filmmaker-actor collaborations. Before that decade was out, the pair also made 1992's Malcolm X and 1998's He Got Game together. Then came 2006's crime-thriller Inside Man. Next, after a nearly two-decade wait, arrives Highest 2 Lowest. Lee and Washington are two of the biggest names in America filmmaking, and they're back in business together, teaming up on a movie that premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will soon stream Down Under via Apple TV+. Highest 2 Lowest initially dropped a sneak peek back in May, asking if audiences can "handle the mayhem?". Ahead of the A24 flick's cinema release in the US, the picture has just unveiled its full trailer. The latest Lee-directed joint not only sees two icons reunite, but also reimagines the work of another. This time, the two Oscar-winners (Lee for BlacKkKLansman's screenplay, Washington for Glory and Training Day) are reinterpreting 1963 crime thriller High and Low from Akira Kurosawa. In the New York City-set Highest 2 Lowest, Washington plays a music mogul who is about to navigate quite the chaos. His character is renowned for having the "best ears in the business", then is saddled with a ransom plot, while also being faced with a moral dilemma with potentially grave repercussions. Also featuring Ilfenesh Hadera (Godfather of Harlem), Jeffrey Wright (The Last of Us), Ice Spice and A$AP Rocky (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You), Highest 2 Lowest is Lee's first film since 2020, when both Da 5 Bloods and concert movie American Utopia released. The movie has a date with US cinemas from Friday, August 22, 2025, then viewers everywhere — including in Australia and New Zealand — will be able to watch Highest 2 Lowest via Apple TV+ from Friday, September 5, 2025. Check out the full trailer for Highest 2 Lowest below: Highest 2 Lowest streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, September 5, 2025.
When Michael Shanks began writing Together over half a decade ago, he didn't start casting in his mind at the time. He didn't pen it thinking that a real-life married couple would play Tim and Millie, his debut feature's protagonists, either. To fuel the Australian filmmaker's leap from YouTube, shorts and TV — including Time Trap, The Wizards of Aus, The Slot, Parked and Rebooted, as well as visual effects on 2019 miniseries Lambs of God— to becoming the talk of Sundance 2025, scoring the first major sale of this year's fest, then playing SXSW in Austin and opening the Sydney Film Festival, however, Shanks was thinking about long-term relationships. They couldn't be more at the heart of his delightfully wild and smart body-horror must-see. So, enlisting two leads who've been together since 2012 and wed since 2017 is indeed perfect. Those stars, and also producers of Together: Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall) and Dave Franco (The Studio), adding another joint project to a shared list that already featured the latter's directorial efforts The Rental and Somebody I Used to Know, as well as the likes of The Little Hours, The Disaster Artist, BoJack Horseman and Krapopolis. Initially, though, Shanks drew upon his own romantic situation — one that owes a debt to the Aussie end-of-school rite-of-passage that is Schoolies. When an Australian thinks of that week of typically Gold Coast-set revelry playing a part in a horror film, a picture about falling for someone, sharing a life with them, commitment and co-dependency isn't a concept that naturally springs to mind. But that's Together, which is also a movie about love sticking. It takes that concept literally. Franco's Tim and Brie's Millie kick off Together as enmeshed in each other's existence as a couple generally, usually, normally can be. A big move, also literal, is their next step by each other's side: relocating for Millie's job as an elementary school teacher. But their going-away party turns awkward when a marriage proposal doesn't quite go as it should — and as aspiring musician Tim begins gleaning how shifting out of the city for Millie will practically impact his ability to play gigs and keep chasing his dreams. Tension accompanies the pair to their leafy new regional surroundings, then, where greenery-lined hiking tracks beckon, Shanks' key duo fall into a cave and the two find themselves even more linked, and unable to be apart, than ever. What if bonding with your other half had a physical dimension beyond cohabiting, sex, other displays of affection and the standard couple details? What if deciding to always be one of a pair was a corporeal connection right down to your flesh? Of the two big 80s music classics with "tear us apart" in their title, think INXS' Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs-topping 'Never Tear Us Apart' over Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' — and not just because Together was shot Down Under, in Melbourne where Shanks is based. How love can change you, the anxieties that it can cause and the resentments that it can spark, and what it truly means to join your existence with someone else's: these are the ideas that Together ponders as it explores transformations inspired by fluttering hearts in its own distinctive and compelling way. Confronting painful real-life situations, while never being afraid to carve its own path into horror tropes such as unsettling new locales, creepy trips into bushland, eerie isolated houses and more: Together does this, too, as it spins a tale that favours life over the horror staple that is death, grief and loss. And in a picture that's firmly a body-horror flick with searing-into-your-brain setpieces to prove it, but is as much a romantic drama as well — and that always anchors its spectacle in the story, never getting gory purely for the sake of it — Franco and Brie are firmly "a dream cast", as Shanks describes them to Concrete Playground. The word "dream" earns a few mentions in our chat. "It's really, really insane," he tells us of Together's journey so far this year, even before reaching cinemas in general release on Thursday, July 31, 2025 Down Under and the day prior in the US. "Getting the film made just alone was a dream coming true, and then it getting into Sundance was a dream come true. And then it playing Sundance and selling to Neon was a dream. So it's kind of hokey to say, but it's sort of this dream that just keeps coming true. It's what every filmmaker dreams of." "When we played at Sundance for the first time, we'd spent months in post-production, just basically myself and an editor [Sean Lahiff, Territory] and an editing assistant, working on the film. We didn't do test screenings. It was just us in a little room. And then we thought it was maybe pretty good — like, we were pretty happy with the movie. And then at Sundance, we were in this theatre of 1000–2000 people, and it's like 'this is literally the first audience that's going to see it. We've got no idea. It's a midnight screening. It's a packed house. Here we go'," Shanks continues. "Five minutes in, there's a little scare, and we could feel the audience gasp — and we went 'oh'. And a few minutes after that, there's this little joke and the audience laughed, and we just felt like 'oh wow, this is going well, I think'. And fortunately it did. And now it's played SXSW and it played a couple of festivals in Italy, and it played in Mexico. And I'm traveling the world in a way I never thought I'd be able to just off the back of a film. It's an incredible privilege. It's been an amazing year," he advises. With the filmmaker that's given Australia another example of YouTube-to-worldwide horror feature success after Talk to Me and Bring Her Back's Danny and Michael Philippou — and whose script for HOTEL HOTEL HOTEL HOTEL featured on the Blacklist — we also contemplated that Schoolies link, dug into Brie and Franco's pivotal involvement, examined why making Together without an IRL couple as its stars might've been a nightmare and discussed the movie's vivid body-horror imagery, among other subjects. On How Schoolies Played a Part in Inspiring a Horror Film About Falling in Love, Commitment and Codependency — and When the Idea for Together Came to Shanks During His Long-Term Relationship "Oh, it was many years in. Because yeah, we met at Schoolies. I would have been 17, I think. And then we didn't start dating until a few months — we became friends, and we started dating a few months after. And then we've been together now — that was 16–17 years ago, so we've been together that long. I'm 34 now, I was writing the script in my late 20s. And that was about when we were moving into our second home together, and we were really beginning to amalgamate our lives, I guess. It really became true that we've been together for so long, we only had the same friends. The Venn diagram of our friendships was just a circle. And we went to all the same events, we listen to the same music, ate the same food, breathed the same air. And now we were living in a second house together. We had a cat. And I was like 'there is no part of my life that's separate from this person'. And likewise. And I started to, I think, confront something that a lot of people go through, of realising 'oh, do I still have independence while I'm committing to this forever-monogamous relationship' — and 'our lives are so intertwined, do I really know where I end and she begins?'. The Radiohead song 'Where I End and You Begin' probably helped dislodge that idea as well. And that was where this jumping off point was — where you already are committing to sharing a life with somebody in such totality, what if you took that even further into a physical, flesh-bound sharing, to take a real relationship and intertwine it in a physical way. That just felt like such an over the top and interesting, operatic exploration of those themes, that also would satisfy the kind of genre-filmmaker obsessive that I am." On Making a Horror Film About Love Instead of Genre Staples Like Grief, Loss and Death "It just felt really natural to me. I mean, the jumping off point to me was honestly just the idea of 'oh, what if people sharing a life started to get so close that they started to share flesh?'. That was sort of that simple. And then it was when I started to fill in the details of that story, and realising that I was putting so many specifics from my own life and the observations I've made of the couples around me in my friendship circles, that I realised that 'oh, this really is a love story' — and a dark, twisted love story. When the actors, Dave and Alison, came onboard, they paid me a great compliment — which was that they said 'reading the script, if you would pull out all the horror, it would still work as a relationship drama'. Which I was really pleased to hear that, despite all the crazy scenes of nastiness and body horror and stickiness and puppets and practical effects and insanity, it's all bound to a character journey and these two people that start in these very different emotional places. And where, like in most romantic movies, rom-coms or rom-dramas, we're basically there to see 'can they can they put this aside and realise that they love each other?'. Or, 'do they realise that they don't love each other and they need to extricate themselves from what has become perhaps a toxic relationship?'." On Casting Real-Life Partners — But Not Actually Penning the Film with That in Mind "No, I kind of wrote it just generically, just set in Australia, because why not? I think it was originally sent Trentham, because I have a friend who makes wine out there — and I was like 'aah, that's my kind of rural in Victoria'. But then I had a chance meeting with Dave, because I had another script of mine that was being passed around Hollywood people in LA. And off the basis of that, I got a meeting with Dave, and we just connected. So I already had the script, and I was like 'hey, maybe have a look at this — maybe you'll like it'. And he read it and loved it and gave it to Alison. And then within a couple of days, we were on a Zoom, the three of us, and kind of figured it out. So that was amazing. Them separately, just as actors and performers, were a dream cast. But them together as an actual married couple, it adds so much to the performances, to the metatextual elements of the film, as well as just an ease of working with them. We needed them to be so physically and emotionally intimate across this film, and the fact that they have such comfort being vulnerable with each other, it created an ease of work as well as an emotional truth that I don't think we could have done with any other actors." On How Pivotal Casting an IRL Couple Proved to Be to the Film "It would have been, especially if they didn't get on, it would have been a nightmare. There was a day on set where they basically had to be fully nude the whole day in front of each other. It's like 'okay, well that's easier to do when they're a husband and wife'. There were days on set where they had to be physically joined via a prosthetic appendage that we didn't have the budget to make a second of — so we couldn't remove it. So if they needed to go to the bathroom, they weren't allowed to separate. We needed them to go to the bathroom together. And of course, you could never impose that on actors, but because they were producers on the film and they're married, they would just be like 'oh, yeah, no worries. Definitely, definitely. We'll just do that'. It was so great. Dave said something in some interviews that I think is really sweet — is that he also said that working with Alison, he feels like it makes him give the best performance, because she knows him so well that he can't be fake in front of her. So he really has to go for it or she'll call him out. Which is — not that I witnessed any calling out, but they worked so well together and it was a huge honour to work with them." On What Brie and Franco Brought to Their Performances — and Shanks Being Able to Benefit From Not Just Their Relationship But Also Their Experience "Thankfully, because they were onboard as producers, I had a lot of time with them even before they arrived in Australia to do the shoot. We had lots of sessions over Zoom, really going through, going over the script and going over the character journeys, and tweaking little things here and there — even intellectually rather than performing it, just kind of speaking it out. And then in pre-production, we had a few days of rehearsal, which were just more read-throughs. And when you're on set, time is money like crazy, particularly for an independent, low-budget film like this. So thankfully when we were on set, it's kind of like — our cinematographer, Germain McMicking [Ellis Park], was amazing, and you tell him what you want and he'll do it. And then he doesn't require much direction because he's a pro. He's so good at it. And same with Dave and Alison, as they're just such pros and they understood the material so well that my job as a director, in terms of their performances, was just ever-so-slightly giving them notes just to tweak. They were always, always in the right area because of the amount of prep that we'd done and the professionalism. And that was great to lean on as well, because I've been working in this industry since I was 17, but this is by far the biggest, longest and most-dramatic thing that I've ever worked on. So having these people that have been doing it for just as long on a much grander scale really, really helped." On Always Anchoring the Film's Body-Horror Setpieces in the Story "I think it was that I just know from being a genre filmmaker. I was really confident in all the horror and all the setpieces. That's what I'm most practised as. And so when I was breaking out the script, I was breaking it out not in terms of the horror, but just in terms of an emotional journey. And just dotting out in character arcs and knowing, because of the nature of the story, that it would be so easy for me to have this journey be interrupted by or enhanced by the horror setpieces. And also, I think something that some people are being surprised by when they walk out of the movie is how much fun it is and that it's quite funny — because again, when I sat down to write it, I was thinking I was writing romantic drama/horror. Scary, you know, serious. I've got this comedy background, but as the situation gets more and more out of hand, it was just impossible to resist — 'well, this is what would actually happen in that scenario' — and lean into something that's fun. So hopefully you'll laugh, you'll cry, it will change your life." On Crafting Horror Imagery That Leaves an Imprint "Well, I get frustrated sometimes with horror films — or with any films in general — when there's not unique images that come out of it, when there's no setpieces that stick with you, when things are just a bit generic. And I also thought the specificity of this concept meant you can only do this once. And I don't know if as a filmmaker, if I'll ever make a horror film again — if I'll ever make body-horror film again. I'd like to. But I certainly could never make this premise again. So if this is the premise, I really was thinking to myself 'you've got to squeeze as much juice out of this as possible'. And so, 'if this is the premise, great, what are ten setpieces that you can only do with this premise' — and just making sure that that's the case. And just really wanting to — really wanting to — leave the audience with something memorable. I hope people, when they leave the cinema, will say that they had a good time and that they've never seen a film quite like this." Together opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Images: Germain McMicking / Ben King.
Of all the things that Kristen Stewart can teach us, what it's like to shout into the void — what we expect to happen, why we do it, and the simple fact that we do it — might be the most surprising. Welcome to Personal Shopper, a ghost film haunted several times over, and haunting in just as many ways. Reuniting Stewart with her Clouds of Sils Maria director Olivier Assayas, this is a movie that takes full advantage of the actress' minimalist acting style. The former Twilight star is known, and has often been lambasted, for seeming distant and fidgety in her on-screen interactions. But in an age when most people spend hours staring at their iPhones waiting for three grey iMessage dots to turn into a connection, aren't we all guilty of the same thing? Here, Stewart is well and truly one of us – distracted and disconnected, glued to her phone, waiting and wondering what comes next. Her character Maureen, a medium who works as the assistant to a celebrity starlet, spends much of the movie texting back and forth with a mysterious unknown number, answering probing questions and slowly revealing her secrets. At the same time, she tries to reach out to her recently deceased twin, who died of a congenital heart defect that she's afflicted with as well. With everything from the not-quite-vampire flick Irma Vep, to the complex crime biopic Carlos, to the melancholy student drama After May on his extensive resume, writer-director Assayas is a master filmmaker attuned to the subtleties and ambiguities of life. Still, no matter how well shot, paced and structured his latest film may be, it'd be a shadow of itself without its lead actress. Stewart is perfectly cast in a role that Assayas wrote specifically for her. Her relatable blend of awkwardness and yearning, as she tackles the existential malaise that spooks us all, is the main reason the movie works so well. Personal Shopper is a moody, enigmatic horror flick; a spine-chiller that unfolds one text at a time. But that's not all it is. It's also a recognisable portrait of how difficult it is to stomach mundane daily tasks when you're grieving, even when you're working in a seemingly glamorous job. It shows what everyday communication is really like, without resorting to cutesy ways of throwing text messages around the screen. Finally, it contrasts physical mortality with the eternal virtual realm. Blend all that together and you're left watching an immersive, intriguing film that demonstrates how modern life has become a conversation with ghosts of the digital variety. That's what a truly contemporary scarefest is really all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqMpkGOW9g
There's something special about hitting up the best Sydney brewery bars where you can sip on beers right next to the very tanks they were made in. You feel a part of the process, even if you're just sitting there with a bunch of mates, watching on as the master brewers do all the hard work. And we Sydneysiders are blessed to have so many to choose from. While many of them lay in the Inner West, Sydney has brewery bars everywhere. You won't have to travel far to find long lists of creative craft beers (that you can also buy to take home) served alongside gastropub eats. But these spots tend to be hidden behind roller shutters in industrial areas. So, read on to discover where the best Sydney brewery bars can be found — and what beers you'll likely be sampling. Recommended reads: The Best Pubs in Sydney The Best Wine Bars in Sydney The Best Bottle Shops in Sydney The Best Bars in Sydney
Kick start your day in decadent fashion at Balmain's newest cafe, where booze and ricotta stuffed doughnuts are calling your name. Opening without much fanfare on Darling Street late January 2017, the 40-seat Mr. is open from 7am to 4pm, seven days a week. Caffeine fiends can get their hit courtesy of Will and Co. coffee, before the liquor license kicks in at 10am. Alcoholic affogatos and traditional lemonade with vodka or gin both sound perfect for a boozy weekend brunch… or a boozy Friday arvo… or a boozy Wednesday breakfast. Who are we to judge? Speaking of breakfast, standout dishes on the early morning menu include avocado, cumin salt, lime and radish on activated charcoal quinoa toast, and the aforementioned doughnut sprinkled with cinnamon and served with grilled peach, honey and ginger crumb. Lunch options, meanwhile, include a poached chicken sandwich with lime kewpie mayo, and the requisite Sydney eatery staple: a cheeseburger with house tomato ketchup and pickles. The cafe also boasts a distinctly local flavour, with jams and preserves bought at local markets, and bread baked by the artisan bakers at the Bread and Butter Project, a social enterprise where profits are invested in employment pathways for asylum seekers and refugees.
Before the opening credits roll on the first of its eight season-one episodes, Binge's new Australian sitcom Colin From Accounts explores some of life's big questions. When two strangers cross paths and literally come to an impasse, who should proceed off into their regular lives to begin with — and who should hang back out of their way till they're gone? Also, what's the appropriate way to interact? Are smiles, nods, waves, and mouthing "you go" or "after you" acceptable? And, if you're the person who scores right of way, how do you show your gratitude as you're merrily venturing forward? These may seem like trivial matters, as everyday and relatable as they clearly are, but the right moves might just inspire a life-changing meeting. They could also have serious consequences, and bond you in a complicated situation for around 12 years with someone you wouldn't have otherwise met. Or, both could occur. That's how it pans out in Colin From Accounts, with the rom-com spying the familiarity, comedy and chaos in bumping into another person on the street. Medical student Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and microbrewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) do just that one otherwise standard Sydney morning. He lets her go first, she flashes her nipple as thanks, then he's so distracted that he hits a stray dog with his car. A girl, a guy and a meet-cute over an adorable animal: that's this delightful and very funny series' straightforward underlying formula. But as the circumstances surrounding Ash and Gordon's initial run-in demonstrate, Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to get awkward, much to the benefit of audiences. There's a syrupy way to proceed from the show's debut moments, intertwining sparks flying with idyllic dates, plus zero doubts of a happy ending for humans and pooches alike. If this was a movie, that's how it'd happen. Then there's Dyer and Brammall's way, with the duo creating and writing the series as well as starring in it, and focusing as much on ordinary existential mayhem — working out who you want to be, navigating complex relationships and learning to appreciate the simple pleasure of someone else's company, for example — as pushing its leads together. Before Ashley becomes 'Flashley', she's a 29-year-old medical student reeling from an unexpected breakup with a colleague (Tai Hara, Underbelly: Vanishing Act). Before Gordon is forced to ask his ex Yvette (Annie Maynard, Playing for Keeps), a vet, to do him a favour, he's a fortysomething who has been single for a unicycle-buying amount of time. By the time the day of their first encounter is out, they'll be sharing a hefty debt and a Sydney home — the former for the dog's treatment and the latter because pets aren't allowed at Ash's sharehouse. She's in his phone as 'Ashley $12k', the amount they're on the hook for. He's in hers as 'Dog Car Guy'. They joke about being each other's weird mate, and openly wonder if two people can be friends once exposed mammary glands get involved. Just like in the Hollywood versions of this kind of tale, romance does blossom. That Dyer and Brammall are behind Colin From Accounts, their past chemistry on fellow Aussie comedy No Activity and the fact that they're married IRL means that pairing them up as more than new pals was always going to be on the show's agenda. It's how the series fleshes out each character and their baggage — including those who-am-I questions, Ash's difficult dynamic with her attention-seeking mother Lynelle (Helen Thomson, Elvis), and the responsibility that running your own business and committing to care for other people each bring — that helps give it depth. Colin From Accounts lets Ash and Gordon unfurl their woes and wishes, and also lets them grow. Sometimes, that happens by peeing and pooping in the wrong place, because that's also the type of comedy this is. Sometimes, it's because the show's central couple have taken a risk, or faced their struggles, or genuinely found solace in each other. There's more than a touch of Catastrophe to Colin From Accounts, in its thrusting of two strangers together by a twist of fate that sees them sharing caring duties — for a dog rather than children, however. In lesser hands, there'd be an initial dose of New Girl as well, but Ash is no manic pixie dream girl singing her way through Gordon's life or unleashing a big bag of quirkiness. Credited with penning four episodes apiece, Dyer and Brammall bring sharpness and authenticity to their scripts, especially when confronting the truth that neither Ash nor Gordon know what they truly want. There's a clear-eyed feel to Colin From Accounts' still-light embrace of one of life's immutable realities: that we're all just moseying forward, being spontaneous, coping with the fallout, colliding with other people — and critters — and hoping for a content-enough outcome. Watching Dyer and Brammall bounce off of each other, dog in tow, is easy. Even when things are at their most strained between Ash and Gordon, and even when Colin From Accounts is swinging for its broadest grabbag-style laughs, their rapport always feels grounded. The script layers in gags about the pair's age difference, and contrasts the distinctive brands of Millennial and Generation X chaos, but the series is never in laugh track-heavy sitcom territory. Neither actor's impressive work should come as a surprise, of course, and nor should their ability to find drama as well as comedy in the show's premise. See: their respective resumes, including Dyer's work in Killing Ground and Wakefield, and Brammall's on Offspring and Glitch. Colin From Accounts may focus on Ash and Gordon's ups and downs, and on Dyer and Brammall as its driving forces, but it also mines a wealth of other talent. Thomson is a scene-stealer, as part of a subplot that examines the lifelong hurt that can spring when no one actually says what they mean. As Gordon's brewery colleagues, Genevieve Hegney (Doctor Doctor) and Michael Logo (Why Are You Like This) each have their moments to shine, and the same applies to Emma Harvie (Frayed) as Ash's fellow med-student bestie. Behind the lens, directors Trent O'Donnell (another No Activity alum), Matt Moore (The Great) and Madeleine Dyer (Monster of Many Worlds) keep the series both breezy and weighty — and instantly bingeable. Check out the trailer for Colin From Accounts below: Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Images: Lisa Tomasetti / Tony Mott.
First, the bad news: Australia's most-envied job, aka Tourism Australia's Beach Ambassador, is sadly already taken. Now, the excellent news, especially if you're keen on a beach holiday or several (or ten) throughout 2023: that lucky coast lover, beach expert Brad Farmer AM, has just named Australia's best beaches the year. Australia has 11,761 sandy spots according to Tourism Australia, so narrowing down the most stunning to a mere ten is no small feat — even if you've spent four decades focusing on the absolute best, as Farmer has. The number-one place to hit the shore this year from that hefty list? South Australia's Stokes Bay, which is located on Kangaroo Island. Being named Australia's best beach is the second huge piece of praise that Kangaroo Island has received already in 2023, after The New York Times included the entire landmass among its 52 places to visit this year. Farmer has gotten more specific, however, singling out Stokes Bay for a number of reasons — its location, safe swimming options, overall atmosphere and clandestine entrance among them. [caption id="attachment_886634" align="alignnone" width="1920"] South Australian Tourism Commission[/caption] "Most of the island's 50 or so glorious beaches are all relatively secluded, yet accessible, so visitors are much more likely to encounter paw prints of the many furry lounging locals than footprints of the work weary human," notes Farmer of Kangaroo Island, announcing his picks for Australia's best beaches for the year. "Stokes Bay Beach on the gentler north coast, with its long 500-metre sandy sweep of low impact waves, features a generous and safe tidal swimming pool for wading or snorkelling with its aquarium like atmosphere. There's a timeless hint of mystique about this hidden treasure with a shimmering reward when the curtains lift. From the western entry carpark and seasonal cafe, this veiled beach is reached through a 'secret tunnel' — a hand-hewn cavernous carved trail finally revealing a stunning scene as if rewarding the adventurer. Stokes Bay is long overdue to be recognised as Australia's Best Beach in 2023," he continues. [caption id="attachment_886635" align="alignnone" width="1920"] East Coast Photography[/caption] Stokes Bay claimed top position after Misery Beach in Western Australia scored the honours in 2022, Cabarita Beach in New South Wales did the same in 2020, Nudey Beach on Fitzroy island in Far North Queensland achieved the feat in 2018, and Cossies Beach in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, in the Indian Ocean, earned the title in 2017. This is the first time that a South Australian beach has earned the honours. Still, among the 2023 list's highest-ranked spots, Stokes Bay is joined by beaches in every Australian state and territory, including Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean Territories. [caption id="attachment_886636" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Coming in second in Australia's best beaches for this year: Boomerang Beach on New South Wales' mid-north coast. NSW is the one of only two states to take two places in the top ten, too, with Balmoral Beach on Sydney Harbour in tenth position. Elsewhere, Rainbow Beach on Queensland's Cooloola Coast ranked third, Apollo Bay on Great Ocean Road in Victoria slotted in fourth, Adventure Bay on Bruny Island in Tasmania came fifth and Hamelin Bay in Western Australia's southwest notched up sixth position. Then came Little Bondi Beach in East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory at seventh, British Admiralty Beach on King Island in the Bass Strait in Tasmania at eighth and Flying Fish Cove on Christmas Island in ninth spot. [caption id="attachment_886637" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Great Ocean Road[/caption] Wondering how Farmer makes his picks? This year, he was particularly interested in beaches with a unique cultural connection to First Nations Country, as well as outstanding locations that don't always come up when folks are searching for Australia's best beaches online. "Australia really is just one big beach and there are simply so many surprises to be discovered in our own sandy backyard," Farmer says. So pack your togs, round up some mates and start ticking these off. We see many road trips in your future — not that anyone ever needs a new excuse to head to the beach, whether they're one of Australia's best or not. THE TOP TEN BEST AUSTRALIAN BEACHES FOR 2023: 1. Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia 2. Boomerang Beach, Mid North Coast, New South Wales 3. Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Coast, Queensland 4. Apollo Bay, Great Ocean Road, Victoria 5. Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania 6. Hamelin Bay, South-West, Western Australia 7. Little Bondi Beach, East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory 8. British Admiralty Beach, King Island, Bass Strait, Tasmania 9. Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island 10. Balmoral Beach, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales For more of Brad Farmer's beach tips, head to his Best Australian Beaches website. Top images: Tourism Australia / @ihaig72. 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 — including Kangaroo Island.
It is no surprise that flamenco dancing has a bit of a following. The stomping feet and intense stares that epitomise the style are a great channel to release those daily frustrations. Of course, it is equally enjoyable if you're just up for a good time or wanting to relive the memories of your Spanish holiday. Diana Reyes, who studied flamenco in Madrid and danced her way across Europe, set up her Newtown studio in 1992. The studio provides flamenco classes for amateurs and aspiring professionals alike. The classes are offered on a term-by-term package basis, although private tuition and intensive two-day workshops are also regularly on offer.
Presented in a year like no other in modern history, the 2020 Emmy Awards were always going to look and feel vastly different to previous ceremonies. Unlike last year, the proceedings had a host, with Jimmy Kimmel doing the honours. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no red carpet — and no packed theatre full of Hollywood's most famous TV faces either. Prior to the chaos of 2020, you'd probably never wondered what an awards ceremony without all the celebrities and hoopla would look like. Now, however, you definitely have the answer. Kimmel rightly pointed out that these things are frivolous and unnecessary whether there's a virus spreading around the globe or not, and this year's virtual event was never going to dispel that reality. Still, amidst some understandable awkwardness — including countless gags about social distancing and an overextended opening joke that spliced old audience footage with Kimmel's monologue to make it look like he was talking to a full room — the awards gave a heap of talented folks shiny trophies for their hard work. Some, like the big winners from Schitt's Creek crew, beamed in from their own socially distanced party in Canada. Others, such as Watchmen's Regina King and I Know This Much Is True's Mark Ruffalo, streamed in from their homes. A select few stars did join Kimmel in-person for skits and to act as presenters, including Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Zendaya, Laverne Cox, Sterling K Brown and Barry's Anthony Carrigan. But these events are always about the people receiving the prizes — and the great shows that, if you haven't watched them already, you should immediately add to your must-watch list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uWS6CnC2o SCHITT'S CREEK What it's about: The idea behind Schitt's Creek is immensely straightforward, and also incredibly obvious: if one of those obscenely wealthy families who monopolise all those trashy reality TV shows was suddenly forced to live without their money, like the rest of us, how would they cope? As envisaged by father-son duo — and the program's stars — Eugene and Daniel Levy, that's the scenario the Rose crew finds itself in, including moving to the titular town that it happens to own as a last resort. Yes, as the name gives away, they're in a sticky situation. The adjustment process isn't easy, but it is very, very funny. And, although plenty of other credits on her resume have made this plain (such as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration, all also with Eugene Levy), the great Catherine O'Hara is an absolute comedy powerhouse as the Rose family matriarch. Won: Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Catherine O'Hara), Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Eugene Levy), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Daniel Levy), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Annie Murphy), Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Daniel Levy), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Andrew Cividino and Daniel Levy). Where to watch it: Netflix and iTunes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zymgtV99Rko WATCHMEN What it's about: If the current spate of seemingly non-stop superhero movies and TV shows has taught us anything, it's that any story can hit the screen multiple times. Viewers have watched oh-so-many versions of Batman, multiple Hulks and many a Spider-Man, after all, so 2019's version of Watchmen — following the 2009 film of the same name — really didn't come as a surprise. The series takes place 34 years after the events of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons-penned comic books of the same name, so it's a sequel, in a way. This is a particularly textured, timely and powerful take on the vigilante tale, however, even though that description has always applied to the underlying material. Starring Oscar-winner Regina King alongside Jeremy Irons, Hong Chau, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart and Louis Gossett Jr, and created by The Leftovers' Damon Lindelof, this iteration of Watchmen once again explores an alternative history — with a particular (and often chilling) focus on the impact of racist violence and racial injustice. Won: Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Regina King), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special (Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson). Where to watch it: Binge, Foxtel Now, iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzYxJV_rmE8 SUCCESSION What it's about: For more than a decade, screenwriter Jesse Armstrong helped give the world one of the best British sitcoms of the 21st century, aka Peep Show. As fans will know, there's a sharp, dark edge to the hit comedy about two flatmates — and while a US drama about a wealthy family of constantly bickering media moguls mightn't necessarily seem like the obvious next step, Succession definitely possesses the same bite. The premise: with patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) suffering from health issues, his children Siobhan (Aussie actor Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Connor (Alan Ruck) all fight to step into his shoes. Brought to the screen with stellar writing, the resulting series is as compelling and clever as it is entertaining. Across its two seasons to date (with a third set to come), it's also filled with such ferocious performances from its top-notch cast — and such exceptionally witty dialogue for them to snipe and spit at each other — that you'll wish every season ran for twice as long. Won: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Jeremy Strong), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Jesse Armstrong), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Andrij Parekh). Where to watch it: Binge, Foxtel Now, iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjcfL8fbs7k EUPHORIA What it's about: It'd be easy to think that if you've seen one TV show about angsty teenagers and their antics, you've seen them all. But every now and then — more frequently than you might think, in fact — a new program pops up that demonstrates why that thinking will never ever prove true. Premiering in 2019 and instantly announcing itself as a must-watch addition to its genre, Euphoria is the latest, with Zendaya leading the series as recovering teen drug addict Rue Bennett. The show kicks off when Rue returns from rehab and immediately endeavours to settle back into the lifestyle she prefers. Expect illicit substances, boozy parties, sex, tested friendships, the ups and downs of love, and the quest to feel comfortable in one's shoes, because they all follow. A series that isn't just evocatively shot, but matches its style to the raw emotions on offer, Euphoria serves up one helluva ride. Won: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Zendaya). Where to watch it: Binge, Foxtel Now, iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KBGydqlVk I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE What it's about: There's no such thing as too much Mark Ruffalo, so six-part HBO series I Know This Much Is True obliges by casting the Avengers and Dark Waters star as identical twin brothers. In an adaptation of Wally Lamb's book of the same name, Ruffalo plays Dominick and Thomas Birdsey — with the latter struggling with paranoid schizophrenia, and the former's life often defined by his sibling. Set in the fictional small town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, and hopping between the present and the 90s, this is a thematically sprawling yet emotionally intimate drama that tracks the twins' parallel paths, while also spinning a story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness. Although the cast also spans Melissa Leo, Kathryn Hahn, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Rob Huebel and Aisling Franciosi, Ruffalo unsurprisingly turns in two exceptional performances that steal the show. Prepare to be in particularly, unshakeably grim territory, though, with Blue Valentine filmmaker Derek Cianfrance directing every episode. Won: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Mark Ruffalo). Where to watch it: Binge, Foxtel Now, iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zVhRId0BTw UNORTHODOX What it's about: Deborah Feldman's best-selling 2012 autobiography Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots has made the leap to Netflix as a four-part mini-series. And, as the book's title makes plain, both explore her decision to leave her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, New York, flee her arranged marriage and everyone she's ever known, and escape to Berlin to start a brand new life. Names and details have been changed, as tends to be the case with dramas based on real-life stories; however, Unorthodox still follows the same overall path. In a tense but instantly commanding opening to the show's first episode, 19-year-old Esther 'Esty' Shapiro (Shira Haas) slips out of the apartment she shares with her husband Yanky (Amit Rahav), picks up a passport from her piano teacher and nervously heads to the airport. The end result proves a unique and intriguing coming-of-age tale, a thoughtful thriller, and an eye-opening but always careful and respectful look at a culture that's rarely depicted on-screen in such depth. Israeli actress Haas (The Zookeeper's Wife, Foxtrot, Mary Magdalene) turns in a nuanced, weighty and gripping performance as Esty, too — which is pivotal in making Unorthodox so compelling to watch. Won: Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special (Maria Schrader). Where to watch it: Netflix. Further reading: our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMBhxOW5fYo MRS AMERICA What it's about: From Aussie music biopic I Am Woman to US documentary 9to5: The Story of a Movement, the quest to have equal rights for women enshrined in American law has received ample on-screen attention of late. And that should firmly be the case, especially given that the proposed amendment to the US Constitution on that very matter — the Equal Rights Amendment — has yet to be adopted across the entire country. Joining the list of content on the topic, Mrs America explores the subject on the small screen, focusing on the heated fight in the 1970s across a blisteringly potent nine-episode series. As well as a fierce look at a still very relevant chapter of recent history, the series serves up the ever-impressive Cate Blanchett as real-life high-profile conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, fellow Australian Rose Byrne as famed feminist journalist Gloria Steinem, and a lineup of talent that also includes Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, John Slattery, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ullman and Melanie Lynskey. Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Uzo Aduba). Where to watch it: Binge, Foxtel Now, iTunes and Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hAXVqrljbs OZARK What it's about: In 2019, when the final batch of episodes from Arrested Development's fifth season dropped, no one really cared. That might sound harsh; however, it's a case of sad but true. Don't worry — star Jason Bateman certainly has enough to keep him busy elsewhere, particularly in the dramatic realm. As well as playing a part both in front of and behind the lens on this year's Stephen King adaptation The Outsider, since 2017 he's been leading, executive producing and sometimes even directing Netflix crime drama Ozark. Following a financial advisor who moves his family from Chicago to a quiet Missouri town after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong in a big way, this is one of Netflix's quiet achievers. That it also features the always-exceptional Laura Linney, as well as now two-time Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner Julia Garner — a standout on the big screen in The Assistant, too — also helps. Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Julia Garner). Where to watch it: Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dQI67eYz_0 MORNING WARS What it's about: Called The Morning Show overseas and Morning Wars in Australia, this star-studded series takes a straight-from-the-headlines approach. Immersed within one of America's popular morning television shows, it follows the fallout after one of its hosts is fired after reports of sexual misconduct (something that did indeed happen on the US version of Today a couple of years back). Steve Carell plays the anchor newly joining the unemployment line, Jennifer Aniston returns to TV for her first regular role post-Friends as his shell-shocked but fiercely ambitious co-host and Reese Witherspoon is the opinionated upstart who starts making a splash — with the latter happening after a video of her passionate tirade at an uninformed protestor goes viral. Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass and Gugu Mbatha-Raw also feature (we said this was star-studded) in a series that doesn't always hit as hard as it wants to, but remains highly involving. Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Billy Crudup). Where to watch it: Apple TV+. Images: Watchmen via Mark Hill/HBO, Succession via Graeme Hunter/HBO. I Know This Much Is True via Atsushi Nishijima/HBO, Ozark via Jessica Miglio/Netflix.
If Felix was in a Paris arrondissement rather than the Sydney CBD, no one would blink a perfectly curled eyelash. Yes, it's a little piece of Paris and no one's complaining. From the (sometimes) French waiters bustling around the tiled floors to the decadent crustacean bar and elaborate murals on the ceiling, Felix is the bistro the city has been waiting for - and we can't get enough of the Steak Frites. It's a humming, buzzing, people-watchers delight in here: all beautiful wooden finishes, crisp white table cloths and intricate tiling. Energetic chef Lauren Murdoch, a Merivale star from Lotus and Ash Street, delivers food of the same exceptional quality. All the classic French cues are here: the ever-changing 'Plat du Jour', the rotisserie section and that incredible oyster bar. You can lounge at the noisy bar and nibble some chicken liver pate with your champagne, or slide straight onto a banquette and begin with something raw and delicious. Ocean Trout Terrine ($20) or the classic Prawn Cocktail ($18) are a good place to start before you move on to something a little more serious, like Steak Frites, Lamb Pie ($32) or newly trendy Skate ($28), with brown butter sauce, capers and caramelised witlof. If you swing by for a light lunch, there are salads that take the leaf to another level. Grilled Rainbow Trout ($20), with pickled vegetables and radicchio, is the perfect mix of sweet and slightly sour, while a classic Reuben Sandwich ($18) brings a little bit of New York to the table. After a lighter than light Passionfruit Soufflé ($18) to complete the ultimate bistro experience, I'd be surprised if you don't leave saying 'Tres Bon'. [nggallery id=75]
This year has seen an explosion of dining precincts open within Sydney's major developments. In 2019 alone, our city has welcomed the Barrack Place laneway and the Green Square dining precinct in the Infinity Building, as well as Darling Square's final retailers within Electric Treat Street and the Exchange Building's Maker's Dozen food hall. Not to mention two major announcements for 2020 openings within the South Eveleigh precinct. Next up is Quay Quarter Lanes, which will open as part of the massive new Quay Quarter Sydney precinct in late 2020. It'll be located on Loftus Lane — between Young and Loftus streets behind Customs House — in Circular Quay, and will span specialty cafes, all-day restaurants and late-night bars, plus boutique shops and 106 luxury apartments up top. Once completed, it will boast 20 retailers all up. The only restaurant to be announced so far is by New Zealand restaurateur Scott Brown — he's responsible for Auckland's much loved Italian restaurant Amano. Brown's new sustainable and seasonal concept will open within the heritage-listed Hinchcliff House on Young Street. The sizeable four-storey old wool store covers 1000 square metres will be restored as part of the project — as will Circular Quay's second remaining wool store, Gallipoli Club. Sydney-based Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones has been commissioned to create a site-specific installation for the laneway — his work aims to draw attention to issues including climate change, land management and the disappearance of unique Aboriginal languages and cultures. The food-filled space is set just across from the Quay Quarter Tower, the precinct's 50-storey glass skyscraper, which is slated for a late 2022 opening. It's all part of a $2.7 billion development by AMP Capital — which is also looking after the $140-million Marrickville Metro upgrade and its own massive dining precinct. Once finished, the Quarter Quay Sydney precinct will span 11,000-square-metres (or over two city blocks) of prime Circular Quay real estate. By its 2022 completion date, over 50 retail tenancies will be included in the precinct. Quay Quarter Lanes is set to open to the public in late 2020, and the full Quarter Quay Sydney precinct will open by late 2022.
Only watching a single scene, merely a few minutes or just a sole episode of Such Brave Girls is impossible. With its blisteringly frank and hilarious first season in 2023, and now with its equally raw, authentic and side-splitting second run in 2025 — both streaming in Australia via Stan — letting instalment after instalment roll while binge-viewing is the natural response to pressing play on this British sitcom about three adult women in a dysfunctional family. That said, there's a line in the show's second season that couldn't sum it up better, even if you were to only ever hear one piece of dialogue from the Kat Sadler-created series. "Your mouth's doing the right thing, but your eyes are trying to call the Samaritans," Josie, her on-screen alter ego, is told when she cracks a smile. Sadler also writes Such Brave Girls, with its first season winning Best Scripted Comedy and earning her the Best Emerging Talent: Fiction award at the 2024 BAFTAs. She's drawn much within its frames from her own experiences, as well as those of her sister Lizzie Davidson, who plays Josie's sibling Billie. Across its 12 episodes to date, there isn't a second of the end result that isn't deeply perceptive, including about depression, trauma, love, financial stress and the unshakeably intertwined relationship between the latter two, to name just some of its focuses. But that Samaritans line is such an astute statement about trying and pretending — however wholeheartedly or convincingly, or willingly or not — to put on a content and settled face to the world, an idea that's at the core of Such Brave Girls again and again. As she keeps exploring the lives of not just chalk-and-cheese sisters Josie and Billie, but also of their mother Deb (Louise Brealey, Lockwood & Co) — and of Dev, (Paul Bazely, Miss Scarlet and the Duke), a quiet widower with a big house, who the family matriarch is keen on marrying; Seb (Freddie Meredith, Andor), the keen-to-wed boyfriend that the queer Josie wishes that she didn't have; and Nicky (Sam Buchanan, Just Act Normal), the womaniser that Billie refuses to see anything but good in — how does Sadler find new ways to dig into the ever-relatable concept of constantly putting on brave faces? "It is capturing the MO of the show, and that's a really interesting way to look at it," Sadler tells Concrete Playground, "because I think every character is an emblem of this fine line of dancing through this desperation going on in the family home, and capturing that through keeping up appearances." "You've got Deb, who deals with it more superficially. Similarly with Billie, who's looking for someone to love her. And then it's Josie sort of constantly weaponising her mental health as a way of trying to experience love. Every character is on the quest for it. So I think when I go about writing, I often just have my characters on the wall, and I have this theme of love that I'm always trying to dig into, and then it's about finding different ways to have that come out." When season one introduced its main figures, it plunged into Josie's mental-health struggles, the mountain of debt that Deb can't escape, and the impact of her ex-husband going out for teabags ten years earlier and never returning home — as well as Josie's sexual identity, and the need for the series' three women to discover ways to try to keep fiscally afloat. Sadler's own attempts on her life and the £20,000 that Davidson owed at the same time were firm inspirations. Another motivation for the show: making the type of no-holds-barred sitcom about these situations and themes that didn't already exist but Sadler wanted to see. "That's exactly what I wanted to do," she explains. "I wanted to capture the uniqueness in the way that we talk, and the way that I talk to my friends, and show that, because I hadn't seen that before. And I wanted to lift up a rock into our world and try to capture as much of that in as much detail with as much authenticity as possible, to open people's eyes to the way that we see the world. And show that perspective, because there wasn't a lot of that that I was seeing on-screen — and it made me sad that we didn't have a lot of that. It made me lonely." "So I was trying to capture that — and help other people feel more normal by saying that the way that they talk is the maybe the way that they talk in their family." Life brightening up isn't Such Brave Girls' journey, though. That wouldn't fit its tone, or its aim to both subvert and satirise. Most sitcoms don't have the origin story that this one does, clearly — and also don't sport the commitment not to shy away from complicated characters, from daily woes, from mental illness, and from a range of topics that many dramas don't even dig into, let alone comedies. The again-exceptional season two begins with Josie chasing a crush, then swiftly being trapped in her worst nightmare: marrying Seb. Deb is endeavouring to use the nuptials to show to Dev that the family's women are worth getting hitched to, while Billie is intent on locking in a sugar-daddy relationship with the much-older — and already-wed — Graham (Daniel Ryan, The Bay). Most sitcoms also don't ensure, no matter what else Josie, Billie and Deb are navigating — be it weddings, infatuations, affairs, boat trips, potential pregnancies, rivals and so much more — that worrying about money isn't something that dissipates. That's another of Such Brave Girls' profoundly relatable touches. Interrogating the connection between love and finances is not the status quo for the bulk of television comedies, either. The feeling of catharsis for its creator, whether in processing her own experiences into something where Josie can make different choices, turning pain into laughs or seeing a show built with such a commitment to authenticity in such a range of ways resonating with audiences, stands out for Such Brave Girls, too. Alongside those themes of romance and money, as well as her own emotional journey with the show, we also spoke with Sadler about discovering the tone and feel for the series, and how season one's BAFTA success empowered her for season two. Among our topics as well: finding new scenarios to put Josie, Bille and Deb in the second time around, plus standing in Josie's shoes for 12 episodes now. On Financial Stress as a Daily Reality Always Sitting at the Heart of the Series — and How Love and Money Intersect "I love having a theme. And I think when you keep it on theme, the whole series will feel unified and keep the characters together — and that's the rubber dinghy that these characters are all stranded in and the ocean: financial stress. And if anything grows or moves or changes the way they're dealing with it, then the whole boat goes over. So it's all about keeping the characters on track and having that be the theme that we're constantly exploring. Like, when I start writing, I have love and money, that's my really strong theme of this year — and last year, too. I think that's what makes the characters feel relatable, and what is exciting to me as a writer is that it is fundamentally about love at its core. Even though the characters are horrible to each other and narcissists and all these things, their quest is fundamentally to be loved — but it's just these toxic ways they go about it. That was what was interesting to me as a writer in series two, was the kind of way that money relates to that. And Deb's quest for that, quest for money, is really about showing her love to the girls by keeping the house there, and keeping everyone safe and surviving. But we deal with it in these kind of toxic ways. So I do want to show that love and money really intersect in lots of ways that you might not be expecting." On Finding the Tone and Feel of the Show From Its Personal Origins for Both Sadler and Her Sister, and with Its Range of Topics That Not Even Dramas Always Cover "I think it went through lots of different versions. There was a while in which I suddenly thought 'oh gosh, am I writing a comedy-drama? Am I writing a drama?' in some of the stuff I dealt with. And then I think I had to stop and reassess and decide what I wanted to make — and fundamentally all I ever wanted to make is a sitcom that shows that you can deal with these issues, and not shy away from it and be hamstrung by the format of a sitcom. You can put anything in there, as long as you understand why characters are the way they are and act the way they do. So I think that was what I really decided on, and then I think once I decided that, it was all systems ago. I remember it went through lots of different drafts. That whole series went through loads of different drafts of versions, and then when I stripped all that back and showed it to my sister, it was then like 'this is what it is'. I think when it became like it was just jokes, that was then, I think, this is what makes me feel excited. Like, this is what gets me feeling a bit nervous, which is the best feeling — when you get a bit of fear." On If the Success of Season One, Including Its BAFTA Wins, Set Sadler a Challenge to Push Even Further in Season Two "Exactly. And it was an incredible vote of confidence in the show, and just gave us the feeling of 'people are behind us on this' — like they get it. Because it is a big ask, because it is challenging in different ways. So the fact that we had that mark of kudos of 'we back you' was huge, and so rewarding. And has been amazing, and totally made me feel like I can be more brave and confident, and like people give me the benefit of the doubt now. But it also comes with 'oh my god, how do you follow that up?'. We won the most-incredible prize — the list of shows on that list of BAFTA-winners for Best Scripted Comedy is unparalleled. It's incredible. So to try to compete with that or to be like 'okay, what's series two?' was terrifying. So we're working out 'how do you follow it up and not just try to be outrageous for outrageous' sake'. But it was a huge mark of confidence that has made me feel much more confident as a writer, which I struggle with." On Finding New Scenarios to Push the Characters Into in a Series About a World Where Nobody Is Right "My favourite thing is the twisted logic of the characters. That's what I love to write. I love twisted logic, like something that makes complete sense to the character, but as the viewer, you're like 'why on earth have you done that?'. So that's always my challenge. So I love to get a situation up on the board and be like 'what is the funny way that my characters would be front-footed and decide how to' — because we're all spin doctors, that comes from my family experience, like how we always just turn everything into something positive. You rewrite it. You work out how you win. And so it was about being like 'okay, how do I spin these situations so that the characters leave it feeling powerful, or leave it feeling like this is actually what they wanted?'. So that is the fun bit of the job, is working out 'what would be the most cathartic way to deal with this?' and 'how do these characters manipulate the situation?'. That's the bit which comes from just sitting and writing it, rather than reality, because a lot of reality didn't happen like that." On Whether There's a Feeling of Catharsis That Comes with Processing Sadler's Own Experiences Via the Series and Seeing Audiences Relate "Yeah, that has been an incredible experience. Having people relate or connect or say 'oh my god, I did that' or 'oh my god, that happened to me', that is actually, it's the best feeling. It's such a mark of confidence in the writing that it is truly the most rewarding bit. It truly is. Getting messages on Instagram being like 'oh my god, I can't believe you talked about that' or 'I thought only we did that' or something — those are the best messages." On How Sadler Feels About Josie After 12 Episodes of Standing in Her Shoes "I find her the hardest one to write for, because she's me. So I do find her difficult, because I haven't got that level of separation like I do with the other characters. So it's sort of about working out how to keep her — because Josie is also quite a passive character. She lets things happen to her. She's obsessed with her own trauma. She's lives in her head. And so it's hard to — thinking of plots for her to do where she is active is hard. Because I'm someone that usually just like — I think there's a line series one that's 'you're a deer in headlights, you just wait for the car to hit you' and that's me. So how on earth do you explore that in writing a series? She is the most fun, though, when she is front-footed about something. So it's just working out how to make her go for that. So that has been my challenge, just to make sure there's a degree of separation there between the two." Such Brave Girls streams via Stan. Read our review of season one.
Tucked away between Topshop and Sydney's iconic State Theatre is Gilt Lounge. As QT Hotel's sultry grown up cocktail lounge, Gilt takes things to a whole new mixology level. And this place is tops, quite literally. Walk past Parlour Lane Roasters, up the elevators, through Gowings Bar & Grill and up another flights of stairs. Welcome to Gilt. Gilt is the femme fatale of Sydney's bar scene: smoldering, secretive and sophisticated. Think eclectic, industrial chic for the interior; the large space is broken up into clusters of soft couches and dim mood lighting. As the name suggests, the venue is a place to linger and lounge. It's a destination, rather than a stopover, for conversation and cocktails. The steady stream after-workers passing in and out of the bar gives it an upbeat buzz without feeling over crowded. And what you're really here for are the expert cocktails. Shakers will be tossed in the air and drinks finished with a flourish. A must-try is the Applewood Bacon Old Fashioned ($19), a wild combination of Applewood bacon-infused buffalo trace bourbon, black peppercorn-infused demerara sugar, creole bitters chocolate covered bacon and flamed orange. Yes, you read right. Chocolate. Covered. Bacon. It's a flavour fusion gamble that definitely pays off. Another hit is the Sweet Lady ($18) — ciroc vodka, lemon balm, sugar, fresh lime, egg white, mint bitters — a twist on the classic One Lady cocktail. This is a great option to accompany food; the lemon balm provides a palette cleansing burst while avoiding that minty aftertaste that stops you from enjoying following flavours. A good match is the Bringing Back The Vol-Au-Vent ($15) that is filled with house-made ocean trout tartare, sterling caviar and quail eggs. The bar menu is considered. Choose from sub-categories such as snacks, bite-size nibbles, sliders and more substantial. And we reckon after cocktail number two, three and four you're going to need to indulge some of Gilt's tasty bites. Gilt is Sydney's newest CBD hidey hole perfectly suited to sneaky after work drinks for couples, small groups and bona fide cocktail aficionados. The only kind of guilt you'll experience here is that of not having come earlier.
Darlinghurst's Sunday roast and craft beer specialist The Taphouse is expanding — upwards. The heritage-listed pub known for its expansive list of brews, sunny courtyard and hearty food offering has opened a new rooftop bar with a focus on inventive cocktails to complement the city views. Located two storeys above The Taphouse, Elm Rooftop Bar overlooks the bustling streets of Darlinghurst. The space embodies the classic alfresco setting with an abundance of leafy vines and hanging plants soaking up the sun beside you. The retractable awning also promises shelter from the elements on less favourable days, meaning Elm is open rain, hail or shine. Unlike the bar's beer-loving downstairs counterpart, Elm's drinks menu is all about variety. Owner Joshua Thorpe even goes as far as to describe the rooftop as "an outdoor cocktail and seltzer oasis". On the cocktail list you can find a variety of juice-based cocktails including the High Passion, a gin and passionfruit liqueur creation topped with freshly squeezed cucumber juice, or Elm's take on the bloody mary made with basil-infused vodka. [caption id="attachment_802633" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Brown[/caption] If you haven't jumped fully on board the hard seltzer craze quite yet, Elm is a great place to start, with a wide-reaching selection of the buzzed-about drink on offer. Alongside the cocktails and seltzers, quality selections from The Taphouse's beer list will also be brought upstairs, with over 20 local craft beers available on tap, as well as a range of wines including orange drops poured by the glass. For those on the hunt for an afternoon snack in the sun, a variety of share plates can be ordered, from fish tacos with spicy tartare and southern-fried cauliflower bites, to selections of cured meats and cheeses – although there's nothing stopping you from making a cameo on the rooftop for a drink before heading back downstairs for a beloved Taphouse roast. Find Elm Rooftop Bar at Level 2, 122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst from 5pm–10pm Thursday, 12pm–10pm Friday and Saturday and 12pm–9pm Sunday. Images: Jess Brown
Come 2026, almost a decade will have passed since Qantas proposed changing the way that Australians travel to two of the world's biggest cities — and most-popular holiday destinations — from the east coast. That plan: Project Sunrise, the initiative that's making non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York a reality. It was first announced in 2017, ran trial flights in 2019 and has undergone delays since, including moving a 2025 start date to mid-2026. With its launch date now just two years away, Qantas is speeding ahead with the lengthy journeys, which'll join the Perth-to-London flights that began in 2018. (From Western Australia, the carrier also boasts straight-to-Rome routes, and just implemented Perth-to-Paris legs as well.) If spending all of that time on a plane sounds like it'll be an experience — the aircrafts are capable of staying in the air for up to 22 hours — the airline understands. Indeed, part of the Project Sunrise development process has been dedicated to ensuring that passenger wellbeing doesn't suffer, and also working out how to combat jetlag. Here's one solution, or at least a tactic to help: Qantas has revealed that its 238-person Project Sunrise A350-1000 planes will feature cabin lighting inspired by the Australian landscape, which will cycle through phases to help travellers adapt to the ultra long-haul voyage — and to the time zone when they disembark. The airline has been making the most of Hamburg's Airbus Customer Definition Centre, using a mockup of the A350 cabin to test lighting patterns and sequences, after the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre conducted research during the Project Sunrise test runs on the inflight experience and reducing jetlag. Those learnings noted that some light spectrums work better to get circadian rhythms adapting. Cue plenty more testing, resulting in 12 lighting scenes for Project Sunrise's trips. Among them: using a broad-spectrum glow enriched with blue hues as an awake setting, which can also be softened; cycling through the tones of the sunset as it turns into a moonlit night, complete with clouds, to get travellers ready to go to sleep; and replicating an Aussie sunrise, starting at the front of the aircraft and rolling out to the back, when it's time to greet either London or NYC. Boarding, taxiing, take-off, sleep, landing and disembarking also have their own lighting modes. The planes will feature wellbeing zones that'll sport the colours of a daytime sky, clouds and all, when the flight is in its daytime setting. The same space will move to moonlight and water rippling during the journey's evening phase. And for those flush with cash, the enclosed first-class suites will let passengers fully customise their own lighting. As advised back in 2023, those wellbeing zones on the stopover-free hauls will sit between the 140-seat economy and 40-seat premium economy cabins. Inside, stretch handles and an exercise program guided via screens will get you active, while refreshments will be on offer at the hydration station. As for the cabins themselves, every seat will have free wifi, USB-C charging ports and also wireless charging and bluetooth connectivity so that you can use your own headphones — and, they'll feature in good news for your body, Qantas' most-generous seat pitches yet, plus ergonomic leg and foot rests. Qantas' direct flights from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York are set to take to the air in mid-2026. For more information, head to the Qantas website.
The sun is dying, and only a mission to space can potentially save life on earth and all of humanity. Sound familiar? If you've watched Sunshine from 28 Years Later duo Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, then it should. This one should ring a bell, too, if you caught The Martian: an everyman character gets stranded solo well beyond the third rock from the sun. Combine elements of two excellent sci-fi films from years gone by and you have Project Hail Mary — at least based on the just-dropped first trailer for the 2026 release. It isn't by accident that The Martian pops to mind, either. American novelist Andy Weir wrote the book that 2015 feature was based on. A decade later, the same applies, this time telling a tale about a science teacher who becomes an astronaut — and the planet's only hope. Ryan Gosling (The Fall Guy) plays Ryland Grace, who usually teaches the sixth grade. In parts of the Project Hail Mary's debut sneak peek, he stresses that he's putting the "not" in "astronaut" — and he's both sceptical and reluctant about the task being asked of him. In other moments in the film's first trailer, he's 11.9 light years from home, all alone, and uncertain why after waking up with no memory about what he's doing in space. Also included: attempting to discover why the sun is dying, using his science skills in a manner far beyond what he'd ever expected and making friends while soaring through the heavens. Audiences Down Under can make a date with the end result in March 2026 — and watch Gosling tackle space again after portraying Neil Armstrong in 2018's First Man, as part of a cast that spans Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Lionel Boyce (The Bear), Ken Leung (Industry) and Milana Vayntrub (Going Dutch), too. Project Hail Mary also marks the first picture directed by filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in more than a decade, when the pair had both The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street in cinemas in 2014. In the years since, they've been busy, however — such as initially being slated to helm Solo: A Star Wars Story, then getting replaced by Ron Howard (Jim Henson Idea Man), and producing everything from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel to the very different Brigsby Bear and Cocaine Bear. Check out the first trailer for Project Hail Mary below: Project Hail Mary opens in Australian cinemas in March 2026.
UPDATE, Tuesday, June 25, 2024: Maybe Group has confirmed to Concrete Playground that the decision to close Sammy Junior was unrelated to the recent refinancing of its parent company Public Hospitality Group. Our article has been updated to reflect this. A statement provided to Concrete Playground reads: "The team behind The Maybe Group have chosen to close their cafe Sammy Junior in Sydney's CBD to concentrate on other venues within the group. The lease has been taken over by Potts Point sandwich shop Salumerie, who tested the Sammy Junior space throughout May with a pop-up sandwich offering. Salumerie is already trading in the space, the new King Street location being their second site. Vince Lombardo said, 'Sammy Junior was a fun venture, and we're really proud it led to a surge in venues that offer just as good coffee as cocktails, but we've decided to concentrate our attentions elsewhere. We're big fans of what Salumerie do and wish them the best of luck'." Coffee spot-cum-aperitivo bar Sammy Junior, the sister venue to the multi-award-winning cocktail lounge Maybe Sammy, is the latest Sydney venue to close its doors for good. The bar's Instagram account has been quietly deleted, its website deactivated and its booking links via the Maybe Group website disabled, with insiders familiar with the matter confirming to Concrete Playground that the venue had been closed with immediate effect during the week ending Friday, June 21. The premises is already back in operation, after being taken over by Potts Point Italian sandwich joint Salumerie, which staged a pop-up at Sammy Junior in May. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Annie Ren (@annie_aroundplaces) The loss of Sammy Junior is the latest in a string of closures in Sydney which has impacted hospitality businesses of every sort, including stalwarts like Tetsuya's in the CBD and Cornersmith in Annandale, and award-winning newcomers like Raja in Potts Point. Even venues backed by star talents such as seafood savant Josh Niland's Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay, hospo veteran Barry McDonald's Bar Grazie in Potts Point and Kylie Kwong's Lucky Kwong in Eveleigh, have not been immune to the economic downturns driving the unusually high number of closures across the city. Other businesses that have closed in recent months include Marrickville's Donut Papi, CBD Vietnamese diner Hey Chu, Surry Hills wine bar Bartolo, The Sunshine Inn in Redfern, CBD omakase Tempura Kuon and Lima Bar in Bondi. Darlinghurst Theatre Company also announced on Tuesday, June 18, that it was entering voluntary administration, revealing similar financial vulnerabilities within Sydney's entertainment sector. Sammy Junior closed at 66 King Street, Sydney, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. The premises is now operated by Salumerie. Images: DS OFICINA.
