For 30-years, Chris Stead has been writing about video games, travel, music, entertainment, technology and sports, as well as publishing books, hosting TV shows and generally being the tallest guy in the crowd.
At first, I felt a little out of place. When I pulled up the opulent driveaway to the front doors of the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, I came to a stop besides a shiny, new, red Ferrari. I looked down on the flashy vehicle from the seat of my beat-up old Toyota…
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Any concerns that the world’s longest-running musical was losing its edge are put to bed in a stunning Sydney gala performance of Les Misérables. Even if musicals aren’t your thing, you’ll know of Les Misérables: it’s been a pop culture icon for as long as most of us can remember. But for Australia’s insatiable theatre…
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I love a good road trip! There’s plenty to enjoy out of Sydney, too, and when I was given an opportunity to test drive the new Jaecoo J7 SUV, it seemed like a great opportunity to find a windy road through Australia’s natural beauty to make the most of the experience. I’ll talk more about…
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Dope Lemon is set to return home for a run of shows in Australia and New Zealand through winter 2025. Laidback vocals and effortless grooves litter the catalogue of Angus Stone spin-off project Dope Lemon. Like disco just emerged from a Jamaican Dutch oven and found folk swinging from the palm leaves. If you’ve been…
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The Disney Wonder cruise ship experience may be designed with kids in mind, but it delivers for all ages. Admit it, you want to go to Disneyland! We all do. No matter how old you get, there’s a place inside all of us where some Disney story, or character, or song, has burrowed into our…
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Big rooms, killer location and a great pool; there’s plenty to like about Rydges Port Macquarie. Fingers fumbling with excitement, I shove the fresh, shiny metal point of my fishing hook straight up the prawn’s backside, curving it around and digging it into the hardest part of the head. So far I’m four from five….
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Barefoot luxury meets active adventure and education in a resort experience that almost eclipses the incredible landscape on Tasmania’s east coast. I’m sitting on a comfortable couch, the heat from a distant fire running its warm fingers down my neck. In front of me is a large glass wall: floor to ultra-high ceiling and curving…
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If you’re looking for an active Maldivian adventure with all-inclusive benefits, then it’s hard to go past Club Med Kani. I think I’ve fallen in love with Club Med. Only a year ago, I’d never been to one. Almost by chance my family and I stayed at Club Med Bintan Island and we had such…
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There’s a common theme across many of the luxury resorts you’ll find scattered across the Indian Ocean’s Maldivian archipelago. Large, wooden villas, decked out in island chic to look like they were built by indigenous people centuries ago, all while housing modern luxuries within. Tall jungles reaching for the sun between them, as the reef…
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There’s no shortage of amazing five-star luxury resorts in the Maldives, but few offer an experience quite like the Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort. With each passing second, you feel lighter. As if the weight of the world is being bumped from your shoulders every time the speed boat hits a wave on its way to…
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Do you love a good drop? I certainly do, so I was shocked to hear during the recent launch event for NSW Wine Month how little local produce us Sydneysiders drink. Steve Cox, the CEO of Destination NSW, was on hand for the event and revealed to the gathered press that only 12% of the…
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What you need to know about choosing a low-cost airline and why it’s worth considering AirAsia X. The best part of travelling is never the plane trip, let’s be honest. Tasty food, endless entertainment and spacious seats are always nice, but when a friend asks you what you thought of the Maldives, or Bali, or…
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The era of the climb is over, but Uluru’s array of dazzling cultural experiences has made it an even more vital destination for all Australians. It’s not every day the world’s longest surviving culture invites you into its home, but here I am. Layered-up in a laundry-load of clothes, my breath fails to cloud despite…
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You know the image. A huge burning sun laying to rest over a horizon lined by giraffes, elephants and zebras painted in silhouette. The howl of a hyena. Roar of a lion. For many Australians, the intoxicating promise of an African safari seemed like a dream forever out of reach. Until now. On 1 July…
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