Author: Larry Heath

On September 6th, the culmination of years of work will debut on the Sydney Opera House stage – a precise recreation of the original 1956 Broadway production of My Fair Lady, helmed by the woman who starred in the production itself as Eliza Doolittle – Dame Julie Andrews. Taking over this role for the 60th…

In today’s flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on board Etihad Airways‘ A330 service from Abu Dhabi in the U.A.E. to Singapore. Airline: Etihad Airways Route: Abu Dhabi to Singapore – EY470 (Travels onto Brisbane – Virgin Australia codeshare ticket) Seat: 18D (Aisle Seat in the Centre of a 2-4-2 Configuration in Economy) Aircraft: Airbus A330 Scheduled Flight…

Next Sunday the 22nd at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen from midday, Sounds Australia’s Aussie BBQ will return to London for its annual post-Great Escape mini-festival. The day will feature 12 eclectic artists over 10 hours, representing some of the finest talent from around Australia. Things will kick off with Melbourne duo Oh Pep!, who recently…

For a travelling Australian, passing through London can be an expensive endeavour. Take one part “poor Aussie dollar” and throw in another part “general expensive nature of one of the world’s greatest cities” and you have a recipe for an expensive holiday. Last year, I made tracks through the city as I headed back towards…

Earlier this year we kicked off this series in New Orleans, for the iconic Jazz Festival – an event that is as much a food festival as it is one that showcases the best music in the world. Next we take you to Calgary in Alberta, Canada, for one of the world’s longest running festivals…

Last year, Sydney indie/folk band, Little May had an incredible time at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, England. Seeing talent from the likes of Jesse Davidson, BAD//DREEMS and Sakswatch, the talent that this festival had was enormous – and it looks no different for 2016. Before we kick this year off, however, Liz Drummond…

In today’s Flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on Delta Air Lines‘ A320 service from Los Angeles, California to Austin, Texas in the USA. Airline: Delta Air Lines Route: Los Angeles (LAX) to Austin, DL2420 (Virgin Australia codeshare ticket) Seat: 16C (Aisle Seat, of a 3-3 configuration in Economy) Aircraft: Airbus A320 Scheduled Flight…

There’s something grand about Sydney’s newest and still largely unknown CBD hotel, Primus Hotel, from the minute you walk into the lobby. It feels like no other accommodation space in the city – reminiscent more of the well kept, classic hotels of London and New York, than the modern hotels that the city is used to…

This past month, I went hands on with the Kobo Glo HD, one of the many competitors in the eReader space. Once dominated by the Kindle, Kobo represents the many brands trying to one-up their rival with a better UX, more attractive design and improved functionality. Everything about the Kobo focuses on ease of use, which is…

It’s not every hotel room that greets you with a Spiral Staircase. But it seems that selected Two Bedroom Apartments in the Ibis Melbourne on Therry Street do just that. I was lucky enough to spend a night in one such room last month. Greeted by friendly staff at the front desk, and a vibrant…

They may not be an airline you hear too much about, but Royal Brunei Airlines are offering some of the cheapest fares from Australia to London you’ll find anywhere right now – starting from under $1000 as part of a sale running for the next 11 days. And though the airline company, based out of Brunei (which can…

In front of a packed gallery at 4.30pm today at NSW Parliament – filled with people invested in the #KeepSydneyOpen debate (see photos from the rally earlier this year HERE) – Newtown Greens MP Jenny Leong, alongside Independent MP Alex Greenwich and Greens MP Jamie Parker officially presented the 12,000+ strong Keep Sydney Open petition for…

Barcelona, Spain’s annual music festival and conference Primavera has revealed the 41 bands who will make up their Primavera Pro line-up – showcasing the bands from around the world who will feature as part of the conference part of the festival. Among them are six Australian artists: Gang Of Youths, Jack Carty, The Meanies, Methyl Ethel, Money For Rope and…

Singapore’s first ever long haul A350-900 flight arrived in Amsterdam yesterday morning, with flight SQ324 touching down in the Dutch capital at 645am, following 13 hours in the air. Passengers lucky enough to be on the inaugural flight enjoyed a special selection of food and drinks at the boarding gate plus a gift bag with…

This week marks the launch of Etihad Airways’ brand new, “reimagined” airport lounge at Melbourne’s International Airport. The lounge, accessible to premium flyers and frequent flyers of the aircraft and partners like Virgin’s Velocity Program*, features an a la carte dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, sculptural showcase bar, children’s playroom, prayer rooms and shower facilities filled…

In what must be some of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on the popular East Coast Australia to Los Angeles route, several airlines are currently slashing prices on flights in October and November to below A$700 return – starting as low as A$649. From now until midday on 12th May, Air Canada is offering…

Last night, in front of a room of media and invited guests, Aussie actor Stephen Peacocke helped introduce a special preview screening of Paramount’s new film Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, ahead of its release this Thursday, May 12th. The film stars Tina Fey as reporter Kim Barker, a real life story based around her book The Taliban…

The 58th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were awarded last night in Melbourne, and with it came a slew of wins for the ABC – eight in total, the most for any network. The Secret River, Glitch, Gruen, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, The Killing Season and Ready for This were all recognised as part of…

The music conference and festival The Great Escape is one of the most popular annual events in all of the UK and Europe – serving as a place for hundreds of bands from around the region, and the world (including plenty of Australians) to make their mark. Last year, I discovered artists like Jack Garratt,…

When it comes to rich cultural history, there are few cities in America with more to offer than San Antonio, Texas. Situated less than 90 minutes drive from Austin, Texas, San Antonio used to be one of the State’s best kept secrets. But now, it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the USA, with…

Last year, Sunshine Coast’s Selahphonic enjoyed house parties in L.A, had a “rad” three days at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, headed to to Dive Bars and Rehab in San Jose, not to mention big water falls and big bridges… And they treated us all to their experiences in this exclusive Travel Diary. This one’s a…

Last Year, as we flew from New York City’s JFK to London’s Gatwick to make it to The Great Escape, AU Abroad’s Larry Heath tried out the service of Norwegian Airlines for the first time. It also marked his first flight on the new Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner. A budget airline along the lines of Jetstar,…

As we celebrate #MayThe4thBeWithYou, we sat down with the two disc Blu-Ray release of the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. First, we look back at Ryan Champion’s review of the film, before we get neck deep in the disc of special features that fans can enjoy! So, is the release worth the purchase?…

When I first stumbled across The Meatball Shop in New York’s Lower East Side back in 2011, it had barely been open for a year, but the owners were already preparing to expand to two more locations – and, five years later, they now sit in six locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Things move pretty fast in New York. In…

In an age of modern accommodation, hotels that cater to tradition are a rare breed. Even those which have been standing for a hundred years or more are constantly moving to cater to the trends of modern travel and the needs of the busy traveller. Though flat screen TVs in every room and plenty of…

Every major city has its premiere viewing platform. New York has the Empire State Building. Sydney has the Centrepoint Tower. Auckland has the Sky Tower. And never a city to be outdone, Melbourne has the Eureka Tower, which has its viewing point – the “SkyDeck” – on the 88th floor of the building. At 285…

Originally from the Blue Mountains, the boys from Hermitude headed off to perform at Lollapalooza last year. Along the way, Luke Dubber took some happy snaps for the band, who share their experiences here: Still sleep deprived and somewhat delirious, we arrived in Chicago. Driving to the festival downtown we drove past Daley Plaza, which…

Now considered a cult classic, The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is going to be returning to the big screen this Friday in Sydney as part of Event Cinema’s In The House series on George Street. In anticipation for the screening, we’re looking back some little known facts about the film. Here, in no particular…

The song told us not to react. But we just couldn’t help ourself. “Burn The Witch” is… incredible. Remember that production for that rejected Bond track with all the strings? It seemed they didn’t let those strings to go to waste. Or at the very least were inspired to keep working with the higher string production…

A little less than a year ago, to coincide with the Toronto Pan American Games, the Canadian city finally upgraded the public transport options between their major International Airport, Pearson, and the city’s primary train station in the centre of town, Union – introducing an express train service dubbed the UP (Union Pearson Express). Before, you had…