Travel & Lifestyle

A perfect winter’s weekend in Bathurst, NSW (Australia)

Boasting arts, culture, and heritage, Bathurst is the perfect weekend getaway destination. Only a 3-hour drive from Sydney, Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in Australia. I ventured to Bathurst to explore its historic city centre, the winter festival, and the budding food scene. Bathurst Winter Festival We checked out Ignite the Night, the opening event…

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Sydney’s Winter Festival sets up in front of St Mary’s Cathedral

Winter Festival has kicked off this month, and will be running until the 17th July outside of its usual St Mary Cathedral spot in Sydney’s CBD. The festival offers up a stack of fun activities embracing the winter chill including an ice skating rink complete with cute little ‘penguin aids’, munich bier pop-up, european food…

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Review: Drake Eatery’s Producers Dinner – Bondi (Sydney)

Drake Eatery’s chic yet homely decor would only be half the reason Bondi passers by would gravitate towards a place named after two things, the street Head Chef Ian Oakes’ grandma lived on and his favourite poultry. Focussed on simply prepared dishes that hero quality locally sourced and sustainable produce in a relaxed setting, it seems…

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Heineken embrace Australian multiculturalism with City Shapers Festival

Heineken will be celebrating global cultural, culinary, musical and art contributions which have positively helped shape and influence Australia’s diversity as part of a City Shapers Festival which will span across Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. Whilst all capital cities will share in the fun it seems Melbourne is set for a truly memorable experience…

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A Middle Eastern Night Market is popping up in Waterloo (Sydney)

To mark the end of Ramadan, Sam Ali, the founder of inner-west market COMMUNE, is bringing a Middle Eastern street food experience to Waterloo for one night only. Designed as a celebration of all that is great about Middle Eastern street dining and culture, including markets, music, photography, and film, aimed at bringing neighbours, friends,…

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Delta Society are bringing a dog-hugging pop up to Martin Place (Sydney)

Need a healthy hit of dopamine? Delta Society are launching a new initiative focusing in on the relationship between puppy love and stress relief with “Paws the Pressure”, aimed at assisting morale across various workplaces and universities around Australia. The program, which is officially titled “Australia’s Delta Therapy Dogs”, will be staging a pop up…

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Hotel Review: Summit King at the Hotel Blackfoot Calgary (Alberta, Canada)

This week, the Calgary Stampede returns to Calgary, Alberta. Last year, I was lucky enough to attend the long running event, and while there I stayed a short drive from the event in South East Calgary at Hotel Blackfoot. The privately owned, contemporary hotel offers incredible views of the Rocky Mountains, as well as the…

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Travel Diary: Melbourne singer/songwriter HOWQUA takes us to Toronto

Melbourne singer/songwriter HOWQUA shares with us his journey through Canada for Canadian Music Week, his introduction to international touring and more. We tag along for his experiences in Canada, his visit to Movember headquarters in the Toronto, his last minute invitation to perform and his time spent with his friends.  Beanie face crosses the seas It…

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We celebrate International Joke Day with the largest operator of comedy clubs in the world

Did you know that the largest operator of comedy clubs in the world is a cruise liner? On each of Carnival Cruises‘ 25 ships, they feature the Punchliner Comedy Club, which offers up to 20 performances on an average 7-10 day voyage. This comes to about 25,000 comedy shows a year across the fleet. That’s a…

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Ex-Quay Chef to open Mediterranean restaurant in Marrickville (Sydney)

Barzaari, which opens up to the public on 12th July, is Marrickville’s newest bar-restaurant and the latest venture from Chef and co-owner Darryl Martin who is best known for his work at Foveaux, 3 Weeds, and the world renowned Quay. That resume alone is enough to shoot up expectations for the food here, and Martin…

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Burgers by Josh is heading back to Annandale for final ever pop-up (Sydney)

Josh Arthurs has been a busy man this past year, building his burger empire, Burgers by Josh, through a series of feverishly popular kitchen takeovers that are now somewhat of legend, attracting some of the most mind-numbing queues in recent memory. The fun of following BBJ around Sydney as the Arthurs and his team stage…

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“BLOOM” gin launches in Australia: gin made with chamomile, honeysuckle, and pomelo

London’s premium BLOOM Gin has finally made its way from the U.K to Australia this year, entering the competitive market via a partnership with Sydney Film Festival. As the annual film festival nears a close for 2016, BLOOM have been working hard to make an impact on the events large fan base, many of whom…

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What it’s like to transit at LAX with Air New Zealand’s NZ2 from Auckland to London

The Air New Zealand service NZ2 (the first leg of which I reviewed last week) is a rare flight at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with the airport serving as a transit point for the plane: with the plane continuing on to London. But not before you have to deal with the airport’s infamous security measures. While…

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NYC’s Greenwich Village is home to the USA’s first national monument to gay rights

The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, is considered by many as the birthplace of the modern Gay Rights movement, when, in the early hours of June 28th, 1969, violent demonstrations took place between members of the LGBT community and the police.  It was the first time that Gay people stood up, as a group, to oppression and victimisation, and cemented the Stonewall as…

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Review: Darlo Country Club – Darlinghurst (Sydney)

Darlo Country Club has been alive with a spirited L.A Hamptons theme for a little over half a year now, fitting out the former Victoria Room space with a bright, energetic bar and restaurant full of playful cocktails (like the Eton Fizz and Gentlemen’s Agreement) and indulgent bar food. It didn’t take long for them…

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Pier One Sydney Harbour is hosting a Chivas Regal Winter Lodge

The downstairs lobby and back bar area of luxury boutique hotel Pier One on Sydney’s harbour has been transformed into a lush winter ski lodge where guests can sink into comfortable rich furnishings, warm up by an open flame and of course sip on a Chivas whiskey based cocktail or two. Positioned to take advantage…

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Swiss ice cream giant Mövenpick launches new winter menu across 23 Australian boutiques

There’s never an off-season for ice cream, even if that season is blasting you with icy chills. As proof, Mövenpick has edged forward with a new winter menu, which includes everything from chocolate fondant to apple strudel to freshly baked waffles. In designing the winter menu, the team have used only the best ingredients they could source,…

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Devon Cafe and Devon on Danks celebrate truffle season with limited edition dishes (Sydney)

Chef Zachary Tan is a busy man as of late. As well as highlighting exceptional – and fun – Malaysian food at his new bar Lazy Suzie, he continues to help design new menu items for Devon Café and Devon on Danks alongside Chef Jacquie Ektoros. Now that we’ve entered the always anticipated truffle season…

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Doughnut Time have created a special edition Donald Trump doughnut for Fourth of July

Brisbane’s third ever Good Food Month is here, running up until July 31st with one of its most expansive programs to date. From Momofuku Seiōbo’s Paul Carmichael collaborating with Josue Lopez at GOMA to a pop-up from internationally awarded Bangkok chef David Thompson, the streets of Brisbane city will be full of delicious happenings all…

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Review: Margherita & Co – CBD (Sydney)

Margherita & Co is like a little slice of Italy. The new restaurant in the Hordern Arcade at World Square in Sydney looks poised to bring food that is buona and bella (good and beautiful – doesn’t everything sound better in Italian?) to a spot previously renowned for Asian eateries. The concept is courtesy of…

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Yo-Chi hosts Hanoi Hannah for a hawker-style pop up in July (Melbourne)

Starting from Tuesday July 5th, for the first time ever, Yo-Chi and Hanoi Hannah are teaming up to bring you a delicious combination of pho and yoghurt, aka “pho-yo”. For a limited time of only one month, the Yo-Chi fro-yo bar located in Carlton will be hosting a special Hanoi Hannah pop-up kiosk, serving a…

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Cafe Paci’s Pasi Patanen will take over Yellow for a one night only vegetarian menu (Sydney)

Celebrated Sydney chef Pasi Petanen has certainly made a name for himself, last year closing what was perhaps one of the most well received residency restaurants the city has ever seen with Café Paci which sadly ended its Darlinghurst run in December. While Petanen hasn’t announced any concrete plans to start up another pop-up anytime…

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Seven things I learned on my day trip to Hobbiton, New Zealand

Hobbiton. It’s a real place. You want to know why? Because I totally went there. Hobbits are real, end of discussion. And they’re beautiful. OK – well, sort of real. Alexander Farm is a 1250 acre property in Matamata, New Zealand, and is home to the set of Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings…

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Travel Diary: Sydney based musician Patrick James hits the road in Australia with The Paper Kites

Born and raised Port Macquarie man Patrick James is quickly moving from strength to strength as he debuts his first album, Outlier. Building his art by busking in the streets of Sydney, James is now headlining his own sold out shows, while supporting the likes of Boy & Bear, Pete Murray, Josh Pyke, Emma Louise and more. Check out this travel…

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Flight Review: Premium Economy to London with Air New Zealand – Leg Two – Auckland to Los Angeles (NZ2)

Earlier this week, Jennifer started her journey to London with Air New Zealand with her first leg from Melbourne to Auckland (You can read that review HERE). Today she takes us on the second leg, from Auckland to Los Angeles on Air New Zealand‘s remarkable Premium Economy “Spaceseat” service, abroad their stunning Boeing 777-300 aircraft. Airline: Air New…

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uberPOOL continues its international roll out in Singapore – but when will Australia get the service?

Those who have travelled to places like Los Angeles and New York in recent years may have come across a service called uberPOOL, an option within the Uber app that allows you to share your journey with strangers to reduce the cost of your trip. You save around 25% on your journey, with the only…

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Interview: Getting to know Mr. Henry Austin – Max Mason introduces us to Adelaide’s new CBD hot spot

Welcoming me to The Henry Austin on a Monday morning, British restaurateur and one of the establishment’s head honchos Max Mason is positively chipper as we sit down in the empty dining room. Within five minutes of being seated, I’ve received more compliments than I’d normally get before lunchtime on a dreary Monday, met Mason’s…

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Greek winemaking region Naoussa pushes for bigger presence in Australian market

Being home to numerous renowned wine regions such as the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and Margaret River, it’s no secret that Australia is one of the world’s most exciting markets for wine. Although we locally produce a large variety of premium wines such as Shiraz and Chardonnay, Australians also have a taste for an array of…

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The Keystone Group has gone into receivership; Sydney’s lockout laws partly to blame

A little over a month ago, Anthony Prior, Director of Hotels and Bars for hospitality giant The Keystone Group, participated in an intimate panel on Sydney’s controversial lockout laws and offered insight from a hospitality industry perspective. The panel, which was organised by Diageo, also included industry players Martin O’Sullivan (President of the Small Bars…

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Kanye West and adidas announce huge expansion; plan new collections and retail stores

While the controversy over Kanye West’s recently released visuals for “Famous” continues to make headlines, the rapper, producer, designer, and media villain has dropped a major announcement with long-time collaborator adidas, pointing to a massive expansion with the footwear giant which includes new collections and co-branded stores. Looking far beyond the wildly popular Yeezy branded…

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