Travel & Lifestyle

Today we travel from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL), on board Air New Zealand‘s economy 777 service. Flying out on a Friday night, I was surprised to see the plane not just full, but overbooked – which seems to lend to the argument that this route is increasing in its popularity as an alternative to…

Aussie singer and songwriter Gabriella Cohen is bound for the international markets from March, embarking on a tonne of tour dates with her debut album, Full Closure and No Details. The tour is timely, given the album is being reissued internationally through Captured Tracks on March 3. The dates include American stops at SXSW and supporting Foxygen, while…

Legendary French philosopher and author Albert Camus serves as the namesake for Westgarth’s forthcoming 100-seat Camus restaurant, the newest venture by acclaimed Alergian-born chef Pierre Khodja and a platform for the expression of his identity. Khodja, who grew up in Marseille, relates to Camus’ work in that the chef had similar experiences to the famed…

Crafted from age-old French techniques, Esprit de Figues has been perking interest around the world from the fact that it’s the very first true fresh fig liqueur to be made. It didn’t take long for demand to bring it to Australia either, as now anyone is able to buy themselves a bottle of the rich…

Following the inspiring success of #CookForSyria in the UK, Australia’s top kitchen talent join forces to do their bit for children displaced by the conflict in Syria. Throughout March, UNICEF Australia’s Syria Crisis Appeal for Children launches a month-long campaign where restaurateurs, chefs, bakers and café owners from around the country cook their favourite signature…

Australia’s leading chef, Neil Perry has designed the dishes for Saké Jr’s new menu. Combining the latest food trends from Tokyo with his focus on ethically sourced local produce, Perry will be bringing sustainable dishes to causal diners at the brand’s locations in Sydney and Melbourne. The new dinner menus have launched at Saké Jr Collins Lane…

Vera Blue is well and truly part of the new wave of young Australian artists pushing forward with innovative and captivating pop music and luckily for Americans, Vera is headed for them next! Alongside appearances at SXSW at the top of the tour, Vera Blue will be on the road throughout America until the end of March….

Sydney born psychedelic dance trio Jagwar Ma are set to spend the first half of the year touring Every Now & Then around the world, kicking off with a massive UK and Europe tour next month. They’ve also just announced that they’ll appear at the 20th Annual Truck Festival in the UK, headlining the Market Stage…

No one’s ever boasted about staying in what’s widely referred to as an “Airport Hotel” before. The very idea evokes sighs of “well, if I have to” and images of frugality far from what one would expect from a night’s stay in a hotel that isn’t exactly budget. Sure, that’s true for some properties which…

From 1st March 2017, 14 of Virgin Australia‘s regional routes currently operated sans Business Class seats on board their Embraer 190 or Fokker F100 aircraft, will be upgraded to their 737-800 aircraft, meaning that Business Class will be introduced on the routes for the first time. The routes are: Broome to Perth Brisbane to Proserpine Brisbane…

Why 23? Are you turning into Buzzfeed with your arbitrary numbers based on how much you can be bothered googling and presenting to your readers as some kind of faux-authoritative listicle they’ll share with their friends and be like “omgod dis so me fo’ real, fam. Sc-uhhh-reaming!”? Well, not quite. There has been too many…

With a description promising a “slightly hazy, summer smasher of a beer with a full blown dank hop nose and flavour, courtesy of some late addition hop hash”, the Dunies Lager sounds like the perfect liquid to pour into your shoe and skull on a scorching Sydney day. What’s Dunies Lager you ask? Oh it’s…

Gorgeous green walls frame Balmain’s buzzy Mr., a new licensed cafe that serves booze from 10am and keeps it light even when they’re serving donuts stuffed with ricotta or classic cheeseburgers. Keen to stand out against the long strip of dining venues on Darling Street, the locally owned 40-seater is the very first cafe in…

Everything from political to wacky and exuberant designs are nothing new for Foot Cardigan, but this may be their best range yet. The zany online sock retailer is now taking subscriptions and individual orders for Mean Girls themed socks, featuring fetch AF designs inspired by the endlessly quotable 2004 comedy. The new line, which is…

A globe-trotting coffee menu defines new Crows Nest roster Monte Alto, who offering a “Round the World” coffee experience which also explores different ways a well-made cuppa can be served. Focusing on the distinctive differences between the likes of an Austrian wiener melange, American red eye, Portuguese mazagran, Vietnamese ca phe sua da and others,…

It ain’t all about whisky and cider down in Tasmania. New local distillery Southern Wild have dove into the domestic market in a big way, making a splash with a range of gins named after the two wild rivers which run from the snowmelt of Cradle Mountain through the hinterland to the pristine coast of…

When it comes to Australian hotels Art Series Hotel Group is one our most valuable and inventive assets. The beloved hospitality group has been playfully sprinkling creativity on unique locations for years now, echoing a focus on one Australian artist for each property to make for colourful, idiosyncratic accommodation that not only reinterprets classic hospitality,…

“I don’t drink whisky” is a sentence I often hear from friends whose experience with the spirit doesn’t really extend beyond one or two harsh drams downed much too quickly, or a poorly made cocktail with an overload of sugary ingredients. Each to their own I guess, but to write off such a wonderfully diverse…

It’s almost that time of year again when Carriageworks transforms into a gigantic runway for the top Australian and international fashion designers, to showcase their 2017/18 resort collection. Sydney will become a hub of all things glitz and glamour, with industry leading designers, editors, buyers, and enthusiasts gathering to celebrate the art of fashion design….

Every Thursday and Friday for the remainder of this month, InterContinental Sydney Double Bay celebrates the last days of summer in the hotel’s stylish bar, Stillery, with some freshly shucked oysters at their pop up Shuckery Oyster Bar. The bar will be open from 5pm to 7pm, making it an ideal after work wind-down in one of finest buildings of…

The historic Tramsheds is currently playing host to an interesting pop-up from lovers of unusual Hendrick’s and eclectic home wares retailer Matt Blatt. The idiosyncratic bar popped up this past week and will remain shaped into the bustling European-style food hall until the middle of March. Presented by Wats On Events, the spot is fashioned…

To all the lovers of chicken and beer, Wings of Glory, the popular Melbourne diner which first opened last year is expanding and re-positioning their spot in the local scene. Using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, this Clarendon Street eatery has been regularly attracting masses with their American style Chicken Buffalo Wings and craft beer options, a…

Food delivery service provider Menulog will collaborate with Bondi Lifeguards to host special events, including one at Bondi Beach this Sunday, 19th February, to celebrate the end of summer with free outdoor lounges, free food and the chance to win a season of free Menulog deliveries. That is, there’s anyone from the public is able…

It’s been a long morning already for Midnight Oil fans in Australia (and evening for those overseas) who’ve been keeping their attention trained to the band’s Facebook page, but finally, the wait is over. Through a conference broadcast online from Sydney, the iconic Aussie group broke the news that they would be back on tour around the…

Virgin Australia has been nothing if not slow to expand its international network, relying on codeshare partnerships, rather than its own fleet, to add destinations to its roster. But that looks set to change as the airline has confirmed it will launch a new service to Hong Kong, likely from Melbourne, and re-confirmed their intention…

Uniquely tucked away on the bland Aurora Lane and directly behind the very central Southern Cross Station is where you’ll find Melbourne hotel Travelodge Docklands, one of two properties for the low-cost chain in Melbourne, the other being Travelodge Southbank. The consistency among the Travelodge brand throughout Australia has positioned the name among the most…

Health and wellness specialist, Jessica Sepel, in conjunction with Art Series Hotel Group, have created a series of health and wellness events at The Larwill in Melbourne, The Watson in Adelaide and The Johnson in Brisbane. Set in some of Art Series’ more bespoke venues, the events guide guests to The JS Health Program, Sepel’s…

When it comes to iconic destinations, few sit higher on that list than seeing the Statue of Liberty in the waters of New York City. Those on a tight schedule might choose to pass by it (from a large distance, I might add) on the free Staten Island ferry, but if you want to get…

What makes a good hotel? The answer to such a question seems to depend solely on your personal tastes.  As someone who really only stays in hotels when they’re on a work trip, the property could be the single fanciest place I’ve ever been, but if the bed isn’t comfortable and there aren’t enough power…

It’s hard to get anyone to agree on anything these days, but it seems that some of the world’s top travel writers, and the influential publications they write for, have all agreed on one destination as the best for 2017. An entire country. In fact: Canada. Yes, America’s cousin to the North has been voted…