Qantas magazine - December 2024

Days Like These

SOME ENCOUNTERS YOU WEAR FOREVER. RING, EARRINGS AND BRACELETS IN BEIGE GOLD, WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS.

IWC PORTUGIESER.

TRIBUTE TO ETERNITY.

The Journey

78 COOL CLASSICS

They’re the well-loved stays around Australia that keep devotees coming back for more – but these havens aren’t resting on their laurels.

90 THE TIES THAT BIND

Go on a multigenerational wildlife safari in the wonders of northern Botswana and witness the circle of life.

106 THE MAIN EVENTS

Join the festivities and get to the heart of destinations across the world, from Lunar New Year in Hong Kong to WorldPride in DC.

122 HIGHER CALLING

Conquer the mountains and a suspension bridge or two – without the peril – on a heli-hiking adventure in British Columbia, Canada.

The List

28 Coming In Hot: Saint Peter, Paddington, Sydney

30 Trending Now: 5 things to know

32 Book It: Yayoi Kusama, NGV, Melbourne; Parkes Elvis Festival, NSW

34 Piece Of Mind: Barkaa

36 Spotlight On: Chopard Ice Cube bracelets

38 Get Smart: Reading list

40 The Ride: Smart #3

43 Epic Stay: Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji

46 Clockwise: Grand Seiko SLGH021

48 Short Break: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, NSW

The Menu

56 Main Course: The eateries where one dish is done singularly well.

62 The Special: Mutton neck sanga at Blume in Boomah, Queensland

64 New Order: Where to eat, drink and be seen right now

66 Neighbourhoods: Byron Bay, NSW

68 Taste Maker: Ben Shewry, owner and chef at Attica

70 Wine List: Australian prosecco

Arts and Culture Report

135 With a revived energy, full bill of anticipated events and a chorus of home-grown talent, there’s much to applaud on Australia’s cultural scene.

72 In The Drink: Mount Etna, Sicily The Look

145 Jewellery Special: A sparkling garden of gems in full bloom.

154 Creative Process: Lucy Culliton

156 On The Inside: Café Montesol at Montesol Experimental, Ibiza

158 Foundations: Krakani Lumi, Lutruwita/Tasmania

160 How I Travel: Jordan Gogos The Business

164 Think Tank: Get the latest advice from leading experts on boosting cybersecurity.

176 Masterclass: How to... come across better in video meetings

178 The Interview: Andrew Colvin, CEO, Australian Red Cross

184 Firsts: Moya Dodd

186 The Big Idea: Salty Monkeys

188 Check In: Adelaide

On Board

201 Entertainment

206 Games

210 Health, safety and security onboard and when you land

ABBRACCIO

Harmoniously designed to create an aura of confdence, enriched with warmth, texture and dimension.

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief

Genevra Leek

Content Director

Faith Campbell

Associate Director

Kate McGregor

Copy Director

Rosemary Bruce

Deputy Copy Director

Sandra Bridekirk

Copy Editor

Pippa Duffy

Creative Director

Tony Rice

Art Directors

Kate Timms Nick Clark

Visual Director Jo Bainbridge

Production Manager Chrissy Fragkakis

Managing Editor, Travel Insider

Christina Rae

Editor, Travel Insider

Bridget de Maine

For editorial inquiries, contact: qantaseditorial@mediumrarecontent.com

ADVERTISING

Head of Sales, Travel and Luxury

Tony Trovato

+61 404 093 472

National Sales Manager, Travel Callum Bean

+61 404 729 224

Senior Account Manager, NSW

Crystal Wong

+61 420 558 697

Senior Account Manager, NSW

Anthony Sullivan

+61 408 447 148 Sales Manager, Qld, WA and SA

Sarah Harding +61 403 699 867

S enior Account Manager, Victoria Miranda Adofaci +61 410 387 707

Digital Sales Director Mike Hanna +61 402 640 095

Digital Campaign Manager and Product Specialist Anna Delgado +61 404 855 041

Implementation Executive, Travel and Luxury Ammara Mumtaz +61 480 223 837

I nternational Representatives

Greater China and Japan

Peter Jeffery +852 2850 4013 peterjeffery@ asianimedia.com

South-East Asia and the United Kingdom

Nick Lockwood +65 9776 6255 nick.lockwood@ pharpartnerships.com

The United States Ralph Lockwood +1 408 879 6666 ralph.lockwood@ husonmedia.com

For advertising inquiries, contact: qantasadvertising@mediumrarecontent.com

RARE CREATIVE

Strategy and Partnerships

Head of Rare Creative Paulette Parisi Content and Partnerships Director Mark Brandon

Senior Campaigns Editor Melanie Colwell Creative Director Philippa Moffitt Art Director

Katrina Mastrofilippo Designer Jenny Lee Strategy and Insights Director Jane Schofield

Commercial Insights Manager TuAnh Trinh Commercial Solutions Manager Tessarne Rowley

Qantas Partnerships Manager Molly Maguire Qantas Partnerships Manager Alana Baird

Qantas Partnerships Campaign Executive Kellie Hammond Content and Events Campaign Manager Jessica Manson

For Rare Creative inquiries, contact: rarecreative@mediumrarecontent.com

Managing Director Nick Smith Head of Content, Travel and Business Kirsten Galliott Head of Design, Travel and Business Tony Rice Head of Digital Production and Operations Hana Jo Head of Finance Adrian Thompson Finance Manager Yane Chak Financial Accountant Joe (Yongjia) Zhou

Qantas magazine is published for Qantas Airways Ltd (ABN 16 009 661 901) by Medium Rare Content Agency (ABN 83 169 879 921), Level 1, 83 Bowman Street, Pyrmont, NSW 2009. ©2024. All rights reserved. Printed by IVE Group. Paper fibre is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material. Articles express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of Qantas Airways Ltd or Medium Rare Content Agency. ISSN 1443-2013. For a copy of Medium Rare Content Agency’s Privacy Policy, please visit mediumrarecontent.com.

Å være midt i smørøyet.

‘To be in the middle of the butter melting in the porridge’.

In Norway this saying means ‘to be in a great place’. Well, there’s no greater way to experience the magical Northern Lights than on an all-inclusive Hurtigruten Signature Voyage directly beneath the Auroral Oval. This is the premium way to experience the lights, complete with equally magical award-winning cuisine, and wonder filled excursions along the way. You might not be in the middle of butter melting in porridge, but you’ll be in the middle of the greatest light show on earth and your heart will certainly melt at the sight. Book now and save up to $1400 or receive bonus bucketlist excursions*. Call our local Coastal Specialists on 1300 151 548 or visit hurtigruten.com.au

From the Editor

There’s nothing quite like a destination celebration. Gathering your nearest and dearest together somewhere in the world. Leaving the everyday behind and connecting with friends and family from across generations. Any excuse will do: milestone birthday, anniversary, end of year, overdue getaway. Sure, the logistics need to be sorted. Ground rules put in place. Inevitable crisis to be averted (do not forget the snacks). But the joy of spending downtime with the people you love most can’t be matched.

Hamilton Island stands out in my memory. My eldest sister was getting married. Guests were flying in from all over. The weather was perfect. Despite meticulous planning, the trip played out in a delightful kind of chaos. There was questionable steering of golf carts, countless impromptu shared meals, a raucous boat ride out to stunning Whitehaven Beach and lively champagne toasts from One Tree Hill lookout – our group’s laughter drifting out across the Coral Sea. The night of the wedding, we all danced on the beach into the early hours, frangipanis behind our ears and sand between our toes. There may have even been a conga line. It was a magical week that we will always treasure.

That’s the thing with travel. It’s about connections. Whether you’re embarking on an epic journey with parents, siblings and kids in tow, booking in for an intimate weekend at a beloved local stay, joining the pilgrimage to one of the global events on next year’s calendar or simply reconnecting with yourself. Hopefully you’ll find all the inspiration you need in this issue.

Thank you for travelling with us this year. And happy holidays.

Genevra Leek Editor-in-Chief qftravelinsider

Our writers are not armchair travellers. Rest assured any assistance we accept from the travel industry in the course of preparing our stories does not compromise the integrity of our coverage.

Meet the team

Connect to Qantas Fast and Free Wi-Fi

Once onboard, connect your own device to Qantas Free Wi-Fi on domestic flights in three simple steps:

I got my pilot’s licence when I was still at high school in Adelaide. It was at a private flying college, which turned out to be where Qantas started its aviation cadetship training. I went to university and studied electronic engineering and kept madly applying to the cadetship program until I got in. I managed to complete uni as well as my flying training, before also working at the college as a flight instructor. This helped me get my initial flight hours and experience needed for Qantas.

I’ve done various things during my career, some of which were due to my engineering background. I did interesting projects like flight testing mobile devices for our flight technical department and assisted in managing our retiring fleets. I’d do a lot of the logistics with our engineering team to fly retired 767s to weird and wonderful places. I’ve also worked with the charter teams on amazing B747 charters. At the moment I’m on the 787 and we do all the long-range flights, until the Airbus A350 arrives and lets us fly direct to London or New York.

I’ve worked on repatriation flights, most recently from Larnaca, Cyprus [to return Australians from Lebanon]. There are so many teams involved – flight planning, diplomatic clearances, medical personnel – and it’s a credit to our ground teams’ expertise and ability to collaborate that we achieved the short timeline. It was a special operation to be involved in.

Flying around the world has made me realise that most people have a good heart. That’s the commonality – people just want the best for their communities, their children, their families. The opportunity to meet them is why aviation is such a great industry to be in. The technical stuff is interesting but the people you meet and the friends you make from all different cultures, they’re fantastic. It’s a privilege. It’s a gift.

Enable Aeroplane Mode and select the “Qantas Free Wi-Fi” network in your Wi-Fi settings.

Follow the prompts on the “Welcome Onboard” screen to connect.

Once you’re connected, you’re ready to access the internet and start exploring.

Having trouble connecting?

Make sure you’re connected to the “Qantas Free Wi-Fi” network and go to wifi.qantas.com in your preferred browser to start the connection process. To ensure an enjoyable flight for everyone, keep flight mode activated, switch your device to silent and refrain from voice and video calls

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and are committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationship to the land, water and sky.

Owen Weaver QANTAS 787 CAPTAIN

I just got back from... the USA

East or west coast? Qantas Frequent Flyers, Qantas crew and a travel expert share highlights from their American dream trips.

Live like a New Yorker

“A free weekend during a work trip gave me the chance to experience New York like a native. It began at Brooklyn eatery Colonia Verde for shrimp with habanero – truly delicious – followed by a party in a Williamsburg skate park to dance in a half-pipe! I stayed at citizenM New York Bowery and slept in the comfiest bed ever. The next day, I took the subway

to the Chelsea Market food hall for coffee. A tea-based cocktail at the Hotel Chelsea warmed me up before a visit to MoMA, where I couldn’t decide which was better: the art or the pasta at Cafe 2.”

Audrey Michelin

Gold Frequent Flyer

Flew Sydney to New York via Auckland

Explore the green side of a bustling city

“San Francisco was the jumpingoff point for a once-in-a-lifetime road trip on a Harley-Davidson to the 84th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. With only four days in San Fran, we stayed at the Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf. A free bus took us to the Presidio – a park and military outpost dating back to 1776 – for the city’s best views over the Golden Gate strait. On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we toured the Muir Woods National Monument, stopping in cute Sausalito for ice-cream before heading back. We had such an amazing time and did so much in the short time we were in the city.”

Paul Matthews

Silver Frequent Flyer

Flew Canberra to San Francisco via Sydney

Find the places locals love – just minutes from LA

“After living in Los Angeles, I’m all about escaping the freeways for the beach. LA’s best seaside towns are in the South Bay, just a short drive from LAX. It’s a real local scene – the antithesis of Hollywood – and you can easily grab an e-bike to get around. I order a brew from Kiwi-owned Two Guns in Manhattan Beach then ride down to Redondo Beach, stopping at Martha’s for brunch along the way. Redondo Beach Pier (left) is dotted with fishmongers and dive bars. Locals tipped me off about Naja’s Place, a bar with live music and a crazy number of beers on tap. The sunsets over the water are to die for.”

Kat Fahey Travel expert

Cruise the sparkling coastline on a bike

“LA is like my second home. Each time I visit, my day starts at Malibu Farm Cafe with a breakfast burrito, before a bike ride along The Strand to Santa Monica. Montana Avenue has a lovely stretch of boutiques, café s and bars to explore. I take a short ride to Venice Beach, where the locals are out rollerskating, busking and pumping iron. Then it’s on to Abbot Kinney Boulevard’s restaurants: Gjelina for Cali-Euro fusion and The Butcher’s Daughter for tasty vegan dishes.”

India Evans Qantas Cabin Crew

Flights Fly direct to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth from Australia and to New York via Auckland. Plus, connect to over 100 destinations across North America with our partner, American Airlines.

Hotels

Choose from more than 80,000 hotels in the USA.

Car hire

Explore the USA with Qantas car hire.

Head to qantas.com or the Qantas App to find out more.

The latest epic stays, trending destinations and essential travel hacks are just a scroll away when you follow Travel Insider on Instagram.

Scan the QR code to follow @qftravelinsider Tag us in your holiday snap for the chance to have your image reposted.

Alhambra, Granada, Spain

THELIST

Dancing Pumpkin (2020) by Yayoi Kusama at New York Botanical Garden

Robert Benson. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts

Saint Peter, Paddington, Sydney

The revered new restaurant and boutique hotel is open and making waves. Story by Alexandra Carlton

From the outside, Josh and Julie Niland’s new home for their whole-fish restaurant, Saint Peter (saintpeter.com.au), inside the Grand National Hotel, is deceptively unassuming. Sitting on a pretty Paddington corner, in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, it’s not dissimilar to other 19th-century pubs in the area: a three-storey structure with a narrow entryway and a demure monochrome palette. You have to squint to see the building’s most decorative feature: a series of tiny, eight-pointed stars that adorn the window eaves.

But step through the main doors and that kerbside anonymity shapeshifts into the warmest of welcomes. The bar is all marble, desert-toned leathers and bunches of banksia leaves. Stop here for a Spider Flower Negroni or something from head sommelier Houston Barakat’s international wine list, with its focus on grapes from maritime terroirs. Add a tapasstyle appetiser or two, such as tiny preserved red prawns served with Fiore sourdough and spheres of cultured butter, or a plate of Sydney rock oysters from the NSW South Coast.

Then it’s through to the main dining room, which continues the restrained Australiana décor (glance to your right on the way to see a self-portrait by Ken Done). Here, the team – led by head chef Joe Greenwood – will be preparing the evening’s seven-course tasting menu in the open-plan kitchen beneath garlands of deep-green dried kelp. This, of course, is the main event; Niland’s ode to everything scale and tail, which has cemented him as one of the world’s most exciting culinary visionaries.

The procession of dishes is a mix of newcomers and big-hitters from the original restaurant, using all-Australian fish. There’s the salt-and-vinegar garfish or mackerel (right), pickled and sliced into a circular jigsaw puzzle and curled around a sunshine-yellow pool of olive oil and brine. A delicate tangle of translucent calamari “noodles” topped with an unctuous “bolognese” of tuna ’nduja. The fish fillet course is anything but predictable – perhaps a triangle of line-caught nannygai served beside a flower-dappled beaker of its innards. There’s always something encased in pastry, such as a Wellington or pâté en croûte, made with every part of a fish to minimise waste and maximise flavour. On paper, some of it could sound challenging, a trompe l’oeil of fishy things behaving like meaty things. But on the palate it’s delicious.

The surprises at the new Saint Peter don’t end with the food. Above the bar and restaurant, on a scale that is nearly impossible to envisage from the street, is a 14-room boutique hotel designed by Studio Aquilo, the same creatives responsible for the aesthetics of the ground floor. Each suite – some with skyscraper and harbour glimpses – has a slightly different size, style and layout, as you’d expect from spaces carved into the bones of a 130-year-old building. There’s more marble and leather, plus rich patterned wallpapers, prints of John Olsen landscapes and clawfoot baths.

“The colour and texture, along with the 1890s Victorian vibes, are what I think separates it from other hotels,” says Josh Niland. Minibars are stocked with Australian produce, including Hunted+Gathered chocolates and Archie Rose spirits. Continental breakfast deviates from the usual fruits and pastries with the addition of fish charcuterie from the Nilands’ Fish Butchery business.

Together, the restaurant, bar and hotel combine to create one of Sydney’s most charming and deeply considered examples of Aussie hospitality. “The project has taken six years,” says Niland. “Julie and I couldn’t be more excited to see this beautiful building come to life.”

5 things to know

What to watch, hear, read and drink these holidays.

Compiled by Natalie Reilly

Streaming

Paul Kelly’s bittersweet ballad How to Make Gravy became an instant classic in 1996. Told from the point of view of Joe, an incarcerated man writing home about missing Christmas, the song has just been released as a movie on Binge – perfect for watching on “Gravy Day” (21 December). Adapted for the screen by musician Meg Washington and her husband, Nick Waterman, who also directs,

it stars Hugo Weaving, Daniel Henshall, Kate Mulvany and Jonah Wren Phillips (below) as Joe’s son, Angus.

Book

The Hope Prize, a global short story competition, has been consolidated into a book for anyone in need of a little courage and resilience. With a foreword by Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman, Tomorrow There Will be Sun features the winning and highly commended short stories, as judged by a panel including Julia Gillard, Tony Birch and Dame Quentin Bryce. The work from 20 writers, much of it containing themes of mental health, is designed to reignite faith in

the future, with proceeds going to Beyond Blue. In bookstores from 4 December.

Beauty

Feel merry and bright through the festive season with the limited-edition Gucci holiday make-up collection. Featuring lipstick, blush, highlighter, glow palette and, for the first time, Gucci false lashes adorned with crystals, the range helps capture the spirit and sparkle of Christmas. Find it, priced from $49, at gucci.com or at David Jones.

Podcast

If you’ve ever been curious about how people cut their hair in space or escape quicksand, How to Do

Everything podcast hosts Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag admit that they don’t know either – but they will track down an expert who does. These fact-finders dive into an entertaining range of topics that wander from cleaning a tutu to keeping your hot chips warm.

Drink

Chardonnay’s renewed popularity comes to ripe fruition in Réflexion R.020 Brut, one of the latest releases from champagne house Lallier. Made with 51 per cent chardonnay grapes, mainly from the 2020 harvest, it’s perfect for holiday lunches or sipping in the Qantas Lounge. Order from wine.qantas.com, $95.

Two events worth travelling for

Yayoi Kusama, NGV, Melbourne.

Story by Bek Day

“When you say the name Yayoi Kusama, people might recognise her as the woman who does big pumpkins or the immersive mirror rooms,” says Wayne Crothers, senior curator of Asian art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). “My great desire was not only to present all that popular material but to use it to guide people through her incredible social and personal story.”

Five years ago, Crothers approached Kusama’s studio in Japan with the idea of a show spanning the 95-year-old’s eight decades of work. The result is the largest

retrospective exhibition of her art ever held in Australia (15 December to 21 April 2025; ngv.vic.gov.au), featuring more than 180 pieces.

“This is the first time we’ve given the entire ground floor to a single living artist,” says Crothers, who expects up to 400,000 visitors to attend the show. Highlights include an installation that transforms the NGV’s distinctive Waterwall, along with the Australian debuts of largescale works such as Dancing Pumpkin and The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity will Eternally Cover the Universe

Beyond experiencing the 11 mirror rooms – more than have been assembled for any other Kusama exhibition – Crothers is most excited for attendees to appreciate the scope and scale of the artist’s life, from her childhood in pre-war Japan to working in 1960s New York alongside Andy Warhol and Donald Judd. “We’ve been given amazing access to her archive of photographs, letters and posters, particularly from that New York period, documenting the way she challenges conservative attitudes. There’s so much context on display.”

The King lives on in the Central West of NSW, where he’ll be celebrated next month at the Parkes Elvis Festival (8 to 12 January 2025; parkeselvisfestival.com.au). Each year, the rhinestone-laden extravaganza attracts more than double the town’s 11,000-strong population, with revellers drawn by the dance classes, music performances and film screenings that pack the schedule of more than 200 events.

Parkes Elvis Festival, NSW

1. The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity will Eternally Cover the Universe (2019)

2. Yayoi Kusama

3. Infinity Mirror Room – Phalli’s Field (1965)

Barkaa

The rapper and National Indigenous Music Awards artist of the year has a new EP, Big Tidda . Here’s how she spends her downtime. As told to Natalie Reilly

My favourite movie is... Mulan. I always seem to come back to it as it shows how women can fight for their people and their rights. It really represents women’s empowerment, family and beauty for me.

The last TV show I watched was… Baby Reindeer. It had me on the edge of my seat at times and, at other times, left me filled with frustration. Donny’s [Richard Gadd’s] low self-esteem meant he put himself in really wild situations and when he could’ve left his situation with Martha [Jessica Gunning], he went back into it.

A book that means a lot to me… Blood on the Wattle by Bruce Elder informs readers about the true history of Aboriginal people in this country. It’s not one to take lightly; it’s heavy. But it’s the truth and it’s powerful.

My favourite podcast is… Frontier War Stories, hosted by Boe Spearim. The episodes about the histories of First Nations people in Australia are painful and sad. But it’s so informative, so factual and so needed. Especially when a lot of our history has been swept under the rug.

The song I’m most into is… Hellrazor by the late Tupac Shakur. I’ve grown up on his music and it’s always resonated with me, in part because I’m a Blak First Nations woman in this country.

My social media follows include… Trading Blak on Instagram. It’s an incredible page that highlights amazing Blak businesses and helps you purchase authentic First Nations creations. They call out people who appropriate our art and who don’t commission Mob for what they’re worth.

With only a handful of eco-certified safari tents mere metres away from the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, Sal Salis is the ultimate off-grid, all-inclusive escape. As a Luxury Lodge of Australia, you will enjoy exceptional service whilst you spend your days exploring the reef, swimming with gentle giants and connecting with nature. Nights are spent under a blanket of stars with good company, good food and good memories while ocean waves lap against the shore. It truly is life at its most sublime. 2025 SEASON NOW ON

Chopard Ice Cube bracelets

With geometry and sharp lines comes a precise kind of cool.

Story by Natasha Inchley

Angles, facets and symmetry – Chopard’s Ice Cube collection is defined by mathematical precision, yet this minimalist jewellery line couldn’t be cooler. Described by the luxury house as an ongoing dialogue with light, the range (featuring earrings, bracelets, rings and pendants) is more a statement on futurism and what it means to be socially in tune in today’s world. Take Chopard’s use of ethical gold: in 2018, the jeweller chose to only work with traceable precious metals sourced from small-scale mines verified to have met strict environmental guidelines. The pledge was an industry first and its Ice Cube creations, which launched in 1999, have been updated to serve as the ultimate expression of just how beautiful the concept can be. Take a closer look, though, and the collection’s elegant simplicity is just as ambitious: while every piece comprises identically repeated motifs, each cube’s perfectly symmetrical edges have been skillfully faceted to catch glinting flashes of light – like blocks of ice. Diamond paving, seen on some of these dream-worthy bracelets, only adds to the magic.

Chopard Ice Cube bracelets in ethical 18-carat rose-gold / from $8480 / chopard.com

Reading list

From the latest novels to essential reads, these are our page-turning picks.

Story by Michael Williams

The book everyone is reading

In the time since Helen Garner last published a new book, the release of three volumes of her diaries has confirmed her place as one of Australia’s finest writers. Her latest, The Season, focuses on her grandson’s under-16s football team and is characteristically sharp and tender. There’s nobody like Garner for her powers of observation and her keen appreciation of human beings – you’ll relish every word.

The book you should be reading

Michelle de Kretser is at her formidable best in this exhilarating blend of memoir, fiction and essay. Theory & Practice follows a young woman in Melbourne in the late ’80s who embarks on an intellectual, artistic and romantic life with various degrees of trepidation and crisis. De Kretser captures the inner life of her narrator with notes of ambivalence, curiosity and the discomfort of shame, making this brief, crystal-clear novel a gem.

The non-fiction book to know about John Safran is a topnotch troublemaker and it’s a relief to see that the shift from screens to books hasn’t dulled his outrageous instincts. What could be a throwaway joke about the difficulty of lionising a complicated celebrity turns into something more thoughtful in Squat: A Week Squatting at Kanye’s Mansion. It’s a book about identity, belief and fandom, and it’s as funny, smart and weird as it sounds.

The Australian book to read now

In this major new work of history, Santilla Chingaipe examines the experience of more than 500 African deportees who became part of the Australian colony after the arrival of the First Fleet. Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia explores their largely unheralded lives, with Chingaipe exposing the connection between the colonial project and the empire’s links to slavery. A significant piece of scholarship and storytelling.

The classic book to catch up on Every year the debate rages about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie just because it’s set at Christmas time (it is) so I’m going to make a claim for The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey NIffeneger as a stealthy Christmas book. If you haven’t read it, expect a twisty-turny love story that’s beautiful, will make you cry and features at least a couple of scenes set in the festive season.

Give the gift of luxury this holiday season with our latest fine jewellery collection, inspired by the vivid beauty of the Kimberley.

Shop online before 16 December to ensure delivery in time for Christmas. Enjoy complimentary standard shipping on all Australian orders over $600.

Discover timeless gifts at linneys.com.au

SKU 261589 ($5,300); 062040 ($5,450)

SKU 261651 | $17,690

SKU 253903; 121291 & 253899 | From $780

SKU 261545 | $5,790

After almost a decade, this marque makes a fully electric return to our shores. Story by Noelle Faulkner

Smart? As in those cute, boxy microcars? Correct! After a nine-year absence, Smart is returning to Australia as an EV brand with two new models, including this quirky, fully electric compact SUV coupé. That’s unexpected. The marque has matured and while the unconventional design approach remains, this new era sees a fresh line-up made for broader usability. This model is definitely eye-catching… You can thank the Mercedes-Benz design team for that. They wanted it to feel “bold, emotionally confident and elegantly unobtrusive”. How did they do it? The Smart #3 is built on the same platform as the Volvo EX30 and is roughly the same size (Smart is now a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Volvo parent company Geely). Its three variants include a hot 315kW BRABUS at the top end, which can sprint 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds.

That’s quick for a small crossover. The decently sized 66kWh battery and rear single motor (two on the BRABUS) help the #3 claim an impressive range of 415 to 455 kilometres (depending on the variant) and an under-30minute 150kW DC 10 to 80 per cent charging time. Battery tech has come a long way. It certainly has, especially in the compact, urban mobility corner of the market. Plus, with the #3 you can expect all the trimmings: adaptive driving, smartphone connectivity, traffic-sign recognition, automatic parking and lane-keep assist, a five-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty (eight years or 150,000 kilometres for the battery) and five seats. The fun original aesthetic is simply the cherry on top. How much is the #3? The entry-level Pro+ is $57,900, the Premium, $61,900, and the BRABUS, $70,900, all plus on-road costs.

smart.lshauto.com.au

Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji

Recently refreshed, this adults-only retreat promises luxurious seclusion.

Story by Nola James

The island rises from Fiji’s luminous Beqa Lagoon like a secret tree house, thatched roofs peeking through tropical foliage. One kilometre of protected marine area surrounds Royal Davui Island Resort (qantas.com/hotels/royaldavui), which welcomes just 32 guests at any one time (none of them children). If a rare helicopter buzzes overhead, it could very well be yours, although most people arrive via chartered

plane and a short boat trip from Nadi, a journey of about an hour all-up.

Sixteen one-bedroom villas all face uninterrupted ocean views, with abundant windows and doors to throw open; private plunge pools and super-sized bathrooms are standard issue. Lagoon Plunge Pool Bungalow number nine has direct beach access, while others are just a stroll to the sand. The property’s recent refurbishment has spruced up decks and drapery, the warm timber and baby-blue hues reflecting coastal vibes.

Founder Christopher Southwick, a fifth-generation Fijian, and husband Grant Seylhouwer are hands-on operators – many of the staff have worked for them since the

property opened in 2004, which is why you’ll be treated like family, too.

Shaded by a 400-year-old banyan tree whose roots run deep under the island, the open-air Banyan Bar & Restaurant is the resort’s social heart. Breakfast is an à la carte affair and every morning you’ll choose that day’s multi-course lunch and dinner from a menu inspired by Fiji, Japan, America and beyond. “It’s the last decision you’ll have to make for the rest of the day,” says Seylhouwer.

A snorkel around the coral reefs fringing the island is a must (“Like swimming in an aquarium,” says a fellow guest). And if one private retreat isn’t enough, book a picnic for two at the resort’s sand cay – so secluded that if you forget your swimsuit, no-one will know.

Rob Rickman

Grand Seiko SLGH021

Talk about face value. Subtle details make this limited-edition mechanical timepiece. Story by Luke Benedictus

Just as eyes are the window to the soul, a watch’s dial ultimately reveals its character (it’s not called a face for nothing). It provides the main source of expression, conveying its message through visual cues. Being renowned for the quality of its dials is, therefore, a considerable strength for Grand Seiko.

With just 1000 pieces available, the SLGH021 is a fine example of the Japanese

company’s handiwork. Inspired by the scenery of the Genbi Valley that unfolds around northern Japan’s Iwai River, its glacial mint hue catches the eye, tiny ridges imparting a shimmering depth to its crinkly texture. Against this backdrop, the steel hands and indices are enlivened by pops of colour from the gold brand logo and blue second hand – details as subtle as they are compelling.

This delicacy belies the watch’s hard-knock functionality. The 40-millimetre case is water-resistant to 100 metres and the case and bracelet are in Grand Seiko’s Ever-Brilliant Steel, a proprietary material that lives up to its hyperbolic name as one

of the most corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloys available.

Visible through the exhibition caseback, the Hi-Beat automatic caliber 9SA5 movement offers an 80-hour power reserve. Grand Seiko’s finest mechanical calibre is also pathologically accurate, promising to deviate by less than +5 to -3 seconds per day. It’s this precision combined with good looks that makes the SLGH021 a formidable timepiece.

Grand Seiko SLGH021 Evolution 9 Collection limited-edition stainless-steel and sapphire crystal watch / $15,550 / grand-seiko.com

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, NSW

This reimagined Mid-Century gem calls on the past for its slick modern offerings. Story by Helen Martin

If the cocktail expert’s elaborate flourishing of a lemon twist over the rim of your Martini feels a bit like watching an old-style magician at work, accept the comparison and lean into the nostalgia-made-new ethos of the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth (qantas.com/hotels/ sofitelsydneywentworth). The reopening of this ’60s-era classic in the CBD brings fresh reason to pull up to the swooping copper awning and stroll through the slick lobby.

Don’t go past Bar Tilda, a moody, low-lit space that’s home to a Martini cart and an impressive whisky armoire – it stocks 100 Australian labels alone, including the first single malt from Tasmania’s Sullivan’s Cove. Settle into a velvet banquette to listen to the

nu jazz band playing on Friday and Saturday nights and find your rhythm over that Martini with a twist. Or flash back to the year the hotel was opened and order a Bobby Burns, made with a premium Grant’s blended whisky containing spirit distilled in 1966. “There’s something to be said about the glamour of the period in which the hotel was built,” says Justin Newton, a director of House Made Hospitality, the group responsible for the two in-house restaurants and two bars.

A heritage thread runs through the $70 million refurbishment of the property, built by Qantas as a five-star destination for the new wave of jet-age international travellers. As Australia’s main port of entry for Qantas’

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth lobby, then and now

Qantas Heritage Collection

new Boeing 707s, Sydney had a shortage of high-end accommodation when the airline’s chair and co-founder, Sir Hudson Fysh, helped champion the development of a striking new hotel in Phillip Street. Designed by San Francisco-based architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, working with Sydney firm Laurie & Heath, the Wentworth Hotel had all the high-tech advances a traveller would want – globetrotters could book flights at the in-house Qantas terminal, connected to the cutting-edge computer reservations system, and check in

to the hotel via closed-circuit TV on the lower Bligh Street level. Guests included Queen Elizabeth II, Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando and the Apollo 11 astronauts.

Today, Sofitel’s classic luxury design and service are as present as Essence de Sofitel, the brand’s signature lemon leaf, sandalwood and floral fragrance that wafts through the property. Touchscreens in the lobby mean guests can now check themselves in and be on their way to one of the 436 rooms and suites in a matter of minutes and a new

online concierge also helps provide tailored services. Staying in a Prestige Suite, Luxury Club Room or Wentworth Suite comes with access to Club Millésime, with an exclusive check-in desk, a private bar and a lounge offering breakfast, afternoon tea and evening hors d’oeuvres and drinks. A handful of rooms on the top three floors have a view of the Harbour Bridge neatly framed by city buildings. In the updated rooms and facilities, the design touch of Fender Katsalidis is apparent. Softly textured furnishings share a rich palette

(Clockwise from above) Harbour views from a Prestige Suite; Club Millésime; construction of the hotel began in the early 1960s

Qantas Heritage Collection

The Kimberley

Explore by small ship, the Australian way Venture where the powerful forces of nature create a wilderness wonder beyond compare. Encounter the extraordinary on a journey that is uniquely yours. Sail with a small group of 120 guests, with every need anticipated by your exceptional crew. Plot your path on the bridge or relax with expert guides as they share their passion for the natural world.

Discover unforgettable together with Coral Expeditions.

destinations | Responsible exploration | Service beyond expectation

that draws on the Australian landscape – eucalyptus- and bottle-greens, deep blues and ochres. Stately pillars and polished marble tiles line the lobby, where restaurant Tilda and Bar Tilda both promote a buzzy atmosphere. Or there’s Delta Rue on the terrace level, with warm timber finishes against a backdrop of Kerrie Brown peacock-and-botanical wallpaper that nods to its French-Vietnamese offerings after the breakfast buffet is cleared away.

Thanks to the curve of the heritagelisted building, most rooms overlook the new

horseshoe-shaped copper-and-glass roof of the fifth-floor terrace bar, Wentworth. Serving Vietnamese-style eats and showstopping “cocktail explosions” containing up to 12 drinks in one (really), the bar mixes a laid-back feel with fun sunset energy among greenery that includes a central mature fig.

Back in the lobby restaurant, take your seat at Tilda and assume that, “Would you like the bread service?” is purely rhetorical. Few will have stomachs bigger than their eyes when the tray arrives and warm saltbush

focaccia is laid out with a smear of whipped Pepe Saya butter topped with shallot, chive and watercress. Of course, you’ll need space for a wander through the seafood, meat and pasta-focused menu. Try Australian classics – a king prawn cocktail salad, a bowl of salty potato gems – then finish with a fancy retro dessert, such as pineapple upside-down cake. Order a whisky and you’ll be selecting from bottles brought to you in a leather replica of a bookmaker’s bag of yesteryear. It’s just the ticket.

(Clockwise from above) Bar Tilda; the Bar Tilda Martini Experience; the original hotel terrace

Qantas Heritage Collection. Steven Woodburn

Discover the best of South Australian wines

Majordōmo, Los Angeles

THEMENU

A singular steak, the ultimate cheese toastie and a laksa worth lining up for – meet the masters devoted to perfecting one exceptional dish.

Story by Alexandra Carlton

“It can feel like The Truman Show around here,” says Maker & Monger owner Anthony Femia, who’s been selling exquisitely crafted cheese toasties at Prahran Market in Melbourne (Naarm) since 2015 (makerandmonger.com.au). “We have the same customers ordering the same toasties. There are people who come in three times a week at the exact same time.”

While the stall offers a range of cheeses and wines to take away or enjoy at one of a handful of tables, the crowds form for the four deceptively simple sandwiches: the All American (two Vermont cheddars and onion), the Pimento (with the addition of jalapeño and roast capsicum), the flagship Fondue (an exacting blend of comté, gruyère, shallot, wine and garlic) and the Fondue Special, which includes ham.

Around the country, there are all sorts of artisans focused on creating one delicious thing: the cult croissants from Lune (lunecroissanterie.com) in Melbourne, Brisbane (Meanjin) and Sydney (Warrane); fluffy custard puffs at Emperor’s Garden Cakes & Bakery (75 Dixon Street, Haymarket; 02 9281 5989) in Sydney’s Chinatown; and The No.1 panini at Lucia’s Fine Foods (lucias.com.au) in Adelaide. Each has its own intangible pulling power that keeps people coming back – and queueing – for more.

The All American toastie at Maker & Monger in Melbourne’s Prahran Market

But punters aren’t just lining up for flavour and familiarity. Maker & Monger regulars are paying for Femia’s years of experience and painstaking research and development. They’re investing in the six months it took him to find a replacement cheese when one of his American suppliers shut down, testing and tasting until he found the Goldilocks with the exact pH for a perfect melt. They’re supporting the labour involved in using muslin bags to drain onion so that none of the flavour is lost. “You can buy much cheaper toasties than ours but they can be like eating cardboard,” he says.

Executive chef Pip Pratt from Sydney CBD restaurants Bistecca and Alfie’s (liquidandlarder.com.au) says that the decision to focus on specific steaks (they only serve Florentina T-bones at the former and sirloin at the latter) came from visiting small neighbourhood restaurants in Italy, where a single ingredient often takes centrestage.

“We love the idea of a product being simply cooked and presented and allowed to shine,” he says. Working with the same cuts over and over means the team can spot even the tiniest irregularities and correct them with the supplier. That care and attention to quality builds trust with customers. “We want to be known for our consistency. People always understand what they’re eating with us.”

Femia believes that dogged devotion to mastering one thing can create everyday magic. “There is this cheesy quote I love,” he says. “‘In search of perfection, you achieve greatness.’”

Where to try the best of the rest across Australia

QLD

The Prawn Shack

This sky-blue shed on North Stradbroke Island is famous for one thing: prawn rolls (@prawnshack). Stuffed with local shellfish, housemade mayo, dukkah, avocado and lettuce, it’s a titan of the genre. Recently, the same crew opened a sit-down restaurant across the road – Six Beaches Fish Grill & Bar – but this plucky little stand is still going strong.

Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers

No prizes for guessing what the mainstay is at this collective (there are seven outlets in Queensland and one in Sydney’s Newtown; gnocchignocchi brothers.com.au). The potato pillows are served with a range of classic sauces, from pesto or lamb shank ragú to puttanesca, and there’s a “dégustation” that includes a taste of them all.

Bistecca in Sydney

VIC

Neri’s Hummus Bar

To the untrained eye, Neri’s (tahinineris.com.au) looks like a dip manufacturer, which it is: the brand’s rich traditional hummus is sold in 250 stores around Australia. But those in the know head to Neri’s Hummus Bar in Melbourne’s Bentleigh East on Fridays only between 9am and 3pm for a fresh hummus bowl packed with hot falafels, pickles and plenty of that famous dip.

Taquito

There are non-taco dishes at this vibrant Carlton cantina (taquito.bar) but if you’re not here for the tacos you’ve taken a wrong turn. The maize tortillas are made from scratch and fresh to order then stuffed with fillings such as Yucatán-style chicken pibil, pork belly and roasted pumpkin and peanut salsa matcha. There’s also a range of Mexican drinks, including tequila, mezcal and horchata.

NSW Khao Soi

The drawcard here is in the name – the creamy, spicy noodle curry/soup hybrid from Northern Thailand. Diners at this Haymarket spot (@khaosoi. sydney) can customise their order with

grilled pork ribs, chicken or seafood, adding the signature crunchy noodles at the end. For a country that loves Thai food as much as Australia does, it’s rare to see khao soi on menus – just another reason to seek out this specialist.

Yum Cha Project

Howin Chui, the founder of Sydney’s first fast-food yum cha outlet, knows a thing or two about specialising: he was also one of the masterminds behind the now defunct Senpai Ramen in Chatswood and Burwood, and runs four Kowloon Cafes that serve only Hong Kong food. Yum Cha Project (yumchaproject.com.au) in The Rocks offers all the favourites – spring rolls, pork buns and dumplings – but it’s the divisive Hainan chicken pizza that’s set to become the cult hit.

NT

Mary’s Laksa

Territorians are fiercely proud of their excellent laksa culture and most residents have a favourite vendor. This one at Parap Village Markets (parapvillage.com.au) tops a tonne of best-of lists, largely because owner Guo Yang Yei (Mary) has been making her spicy coconut soup – including the fresh-ground laksa paste – from scratch for more than 20 years.

WA Burger Bones

Good burgers aren’t that hard to find but this compact Busselton shopfront (@burgerbones) is a standout. They don’t cut corners here, using fresh not frozen meat for the patties and housemade sauces and sauerkraut. The bold tagline – “the finest burgers available to humanity” – might just be true.

SA Frankly Bagels

These bagels-only bakeries in the Adelaide suburbs of Prospect and Norwood (franklybagels.com.au) offer traditional fillings – cream cheese and smoked salmon or pastrami with slaw and Russian dressing – alongside more adventurous options, such as chimichurri chicken or halloumi, jalapeño cream cheese and nacho chips.

TASMANIA

Rough Rice

Sunday’s Farm Gate Market is where Hobart locals go to stock up on straightfrom-the-soil produce for the week. The first stop for many is the Rough Rice stand (@roughrice), for a bowl of fragrant, smoky congee topped with a rainbow of veggies, pickles and a fried egg. It’s among the city’s best breakfasts.

Taquito in Carlton, Melbourne

Mutton neck sanga at Blume in Boonah, Queensland

Story by Alexandra Carlton

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may have been chef Jack Stuart’s motto when creating this mainstay dish at his restaurant, Blume (blumerestaurant.com.au), in Queensland’s Scenic Rim region. In its original incarnation, the sando was on the menu at now-closed Congress, in Melbourne’s Collingwood, where Stuart cut his teeth. There, it was known as the “pig’s head sanga”, a neat little coin of pig’s head croquette painted with grass-green parsley mustard mayo and topped and tailed with fluffy discs of white bread. “I wanted to do a homage

to that sandwich but I didn’t want to copy it,” he says.

The Queensland version is a fitting tribute to the first. It swaps pig’s head for mutton neck, a fairly common meat farmed in the region, which is slow-cooked overnight, mixed with chicken jus, caper and onion then deep-fried. Instead of the crayon-green mayo, there’s a thick, toasty-brown layer of black garlic – made by the team through a long process of fermentation – some homemade pickle and that same snow-white bread, this time sourced from the nearby Sugarloaf

Baking Co. It’s a modest-looking little bite but it comes out swinging.

The snack opens Blume’s sevenand nine-course tasting menus and you’ll likely come across other signature dishes, too, such as poached rainbow trout with green tomato and beurre blanc or clay-baked beetroot with housemade créme fraîche. Each dish, says Stuart, is minimalist, natural and local but many guests say the sando steals the show. “It shows what we do at Blume really well: simple with lots of flavour.” No further fixes required.

The suite life

Visionary architecture and design combine with the amenities of a fivestar hotel to create a new way of living.

Imagine residing in an apartment where you could ask the concierge to book theatre tickets, order room service and find your bed turned down with a chocolate on the pillow. How about valet parking, housekeeping and onsite dining?

It sounds like a dream but is increasingly becoming a reality as time-poor property owners seek luxury apartments with the conveniences of a five-star hotel.

Following similar concepts in New York and London, Australia is catching on to this innovative way of living with projects such as Orchard Piper’s Carter Building on St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

Designed by world-renowned Kerry Hill Architects (KHA), the 17-storey tower features a striking bluestone façade in a nod to other local buildings, including the National Gallery of Victoria.

A modern 107-room hotel will be joined by 54 one-, two- and threebedroom apartments whose residents will have access to premium services such as a 500-square-metre day spa, mezzanine restaurant and pool.

According to KHA, the concept –which offers a different way to live in

Presented by Orchard Piper

“It’s like an old-world experience, where the hotel becomes an extension of your living space, and the cafés, restaurants and hotel lobby are a grand entrance to your residence.” – Seán McGivern, director, Kerry Hill Architects

a high-density CBD like Melbourne’s – is not entirely new to Australians, who have seen the apartment-hotel hybrid firsthand on their travels.

“Living near beautiful parklands like the Royal Botanic Gardens and Albert Park, and the city’s art galleries and cultural hubs while accessing all the amenities of a hotel in a residential context is very appealing,” says KHA director Seán McGivern.

“It’s like an old-world experience, where the hotel becomes an extension of your living space, and the cafés, restaurants and hotel lobby are a grand entrance to your residence.”

KHA’s vision for the residential apartments in The Carter Building prioritises natural light, open spaces and stunning views towards the city skyline and surrounding parklands.

“Our hotel architecture and interiors are calming and refined –that extends to the way we’ve designed the apartments, with an emphasis on natural materials such as timber and stone,” says KHA director Patrick Kosky.

“By removing any unnecessary decoration, residents can really enjoy the space, light and views, allowing a sense of calm to flow from the hotel experience into the residences.”

Visualisation by Gabriel Saunders

Where to eat, drink and be seen right now.

Story by Alexandra Carlton

NSW

The International

The team behind Sydney’s three-storey Shell House knows how to do multidimensional, every-occasion drinks and dining and its latest opening is one of the most anticipated of the summer. The International (internationalsydney.com) at Martin Place consists of three venues: The Wine Bar, with a large by-the-glass list and woodfired pizza; The Grill for hibachi-fired meats, cold seafood and chilled Martinis; and, on the rooftop, cocktails, snacks and city views at The Panorama Bar.

Bottega Pendolino

The centre of Sydney has plenty of places to shop but until now has been a bit short on charming wine bars. Inside the heritage-listed Strand Arcade, The Restaurant Pendolino delivers on the latter with the opening of its adjacent offshoot, Bottega (pendolino.com.au). Expect small plates and lesser-known regional Italian wines by the glass.

QLD

Stan’s Lounge

Cantonese-style restaurant Stanley has been the jewel of Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves precinct since it opened in 2019. Now it’s joined by an equally vivacious sibling on the second floor (stanslounge.com.au). Sharing the original’s Hong Kong-inspired glamour, Stan’s Lounge features décor surprises

such as a custom-built cabinet full of vintage spirits and a retro stereo system. Our pick of the snacks: lobster and truffle dumplings and painted tropical crayfish san choy bao.

Sokyo Brisbane

Led by ex-Sydney Sokyo executive chef Alex Yu, Sokyo Brisbane at The Star (star.com.au) is helping the city’s long-anticipated Queen’s Wharf precinct find its groove. Head here for the lavish technicolour sushi, which is cut and curled into dramatic presentations that look like flower gardens.

VIC

Reed House

Set inside a stately 19th-century bluestone manor in Melbourne, Reed House (reedhousemelbourne.com), created by ex-Ottolenghi chef Mark Hannell and front-of-house maestro Rebecca Baker (right), takes its food cues from refined British brasseries, adding fresh Australian ingredients and clever, not-so-British twists. The ramen scotch egg is the best way to kick off your order.

Inuman

Australia’s passion for Filipino food is still firing and the team from the CBD’s Askal is scratching the ongoing itch with the opening of rooftop bar Inuman (@inuman.melb). The name means “drinking session” in Tagalog and the focus is on cocktails made with Filipino

ingredients, organic wines and pulutan (small plates). For something more substantial, guests can always duck back downstairs to Askal (askalmelbourne. com) for a full feast, including the lechon (roast pork) Sunday lunch.

SA Botanic Lodge

When chef Tom Tilbury puts his name to a restaurant, the queues form before the doors open. His latest venture is a companion to Restaurant Botanic, located at the heart of Adelaide Botanic Garden. Botanic Lodge (botaniclodge. com.au) is a less formal version of its older sibling, with a Monet-like lakefront location and a sun-dappled café-bistro atmosphere. Local ingredients are the building blocks of every dish and there are plenty of nostalgic touches, such as fish sandos and a lamington dessert.

WA Margots

“North-Eastern European” isn’t a cuisine often celebrated on Australian menus but it anchors the offering at this bar in the inner Perth suburb of Northbridge (margots.com.au), where dishes are dotted with kransky, horseradish, pastrami and plenty of potato. There’s an excellent Euro and Australian wine selection and a seven-strong Martini list, plus a cracking Sunday seafood tower special.

As told to Stephanie Wood

Isabel Pérez Fiz (left) was born in Ciudad Real, in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha wine region, but it wasn’t until she started casual work as a waiter in Byron Bay that she discovered her passion for plonk. Spotting her enthusiasm, James Audas and Tom Sheer hired her to oversee the 700-strong list at their acclaimed Bar Heather (barheather.com; they also own Luna Wine Store), a moody spot that feels more European city than Australian beach. The food by chef Ollie Wong-Hee (formerly of Sydney’s Ester and Sixpenny) is Asian-accented, anchored in local produce and designed to complement Pérez Fiz’s selections. Here’s where she hangs out in Byron.

High Life for a soy latte

“The coffee at this cute little locals’ haunt (@highlifebyronbay) is made with Allpress beans and it’s amazing. It’s busy but also really chill. I go with my book or computer, order a soy latte and always the same dish – corn tortilla tacos with salsa verde and a poached duck egg.”

Raes Cellar Bar for chablis and charcuterie

“I love sitting outside with friends at this institution (raes.com.au). It’s close to the ocean and makes me feel like something light, refreshing and salty. I normally order a bottle of chablis or a Rafael Palacios As Sortes godello from Galicia in Spain, plus a charcuterie plate of prosciutto, salami, jamón and olives. They also do the most delicious shoestring fries.”

Moonlight for hibachi bites

“The bar at this small, perfect Japanese kitchen (moonlightbar.com.au)

is a great place to sit by yourself. I enjoy the watermelon ‘sashimi’ but mostly choose dishes cooked on the hibachi grill, such as king prawn with yuzu kosho butter and finger lime. It’s nothing pretentious, just beautiful food.”

Bombay to Byron for the kadai prawns

“I normally go here (bombaytobyron.com.au) to grab takeaway. They cook classic Indian, the kind of food you feel like having at home with a light red wine. I like the kadai prawns cooked with capsicum and onion.”

Ciao Mate! for pizza

“Not technically in Byron, this spot (ciaomate.com.au) is about a 15-minute drive away in Bangalow. It’s very simple, just pizza and pasta with a couple of snacks to start. They do amazing thin crusts and toppings for vegetarians but, last time, I had the kale, pork sausage and grana padano with caramelised onion special. There’s also a solid wine list – mostly Australian with some European bottles, too.”

Moonlight

Ciao Mate!

Attica chef and owner Ben Shewry recalls a memorable meal in Los Angeles.

As told to Pat Nourse

“I’d been driving down the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2018 with my partner, Kylie, and we’d arranged to have dinner on the last day of our trip with some of my greatest heroes, and friends, the band Yo La Tengo. I can’t overstate how excited I was to go to Majordōmo. We’re all mates with David Chang, the chef who owns the restaurant, so we knew that it was going to be special. Our flight home to Australia is booked for 10 that evening so dinner is at five o’clock. We pull up, we’re on time – then I lock the keys in the car. Five hours before our flight.

Kylie keeps her cool and tells me to go inside while she calls the rental car company. When she joins us 15 minutes later, we still don’t know if we’re going to make it but at this point everyone has arrived, maybe a dozen of us all up. Georgia and Ira, who started Yo La Tengo, are the ultimate diners and the camaraderie within the group envelops us as we share food and conversation. The room is a gorgeous, light-filled renovated warehouse, with a very high,

Los Angeles energy. Dave was the chef who gave the rest of us permission to stop playing elevator music in our restaurants and play what we love; the music here is absolutely spot-on.

Even with all of this going on, the food stands out. Flatbreads with spiced lamb and labne, dry-cured American ham – great food made for sharing. A really moreish and deeply flavoured plate of peppers filled with pork sausage and fried until crisp. One of the highlights is California rock crab meat, silky and delicious, served with mayonnaise and other garnishes – a true luxury.

The showstopper is a smoked beef short rib – like a cross between Southern barbecue and something like the sweet barbecue pork I might buy in Richmond back home in Victoria. To me, it’s the result of Dave blending the traditions of Texas and his Korean background. I’ve eaten a lot of barbecue but this is something else. (It’s still on the menu today, or a version of it, so if you’re headed that way, make sure you order it in advance.) It’s joyous, one of the great meals of my life, all the more so because it was happening amid this incredible stress.

Meanwhile, the rental car company locksmith arrives, breaks into the car very quickly and all too soon we have to go. We bolt out of there, return the car, end up running for the gate but make the flight. It was wild and it was worth it.”

Majordōmo 1725 Naud Street, Los Angeles; +1 323 545 4880; majordomo.la

Attica 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, Victoria; (03) 9530 0111; attica.com.au

Majordōmo restaurant and its whole plate short rib

Toast the season with a bright and boisterous Australian prosecco.

Story by Peter Bourne

See Saw Balance

Organic Prosecco

Pip and Justin Jarrett are champions of organic grapegrowing and their 2024 prosecco bursts with fun and flavour. It has aromas of lemon sorbet and Granny Smith apple with tangy flavours and boisterous bubbles.

2024 / Orange, NSW / $25

Vinea Marson

Prosecco Col Fondo

Col fondo means “at the bottom” in Italian. Mario Marson bottles his prosecco without filtering so a yeast deposit remains. It’s cloudy and can be overly frothy but there’s character in the bold lemon pith flavours and chalky finish.

2022 / Heathcote, Vic / $36

Where did prosecco originate? In the Veneto region to the north of Venice. The twin villages of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are the epicentre but prosecco is grown and made across the north-eastern corner of Italy. When did the grape come to Australia? Otto Dal Zotto is regarded as the pioneer and planted the country’s first vines in Victoria’s King Valley in 1999. Dal Zotto migrated from Valdobbiadene and wanted to replicate the wines of his homeland. A quarter of a century later, more than 40 per cent of the King Valley’s vines are prosecco. What’s the debate about Australian winemakers labelling their wines prosecco? Not just a grape variety, prosecco is also a sparkling wine style and the Italians claim they have the right to the name in the same way that France has ownership of champagne. It’s been suggested that the long-lost historic name, glera, be used to differentiate the grape from the bubbly. How is sparkling prosecco made? It’s a simple process, where the still base wine undergoes secondary fermentation in a pressurised tank. That’s why prosecco is fresh and bright, as opposed to more complex sparkling wines that undergo their secondary fermentation and ageing in the bottle, like champagne. When’s the best time to drink it? Unlike the extended ageing of méthode traditionnelle sparklings, prosecco is ready to go as soon as it’s bottled. It’s a key ingredient in cocktails, including the ever-popular Aperol Spritz, and perfect on a sunny day with oysters. Who are the local producers to look for? Brown Family Wines has 10 different proseccos all priced under $30, including cans and mini bottles. Dal Zotto produces five versions, as well as a magnum. Again, prices are modest with the top drop costing $52. By comparison, Italian benchmarks range from about $12 to $60.

Dal Zotto L’Immigrante

Prosecco

L’Immigrante is a tribute to Otto Dal Zotto’s Italian birthplace and the inspiration behind his prosecco. Two years in the bottle has added a touch of toasty complexity, which is backed by zesty citrus fruits and a crisp finish.

2022 / King Valley, Vic / $37

Miotto Fedéra Brut DOCG

Valter Miotto, along with his sons, Andrea and Matteo, farm in the traditional way in the heart of Valdobbiadene. Their wine has an ultra-fine mousse with aromas of nashi pear, white peach and lemon verbena. It’s complex and mouth filling with a bone-dry finish.

2021 / Veneto, Italy / $47

On the slopes of an active volcano, Sicily’s Mount Etna wine region has unique terroir and traditions.

Story by Lee Marshall

Mount Etna pulses with energy – and not just the seismic kind. The volcano that dominates eastern Sicily has also emerged as one of Italy’s premier wine destinations. Here, the wild landscape of black lava and green vines is complemented by a range of elegant, fruit-forward reds and fresh, aromatic whites made from native grapes. You’ll need your own wheels to get around (unless you trust your fate to the thrice-daily trains that ply the narrow-gauge Circumetnea railway) or stay put and sign up for a half- or full-day course at the Etna Wine School (etnawineschool.com), run by locally based American expert Benjamin North Spencer.

Tenuta Tascante

The wineries

Benanti

In an area of small independent wineries and farmhouse tasting experiences, Benanti (benanti.it) is the grand exception, hosting visitors in an elegant 19th-century villa at the centre of the estate. Tastings are prefaced by a tour of the Monte Serra vineyard, whose curving terraces planted with bush-trained vines seem a work of land art. Located not far from Catania on the volcano’s southeastern slopes, Benanti has a persuasive range of reds but gives equal attention to white wines, such as the flagship Pietra Marina, a saline, citrusy stunner that can age for a decade or more.

Tenuta Tascante

Sicilian winemaking family Tasca d’Almerita (tascadalmerita.it) arrived in the region in 2007, investing in four prime plots on the northern side of Etna where the nerello mascalese grape delivers a range of diverse reds. An ancient palmento (millstone) wine cellar above the spectacular Pianodario vineyard was restored by a Milanese design studio in 2022. Today it has tastings that include two reds from single contradas – micro-zones that are similar to the climats of Burgundy.

Girolamo Russo

Giuseppe Russo named his estate (girolamorusso.it) near Passopisciaro after his late father, who first cultivated these vineyards. That speaks volumes about the respect for tradition of a man whose wines are among the most consistent and beguiling of those produced on the volcano’s northern slopes. They include one of the area’s most impressive entry-level Etna Rossos, ’A Rina. Join a tasting in the restored farmhouse at the Feudo vineyard, which also hosts a series of autumn concerts.

The restaurants

San Giorgio e il Drago

Spend some time with Etna winemakers and before long you’ll end up in this

classy family-run trattoria (ristorante sangiorgioeildrago.it) in the centre of Randazzo. Here, seasonal, typically Sicilian dishes such as pasta with wild asparagus or chef-matriarch Mamma Paolina’s legendary braised rabbit accompany an encyclopaedic local wine list.

Zash

Chef Giuseppe Raciti was just 29 when he took over the reins of this boutique hotel’s restaurant (zash.it), in Riposto, in 2014. Inside, contemporary minimalist design defers to the weathered magnificence of the setting – a centuriesold press and cellar. The Michelin-starred eatery’s cuisine plays a similar game, rooting creative verve in local traditions and ingredients.

The stay

Monaci delle Terre Nere

Since it launched in 2012, this delightful property on 25 hectares near the town of Zafferana Etnea has evolved from a six-room bolthole to a mid-sized resort (qantas.com/hotels/monacidelle terrenere). Open from March until December, it covers all bases thanks to its mix of standalone villas with private pools and garden-view rooms and suites. Most of the produce served in the onsite Locanda Nerello restaurant comes from the estate’s organic farm, which has 150 varieties of heirloom fruit trees. Without ever going out the gate, you can take a cooking class, go hiking, cycling and horseriding or take the kids to feed the hens and gather eggs.

Zash restaurant

Presented by Applejack Hospitality and Westholme Wagyu

First we feast

Summer means celebration: a late-afternoon cocktail with friends, a show-stopping meal shared with family or a relaxed lunch with a view. At these three Sydney venues, a good time and great Australian Wagyu are guaranteed no matter the occasion.

RAFI URBNSURF

Memorable team lunch

Step away from the video calls and spreadsheets and get the office together for a well-earned celebration at the lively and luxe Bopp & Tone in Sydney’s buzzy midtown. The vibe is approachable elegance –crushed velvet banquettes, soft-lit lanterns, genial service – and the Mediterranean-style menu is designed to share.

For the ultimate convivial crowd-pleaser, head chef Jordan Wijeadasa’s pick is the one-kilogram Westholme Wagyu MB9+ T-Bone, which is fragrant with smoky flavours from the woodfired grill and arrives precisely sliced so it’s easy to pass around and serve.

“Westholme Wagyu is prized for its intense marbling, which enhances flavour and ensures melt-in-your-mouth tenderness,” he explains. It shines alongside cracked roast potatoes in herb butter, fire-roasted peppers and a generous helping of herbaceous chimichurri. The lychee and coconut trifle ends the meal on a high note.

New Year get-together with friends

The view at The Butler in Potts Point is one of those Sydney secrets that only locals tend to know about. Gaze past the palms lining the foliage-filled dining room and you get a direct view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and skyline – a panorama that’s unique to this inner-city neighbourhood. On a sunny day or balmy evening, the breeze from the wooden ceiling fans makes the space feel like a holiday hacienda, which works

well with chef Amber Doig’s relaxed Mexican-style cooking. Get a group together for a laid-back New Year summer session, kicking off with a cocktail or two – the sunsetpink Butler Paloma is a classic. Then order everything you need for what Doig calls a “bougie make-your-own-tacos situation”.

The building block? The Butler’s 250-gram Westholme Wagyu MB8+ Rump Cap –marinated in smoked chillies, garlic, spices and a touch of koji for umami and caramelisation –with a bright salsa verde on the side. Pile it all into a warm tortilla

To book a table at Bopp & Tone, The Butler or RAFI URBNSURF, visit applejackhospitality.com.au

topped with heirloom tomatoes or grilled broccolini and raise a toast to long, lazy days.

Summer catch-up with family

The perfect wave doesn’t exist. Except it does at URBNSURF – Sydney’s only wave-pool surf experience park – where anyone from experts to beginners can learn to ride the waves or level up their existing surf skills.

The best place to refuel afterwards – or simply to drop by for a catch-up with loved ones without getting

wet – is RAFI URBNSURF, a sun-splashed indoor-outdoor dining space that overlooks the impressive wave pool.

Fresh seasonal ingredients anchor the menu here, with executive chef Matías Cillóniz recommending the 400-gram Westholme MB6+ Rump Cap with chimichurri – the steak served charred and medium rare. “Its rich, juicy profile pairs perfectly with our poached asparagus, egg yolk and tarragon salsa, along with a vibrant roasted-pepper, tomato, anchovy and pickled celery salad – a true taste of the season.”

Bopp & Tone

The Butler

We’ve unveiled the ports of call for our exceptional cruises in 2026. Book Japan now and start dreaming.

Incheon (Seoul) — Tokyo

11 NIGHTS FROM $9,500 PP 25 MAR 2026 - 05 APR 2026

CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

Tokyo — Tokyo

13 NIGHTS FROM $11,200 PP 5 APR 2026 - 18 APR 2026

CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

Tokyo — Tokyo

21 NIGHTS FROM $16,300 PP 18 APR 2026 - 09 MAY 2026

CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

TO VIEW AND BOOK ONE OF OUR CURATED ITINERARIES, CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR, VISIT CRYSTALCRUISES.COM OR CALL 1300-503-640.

*Prices shown are in AUD per person based on a Double Guest Room with Ocean View, and subject to availability. Please see www.crystalcruises.com for full terms and conditions.

THEJOURNEY

qualia’s motor yacht, Palm Beach, in the Whitsundays, Queensland

COOL CLASSICS

Intimate, luxurious and quintessentially Australian,

Wategos Beach, Byron Bay; Raes on Wategos’ new Guesthouse (opposite)

these beloved stays continue to evolve and delight.

2025 & 2026 Europe River Cruising

BYRON BAY, NSW

RAES ON WATEGOS 2.0

Story by Bek Day

“The dolphins are back!” a voice cries from somewhere nearby, the sound of the ocean a backing track to the exciting news. Padding across the sundeck outside my suite at Raes on Wategos (raes.com.au), I throw open the timber shutters. The sunlight pouring in is a dazzling intruder.

Originally a 1960s-era kiosk, Raes sits nestled on the Cape Byron walking trail – far enough from town to avoid the bustle but only a 40-minute walk to the fun of Main Beach.

Having had a significant revamp in 2016, under the expert eye of Sydney-based interior designer Tamsin Johnson, the property redefines coastal luxe. Mosaic tiles, carved wooden doors, creamy linen curtains: every detail in the five suites and two penthouses is considered and warm.

Between the branches of the frangipani tree outside my window, a wedge of blue. A surfer stands at a coffee van parked on the grass below, pointing towards a dozen tiny shapes among the waves. There are about 800 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins that use the glittering waters off Wategos Beach as a playground. Some females call it home year-round and the rest venture further afield but always come back.

They’re not the only ones. “We have people return year after year for every special occasion,” says general manager Marty McCaig. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Raes is firmly woven into the fabric of Byron Bay and the opening of a new outpost, the Guesthouses (above) – 100 metres up the road and comprising two side-by-side buildings – was devised specifically with repeat visitors in mind. “Guests can now hire out one of the new properties for their exclusive use.”

Those staying at the extension, which was also designed by Johnson, still have access to the crowd favourites that have helped build Raes’ legendary status: on-demand Lexus transfers into town; a pot of tea warmed by a tealight candle on your coffee table before you turn in; breakfast served in your room (complete with an extra juice concoction that Bobbie from the restaurant remembers you liked yesterday).

The hotel’s eponymous two-hatted Dining Room, led by executive chef Jason Saxby, as well as the more casual outdoor Cellar Bar at the base of the entry stairway, are also available to all guests, though those choosing the exclusive-use option are offered the services of a private chef.

To many, Raes feels more like staying at the grand home of your most connected friend than at a hotel. “And now we can make it even more extraordinary,” says McCaig.

QUALIA’S NEW RETREAT

Story by Kirsten Galliott

There’s only one way into qualia (qantas.com/hotels/qualia). Along Marina Drive, up to One Tree Hill (where you’ll be smacked in the face by 360-degree views of the Coral Sea) and down to the northern tip of Hamilton Island. Wait a beat for the heavy wooden gates to swing open and that’s when you’ll feel your shoulders start to drop – helped along by the glass of Charles Heidsieck that’s about to materialise.

The Oatley family, who own the island and opened qualia in 2007, are sailors and winemakers so they know what a good time looks like. A stay here is a hedonistic mix of dazzling Queensland sun, chopper rides out to Heart Reef –where the view from above is only surpassed by the underwater experience – and food and drink that wouldn’t be out of place in a hatted restaurant (Moreton Bay bugs with green papaya

and nam jim, perhaps accompanied by a cold glass of Nicky Oatley’s zesty new chenin blanc).

But there’s something extra about qualia. Despite all the luxury trimmings, it feels Australian to its core. That’s partly due to the landscape – tropical palms and towering gums –but it’s also thanks to the cockatoos that act like they own the joint and the resort’s ever-cheerful staff, who may not all have the local accent but have adopted our can-do attitude.

The 60 pavilions, which have been carefully designed to bring the outside in, are scattered around the point (with the Windward selection offering private plunge pools). If you’re the sharing kind, you may want to book The Residence, which opened last July. The private home of the Oatley family when they’re on the island, it’s a three-bedroom sanctuary complete with its own entrance, 25-metre lap pool and views towards the delightfully named Plum Pudding Island. Your very own piece of tropical paradise. HAMILTON

SAFFIRE FREYCINET BY SEA

Story by Kendall Hill

Coastal bushland conceals Saffire Freycinet (qantas.com/ hotels/saffirefreycinet), tucked beside Coles Bay on Tasmania’s east coast, until the moment you arrive. The big reveal is this remarkable property’s tireless, timeless trick; the way it suddenly appears, wowing with that astonishing outlook across the bay to Freycinet National Park.

Follow the boardwalk lined in red marble to the front door, step inside and be wowed again by the waved roofline of celery-top pine that frames an exquisite vision of shimmering water, bushland and the pink-granite presence of The Hazards range. It’s a mercurial, magical sight that never fails to captivate.

Saffire has offered its unique blend of luxury and liberation since 2010 but, like the light on Coles Bay, it never stays the same. The lodge’s 20 suites – with super-king beds,

stylish lounges and views over Great Oyster Bay – sit among the peppermint gums below the stingray-shaped main lodge, where a spa, library and gastronomic restaurant round out the in-house relaxation options.

Newly installed executive chef Toby Raley (formerly of Quay in Sydney and London’s The Ledbury) has been busily sourcing sustainable seafood – including hand-dived abalone, oysters plucked from nearby Dolphin Sands and sea urchins from the water outside – for the lodge’s Seafood and Sparkling Cruises. On these half-day expeditions, guests take a cabin cruiser deep into Great Oyster Bay and along the Freycinet coast, snacking on sophisticated canapés (pickled West Coast octopus with local wasabi, black lip abalone skewers) and drinking three limited-release vintages from winemaker Jansz Tasmania. It’s a genius idea, when the only thing guaranteed to improve an already exceptional experience is a glass or two of sparkling. And perhaps spotting a whale.

COLES BAY, TASMANIA

LIMONCELLO SPRITZ

BAROSSA VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

THE LOUISE DOES DAYTRIPS

Story by Alexis Buxton-Collins

“People don’t come to the Barossa to drink wine.” It’s a bold statement from a local winemaker but Damien Tscharke has a vision. “They come here to see the culture and feel the dream of wine. You need to get out into the vineyards to understand where wine comes from.” It’s easy to feel that dream as you wander between rows of organic grenache and shiraz grapes while the afternoon sun illuminates a Gothic spire above the nearby Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church.

This private audience with Tscharke is part of The Louise’s Wine Weekends, a program introduced when Baillie Lodges took over the Barossa’s pre-eminent luxury lodge in 2022 (qantas.com/hotels/thelouisebarossavalley). The new owners also refurbished the stay’s 15 spacious suites and tapped local gallery Wonderground to fill the walls with artworks, which

include Emma Hack’s see-it-to-believe-it body art and Tanya Wales’ dreamy ombré paintings.

Australia’s most famous wine region is in the DNA of this beloved retreat, from the elderflower and Seppeltsfield Road Distillers gin spritz at check-in to the views of Peter Lehmann’s vineyards from onsite fine-diner Appellation and the west-facing infinity pool (which has a phone for bottle service). Each suite is stocked with local cheese, beer and a generously filled decanter of Seppeltsfield aged tawny.

Then there’s the collection of enormous six-litre Methuselahs on display in the hidden speakeasy where pre-dinner drinks are served. Far more practical are the standard-sized bottles that fill the gracefully curved “wine lantern”; there’s never a bad time to crack open a rare vintage of Grange, Hill of Grace or Basket Press. So take Tscharke’s declaration with a grain of salt – some drops are definitely worth travelling to the Barossa for.

Jet, set, glow

Reboot for the year ahead with a restorative escape to a five-star Italian spa then re-create the deluxe experience at home with DIY pampering.

ON HOLIDAY

Switch from stress mode in a serene thermal grotto beneath the Tuscan hills.

Set among sprawling olive groves in the 17th-century town of Monsummano Terme, Grotta Giusti is an enchanting spa resort in Tuscany. Anyone seeking rejuvenation will certainly find it here, within an elegantly restored villa where art and history meet nature and wellness. But it’s beneath the estate where the relaxation truly begins. The retreat is home to an ancient grotto – a thermal cave and hot-spring lake extending 200 metres underground – that Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi called “the eighth wonder of the world”. Guests can wander among the stalactites and stalagmites, revelling in the warm steam from the subterranean lake’s 36°C water. Upstairs, the 1000-square-metre spa features two outdoor thermal pools and a wellness centre, where a personal spa adviser is on hand to assist guests. Treatments include remineralising thermal mud and revitalising hair products packed with vitamins, proteins and amino acids.

Hold on to that holiday feeling when you return home and look resort-ready with Shark’s FlexStyleTM Air Styling & Drying System. This multi-tool’s heat-damage prevention technology keeps tresses in peak condition, making it seem like you’ve just walked out of a salon in Tuscany. Switch between powerful drying and versatile styling with a simple twist of the wand. Seamlessly add attachments: create bouncy curls using two auto-wrap curlers, maximum volume with the oval brush, sleek smoothness with the paddle brush and defined curls with the diffuser. Three airflow and four heat settings (all regulated to ensure consistent air temperature) help lock in long-lasting European-vacation styles.

SHARK FlexStyleTM Air Styling & Drying System, 99,800 POINTS or $499. Earn 8 points per $1 spent.*

Until 11 December, earn 8 Qantas Points per $1 spent or use your points to shop Shark at qantas.com/marketplace

THETIES

THATBIND

Game changers

Whether you’re after a stay with a social vibe, urban convenience or accessible luxury, level up at an Ascott Australia hotel – part of The Ascott Limited’s global portfolio of brands.

VIC

Elevate your sophistication game at Oakwood Premier Melbourne

The quiet luxury of Oakwood Premier is tailor-made for the discerning traveller. This stylish five-star stay occupies a glittering bronze tower in a premier Southbank location. Guests are immersed from the moment they enter the art-filled lobby. Across the hotel’s 40 floors, every modern comfort is offered, including state-of-the-art technology in the 392 rooms and serviced apartments. At day’s end, rooftop bar Strato Melbourne is the ideal spot for a pre-dinner Yuzu Negroni while you enjoy 360-degree views of Australia’s culture capital.

VIC

Up

your social-butterfly game

at lyf Collingwood

Ascott’s lyf hotels are all about getting to know like-minded travellers in the world’s hippest neighbourhoods. Take lyf Collingwood in Melbourne, which is close to Smith Street’s vibrant bar, restaurant and fashion scene, just 10 minutes by tram from the CBD. The next-gen hotel nurtures its community of creative guests with lively social spaces, including a lounge and fully equipped kitchen (fresh herbs and citrus ready to harvest in the courtyard are a reflection of the Ascott Cares sustainability commitment). Decorated with punchy pop art, this hotel brand is all about embracing the new – something Sydney will soon get to experience when Bondi Junction gets its own taste of lyf in 2025.

NSW Lift your convenience game at Citadines Walker North Sydney

Connectivity is key at Citadines hotels, which are situated in the heart of the world’s most exciting cities. A short walk from Sydney Metro’s newly opened Victoria Cross Station, Citadines Walker North Sydney is set in the area’s buzzing business district, while hotspots such as Barangaroo and Surry Hills are just minutes away by train. While there’s no shortage of foodie favourites nearby, the hotel’s acclaimed onsite restaurant, Bar Lettera, will give you plenty of reasons to stay put, including its menu of refined Italo-Australian dishes (Milo tiramisù, anyone?) and creative collection of craft cocktails.

Discover an Ascott brand to suit your hotel style and needs in Australia and around the world. For more information, visit discoverasr.com

GAME ON: Score a trip for two to London to watch Chelsea FC Women in a VIP Club Box at Stamford Bridge

The Ascott Limited’s new four-season partnership with Chelsea Football Club brings together two giants in their fields. To celebrate, Ascott Australia is giving you and a guest the chance to win a trip to London to watch Chelsea FC Women – the home of Australian champion Sam Kerr – play Liverpool in May 2025, with three nights of accommodation for two at the newly refurbished Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden London and a $4000 airfare credit to get you and your lucky plus-one there! To enter, visit qantas.com/ascottchelsea

On a multigenerational safari in Botswana, family comes into bright, beautiful focus.

Story by Catherine Marshall

It’s late afternoon in the Okavango Delta and a newborn elephant is learning to drink. Up goes her wrinkly bottom, down goes her flimsy trunk. Tossing aside the unfamiliar appendage, she submerges her face in the flood plain and with Cupid’s bow mouth sips her first muddy draft. Her mother oversees the milestone. Though nourished by milk, the calf must learn to sip from the delta’s immense cup of life.

“First, the babies drink with their mouths, before they know how to pour in water from their trunks,” says Gaonyadiwe “Spokes” Ntshwabi, our guide and founder of Classified Safaris (classifiedsafarisbw.com). The herd signals its encouragement; our elated human clan observes the triumphant moment.

Kinship has united my family for milestone celebrations of our own: the significant birthdays of my sister, Brenda, and brother-in-law Adrian. Fourteen of us – siblings, husbands, young adult cousins, our honorary “sister” and two sons-in-law – set off from the northern Botswana city of Kasane, just under two hours by plane from Johannesburg. Our seven-day mobile safari will take us to Savuti, a region encompassed by Chobe National Park, and Moremi Game Reserve.

Change HOPE begins with

The Hope Treatment Center in Thailand specializes in affordable and effective recovery programs.

Our life-changing approach combines a range of therapies including, CBT, counselling, trauma therapy, and relapse prevention. Our inspiring facility is situated on the coast amongst serene beaches and colorful Buddhist temples.

Our guests enjoy comfortable and well-appointed accommodation, massage, Thai boxing, Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, healthy Thai cuisine, and the opportunity to explore local islands and culture. Other benefits include:

l Individual Counselling

l Daily Therapeutic Groups

l Psychological Recovery Tools

l Recovery Program

l Relapse Prevention

l Mindfulness Coaching

Whether

l Morning Meditation Groups

l Aftercare Groups & Support

l Muay Thai Boxing Training

l Fitness & Yoga

l Traditional Thai Massage

l Fun Weekend Excursions

We’re a close-knit crew, still governed by a familial hierarchy. The “olds” hop into Ntshwabi’s LandCruiser, where my youngest sister, Jennifer, and I are soon scolded by a third sibling for rowdy behaviour (cheeky, considering the only taciturn member is my husband, Terence). Later, when we’ve fallen into reverent silence, dear family friend Pauline asks why the cackling has subsided, “I’ve come to associate it with safari in Botswana.” The “youngs”, meanwhile, are having their own fun in guide Mmolai Rephatlaletse’s vehicle –appropriately, since he and Ntshwabi are also cousins.

The mood turns sombre when our group is schooled in the great circle of life. It’s dusk and a juvenile bull elephant, felled by lions, lies beside a waterhole. Marabou storks survey the scene from the treetops; Cape turtle doves draw giddy wreaths across the flaming sky. The culprits are in

Licinia Machado

Arrive in style

For Mela Purdie, comfort doesn’t come at the expense of style. The Australian designer has spent decades refining her eponymous label’s signature concept: “now and always” wardrobe essentials that work seamlessly in transit to your destination. From March, an edit of the collection will be stocked at select Heinemann stores, starting with the Domestic terminal at Sydney Airport. Here, the designer reflects on the brand’s enduring success.

How did your “clothes that travel” concept come to be?

I was travelling a great deal at the time so my intention was to create pieces that moved with me from wardrobe to suitcase and back. I wanted to create a sense of luxury at ease – being able to relax on a journey, whether that’s a holiday or everyday life. We provide pieces that get you started – you can add a blazer or accessories but the underpinning look acts as an interchangeable base.

And how does colour play into the collections?

I think neutrals make for the best travel wardrobe because they’re so versatile. You don’t need to pack as much – you can just add pops of colour with accessories that will change the look for any occasion or destination.

How important is your choice of fabrics?

We use fabrics such as cotton and viscose blends and highly technical fabrics that have stretch, are noncrush, breathable, washable and feel luxurious against the skin.

How do you maximise your own wardrobe when travelling?

I always ask: How many times can you wear the same pants or shirt and give them different purposes? In a normal week, we don’t wear dozens of pieces. It’s important to remember that when you travel, too. Leave the just-in-case items.

Timeless simplicity is key to fashion designer Mela Purdie’s 25 years of success.

Mela wears the Powder Weave Smooth Shirt

attendance: cubs romping, lions drowsy with plenitude and a lioness safeguarding the kill. An elephant pauses for a trunk salute. Then she lunges towards the predators. The cubs scatter but their mother is resolute; she will not give up her prey. The aggrieved elephant dissolves into the thickets behind her departing herd. Our own family elder, Adrian, sums up the wonderment. “One day I’m sitting in Sydney, the next I’m in the African bush watching this,” he says as he sweeps his arm across the wild sage-scented tableau. “It’s a parallel universe.” Elephants are known to mourn their dead, Ntshwabi tells us, but mothers also dismiss males from the herd when they’re old enough to fend for themselves. “If he doesn’t have enough time to find his cousins and uncles, that’s when he would have been vulnerable to the lions.”

After dark, our group’s cousins and uncles chat around the campfire as the heavens cast their spell. Venus hangs low; the Southern Cross dawdles beyond the horizon. “You can

THE PURE, ICY ARCTIC BREEZE AN INTENSE MOMENT IN THE HEART OF THE ICE THE THRILL OF THE FIRST EXPLORERS

see the whole Milky Way up there,” says my son, Vincent. Our campsite is a collection of two-person tents arranged on the bone-white sand. It’s an improvement on the childhood camping trips my siblings and I took with our parents in Mozambique and our homeland, South Africa, when there were no comfy beds, solar-charged lamps, open-roofed ensuites with long-drop toilets and warm bucket showers. Or sundowners served by six camp staffers.

“A chenin blanc – crisp like the lions,” says tonight’s barman, Amen Shando. Chefs Maps Keorapetse and Fruit Mogapi conjure superb meals from an oven dug into the sand and covered with coals, including tender beef from Ntshwabi’s farm outside Kasane, fresh veggies and nightly desserts. They’re served with a chivalrous edict: “Ladies go first.” And for the vegetarian, “we have vegetable-sausage stew”, says Clinton Keorapetse, Maps’ nephew.

Doug Steakley

Experience Japan's Duality, Discover Another Side.

By Douglass McGowan

Get a glimpse of diversity in Tokyo and Wakayama. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of registration as a UNESCO world heritage site* in July 2024, Wakayama prefecture may change the way you see Japan.

Tokyo is a montage of modernity for every generation. Downtown you ’ ll find the world-renowned upscale shopping district, Ginza. Synonymous with luxury and elegance, an array of boutiques and landmark retailers, including one with an iconic clock tower, caters to a discerning clientele. The uptown side of the megapolis features Shibuya, where the emphasis is on younger fashion and street culture, including the famous Shibuya Crossing and statue of Hachiko. Walk 10 minutes along Cat Street, a row of trendy fashion and gourmet, and you will soon arrive in Harajuku with its Takeshita-Street where the latest of kawaii culture can be found.

Wakayama Prefecture lets you connect with the tranquillity and tradition of Japan. Wander into the ancient pilgrimage routes of Kumano Kodo* that offer diverse courses for hiking and trekking. Walk through lush forests along the Nachi Falls in the summer or to the Kumano Sanzan* shrines to enjoy its stunning natural beauty in the spring or autumn. Koyasan* is another destination on the pilgrimage route, renowned as the home of Shingon Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan in 806AD. The sacred mountain is home to over 100 temples while over 50 of them offer lodging and Buddhist vegetarian cuisine to visitors as well as temple rituals including meditation.

Different as night and day, the two destinations are only about an hour and a half apart. Next time, don’ t miss your chance to experience both sides of Japan in one trip.

Access is about 1hr 10-20min from Haneda Airport to Kansai International (KIX) or Kumano-Shirahama Resort Airport.

*The World Heritage Site is called the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in The Kii Mountain Range”

SKY EDGE at the SHIBUYA SKY building

Shibuya Scramble Crossing

One of the ancient pilgrimage routes in Kumano Kodo

Woman wearing Heian-period costume in a silent pilgrimage route

Next morning, our sons help lash luggage to the car roofs and the staff decamp for the journey south. Dunes forming the shores of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi rise in the west as we traverse the Mababe Depression. Cicadas seethe; impalas trim woolly caper bushes into neat pentagon shapes. Beyond them stretch alabaster pans stubbled with vegetation. Elephant herds spill across the horizon. “It feels surreal –more like a Hollywood set than reality,” says my son-in-law, Rob. “It looks like Jurassic Park.”

The staff greet us like family when we arrive at our private campsite in Khwai, tucked into the Khwai River’s riparian thickets within the Moremi Game Reserve, on the eastern fringes of the delta. They’ve reassembled our tents and Maps has prepared that evening’s dinner. Shando serves our nowcustomary “Gin & Ts”. Hyena whoops lullaby us to sleep and we awake to bees irate at an interloping honey badger and the doleful cry of an African fish eagle. “Much better than roosters, no?” says my brother, Charles.

The aquatic landscape is cast in luxuriant morning light. Red lechwe antelope squelch through the channels; African wild dog spoor laces a forest floor strewn with fallen mopane leaves turned a coppery red. Reading the ground like a map, Ntshwabi traces the endangered canines to a clearing, where the females of the matriarchal pack are feeding their pups.

On our final night, the family equilibrium is upended. “For the last supper, we’ll be making a change,” says Clinton. “If you don’t mind, men first.” Protestations erupt from the women. Hierarchies notwithstanding, we’re like those African wild dogs: a matriarchal clan.

Before leaving for Maun the next morning, we gather around the embers of last night’s campfire to thank Ntshwabi and Rephatlaletse and their own warm-hearted group. “I don’t know how you pulled off this incredible, celebratory journey,” says my nephew, Luke. “We have to pinch ourselves.” Filled with gratitude, we respond, “Amen.” All eyes turn to Shonda and we laugh. “I have one Amen,” says Ntshwabi, nodding in the barman’s direction. “Now I’m looking for a Hallelujah.”

Catherine Marshall. Pauline Volker

(Top left) Chef Maps Keorapetse; (above) Classified Safaris founder and guide Gaonyadiwe “Spokes” Ntshwabi

DO A DOUBLE TAKE

Some of Hong Kong’s most charming experiences are hidden in plain sight. Here, two local experts share their favourites.

DINING

Refuel at a buzzy local diner…

The once-industrial stronghold of Sham Shui Po has been transformed into a vibrant counterculture hub in recent years. The expansive, grid-like streets of this Kowloon neighbourhood are now dotted with independent galleries, retail spaces and small bars that mix with decades-old diners, Michelin-approved street-food stalls and heritage buildings housing legacy textile and electronics

stores. Elaine Li, a Hong Kong native now based in Sydney, always visits this area when she’s back in town. “Sham Shui Po is one of my favourite places in Hong Kong to shoot,” says the photographer and creative director.

One spot she invariably drops into is Sun Heung Yuen (Kin Kee) (G/F, 38 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon). This no-frills cha chaan teng (tea restaurant) has been plating up its famed corned beef and scrambled egg sandwiches since 1968. “I love how

authentic it is,” she enthuses. “The chef is in a white sleeveless tank top and the waiter’s yelling across the shop to place your order.”

Li’s go-to order? A hot milk tea and that corned beef sandwich.

“When you enter the restaurant, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time.” – Elaine

Li

… or indulge in innovative Cantonese fine dining

Opulent surrounds, floor-to-ceiling views of Victoria Harbour, intuitive service and respectfully creative versions of regional Chinese dishes – Howard’s Gourmet (howardsgourmet.com) is a quintessential upscale dining experience in Hong Kong.

This impressive Central restaurant, located on the fifth floor of the CCB Tower, is the vision of Guangzhou tastemaker Howard Cai: rooted in tradition but restrained and nuanced. The menu changes almost daily, based on the produce that’s available, and is underpinned by Cai’s detail-oriented cooking philosophy, which has been

influenced by his former career as a chemical engineer.

The restaurant is prized by Vicky Lau, the founder and head chef of two-Michelin-starred TATE Dining Room (tate.com.hk). “Seasonality exists for a reason,” she says. “Howard’s Gourmet redefines Chinese cuisine by prioritising high-quality ingredients to create truly exquisite dishes.”

“The signature hot and sour noodles are bursting with flavour.”

– Vicky Lau

Scale one of Hong Kong’s highest peaks…

Think of Hong Kong and the image that most often comes to mind is a fast-paced, neon-lit concrete jungle with skyscrapers at every turn. But the numbers tell a different story. The vast majority of the world’s fourth most densely populated region actually consists of expansive – and mostly unspoiled – lush green spaces, undulating mountainscapes and pristine beaches. You’re never too far from nature and there are plenty of incredible vantage points.

Li’s best-loved is Kowloon Peak , a rugged 602-metre-tall mountain formed from granite and other volcanic rocks that towers over East Kowloon. The moderate hike to the summit takes about two or three hours but you can jump in a taxi if you’re short on time. “Kowloon Peak has a special place in my heart – I’ve taken a lot of my photographer friends up there,” she says. “We always start by shooting the rainbow-hued Choi Hung Estate then make our way up. It’s best at sunrise and sunset.”

… or while away an afternoon by the water

The unsung heroes of Hong Kong are its beaches – more than 100 are dotted along the winding coastline, providing the perfect antidote to the heat, humidity and frenetic city energy. Big Wave Bay, perched on the eastern edge of Hong Kong Island, just a half-hour drive from Central, is “a great place to unwind”, according to Lau. “I enjoy visiting with friends and out-of-town guests because people don’t often associate Hong Kong with nature.”

In addition to the golden sand and scenic ocean views, Big Wave Bay also has rock carvings – believed to date back to the Bronze Age – that are worth exploring. Keen to up the ante? Ride the eponymous waves that roll in from the Tathong Channel (surfboard and stand-up paddleboards are available for hire in the village) or conquer the popular 8.5-kilometre Dragon’s Back trail to Shek O Peninsula Viewing Point.

OUTDOORS

NIGHT-LIFE

... or sip an unorthodox cocktail

Ever had a drink reminiscent of Thai beef salad? How about a tipple that tastes like teriyaki? These are just two of the highlights at The Savory Project (thesavoryproject.com), a sleek Soho spot that celebrates unconventional flavours, with a focus on earthy, umami and savoury profiles.

The vision of Ajit Gurung and Jay Khan, the team behind award-winning Coa (coa.com.hk), The Savory Project invites guests to challenge preconceived notions of traditional cocktails, with a back bar that showcases ingredients more often found in kitchens – from white soy sauce and curry leaves to XO sauce and corn husks.

The concept has won plenty of fans. After opening in May 2023, the venue debuted at No. 19 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list and is the after-dark choice of boundary-pushing chef Lau. Her top picks? The Biryani, which she describes as “a fragrant concoction packed with rich flavours”, and the signature Thai Beef Salad (right), a beverage the chef loves for its “refreshing kick”.

Hit the streets with a craft beer in hand…

Hong Kong’s night-life is legendary but, of the buzzy bars that line the hilly streets of Central and Soho, 99 Bottles (@99bottleshk) has become Li’s preferred spot. This laid-back, neon-lit bar in the heart of the city’s late-night district boasts one of Hong Kong’s most interesting –and affordable – craft beer menus.

“I’m past my era of dressing up to go clubbing,” she says. “Now I just want to wear a T-shirt and flip-flops and hang out with friends – that’s the kind of vibe you get at 99 Bottles.”

For a true after-dark experience in Hong Kong, grab your beer and head outside to join the punters from neighbouring bars as they spill out onto Peel Street.

Choose a new signature scent for yourself…

Shiu Shing Hong (shiu-shing.com.hk) has been a mainstay for more than 50 years, making a name for itself as one of Hong Kong’s most idiosyncratic stores.

From the outside, the blink-and-you’llmiss-it shopfront resembles a mid-century apothecary. Indoors, the walls are lined with housemade essential oils and raw materials for cosmetics. But even more intriguing are the bottles that feature

labels such as “Hong Kong International Airport” and “Lululemon”. The mix masters have painstakingly re-created the signature scents of shopping malls, hotels and more.

“When you go in, it looks no-frills – the labels are still printed on paper. You can tell someone just typed it up, printed it and put it on a bottle,” says Li. “I love that the store and the packaging are so lo-fi but they are re-creating the scents of five- and six-star hotels. They’re super-affordable as well.”

… before browsing an open-air antiques market

Stretching over a narrow pedestrian street in Sheung Wan’s antiques district, the markets on Upper Lascar Row, more commonly known as Cat Street (cat-street.hk), house all manner of Hong Kong curios – from vintage film posters and photography prints to

beautiful silk wares and jade handicrafts. More laid-back than the large-scale open-air affairs on Temple Street and in Mong Kok, this century-old market is by no means a tourist trap, having established itself as a favourite among locals and visitors alike.

“There are so many shops that contain goodies and hidden gems. Walk up and down the street slowly

and just take your time to enjoy the old Hong Kong,” advises Lau, whose second restaurant, Mora (mora.com.hk), is also found on Cat Street.

“I chose this location because of how I feel about the area. There’s a lot of history and heritage, which are important aspects of the menu. Plus, it’s not so common for a restaurant to be at street level with no cars.”

SHOPPING

ART

Explore a museum of contemporary culture…

Taking pride of place in the new West Kowloon Cultural District, M+ (mplus.org. hk) underscores Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s most important art and creative centres. The commanding building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron

and Farrells, houses an interdisciplinary collection of more than 7000 pieces, with a particular focus on 20th- and 21st-century works from Greater China.

Li says she always leaves the harbourfront museum feeling inspired, whether she’s there to explore an impressive array of the latest visual culture – exhibitions include a Guo Pei

showcase and a world-first full-scale I. M. Pei retrospective – or admire the space itself. “I can easily spend a day at M+. I’m really interested in culture, identity and history and I love learning about that through an artistic lens. Even if you just want to walk around and take photos of the space, the architecture is great.”

... or take a peek at some ultra-exclusive artworks

Art and luxury meet at Sotheby’s Maison (sothebys.com), the Asian flagship of the fine-arts auction house, which is located in the heart of Central. The two-storey retail-museum hybrid, which opened in July, features a striking design that draws on the Taoist principles of dichotomy and dynamism across its 2250 square metres.

The maison contains a curated display of artworks, artefacts and

more – spanning many centuries and all continents – that are available for purchase. In a space where Banksy originals sit alongside antique jewellery and dinosaur fossils, opportunities for inspiration abound so it’s no wonder Sotheby’s appears on Lau’s hit list. “It’s an absolute treasure for art- and design-lovers. The first floor’s concept store is filled with exquisite art and luxury items, each telling a unique story.”

Unwind in a minimalist boutique stay…

It may be just beyond the livelier part of Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Hong Kong’s lifestyle and entertainment precincts, but Page148 (pagehotels.com) is an oasis of calm. “It’s understated and very accessible, which is what I like,” says Li, who adds that the 197-room hotel is an ideal base from which to explore Kowloon. “Also, it’s not in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui so it’s a bit quieter and you can have some downtime.”

It’s easy to achieve “a sense of peace”, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, marble-clad bathrooms with amenities by all-natural, cruelty-free Australian label Appelles and in-house lobby café Page Common, which serves coffee that hits the spot and light, brunch-style bites and pastries.

Li suggests trying to snag a corner room. “I stayed there with my baby when he was a few months old and had to wake up at 5am. The view of the beautiful sunrise made the early start easier.”

… or go big in one of the best hotels in the world

Occupying a prime spot on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, Rosewood Hong Kong (rosewoodhotels.com) has established itself as a must-stay. In September, it came in at No. 3 on the 2024 list of the World’s 50 Best Hotels. Lau regularly checks in to Rosewood for staycations and special occasions, namechecking it as “one of Hong Kong’s finest hotels”.

The 65-storey, 413-room property is the jewel in the crown of Tsim Sha Tsui’s flashy Victoria Dockside retail, lifestyle and design district, imagined by celebrated interior designer Tony Chi as a “vertical estate”, replete with green spaces and outdoor zones throughout.

“The Rosewood has breathtaking views and impeccable service,” says Lau. “There’s so much to do in the hotel and around the area. It also offers exceptional dining options such as Chaat – I love the tandoori dishes – and The Legacy House for dim sum.”

STAY

E V ENTS

Light it up for a centuriesold tradition…

With a history dating back more than 3000 years, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most auspicious dates on the Chinese cultural calendar. This annual harvest festival, held around the autumn equinox in October, sees neighbourhoods across Hong Kong illuminated by colourful lanterns and lively dragon dances along the streets.

Perhaps the best-known of these is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage celebration that takes over the otherwise quiet district across three nights. This year, about 300 performers worked in tandem to parade a 67-metre-long fire-lit dragon made of pearl straws and some 12,000 incense sticks.

“It’s a really exciting event to go to,” says Li. “You’re almost fearful for the people holding the dragon because there’s so much fire but at the same time, it looks really cool. It’s such a unique experience, which I don’t think you can see anywhere else in the world.”

… or peruse modern art at a large-scale fair

Hong Kong has become a major global hub for art and culture – the city is home to international outposts of blue-chip galleries such as London’s Rossi Rossi, a year-round roster of public art exhibitions and an energetic community of independent creatives. And for one week every March, the art world’s gaze turns to the city for Art Basel Hong Kong (art-basel.com), the Asian edition of one of the most influential art fairs.

“Art Basel is a vibrant celebration of contemporary art that brings together artists, collectors and enthusiasts from around the world,” says Lau. “I like to learn about art, and the innovative exhibits and dynamic atmosphere create an inspiring environment.”

Say hello to Hong Kong. Book your trip now at qantas.com

Feel the footsteps of Yolŋu dancers through the earth in Arnhem Land or share mezcal with Mexican families on Día de los Muertos – visiting a destination during a celebration grants you a shortcut to the heart of the place.

THE MAIN EVENTS

Honouring life, death and everything in-between, these festivals around the world are worth adding to your 2025 travel plans.

Story by Alex Greig

Amy Sperry

LUNAR NEW YEAR

When: 29 to 31 January

As the Year of the Snake slithers in and the Dragon’s fire and smoke fade, the heartbeat of drums will echo through Hong Kong. Festooned with glowing red lanterns, lion dances and perfumed by bunches of flowers and piles of fruit, the city is swept up in the Lunar New Year festivities, which involve fireworks, much feasting and get-togethers.

The main event? The Chinese New Year Parade gets the revelry started and brings a buzzy street-party vibe to the Tsim Sha Tsui area. You can buy tickets for spectator stands lining the route from the Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Centre in Kowloon (discoverhongkong.com).

The dazzling Lunar New Year fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour on the second day of the celebrations. A strong case can be made for watching the spectacular from Michelin-starred French fine-diner Cristal Room (cristalroombyasp. com), helmed by chef Anne-Sophie Pic, on the 44th floor of the Gloucester Tower in the Central district. The rooftop pool at the brand-new Kimpton Hong Kong (ihg.com) also offers stiff competition in the viewing stakes.

HONG KONG, CHINA

SOUTH KOREA

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

When: Late March to early April

South Korea’s cultural impact – K-pop, K-beauty, K-drama – is known as Hallyu (the Korean Wave) and it’s time to ride it. In the neon-lit capital, Seoul, where the pace is dizzying, cherry blossom season welcomes an irresistible, if fleeting, opportunity for calm reflection.

Pilgrims to the Cherry Blossom Festival (beotkkot) have just a few days to witness peak efflorescence. Join the crowds who flock to Yeouido Hangang Park to admire its almost 2000 cherry trees or take a cruise on the Han River and glide past the natural confetti. The floorto-ceiling windows in the rooms at luxe hotel Signiel Seoul (qantas.com/hotels/ signielseoul), occupying the 76th to 101st floors of Lotte World Tower, overlook the blushing blossoms that encircle Seokchon Lake.

In Seoul, the local greeting, “Have you eaten?”, is a great question. Here, where innovation is part of the everyday, even the pastries are avant-garde. Desserts at Nudake (nudake. com) are, frankly, bonkers – consider the Onion Pickle Burger Cake of sweet onion cream, chocolate cake patty, American cheese and pickle in salty buns – but one taste will dismiss any doubts.

SEOUL,

OSAKA, JAPAN

WORLD EXPO 2025

When: 13 April to 13 October

Next year, Osaka will become the first Japanese city to host the World Expo twice (expo2025.or.jp) –the other was held in 1970. Every five years, nations gather to share their ideas, innovation and technology and this time, participants will ponder the theme Designing Future Society For Our Lives. Yumeshima (Dream Island), a vast 390hectare area built in Osaka Bay for the Expo, delivers panoramic views from its Grand Ring, an incredible wooden structure that’s 20 metres high and two kilometres around.

The six-month-long exhibition is a tasty side dish to Osaka itself, with its enticing food culture known as kuidaore (“eat until you drop”). Izakaya is non-negotiable if you want to experience the city’s nightlife. Join the afterwork crowd at the Osaka Yakiton Center (3-19 Nambasennichimae, Chuo-ku) for grilled pork skewers and self-pour sake. Binbiya (1-7-26 Sonezaki-shinchi, Kita-ku) gained a Michelin star in 2013 but the plumsimmered sardines are still affordable.

The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka (qantas.com/ hotels/fourseasonshotel osaka) riffs on the Expo theme. It has 21 rooms with tatami sleeping mats, sliding doors and low-slung tables – a modern take on the classic ryokan (inn).

Pingting Wang

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES

WORLDPRIDE

When: 17 May to 8 June

If the extent of your knowledge of Washington, DC begins and ends with Veep, it may come as a surprise that the city is hosting WorldPride 2025 (worldpridedc.org). But DC’s compact grid has dual personalities. Yes, it’s the nation’s capital but it’s also a collision point of cultures, on the dividing line between the North and South of the United States, and has the highest per capita LGBTQI+ population in the country.

An extra reason to celebrate is that next year’s WorldPride coincides with the 50th anniversary of DC’s own Capital Pride. An opening ceremony kicks things off, followed by a packed calendar of events, including the WorldPride Parade along Pennsylvania Avenue. Diversity is also expressed in a culinary sense. Sample Ethiopian kitfo at Tsehay (tsehaydc. com) and pandan lattes at Hiraya (hirayadc.com) then book at mod-Lebanese Ilili (ililirestaurants.com) for hummus with Maryland blue-crab falafel. Nearby, the new Pendry Washington DC (qantas.com/hotels/ pendry washington) signals that The Wharf precinct has arrived. Rooms look out on the Potomac River and the lift to rooftop drinking den Moonraker has a bar cart, in case you can’t wait to reach the top.

Paul Morigi

Island fever

Whether it’s luxury resorts, the best dining experiences or high-octane family fun you’re after, the expansive playground known as Sentosa Island –less than 15 minutes from Singapore’s city centre – has it all.

Stay

Resorts World Sentosa Singapore (right) operates no fewer than six hotels on Sentosa Island. Five-star Equarius Villas (below) takes indulgence to the next level, offering tropical sanctuaries that enable guests to step straight off their sundeck into a vast lagoon pool. Villas, with one to four bedrooms, are ensconced in tropical gardens, while some overlook the ocean and city skyline. Each one comes with a personal butler to attend to your every need.

For guests travelling with kids, Equarius Hotel’s family-friendly suites feature broad balconies for soaking up the rainforest views. Spacious living areas are just what you need to relax after a day spent at the resort’s theme parks, just a short walk away.

Eat

From authentic hawker fare to world-renowned fine dining, Resorts World Sentosa caters for a range of culinary moods. Award-winning Syun showcases master chef Hal Yamashita’s creative shin-washoku (“new Japanese cuisine”) through signature dishes that include Wagyu beef and sea urchin rolls dabbed with Oscietra caviar, while a sushi counter offers beautifully presented seafood. At Chifa!, Singapore’s first Peruvian-Chinese restaurant, you can sample punchy flavours such as abalone sui mai (dumplings) with smoky ají panca mayo.

Play

It’s easy to spend a day (or two) exploring South-East Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park (above right), which is part of Resorts World Sentosa. Catch the ride based on movie favourite Transformers or be whisked away to six themed locations, including Hollywood, Ancient Egypt and the kingdom of Far Far Away. Nearby, new

There’s something for everyone at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore. Scan the QR code or visit rwsentosa.com

interactive exhibit Harry Potter: Visions of Magic invites Muggles into the Wizarding World, thanks to multi-sensory installations and immersive soundscapes. Or try Adventure Cove Waterpark, featuring water slides with high-speed twists and turns and the chance to snorkel with marine life in the Rainbow Reef. Tickets to the aquatic playground are free for guests of Resorts World Sentosa hotels.

The feeling of remoteness takes on a new significance in Arnhem Land, a vast 97,000-square-kilometre wilderness in the northeast corner of the Northern Territory. Owned by the Yolŋu people, the Gove Peninsula is bordered by unspoiled waters, with wetlands weaving through its interior.

Every year, more than 2000 visitors join the region’s population of 16,000 to gather in Gulkula, a 30-minute drive from Nhulunbuy (daily flights here depart Cairns and Darwin) for the Garma Festival, hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation (yyf.com.au). Tickets for this celebration of traditional Yolŋu manikay (song), buŋgul (dance), miny’tji (art) and yarning come with a tent, an air mattress or stretcher bed, a sleeping bag and all meals during your stay.

ARNHEM LAND, NORTHERN TERRITORY

GARMA FESTIVAL

When: 1 to 4 August

After four days of cultural immersion – you can join workshops, forums and healing activities –Arnhem Land is your oyster. Book into Groote Eylandt Lodge (qantas. com/hotels/grooteeylandt lodge) for private fishing safaris, spring-water swimming holes and empty beaches.

Head out on daytrips from Nhulunbuy to the pristine coastline, tour the tranquil Gayŋaru Wetlands with a local guide and spend time in the pristine Bawaka Homeland, a 45-minute drive from Nhulunbuy, where you can explore the rainforest, fish in the clear waters and picnic on the white sands.

You’ll need to obtain the required permits to gain access to much of East Arnhem Land. Check out the details and options at eastarnhemland.com.au.

Leicolhn McKellar

VENICE

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

When: 27 August to 6 September

Late in the European summer, the Lido, a sandy strip that separates Venice’s lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, serves as headquarters for the Venice International Film Festival (labiennale. org). Industry professionals flood La Serenissima for premieres, screenings and networking but despite its prestige, the 11-day event is refreshingly democratic. Cinephiles can buy tickets to films at the festival hub, Palazzo del Cinema, online or from the Lido ticket booths around the island.

The mainland (as it’s called – Venice is made up of 118 islands connected by more than 400 bridges) is a short vaporetto ride across the lagoon. Keep your eyes peeled for passing A-listers at the extraordinary Aman Venice (qantas.com/hotels/ amanvenice), lapped by the Grand Canal’s languorous swell. Newcomer Violino

D’Oro Venezia (left; qantas. com/hotels/violinodoro venezia) is a restored palazzo where the owners tapped Italian craftspeople for everything from its polished terrazzo floors to the cutlery. Get the lowdown from locals at bacari, wine bars serving cicchetti (small dishes) alongside drinks, such as white wine Orto di Venezia, which you can try at tiny Cantine del Vino già Schiavi (cantinaschiavi.com).

VENICE, ITALY

Spectacle of speed

Multimillion-dollar catamarans, world-class athletes, a lively atmosphere and some serious on-water racing – the SailGP is coming to Sydney.

“It’s the best sailors in the world on the fastest sailing boats,” says Tom Slingsby, explaining the raw thrill of SailGP, a nautical sport featuring an exhilarating mix of windswept drama and adrenaline.

“These F50 hydrofoiling catamarans can do 100 kilometres an hour. SailGP is now an extreme sport because of the speeds we travel at – it’s redefined sailing.”

Slingsby is an Olympic champion and America’s Cup winner but that elite pedigree is common on board each of the multimillion-dollar boats taking part. “As an athlete, you want to race against the very best,” he says. It’s one of the reasons he competes in

the global tour with 13 events across five continents, including in cities such as New York, Dubai and Auckland.

SailGP has also redefined sailing as a spectator sport. In the Sydney event on 8 and 9 February, the boats will zip around the Shark Island racecourse on Sydney Harbour and you can watch all the action at close quarters from vantage points along the foreshore or on the water.

Races are short and intense –usually lasting less than 14 minutes – and fiercely competitive. Each catamaran is identical in build so no team can secure a technical advantage. “It all comes down to the skill of the sailors,” says Slingsby.

Book a SailGP package to suit your experience

For action fans

To experience the drama up close, secure a Waterfront Premium ticket that offers a direct view of the racing from Shark Island, plus lunch from Fishbowl, drinks and a Messina gelato.

For thrill-seekers

If you want to get even closer to the action, take a front-row seat aboard the official spectator boat that will float around the middle of the harbour, inside the public exclusion zone.

For social butterflies

Ahead of the race days, there’s a Friday lead-up event with behind-the-scenes access to SailGP’s Tech Site on Glebe Island. Catch a Q&A with top athletes and enjoy access to premium food trucks, a container bar and DJ beats.

National bragging rights are at stake as each of the 12 boats from different countries go head to head. Helmed by Slingsby, the Australian team has won the championship three times and narrowly missed out to Spain in 2023.

“The atmosphere on Shark Island last year was amazing, with thousands of people singing the national anthem – those special moments are why you become an athlete.”

DIWALI

When: 21 October

Along the ancient Silk Road trade route, the Pink City of Jaipur in India’s north-west is home to grand Mughal palaces, splendid pre-colonial architecture and bustling bazaars. During Diwali, the Indian religious festival that marks the banishing of darkness and welcoming of light, Jaipur’s twinkling finery is best viewed from one of the city’s rooftop drinking spots. The Pink Bar recently opened at the regal Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar (qantas.com/ hotels/hyattregencyjaipur mansarovar) and it’s the place for a spectrum of brightly hued cocktails.

On the subject of finery, donning brandnew outfits is considered auspicious during Diwali and it’s something visitors can embrace in Jaipur, where shopping is both a sport and a pastime. Pick up handcrafted jewellery, kaleidoscopic textiles and traditional mojari shoes at the famous Chandpole bazaar (J D A Market Tulsi Marg, Jaipur 302002) or visit the high-end emporia at the Hotel Narain Niwas Palace (hotelnarainniwas. com) for sari shawls and hand-embroidered fabrics. Just out of town but worth the 20-minute drive is Villa Palladio Jaipur (villa-palladio-jaipur.com), a classic haveli (mansion) transformed into a nineroom fairytale stay.

JAIPUR, INDIA

Tuul and Bruno Morandi

OAXACA, MEXICO

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

When: 31 October to 2 November

During Mexico’s exuberant, life-affirming festival of the dead, it’s believed the veil separating our world from the next lifts, allowing the return of the deceased to their loved ones. The pre-Hispanic heritage of Oaxaca, the eponymous capital of the southern region, endows Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) rituals with a particular

authenticity. Here, tides of skeleton forms flow along cobbled streets, the air heady with the scent of marigolds and sweet pan de muerto (bread of the dead). As darkness falls, families gather at cemeteries to share memories and food.

Oaxaca is also Mexico’s gastronomic centre and at La Cocina de Humo (lacocinadehumo. com.mx), chef Thalía Barrios García creates dishes from ancestral ingredients and techniques. Beat a path to Selva (selvaoaxaca.com), a stuccoed bar inside a 17th-century building in the Centro district, and try myriad mezcals. When it’s time to leave the festivities, Otro hotel’s 16 rooms (qantas.com/hotels/otro oaxaca) beckon with their mix of the traditional –hand-made textiles and Zapotec motifs – and modern minimalism.

Rainy days, made good.

The art of champagne pairing

No longer reserved for celebrating, Lallier is an elegant choice for your holiday menu, says Rockpool Bar & Grill’s executive chef.

The pop of a cork is the soundtrack to celebration but why stop there this festive season? “We always think of champagne to start but there are so many flavours, you can drink it with anything,” says Santiago Aristizabal, executive chef at Rockpool Bar & Grill.

Aristizabal recently curated an entire menu based on champagnes produced by Lallier, a historical house from the French Grand Cru village of Aÿ that produces brut, blanc de blancs and rosé champagne among other varietals.

While brut’s flavour profile typically favours continuity, Lallier’s Réflexion leans into the expression of each year’s harvest, with the notes of every crop teased out by Lallier cellar master and general manager Dominique Demarville.

Aristizabal says the “freshness and acidity” of Réflexion R.020 suits seafood and shellfish. At Rockpool, he opened a champagne-matched menu by pairing it with Royal Oscietra caviar tartlets and woodfire-grilled abalone with bottarga.

If you’re playing along at home, grilled prawns or a prawn or scallop ceviche cured with lime, onion, capsicum, garlic and chives also team well with the R.020’s fine, silky texture and chalky minerality.

To follow, Aristizabal suggests a light, citrusy blanc de blancs paired with rich goat’s cheese tortellini and Moreton Bay bug then, for dessert, Lallier’s dry rosé champagne to counter sweet flavours. “You can find the same tasting notes in champagne as you do in wine,” he points out. “Why not serve it with everything?”

15,000 BONUS POINTS PER CASE

A versatile brut

Featuring strong citrus notes and hints of ripe fruit, Réflexion works with mains and desserts as well as entrées. A line can be traced from the white peach and fresh cumquat in the R.020 champagne to the sunny, dry summer of 2020, when most of its fruit was harvested –the honeyed flavour distinct from the delicate sweetness of its predecessor, the R.019. LALLIER Réflexion R.020 (case of 6), 90,000 PTS or $534.

Lallier Réflexion R.020 is exclusively served in Qantas First Lounges. Try Lallier at home and earn or use Qantas Points when you buy the range at qantaswine.com/c/lallier

HIGHERCALLING

Story by Larissa Dubecki Photography by Shayd Johnson

Strung between two enormous spines of rock at the pinnacle of Mount Nimbus, the suspension bridge looks like someone has been playing around with Photoshop. It could be a scene from a fantasy movie (cue hobbits) but it’s thrillingly real. My heart thumps as I step gingerly across one slender wooden plank at a time, trying not to be distracted by the cinematic 600-metre drop below.

Spoiler alert: I’m in no actual peril. On a CMH heli-hiking holiday (cmhsummer.com) there are helicopters, certainly, and enough physical challenges to become reacquainted with muscles long thought lost. But this is mountaineering for regular people.

“It’s hiking without the normal grind,” says guide Jordan as we wade through a tumbling stream under the stern watch of a millennia-old glacier. “You’re taking the express route to the good stuff.” The way there involves via ferrata – “iron roads” composed of steel cables and metal rungs hammered into rock – and safety harnesses that allow our group of 10 to scale steep

cliffs and cross nosebleed-high suspension bridges. They help turn the 3297-square-kilometre wilderness in the Purcell Ranges (next door to the Canadian Rockies) into a giant playground.

As I conquer Mount Nimbus, North America’s longest via ferrata, I feel an affinity with Sir Edmund Hillary but for one small point of difference: the harness that clips me to a steel cable during my 2500 metres of scrambling, sweating and occasional swearing. For a neurotic lowlander like me, the experience illustrates why mountains are metaphors.

CMH pioneered heli-skiing in British Columbia 60 years ago and expanded to summer itineraries (from July to early September) in the late 1970s. About a four-hour drive and a short chopper flight from Calgary, the brand’s Bobbie Burns and Bugaboos lodges are inaccessible by road for much of the year and feel gloriously remote. The lodge-to-lodge experience I’ve joined will see our group spend three nights at Bobbie Burns (right) before being transferred (via a hike and/or helicopter) for another three nights at Bugaboos.

An alpine vision of timber and stone, the two properties could have been plucked from an ad for Swiss chocolate. Legend has it that CMH founder Hans Gmoser tried to encourage guests into the communal lounge area by installing low lighting in their rooms but these days there’s no need for inducement thanks to stone fireplaces, baronial chandeliers and plenty of comfy chairs. Each lodge also has a deck with a spa positioned to soak up the strikingly different views. At Bobbie Burns it’s the pine-forested peaks; at “Bugs”, granite spires soar dramatically into the heavens like nature’s own Gothic church. Heli-hiking draws a slightly different crowd to heli-skiing. It’s still geared towards the adventurous but our diverse band is made up of couples and friends spanning their 30s to their 80s. There are first-timers and others who come annually to explore the terrain, including an octogenarian gent. Even for those less agile, the helicopters ensure access to the epic environment. CMH takes this seriously, addressing the carbon footprint of the expeditions by offsetting its operations.

Each day of the trip begins with an optional stretching class and a hearty breakfast – eggs, bacon, granola – before we split into groups according to our abilities, whether that’s strolling in a field of wildflowers or testing the laws of gravity on a cliff face. We lift off in the lodge’s 12-seat aircraft and loop giddily over forests bisected by milky-white rivers, skirt craggy grey-blue ranges and glide above silent, ancient glacial icefields. The pilot aborts a valley landing when a grizzly bear is spied close by but less fearsome creatures lurk in the wilderness: fluff-eared lynx, earnest grouse and marmots, which resemble a cross between a ground squirrel and a fold-out couch. We’re whisked in minutes to places so remote they would otherwise take days to reach on foot. One morning at Bugaboos begins on a via ferrata known as the “sky ladder” thanks to its near-vertical 213-metre climb. At the summit, we stop to eat the lunch we each carried in our packs (mine’s a mortadella and pesto roll with a chocolate chaser) before hiking along a windswept ridgeline to a lake that’s the artificial-looking

colour of a Blue Heaven milkshake. Later still we climb through a meadow, springy underfoot with heath and bright with red paintbrush flowers. “It’s such a privilege to be here,” says guide Johnny. “It’s humbling to think this has been here for millions of years while we’re just a blip.”

The company’s operations are designed to have minimal impact. A micro hydroelectric system is in the pipeline at Adamants, another of CMH’s 11 destinations, and preliminary feasibility studies are being done for similar infrastructure at both Bobbie Burns and Bugaboos. Any such projects include extensive consultation with the Traditional Owners, in this instance, the Ktunaxa Nation and Shuswap Band.

Arriving back at our base means being coddled in comfort. The après-hike scene features charcuterie and cheeses one evening, caramelised pork ribs and slaw another. The wellstocked bar is big on Canadian wine – I quickly fall for British Columbia’s luscious take on riesling – while our family-style meals are hearty yet sophisticated. There’s tuna tataki using

albacore caught in local waters. Angus beef tenderloin from sustainable ranchers. Berry mille-feuille. The house-baked bread changes often and is not to be missed, whether it’s ciabatta, honey whole wheat or zopf. It’s a friendly atmosphere, guides mixing with guests, stories being swapped. Mountaindictated circadian rhythms see everyone retire early; I sleep with the curtains open to the night sky.

For all the in-lodge indulgence and the undiminishing thrill of taking a chopper like you would an Uber, I find the best parts of my week concern less quantifiable metrics. Inching duck-footed across a spindly wire Burma bridge in the spray of a roaring waterfall (“There are no points for style,” reassures Johnny). Edging sideways along a rock face next to the jagged spectacle of the Conrad Glacier. Stepping into big air to rappel down a cliff. Our group loves a chat yet after this dramatic descent, feet safely on terra firma, we’re just individuals alone with the landscape, an unspoken consensus to let the moment breathe. It’s a feeling almost as beautiful as the mountains.

Bugaboos Lodge

Presented by Qantas Hotels & Holidays

The hits list

From weekend getaways in ever-popular Melbourne to favourite island escape Fiji, it’s little wonder these great-value destinations, hotels and tours were the most booked by Qantas Frequent Flyers in 2024. Inspired for your next holiday?

More is more in Melbourne

Qantas Frequent Flyers made this urban escape, in the One Bedroom Suite at The Langham, Melbourne, the most popular luxury holiday stay in 2024 and due to demand, this two-night offer returns this month. There’s a lot to love about the opulent Southbank hotel – elegant décor, king-sized beds and Diptyque toiletries among them. The extras that come with this Qantas Luxury Holidays booking –including access to The Langham Club, a sumptuous daily buffet breakfast, a $50 food and beverage voucher and civilised 1pm check-out – seal the deal.

From $949 or 84,545 points for 2 guests for 2 nights. Offer ends 31 December 2024. Visit Qantas Luxury Holidays.1

Earn up to 3 points for every $1 spent

MOST POPULAR LUXURY HOLIDAY

Sun-kissed Fiji

Swaying palms and powdery sand weren’t the only reasons that the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa fulfilled the island fantasy for QFFs. It also offers nine outdoor pools, spacious rooms with terraces and soaking tubs, ocean-view restaurants, day spa and kids’ club.

From $575 or 72,403 points for 1 night for 2 guests. Visit Qantas Hotels. 2

Chinese treasures

Find out why this deeply traditional yet fascinatingly modern country was so beloved, on an 11-day China Discovery tour that takes in the high-rises and hutongs (alleyways) of Beijing, the Great Wall, Shanghai’s famed Bund promenade and the UNESCO-listed Lingering Garden in Suzhou.

From $999 or 99,900 points per person. Visit Qantas Tours.4

View from the top

Showcasing floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome in light, a glam lobby adorned with art and a glassenclosed infinity pool 27 levels up for spectacular city views, Crown Metropol scores top marks for its designer aesthetic and prime Southbank location.

From $299 or 37,970 points for 1 night for 2 guests. Visit Qantas Hotels. 3

Whitsundays wonder

Small but perfectly formed, Daydream Island Resort was a hit for its beach-chic rooms, waterfront dining, free activities and Living Reef, one of the world’s largest man-made coral lagoons – view the marine life on a snorkel tour or from the underwater observatory.

Bundle your hotel and flights and save, plus earn 3 points for every $1 spent and Status Credits on flights. Visit Qantas Holidays. 5

DID YOU KNOW?

You can earn points on Airbnb when you book through Qantas Hotels. Earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent. Visit qantas.com/airbnb

The Sunshine Coast in Queensland was 2024’s top regional destination among QFFs, followed closely by Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

MOST POPULAR FLY & STAY PACKAGE

MOST POPULAR DOMESTIC HOTEL

Arts and Culture Report

State of the arts World-class productions, exciting emerging talent and a renewed focus on driving the local industry forward means there’s never been a better time to celebrate Australia’s flourishing arts and culture scene. Here are the names to know right now.

Story by Mitchell Oakley Smith

Rrawun Maymuru SINGER AND SONGWRITER

As part of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s upcoming 35th anniversary season, East Arnhem Land ocean and waterway custodian Rrawun Maymuru will perform Water, an original piece that he composed with musician Nick Wales.

“When two cultures come together to create something there are always challenges but when we break through those challenges, the outcome is always a highlight,” says Maymuru. It’s his first appearance with the orchestra and the first time his traditional Yolŋu language will be performed in a Baroque setting.

Presented alongside a complete rendition of Handel’s Water Music masterpiece, the composition premieres in a concert experience billed as a celebration of the spiritual and cultural significance of water to the Yolŋu people and a reminder of our collective responsibility to cherish and protect it. “Water is part of the land, its flow is something we follow,” says Maymuru. “For us it is the giver of life; Mother Earth is the boss lady.”

Water Music will be performed at Melbourne Recital Centre, 9 to 12 October 2025 (melbournerecital.com.au); and City Recital Hall, Sydney, 14 to 18 October 2025 (cityrecitalhall.com).

Jazz Money

ARTIST, POET AND FILMMAKER

Despite having released a new collection of poetry, Mark the Dawn, in August and a feature-length re-envisioning of archival works made by and about First Nations Australian people called Winhanganha (“remember, know, think” in Wiradjuri language) late last year, Jazz Money is not stopping to rest. For the Wiradjuri descendant and award-winning poet, artist and filmmaker, a prolific output is merely the impetus to create more and explore and experiment further with new mediums. Case in point: their recent steel and LED solar light sculpture, Only Country Lasts Forever, installed on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin as part of the 2024 Canberra Art Biennial. And the immersive audio installation, on display until 2 February 2025 at Sydney’s Mosman Art Gallery, inspired by the anthem Money wrote for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir, This is How We Love

Micheal Do CURATOR, WRITER AND BROADCASTER

“I didn’t grow up with a lot of creative opportunities,” says Micheal Do. “It wasn’t until I picked up a book, when I properly listened to music and started looking deeply at art that I felt I finally began to understand the world and my place in it.” Do, who grew up in Sydney’s west to migrant parents, hasn’t let go of the feeling since, which goes some way to explaining his commitment to opening up the sometimes intimidating art world.

Witness his role as senior curator of contemporary art at the Sydney Opera House, where Do is responsible for initiatives such as local and international artist talks. For his programming of talks at Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, he drew on culture-movers and thought-shapers across the country in conversations that examined art through the lenses of fashion, theatre, collecting and current affairs.

He’s also wrapped a five-week season on ABC Radio National The Art Show as presenter, is serving as a curatorial advisor to the National Art School Galleries and is gearing up for the annual Lighting of the Sails at the Opera House as part of Vivid Sydney in May 2025.

“I want to offer this gift [of creativity and the arts] to other people,” he says. “I never cut myself off to rigid and rote templates of how to do things. I want to use the entire palette – every tool, every means – to build culture and tell stories.”

Yerin Ha ACTRESS

When the much-anticipated fourth season of Netflix series Bridgerton finally airs, Australian actress Yerin Ha will cement her status as one of the world’s most exciting young talents. Joining the Regency-era romance as servant girl Sophie Baek, illegitimate daughter of an earl, her story has a Cinderella twist in a love affair with leading man Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson).

“I hope, just as with any character I portray, that there is a sense of truth and people see Sophie – someone who still craves and yearns for love despite all of her trauma and neglect,” says Ha, who also appeared in psychological horror film Sissy and sci-fi TV series Dune: Prophecy and Halo “I think every human wants and desires to be loved so that’s my focus and I hope the audience will be able to see that.”

Ha, who was born in Sydney to Korean parents, is particularly proud of representing the multiculturalism of her home country, a place she believes instilled her creativity and desire to tell human stories. “We live on a beautiful land with such a rich history of First Nations peoples sharing stories and using storytelling to pass down knowledge. I hope we can continue to shine light on that.”

Daniel Mateo DANCER AND POET

Dance Clan, an initiative by acclaimed First Nations performance company Bangarra Dance Theatre, fosters the talents of new generations of storytellers and creatives via an annual series of works designed to showcase emerging artists. In a first this year, Gomeroi and Tongan man Daniel Mateo stars in a film he also choreographed. Co-directed by Mateo’s program mentor, Cass Mortimer Eipper, Brown Boys represents an evolution for Mateo, who used the opportunity to combine dance with his poetry practice.

“Being a dancer is something I do with the company and poetry has been a medium for me to have to myself, that’s unique to me, but it just made sense to put them together,” he says. “It’s been special seeing where they marry and bleed into one another.”

The project was also a chance to push the boundaries for the wider company, where dancers typically create works that are intended to be performed on stage. “For me it was about making sure everything was set before we went into filming and then there’s all of the video editing that happens after,” says Mateo. “It’s been a beautiful journey with lots of learning.”

Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Dance Clan is at Studio Theatre at Bangarra, Sydney, until 14 December 2024 (sydneyoperahouse.com). Mateo will appear in national touring productions throughout 2025.

Gavin Bond. Daniel Boud

Art that lifts you up

Dalara Williams WRITER AND ACTRESS

Gumbaynggirr and Wiradjuri creative Dalara Williams’s new play, Big Girls Don’t Cry, encapsulates a particular time and place in history that the playwright, actress and lifelong resident of Sydney’s Redfern is consistently drawn to. “We like to tell [First Nations] stories from rural and regional Australia but nothing about urban life, about the experience of being an Aboriginal person living in the city,” she says.

The play, set in 1960s Redfern, follows three young women and the joy and excitement of their lives – despite employment being precarious and harassment pervasive – on the cusp of change in the lead-up to the biggest night of the year, the Deb Ball. “Redfern has been the driving force of Aboriginal activism and political movements – it all started from Redfern and its history has encompassed all Aboriginal people across this continent.”

Big Girls Don’t Cry plays at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, 5 to 27 April 2025 (belvoir.com.au).

Liam Fleming ARTIST

Its reliance on variable elements, such as water, heat and breath, means that perfection is near impossible in the craft of glassblowing. Adelaide-based glass artist Liam Fleming, however, is happy to embrace the imperfect. His practice actively pushes against rigidity in form, the brightly coloured sculptures slumping and warping as if they’re inflatables with the air sucked out, a technique achieved by working with the melting point to create sculptural forms. Fleming began blowing glass in his teens, honing his craft in the glass studios of South Australian workshops before exhibiting at design festivals in Milan and London. The artist’s unique skill is well-timed, with the renaissance of traditional handicrafts in contemporary art – his most recent series, presented by Sabbia Gallery at Sydney Contemporary, swiftly sold out.

Brett Boardman. Sam Roberts

13 December 2024 – 4 May 2025

Chris Yee

ILLUSTRATOR, DESIGNER AND ANIMATOR

Sydney-born Chinese-Australian Chris Yee couldn’t be prouder to represent Western Sydney. Traditionally overlooked as lacking the creative chops of the inner city, the region is benefiting from long-term government and private investment, plus an array of cultural initiatives, including the forthcoming opening of Powerhouse Parramatta. It’s helping shape a very different centre, one with an incredibly diverse demographic.

“I grew up in Eastwood and Parramatta is our big city so it’s so cool that it’s coming to life now, 15 or 20 years after all these plans began,” says Yee. A major part of the artist’s practice is representing the Asian-Australian diaspora. He has created a mural for McDonald’s and a digital artwork for the Parramatta Eels rugby league club as part of its 2024 Lunar New Year celebrations. He’s now putting the final touches on soon-tobe-unveiled works for Parramatta City’s 2025 Lunar New Year festival as its lead artist.

“It’s cool that these organisations are tapping into local creatives. For me it’s personal, it’s about the nuances of the suburbs and what makes them a special part of greater Australia. I want to champion and spotlight the stories of our cities.”

Melanie Lane CHOREOGRAPHER

“I’m highly collaborative with the dancers I work with,” says Melanie Lane, noting the disparate physicality brought by the ballet dancers, female bodybuilders, exotic dancers and children’s performers she’s choreographed. “I’m fascinated by how they translate ideas into movement and I can learn so much from what they have to offer.”

Following a recent major work with Sydney Dance Company, Love Lock, Lane is deep in development mode on several new projects with the likes of Australasian Dance Collective, Asia TOPA and contemporary dance company Chunky Move, where she’s choreographer in residence.

Are there other athletes the Australian/Javanese creative would like to work with? “For some reason, in my head I just saw synchronised swimmers,” she muses. “There are so many people that perform with their bodies in so many different ways.”

Barbara Dietl. Liz Ham

A symphony of travel and sound

From private recitals to backstage access at celebrated venues around the globe, Hayllar Music Tours hits all the right notes.

Taking in a performance at one of England’s summer opera festivals is special. Add to that a closed rehearsal of the famed Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, a dinner with Daniel Hyde, the director of music at the college, and a private opera recital in the heart of this historic university city –and the experience is unforgettable.

It’s typical of the exclusive access offered by Hayllar Music Tours, an Australian company that curates classical music and cultural tours for small groups. “These sorts of once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences reflect what we try to offer on all our tours,” says Elizabeth Hayllar, who studied opera singing and worked in arts management in the United Kingdom before returning to Sydney to start the company in 2014.

Hayllar Music Tours arranges private recitals, conversations with performers over drinks and canapés, and dinners with

musicians and conductors at fine-dining restaurants. It also secures premium tickets to performances at the world’s best opera houses and concert halls. “Our luxury tours include venues such as Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, Glyndebourne estate in England and Munich’s incredible Bayerische Staatsoper,” says Hayllar.

The tours generally comprise about 70 per cent repeat customers – most from Australia but also New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Europe – so travellers often become firm friends. “What brings people together on these tours is their shared interest in music, whether they have any formal training or a musical background. They’re all musiclovers – that’s what unites them.”

Hayllar is keen to share her passion for orchestral and chamber music and opera with her guests through extra-special opportunities. “I love it when people get

excited about the performances they will be attending on our tours because I know they’ll cherish those memories for years to come.”

Aside from returning to the UK for the Opera in the English Countryside tour in June, Hayllar is looking forward to the LacMus Festival in Italy, where guests will have the chance to listen to beautiful chamber music in stunning locations on the shores of Lake Como. Another highlight will be heading to the picturesque village of Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where the finest conductors and musicians gather each year for a thrilling festival of music-making.

(Clockwise from left) Teatro La Fenice, Venice; Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich; the LacMus Festival at Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como

Paspaley double pearl, yellow-gold and sapphire split ring / $8280 / paspaley.com.au

Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams

18-carat yellow-gold link station bracelet / $14,200 (medium) / tiffany.com.au

, jfarrenprice.com.au

(Above) Musson Pera Medio 18-carat rose-gold and diamond necklace / $2950 / musson.com.au Cartier Love yellow-gold and diamond single earring / $8150 / cartier.com.au (Right) Canturi Stella 18-carat white-gold, aquamarine and diamond ring / $12,300 / canturi.com Hearts On Fire Barre 18-carat yellow-gold and diamond ring / $13,215 / from J Farren-Price

Styling by Nadene Duncan Photography by Edward Urrutia

(Left) Chopard Ice Cube 18-carat rose-gold and diamond necklace / $6830 / chopard.com.au

(Above) Van Cleef & Arpels Frivole 18-carat rose-gold and ruby earrings / $5900 (mini) / vancleefarpels.com

(Above) Chanel Bouton De Camélia 18-carat white-gold and diamond ring / $11,950 / chanel.com

(Right) Bulgari Serpenti Viper 18-carat rose-gold and pavé diamond hoop earrings / $8050 / bulgari.com

(Left) McKinney's 18-carat yellow-gold, peridot and diamond bracelet / $15,950 / mckinneys.com.au Suzanne Kalan Frenzy 18-carat rose-gold, diamond and sapphire eternity band / $8200 / from Kennedy, kennedy.com.au (Above) Curtis Floriale 9-carat yellow-gold, mother-of-pearl and diamond ring / $4950 / curtisaustralia.com Linneys Eternal Tide 18-carat yellow-gold and Australian boulder opal necklace / $3090 / linneys.com.au

Lucy Culliton

Having forged a colourful career, this country NSW-based artist paints what she loves.

Story by Bek Day

Lucy Culliton prefers the company of animals to people. Which is lucky, as she shares her 26-hectare home in the tiny town of Bibbenluke in the NSW Snowy Monaro region with two cows, 50 sheep, 11 goats, 10 pigeons, three ducks, seven horses and three chooks. “Oh, and then there’s the rescued greyhounds. I’ve got five and a couple of dogs that aren’t greyhounds – but I love them anyway,” she says with a chuckle.

Unsurprisingly, all sorts of creatures feature in Culliton’s work, alongside self-portraits, still-life depictions of her home and landscapes that capture bucolic Australian scenes. The drawings, gouaches and oils in her most recent solo exhibition, The Easter Show (March 2024), express her lifelong fascination with the beloved Sydney agricultural event, where she’s been official artist in residence since 2022.

“Ever since I was a little kid, the Royal Easter Show was a highlight better than Christmas,” she says. “When I was a young artist I got a cleaning job at the offices there. I used to finish work then wander around drawing all the animals I could find.”

Culliton’s art has explored broader environmental issues – her 2022 solo exhibition, Cambalong Creek, was the result of years spent capturing the drought-proof pools on her conservationist neighbour’s property – but her up-close studies of fauna have a quiet power. Henry II, a front-on depiction of a majestic ram, shows it staring directly out of the canvas into the eyes of its beholder; in the gouache-on-paper Jersey Cow, the placid subject peers shyly from behind heavy lashes. “I like that connection,” says Culliton. “I want people to see how special, individual and beautiful animals are.”

Exhibited at King Street Gallery, Sydney; Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney; Australian Parliament House, Canberra; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Studied at National Art School, Sydney

Major achievement Culliton is the only woman to be listed as a finalist in the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes in the same year (2016).

Breakthrough moment “I was not long out of art school when I won the Mosman Art Prize,” says Culliton. “It was a big cash injection and I built a studio with the money. It set me up to transition from just ‘having a go’ at this art thing, to being really serious about it.”

Riste Andrievski. Michael Bradfield

1. Ladies Showing Their Goats ( 2024)

2. Ladies Show Their Cows ( 2023)

3. Best Bird in Show (2023)

Café Montesol at Montesol

Experimental, Ibiza

Celestial motifs shine throughout this sun-soaked Spanish property.

Story by Kendall Hill

The Ibiza coastline is riddled with caves but none quite like this. Tucked inside the restaurant at the Montesol Experimental (qantas.com/hotels/montesolexperimentalibiza), the landmark hotel that was recently revived by Parisian hospitality gurus Experimental Group, this is a cave designed for revelling.

Inspired by the seashell-encrusted grottos on Es Vedrà, the mystical island off Ibiza’s south-west coast, French designer Dorothée Meilichzon’s limestone-plaster walls are embedded with sea treasures and lit by shell sconces. Renowned for her knack of capturing a sense of place, Meilichzon sourced the terracotta flooring from southern Spain and chose banquette fabrics in tune with the island’s bohemian nature. That blazing

brass sun disc symbolises the hotel (its name means “sun mountain”), located on the main square of Passeig de Vara de Rey, while the crescent moons framing the entry are a nod to Ibiza’s legendary nightlife.

“Montesol is located in the heart of Ibiza Town, where the famous Pacha nightclub is found, so we created a chase between the sun and the moon in the design, paying tribute to both,” she says. Café Montesol’s interiors are a cool respite from the Balearic heat, best enjoyed with a glass of cava or caña (draft beer), plus chef Alex Larrea’s tapas menu of Catalan classics, such as pan con tomate, garlicky red Palamós prawns or grilled padron peppers.

Karel Balas

‘Tis the season to

give joy

Adam Gibson

Krakani Lumi, Lutruwita/Tasmania

A camp in Wukalina/Mt William National Park is a stellar example of building with Country, says design consultant Erin McDonald.

As told to Rachel Lees

Krakani Lumi is a resting place on wukalina Walk. This four-day, three-night cultural trek [in the state’s north-east] is owned and operated by the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania. Krakani Lumi is a set of architectural structures along the route. The main building includes a kitchen and a meeting place for gathering around the fire and there are separate halfdomed huts to sleep in.

Aboriginal people were the first architects and engineers. We’ve always cared for the land, used materials that could be returned to it and not used more than is needed. Krakani Lumi touches lightly on the earth. No trees were removed during its construction, the buildings sit carefully on the site and their casual positioning and orientation embeds them seamlessly into the surrounding banksia trees.

The Aboriginal Land Council wanted to share their stories, cultural knowledge and value systems. They were heavily involved in the design and construction process and by owning and operating wukalina Walk, they can do what they rightfully should do on their traditional lands. They can connect with the site and care for Country again.

Designing with Aboriginal people and for Aboriginal people are two very different things. Taylor+Hinds Architects created something for the community and gave them exactly what was needed. I read that when they went through the design process for Krakani Lumi, they weren’t sure if it was ever going to be built. I’m so glad it was. We need more projects like this, to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

The sleeping huts are inspired by traditional Palawa shelters. The design incorporates cultural knowledge and provides a connection to place. With no glass, the buildings are naturally ventilated and can be shut down. They’re lined with blackwood timber, which is used to make tools like spears and boomerangs because it’s sturdy and robust, and the charred timber exteriors speak to the practice of cultural burning. There are also hollows in the wall cavities for use by birds and small marsupials.

Mandandanji woman Erin McDonald is the associate director of Blaklash (blaklash.com), a Brisbane-based Aboriginal-owned agency specialising in First Nations architecture, art and design. She has served on the Queensland council of the Design Institute of Australia.

Jordan Gogos

The designer and artist paints a vibrant picture of Athens, a city that speaks both to his Greek heritage and his refusal to take life too seriously.

Interview by Bek Day

What do you love about Athens? There’s this chaotic energy but I always feel at ease. My designs are all about making people of every shape and size feel comfortable and the city embraces you without question. It’s not a “serious” fashion city; it’s actually kind of punk. What do you always take on a flight? I’m obsessed with Greek skincare brand Korres (korres.com) – its Santorini Grape Poreless Skin Cream (far left) is beautiful. If you could only take one pair of shoes, it would be… My Prada Systeme brushed leather sneakers (above left; prada.com). I’ve worn them to the Acropolis, in the studio – I’m about to go weld in them right now – and they still look new. Otherwise, you’re sticking to the essentials? Yes, so I can buy things there. On my last trip, I scoured every tourist shop for 20-year-old Olympic paraphernalia to incorporate into my designs. But I did pack my favourite runway piece, an incredible Grecian coat I made (below). It’s so fun. What about garment care? Who has time to hang up clothes in a hotel? Not me! I’ve been known to wash pieces in the ocean – they dry in minutes. Where do you stay? Mona hotel (top left; qantas. com/hotels/monaathens) in Psirri is chic and artsy. It has an artist-in-residence program I would love to get involved in. Best place for retail therapy? A bookshop called Hyper Hypo (hyperhypo.gr), which has every book or magazine you could possibly imagine in one place. I nearly cried. And to lose yourself? The Benaki Museum (benaki.org). It’s four storeys high and one of the most insane places I’ve ever been – they have the best collection of Greek folk-art clothing. For a drink? Line (far left; lineathens.gr), a bar in a former art gallery. I order one of everything. Is there an app you rely on when travelling? You’re going to think I’m making this up… the Qantas Wellbeing App! It logs your steps and gives you Qantas Points for them. First thing you do when you get back to Sydney? Order Thai food. We’re so spoiled for good Thai here and I always miss it.

Photography and artwork by Eftihia Stefanidi

Dennis Fay, founder, Salty Monkeys

THEBUSINESS

Brian Cassey

10 things to know about cybersecurity in 2025

Four

of Australia’s leading cybersecurity experts share the latest advice on

emerging threats, strategies

to thwart

them, vulnerabilities to avoid and how to think outside the box. Story by Jane Nicholls

Stay alert to threats from within The risk of an “inside job” is growing, with cyber criminals able to infiltrate IT systems and “hide in plain sight”, according to Rachael Falk, CEO of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC). “They may look like a legitimate user but they’re mapping your network from the inside for months, until the day they take everything out.”

“We call this tradecraft ‘living off the land’, or LOTL, and it’s probably the biggest shift,” says James Baker, first assistant director-general of cyber threat intelligence at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the government’s lead cyber agency. The old

modus operandi for hackers was to get into a network, lay their malware and exfiltrate as much data as possible. That’s “noisy” and the signature of malware on a network is detectable. “This pivot by malicious actors to use LOTL tradecraft sees them employ existing tools in the networks to do their reconnaissance and hide in the noise of the network. They will then steal legitimate user credentials and masquerade as them.” Locating these criminals “is like finding a needle in a haystack”, adds Baker.

Falk says “sysadmins” – system administrators – are prime targets for LOTL criminals and need to be given extra security and surveillance. “It’s like

having a janitor with the keys to everything right through the building – from the boardroom to the safe. You’ll never notice when they go into a room because they can be there legitimately. What you’re looking for is if they are doing something differently, taking unusual things.” Falk isn’t suggesting that sysadmins (or cleaners, for that matter) are the bad actors but in the wrong hands their system credentials – the virtual keys – can unleash havoc.

Be mindful of AI’s dark side

AI is helping network defenders “in the cat-and-mouse game of cybersecurity”, says Baker. “Living-off-the-land hackers

masquerading as legitimate users inside your system are difficult for humans to find but when AI is incorporated, machines are really wonderful at finding those anomalies.

“The flipside is that malicious actors are also using AI to develop malware and find vulnerabilities quicker. A hacker can now write a very well-constructed, socially engineered spear-phishing email – courtesy of ChatGPT.” And they are coming at an alarming rate.

“AI can generate these scams much faster and send them to lots more people across all platforms,” says Jacqui Loustau, founder and executive director of the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN). That means via text, email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Signal – “any place you are communicating”.

Beware the overshare

Using website contact forms may feel impersonal for customers but Loustau says it’s good security practice because detailed direct contact information provides a leg-up for hackers. “They scrape email addresses off websites and use tools to email them all,” she says. Think about who might be looking at those email addresses, perhaps with people’s

names and titles attached, and what a malicious actor might use them for, such as a phishing attack. “If you have to give an email address, make sure that whoever is monitoring that inbox considers any incoming emails have a risk attached. That’s why I suggest a contact form instead, especially for SMEs.”

Build strength with diversity

Loustau started the Australian Women in Security Network to help rebalance the male-heavy industry and says diversity beyond gender is equally important for cybersecurity. “When you have people from diverse backgrounds thinking about the different ways we need to protect a technology, process or application it brings out a lot of creativity and innovation,” she says. “It helps to build a system that’s not only better to use but also secure.” Different cultural, educational and workforce backgrounds all build strength.

“You also need people who are great communicators and who can help others understand what they need to do to protect themselves,” adds Loustau. “They need to be empathetic because cybersecurity is often seen as scary and specialised. Diversity also means getting

Rachael Falk CEO, Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC)

“

Cyber criminals are innovating at a dizzying pace. They don’t have three-year technology plans – they shapeshift. It’s like 100 Silicon Valleys – they have large budgets, they’re quick to market, they have plentiful labour and no legal constraints. Companies need to allocate the budget to invest in the right tech, good people and multiple layers of defence.”

everyone to understand the basics of cybersecurity so that they consider it, no matter what they do in their job or their life.”

Patch in time to save crime

The WFH revolution has seen a lot of computers connecting to corporate networks from people’s homes. Every time a tech vendor announces a new security patch, that’s the dinner bell for hackers. “Within hours, cyber criminals are out there scanning the entire internet opportunistically looking for devices that haven’t been updated and using that as their first foothold into your network,” says Baker. “We used to say, ‘Patch once a week’, then we said, ‘Patch once a day.’ For critical systems, we now say, ‘Patch as soon as it’s available.’”

Baker says that the same goes for individuals deploying updates for their phones, apps and computers. We all get complacent and that’s what the hackers are banking on (literally). “Many of those updates are not feature additions – they are patching security holes that the vendors have identified. The best way to keep a hacker out of your tools and your devices is to keep them up-to-date.”

Take a stand on ransoms

It’s the million-dollar question but experts come down on the side of “don’t pay”, while agreeing it’s never a simple yes or no. “I’m a lawyer at heart and when ransoms are paid it means it’s been an effective threat and obviously you need to break the food chain of payments,” says Falk. “However, it could be a life-or-death situation – perhaps a hospital where operations need to proceed – or another critical business.”

The Australian Cyber Security Centre’s position is not to pay ransoms. “There are business decisions that play into it but from our experience, paying a ransom is not a guarantee you’ll get your data back,” says Baker. “You might make yourself a bigger target because you’ve paid once – we have evidence of companies being double-extorted.”

The unanimous advice is to plan what you would do before you’re hit by a ransomware attack – not during the panicked aftermath. Early in 2024, the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) in partnership with the CSCRC and Ashurst lawyers published the free Governing Through a Cyber Crisis resource for Australian company directors. “In terms of ransoms, we

Jacqui Loustau

Founder and executive director, Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN)

“

Many cyber criminals target SMEs that work with big corporates and government organisations. This third-party risk or supply-chain risk is why helping small businesses with cybersecurity is superimportant because it also protects large enterprises and government agencies.”

Jodi Webb

Dr Marthie Grobler

Mission lead, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience (CIPR), at CSIRO

“ A lot of organisations are working to defend against ‘pure’ cyber attacks – straight attack vectors such as malware and ransomware. But now criminals are working with an angle – it’s not something that’s necessarily within your control. They’re trying to find one entity where they can do something simple and it will amplify the effects nationally or globally.”

made it clear that leaders get that advice well in advance of an incident – and that the board and the chair have that advice – so you have at least agreed on an answer,” says Falk.

Ransomware is just as much of a problem for SMEs. While Loustau sympathises with small businesses who are tempted to pay a ransom to get their system back online, “every cent of ransoms paid to cyber criminals helps them to get better technology to scam more businesses”, she says. “They research organisations. They know how much ransom they’d be willing to pay and customise the amount accordingly. It will be a smaller ransom for a charity, for example. The more money they get, the more people they will attack.”

Make a plan now for when you get hacked

“All organisations must prepare for a cyber incident,” says Falk. As part of raising awareness about the need to prepare, the CSCRC worked with CSIRO’s Dr Marthie Grobler, mission lead for the Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience (CIPR) initiative, to develop a training program called Corporates Compromised. Grobler says the gamified training drives home to all C-suite executives that it’s absolutely their job to care about cybersecurity. “They know cybersecurity is important but if a choice has to be made between implementing cybersecurity measures or bringing in money, money will often win.”

In these fictional cybersecurity scenarios, the roles are shuffled and executives have to play out the situation in another colleague’s shoes. “It’s a tool to get them talking and to realise, ‘It could happen to me, what would I have done?’ It’s surprising how few people know who they’re supposed to call in the event of a cyber attack and even if they do know it’s normally on a database in the system, which has been encrypted by the hackers and they can’t access it. It gets them thinking about needing a Plan B and a Plan C.”

This highlights the need to keep an offline physical record of information needed in the event of a cyber attack. “When everything goes down and you don’t have access to anything, you need to have printed copies locked away – and know who has the keys and the backup keys,” says Grobler. Speaking of which – and back to the digital realm – Loustau calls out another critical safekeeping mechanism: “Backups!”

Consider the snowballing threat of multi-sector hazards

Grobler urges companies to think about their interdependencies – if X service goes down, what does it mean for Y, as in you. The chaotic CrowdStrike outages in July 2024 came from a botched update configuration – a human error inside a giant cybersecurity tech company. What became known as the Blue Screen of Death took out 8.5 million Microsoft Windows systems around the world, a sobering reminder of how catastrophic a malicious attack on critical infrastructure could be.

The Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience (CIPR) work that Grobler leads at CSIRO examines 11 sectors, starting with energy, telecommunications and data. “We’re looking at the interdependencies,” she says. “We want to understand if the energy network goes down, how does that affect the other sectors, how quickly and what are the repercussions?”

As well as cyber, CIPR is also assessing the potential impacts of other human-induced hazards, such as climate change, in order to plan how to improve

Paul G Dodd

Closing the loop

If you’ve been weighing up your business continuity plan, now is the time for a crucial update.

STEP 1 Assess

It’s vital to understand the assets to protect, along with their likely threats. While some cybercrimes, such as false invoices and business email compromise, are ubiquitous, other types differ between business and industry, says Amodio. “We are looking for baseline capability and, ultimately, a gap analysis to find where the level of protection may require lifting.”

As Rajnesh Chand, the manager of cybersecurity and innovation at the Reserve Bank of Fiji, notes: “Fujitsu’s guidance [following an assessment of the bank’s practices] has been crucial in aligning our security strategy with the broader operational goals. This has ensured a resilient and secure foundation for sustainable economic development.”

A cybercrime is reported every six minutes on average, according to the Australian Signals Directorate. Not only are attacks on entities becoming more frequent, they’re also increasingly sophisticated – meaning that business continuity plans need to evolve fast, in synchrony with the threats they seek to mitigate.

“Inevitably, people get caught up on all the shiny controls you can put in place against attacks,” says Toby Amodio, cyber strategy practice lead at Fujitsu Cyber Security Services – an arm of Fujitsu Australia, which works with more than 300 public- and privatesector customers across Australia and the Pacific region. Yet the trigger for a cyber disaster may be relatively simple, he says, pointing to a US report revealing that more than 50 per cent of recent breaches were enabled by people reusing the same passwords.

Most importantly, business continuity planning must factor in the individual organisation’s circumstances and budget, says Amodio. “One of the critical factors in every cybersecurity project is aligning with the organisation’s business goals, ensuring you understand the priorities and timeframes for services that still need to deliver when things go wrong.”

Fujitsu’s worldwide experts prepare customers for the widening scope of persistent threats via a proven three-step process. Outlined below, this proprietary program equips businesses with the tools they need to ward off current and future cyber threats.

STEP 2 Uplift

Cybersecurity has to be scaled to the relevant threats and nature of the business. It’s tempting to go for a catch-all approach but results can be counterproductive, cautions Amodio. Organisations often need to uplift technology and overall people capability, creating more cyber “sensors” for a business, he explains. “People can be your weakest link but also your greatest asset.”

For a step-by-step resilience plan that will help prepare you for today’s risks, scan the QR code. For more information, search “Fujitsu cyber” or visit fujitsu.com/au/services/security/featured

STEP 3 Monitor

Controls need to be monitored “in real-time”, says Amodio. Threats are always evolving and no control is perfect throughout its entire life cycle. “Constant monitoring can detect control failures as they arise so they can be investigated immediately.”

In turn, this brings on the next uplift and, crucially, closes the cyber-safety loop.

James Baker

First assistant director-general, cyber threat intelligence, Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)

“

One thing that helps me sleep better at night is the partnership approach to cybersecurity, particularly in the Australian CISO [chief information security officer] community. Companies that wouldn’t share commercial information are banding together to share on cybersecurity, such as if they spot a new vulnerability targeting a particular entity. We all need to understand that it’s no longer a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’.”

protections and bolster resilience. “We’re only scratching the surface but we are already uncovering different hazards that weren’t previously considered, yet seem to be happening more often. The wide repercussions from the CrowdStrike outage showed us that.”

Remember: old-school scams have not gone away

“AI is bringing in new threats, such as deep-fake videos and phone calls, but the same old malicious cyber threats continue to thrive because they’re very lucrative,” says Falk. They include business email compromise (BEC) fraud – when an email appears to be from a trusted person and asks for a large transaction to be made that is directed to the hacker’s account – ransomware-as-a-service attacks “and garden-variety scams that milk hard-working Australians for hundreds of thousands of dollars”, says Falk. In 2022-23, the total of self-reported BEC losses to the ACSC’s ReportCyber, the federal government’s online cybercrime reporting tool, was almost $80 million, with SMEs the hardest hit. The average cost of each BEC incident was more than $39,000.

Rethink ignoring that unexpected call

Phishing calls, texts and emails have made us rightly hyper-suspicious of unexpected contact. But if a call comes from someone saying they’re from the Australian Cyber Security Centre, listen up because it could well be them trying to warn you. For example, the ACSC’s cyber-intelligence monitoring includes looking out for where ransomware syndicates are deploying their malware. “We track it and call companies to tell them they have something happening on their network that could turn into a bad day for them,” says Baker. If an organisation is cyber-ready and has a segmented network, it can act on that information to disconnect the affected area and protect the rest of its system. For less well-prepared SMEs, the ACSC can recommend remediation advice as well as vetted commercial “incident response” firms. The issue, says Baker, is they’ve tried to contact more than 600 entities in the past six months and about 40 per cent don’t phone back (to validate it is a genuine call, you can ring back on 1300 CYBER1 – 1300 292 371). “Then we hear from them when it’s too late.”

Matters of trust

Putting high-tech identity checks at the heart of security not only helps thwart hackers, it can even unearth massive savings sitting in unused software.

We trust so much of our work and indeed our lives to the cloud – the massive network of servers that allow us to access information and tools virtually from wherever we are. But it doesn’t come without risk.

Originally, Okta – the San Francisco startup co-founded by Todd McKinnon after quitting his job at Salesforce – was created to help companies move their core business technologies from onsite servers to

the cloud. A decade on, when larger, more complex clients such as banks and miners also shifted to the cloud, McKinnon realised security was taking on a different shape. Enter the age of identity security, when users prove they are who they claim to be via multifactor authentication (MFA) methods, going beyond typing in a potentially stolen password.

“Our focus is identity because, today, identity is security,” says

Ben Goodman, senior vice-president and general manager for Okta in the Australia-Pacific-Japan region. “Okta’s technology enables people to connect to tools and applications secured by a smart ecosystem. It’s ‘zero trust’ security, with multiple crosschecks running simultaneously in the background to ensure the right level of access in the right context.”

Identity-driven security includes biometric security features such as

facial recognition and thumbprints that many use to unlock devices and push notifications through security apps. The point is to authenticate with “just the right amount of friction”, says Goodman. “If something is too easy to access, people don’t necessarily trust it. If it’s too complex to access, they don’t necessarily want to use it.”

People not adhering to cybersecurity protocols is often the way in for hackers, as was the case when Okta faced its own cybersecurity incident last year. In its wake, there’s been “a lot of work hardening all of our own systems to ensure that Okta, as an internal technology provider, is the most secure company in the world”, he says. One of the changes was that employees can only use technologies authenticated and authorised through Okta, which nixes the third-party supply chain risk that experts warn is a key vulnerability for large companies.

Fast-forward to 2025 and the mission is to keep innovating, making cybersecurity stronger and easier to navigate by using Okta’s machine learning model, which collects insights from every authentication and threat to power Okta AI.

“Okta AI is about making it simpler for an average technology practitioner to do cybersecurity analysis using natural-language processing, without the need for a very technical operator.”

Okta’s identity view of an organisation also reveals how various technologies and tools are being used – or not. “When companies are driving

cost efficiencies, it’s an interesting by-product that can be used to rightsize software commitments,” says Goodman. “It’s been estimated that 25 per cent of SaaS software procured is never used within a business –that information can help companies find savings without compromising jobs or productivity.” It’s proof that the benefits of identification go way beyond its face value.

Why we need a secure identity standard

Okta has led a working group with the OpenID Foundation to establish a unified security standard known as Interoperability Profile for Security Identity in the Enterprise (IPSIE). “More than 80 per cent of data breaches involve compromised identity, yet there is no global standard for how identity is authenticated for cybersecurity,” says Goodman. “There are recommendations and blueprints but no standard that allows an organisation to say, ‘I am secure at this level.’

“IPSIE will help companies assess digital supply chain risk when deciding which services and applications to buy. We’re moving towards a world where people’s livelihoods, protection and personal information is intrinsically linked to their identity and we have an obligation to do everything we can to secure that for everyone around the globe.”

Okta’s 7 MFA musts

Key tips for companies moving to multifactor authentication.

1. Education Make sure end users understand why MFA is better for security and therefore worth the change.

2. Refine MFA policies

Balance security and usability – is extra authentication required for a particular service (such as an events calendar)?

3. Consider access There are MFA options for when users have limited wi-fi access –match your company’s needs and choose what works in possible scenarios.

4. Think twice about SMS It’s easy to get a one-time password via SMS but security is lacking (it’s better than no MFA at all, however).

5. Check IT compliance requirements carefully Understand compliance requirements. Plan to meet them with your delivery.

6. Have a plan for lost devices Ensure your MFA solution has the capability to remotely manage and terminate sessions and wipe any corporate information.

7. Review and revise Use audit tools and encourage employee feedback to make sure new MFA security policies work for everyone.

How to… come across better in video meetings

Are we too relaxed with videoconferencing? University of Gothenburg associate professor Géraldine Fauville helps us to reconsider the ideal gaze, camera angle and background.

When a participant is looking at the camera, it’s associated with being more likeable and having more social presence. As a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford, I co-authored a paper about the impressions people form of others during videoconferencing. We found that looking at the camera increases interpersonal attraction. If I gaze directly at the camera, this gives you the impression that I’m making eye

contact with you – which I’m not, because I’m looking at the camera. This mimicking of eye contact creates challenges because the moment I look at the camera, I don’t see your body language and it’s more difficult for me to adapt to signals you send.

The best angle is a high camera angle. Position your camera a bit higher than eye level – this increases personal attraction and decreases threat perception. This style is also used in cinematography; when the

camera is low and looking up at someone, they are a threat. Our research didn’t discover any effect of participants’ distance from the screen but when someone is close to your face and looking at you directly, it’s an intense situation. It’s why people in elevators will do anything to avoid staring at others.

One issue contributing to Zoom fatigue is immobility. We feel physically trapped because in a video conference you need to stay in the eye of the camera, whereas during a face-to-face meeting, you can move your body. Second, being the focus of attention can create a stressful situation where you feel like all eyes are on you. Women suffer more from Zoom fatigue and participants of colour also reported greater fatigue than white participants. This race effect was something we did not predict and needs to be studied further.

A study from Durham University that looked at the impact of video backgrounds found the best were books or plants Using one of these means you will be perceived as more trustworthy and competent. The backgrounds viewed as significantly less trustworthy were home or novelty backgrounds. The study also found that happy, smiling faces on video calls were linked to a higher level of trustworthiness and competence, as were female faces.

There are papers showing that working together in virtual reality can foster collaboration and a peaceful environment that encourages openness and perhaps greater creativity. However, a 2022 study in the science journal, Nature, found that videoconferencing is the wrong place for producing new ideas as it limits you to a square field of view. I have experienced this myself and have a tendency to “go outside” during any ideation process. I look out my window.

As told to Alison Boleyn

Andrew Colvin

The new boss of Australian Red Cross says imposter syndrome is very real... and not necessarily a bad thing.

Current role CEO, Australian Red Cross

Tenure Five months

Previous roles Partner, Deloitte Australia; national coordinator, National Bushfire Recovery Agency; commissioner, Australian Federal Police

Interview by Kirsten Galliott Illustration by Marc Némorin

How do you define great leadership?

I know what I don’t believe. It’s not about just getting people to do things for you. Sometimes we define leadership too narrowly. Leadership has a moral and ethical value attached to it. And it’s about bringing people on a journey to do good things together.

Where did your desire to serve come from?

I have this deep, insatiable almost-desire to make sure I’m always doing something that’s productive and good for the community. I was brought up in a very loving, caring, stable household; I grew up seeing my dad work hard in government

and my mum work hard as a volunteer. I didn’t think of it as volunteering then; I just saw her always off doing stuff. That instilled in me this strong service ethos – and it stuck.

You joined Red Cross in July. What’s been the biggest surprise in the role so far?

There are amazing people all across the organisation doing great work and delivering amazing programs. But they’re so passionate and focused on it that perhaps they’re not seeing everything else that Red Cross does. So that surprised me. We’re quite focused on the programs we deliver, not the impact and the effect we deliver.

Well, presumably that provides an opportunity for you… That’s exactly the opportunity and a big part of why I’m here. What I hope I bring to organisations is an enterprise-wide view of how we should strategically position ourselves. Red Cross is not just universally recognised; it’s trusted. That’s an enormous opportunity that we have to leverage. The first thing I got to do when I joined was help us celebrate 110 years across the country. But what got us to 110 years is not what’s going to get us into the future. How do we continue to evolve? How do we continue to provide the core, critical humanitarian services that are needed in the future, just like we did in the past? If you don’t evolve, you’re standing still and the world is going past you.

There are so many charities out there fighting for donations and volunteers. How does Red Cross cut through? It’s an incredible brand but that’s not enough now, is it? No, it’s not. It’s absolutely cluttered. There are more agencies involved in delivering humanitarian services, which is fantastic, but we’re all competing for fewer resources and asking for the same things from the community in terms of support. Australians are inherently very generous and driven by the desire to help others. But expectations are changing. People are not just aware of what’s going on, they want to be seen to be constructively doing something positive about it and they want to be change agents in the world. They also want a bit of control and a lot more clarity as to where their money or support is going. We need to be sure that we’re keeping up with those expectations. What is it that differentiates Australian Red Cross? I want people to think of trust, support, help and I also want them to think of disaster. I want them to know that Red Cross will be there when they’re having the worst day of their life, when they’ve just lost their house to a fire or their backyard to a flood. Or, heaven forbid, when they’ve just lost a family member or someone important to them.

You obviously thrive on change. What’s your strategy for embedding change in an organisation?

I don’t thrive on change but I’m not afraid of change. The challenge for change is the word itself. We think of change and immediately go into our shell. We have to make change a part

of BAU but don’t call it change – it’s just business improvement. We’re constantly learning, improving, adapting, getting smarter. What’s going to be better, what’s going to be different, what’s the impact of where we’re going to be as opposed to where we are now? Don’t focus on what you’re changing – focus on what it is you’re trying to do.

You headed up the Australian Federal Police for five years. How did you deal with your own stress during that period? Probably not well, if I’m honest. An external observer probably felt that I was dealing with it well. Most people see me as a calm, measured, confident, in control person. And that’s part of my style – to try and give calmness and clarity. But on the inside – and I think it’s probably the same for a lot of executives – it’s constant. The stress builds up over time and you think you’re dealing with it when you’re probably not. So what have I learnt about that? For me, I know I need time to process. I’m a logical thinker: I need to put a box around something and go, “Okay, that’s where that sits.” And my brain never stops. I think of it like one of those Rolodexes that we used to have – it’s constantly spinning, right? I had to find a way to stop the spinning and for me, it’s mountain biking. I’m not a mountain biker per se – because that would overstate my skill significantly – but I just go out with friends and I find it’s the only time when I’m not thinking about work because I’m petrified of falling off.

You’ve worked on some incredibly challenging things, from the Bali bombings to heading up the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. What have you learnt about yourself?

To trust my instincts. Bali was probably one of the first times I was thrown in the deep end of a crisis situation, where I was in a senior position but really did not know what I was doing. I had a very good friend working with me who said, “Nobody knows what they’re doing. We’re having to work this out as we go. So just trust your judgement, trust your instinct, tell us what you want us to do and if it’s not right, we’ll adjust it.”

So that’s what I’ve learnt. Trust your judgement and trust your instinct but be prepared to change course. Test and retest and reset, if necessary.

What’s best practice when it comes to working in crisis?

Why are we at our best in a crisis? It’s simple. We’re united in what we’re trying to do, we put aside any personal rivalries or inter-organisational bickering and just focus on what needs to be done. So there’s a clarity of purpose, an absolute unity of intent. You can’t sustain that forever but the challenge for senior folk is how do we take those magical ingredients from a crisis and make them BAU so that when you’re not in crisis, you’re still performing to the same level?

Is there a common mistake organisations make in crisis?

Too many chiefs. An authoritarian command and control model has application in probably five per cent or less of what we do but in that five per cent, it’s critically important. At the time

of crisis, you need clarity. People need to know what their role is and then be empowered to get on and do their job. What I often see is people don’t have that clarity or even if they do have it, they don’t have the trust. You have to delegate authority and trust people to do their jobs.

Has there ever been a time in your career when you’ve been scared and thought, “I can’t do this.”?

All the time. Imposter syndrome is very real. It’s a healthy thing in some ways, as long as it doesn’t become debilitating. Reflection and a bit of self doubt can keep you sharp and focused. I never step into an arena where I have to do public speaking where I’m not nervous and not a little bit concerned about getting it wrong. Your heart rate goes up, your stomach twists. Maybe some people find it really easy but I don’t. I’m probably more introverted than people would imagine. So there’s a lot that goes on in my head and in my stomach before most things I do. I might be going to do a presentation somewhere, to speak at a forum or try to convince cabinet to spend some money. Something that’s not going to be fun. I’ll be comfortable with the subject matter but I’ll need to understand what the room is going to look like, where am I actually going to be standing or where am I going to be sitting? Will I be at a podium? Will I be sitting on a chair? What is the room going to be like? Once I have a picture in my mind, it makes me so much calmer.

I love that you’re talking about this because so many leaders don’t like sharing their doubts. Has being an introverted leader been a hindrance or a help in your career? I’m not sure that it’s been either – I’ve just learnt what mechanisms I need to help me with it. And the reason I talk about it is because I think there’s a lot of us out there. I’d like to think that people see me as personable and easy to engage

with but that’s a hard-practice effort from me. I want to be that person but I have to work at it because I would love nothing more than to not go to a cocktail function or not enter a room full of people that I don’t know. Every senior person knows themselves and knows their own tricks and tools to help them deal with whatever their particular personality might be.

It’s also good role modelling because we need to see different types of leaders.

I think people misunderstand introverts. I know I did. I used to think introverts were people who were shy and in the corner and didn’t want to engage. That’s probably right but you can be an introvert and be engaging – it just takes energy. If I’m at a function where there are lots of people, I need to go and find five minutes every now and then. I might just duck around the corner or excuse myself from a conversation for a moment, take a deep breath, clear my mind and go back in. I just need to fill the tank back up.

Do you ever get emotional at work?

Yeah, I do. People have seen me and what chokes me up. I don’t have a problem with that. I’ve never felt it was a weakness to show emotion or to show that you care. In modern leadership, being vulnerable is okay.

What advice you would give a brand-new CEO?

Don’t pretend to be something you’re not because you’ll get called out very quickly. You got there for a reason. Don’t change. Don’t think that because you’re now the CEO, you have to be something different to what you were when you weren’t the CEO. If you aren’t being honest, if you aren’t being authentic 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year, then you’re missing an opportunity to shape your organisation.

On the fly

Personal motto

Take others on the journey with you.

Email approach

Get good help. I’ve been in situations where my email and diary have been out of control. That creates a lot of stress for me. When I have a good EA,

it takes that pressure off me and makes life so much easier.

Productivity hack

It’s not family-friendly but I have to spend time on a Sunday to get the week ahead straight in my mind. If I don’t do that, it spirals for me and creates more stress.

Motivation tactic

Make work fun. You spend a lot of your life at work. So let’s find a way to have a laugh.

Business book

In Retrospect by Robert McNamara, who was the former defence secretary of the United States and much maligned in

history. He wrote this book in his older years, when he went back and examined all the things he got wrong. If he could do it again, how would he do it differently? I respect that.

Favourite piece of advice Leave when people want you to stay.

Accelerating Australia

with payment innovations like no other.

We’re designing innovative, tailored solutions to keep Australia moving.

CommBank Institutional

The buzz on eco luxe

At Crystalbrook Collection’s hotels and resorts, “responsible luxury” means creating experiences that delight guests while treading lightly on the planet. As recognised through Commonwealth Bank’s Sustainability-Linked Loan, it’s also good for business.

It’s always a treat to be welcomed like a VIP but at Crystalbrook Byron in NSW, the hospitality extends beyond reception to the hotel’s 18 hectares of subtropical rainforest. There you’ll find four mini “hotels” exclusively for VIBees. “As well as a place for our human guests to sleep, we have four beehives with a few thousand bees foraging up to 20 square kilometres around the resort, enjoying the Northern Rivers’ abundant nectar and pollen,” says Geoff York, CEO of the Crystalbrook Collection, a portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts.

The bees are a tiny but relevant feature among a broad suite of pro-planet initiatives that have seen Crystalbrook become the first hotel group to secure a SustainabilityLinked Loan from Commonwealth Bank (CommBank). Others include recycled timber key cards, glass bottles and refill stations for water and offering bathroom amenities in large pump packs, preventing hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic bottles going to landfill.

CommBank’s finance arrangement has built-in economic rewards for meeting agreed environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. “CommBank’s Sustainability-Linked Loan directly links those goals to the amount of interest we pay,” explains York. “If we achieve key metrics, it frees up capital to explore and invest in even more sustainability initiatives.”

(From left) Crystalbrook Riley overlooks the Coral Sea; harvesting honey from a Crystalbrook Byron beehive; Crystalbrook Riley’s courtesy bikes; the boardwalk at Crystalbrook Byron

Lending for the future

“Sustainably-Linked Loans support medium and large enterprises to take tangible actions to embed and improve sustainable practices in their everyday businesses,” says Chris Williams, Executive General Manager for CommBank’s Major Client Group. “These loans provide economic incentives as we transition to a lower-carbon economy. We believe CommBank has a leadership role to play, especially among small and medium-sized businesses without the benefit of an in-house ESG team. We can help them better understand how sustainable practices are good for the planet as well as their bottom line.”

Customers also want to support eco-friendly companies. “Crystalbrook is a good example

– people are choosing hotels that are working to do the right thing by the environment,” says Williams.

A guest survey gave Crystalbrook the stats to back that up, says York. “When we asked how important sustainability and environmental responsibility were when choosing a hotel, 78 per cent said it is a consideration and when asked what hotel features or amenities they most valued, one in four said ‘eco-friendly practices’ above all else.”

Measuring what matters

Planning helps make a holiday memorable and Crystalbrook’s approach to sustainability is a well-mapped journey, too. So far, six of the seven properties have received certification from EarthCheck, including the three Crystalbrook hotels and resorts in

Cairns (Riley, Flynn and Bailey), Vincent in Brisbane, Kingsley in NSW’s Newcastle – sustainably built by retrofitting a ’70s Brutalist council building – and Byron.

“EarthCheck is a leading sustainability certification and advisory group for the tourism industry that has helped us identify areas for improvement and given us the capability to measure change,” says York. The hotel group spent two years benchmarking with EarthCheck to get an accurate understanding of its environmental impact.

In securing CommBank’s Sustainability-Linked Loan, Crystalbrook’s targets included reduction in water use, waste, emissions and energy use across all its hotels and resorts by 2027. “Some of our properties already lead the market for those metrics in their region so we’re improving

from that position,” says York. Hitting its targets and saving money on the loan interest will lead to even bolder sustainability initiatives. “It’s an additional commercial impetus to go further than ever. We encourage a culture that provides open environments for staff – at all levels – to flag opportunities for where we can do better.”

Sustainable finance helps power a continuous loop in which saving money and reducing environmental impact just keeps rolling. “We know that customers and staff want companies to do the right thing by the environment and for it to be tangible, with hard benchmarks,” says Williams.

“Crystalbrook shows how guest consideration of its hotels is enhanced by all the positive things it is doing for the environment. That’s only going to grow – for them and other businesses.”

Moya Dodd

As one of the first three women ever appointed to FIFA’s executive committee, the former Matildas vice-captain, practising lawyer and Officer of the Order of Australia used her time to advocate for change and equality.

As told to Julie Lee

My first paid job was on the family orange farm in South Australia. When I was about eight years old, Dad instituted a payment system – when we pruned the trees, we got four cents a tree and six cents if it rained. We had to save up enough money to pay him the equivalent of three ski-lift tickets so we could go skiing on a holiday. It taught me that there was a direct relationship between hard work and rewards and it also taught me to pray for rain.

My first boss was the Honourable Justice Michael White of the Supreme Court of South Australia. I was a judge’s associate for a year. When it came to writing judgments, he was very diligent and measured – he wanted to get it absolutely right regardless of how many times he had to rewrite it. That taught me quality control. He was writing Supreme Court judgments that would be pored over, followed and applied by people who came after him. Words matter. How you express a decision or explain a decision matters to those who follow.

My first lesson in truly good leadership was from Deena Shiff, my boss at Telstra. She would try to hire the most brilliant people possible then create a safe place for them to express themselves and thrive. She was a real enabler of people and you always felt she was on your side. She wasn’t waiting for you to fail; she was always supporting you to succeed. I think that’s the sign of a really good leader: you want the best people around you. Smart people try to hire people who are smarter than them.

One of the first times I knew that inclusivity is worth fighting for was when I was on the FIFA executive committee. It was in the middle of the “FIFA-gate” crisis [in 2015]. Colleagues had been arrested in a dawn raid and the US Department of Justice was looking over FIFA’s shoulder. It had to reform and it was absolutely the right thing to be advocating for equality reforms. I realised there was no point keeping my head below the parapet; this was the moment to be brave and see if I could create change. I was working in a boardroom that had been all-male for 108 years so any difference I made would be a high watermark relative to where it had been. There were a lot of times when I had to decide whether it was the right moment to speak up with a different view. I’m not sure I got all of those decisions right but I would have regretted it if I hadn’t.

Defining moment

“I was invited to speak about women’s football in Iran in 2013. Before I left Australia, I started to hear from women inside Iran, who messaged me on social media, saying, ‘Did you know that women aren’t allowed to go to football stadiums in Iran?’ I found out as much as I could about the subject. I met with some of these women. The conference was being run by the Iranian Football Federation and it turned out that the president of FIFA [Sepp Blatter] was going to be there as well. I raised it with him and I said, ‘You’ll be speaking with the political leadership. Would you advocate for these women?’ And he did. It’s still a work in progress but at that point, I realised how I could make a difference. It’s being in the right place at the right time and having proximity. And having influence with the people who are the decision-makers.”

Brian Cassey

Salty Monkeys

With a passion for ocean and culture, founder Dennis Fay realised his apparel and dive-gear company could showcase First Nations artists and lead clean-ups in the Torres Strait.

Fact file

Founder Dennis Fay (left), 40

Grant funding Parks Australia

Ghost Nets Initiative (Marine Debris Task Force, a partnership with the Torres Strait Island Regional Council); Advance Queensland, Regional Futures – Collaborative Projects; Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Backing the Future program

First customer Family members, who purchased Salty Monkeys shirts in 2018 “when we were just trying to build a community”

Headquarters Cairns (Gimuy), Queensland

Staff Five part-time or casual employees, plus contractors

Interview by Jane Nicholls

What’s your elevator pitch?

“Salty Monkeys began in 2017 posting videos of my spearfishing adventures and evolved into a business selling high-quality apparel designed in collaboration with Indigenous artists. We are First Nations-owned and deeply invested in our community. We deliver youth leadership programs, marine and free-diving safety workshops and also lead the Marine Debris Task Force (MDTF) in the Torres Strait, in partnership with the Torres Strait Island Regional Council. Our aim is to clean up our shores to protect marine life, find innovative solutions to repurpose the debris and ensure our community has a sustainable future.”

What was the problem you were trying to solve?

“I grew up on Badu Island in the Torres Strait. We islanders have relied on the ocean for thousands of years – it’s more than our livelihood and source of food, it’s the foundation of our culture. Our ocean is under threat and it’s endangering our traditional practices.”

How does it work?

“Australian software engineering consultancy KJR has worked with Indigenous organisations using drones and AI to help locate rock art. I asked about using the drones to get aerial photos for our MDTF reports and KJR said it could build an AI detection model for debris. A grant from Advance Queensland gave us the funds to build it and we conducted phase one at the end of 2023, using

drones and AI to detect marine debris and efficiently target the areas most in need of clean-up. In the future, with better tech, we can categorise marine debris so we’ll know what’s plastic, what’s glass and what are ghost nets. My aim is to build a business model in which we become self-funded and create local employment opportunities by repurposing the marine debris.”

How did you get it off the ground?

“Our storytelling videos built a loyal following on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram and a dive shop in Cairns gave us discounted gear in return for a plug – a non-contractual sponsorship! They believed we could build a brand. We wore monkey masks in the videos so we created the Salty Monkeys logo, approached a Torres Strait artist to share their artwork on our shirts and it grew from there.”

What’s next?

“We want to expand our impact on ocean conservation and scale the MDTF initiatives through technology and community empowerment. The Great Barrier Reef is on our doorstep – that’s a $6-billion-plus annual economy – and we’ve just launched our wetsuit range featuring designs by First Nations artists. Next are ecofinZ, free-diving fins with blades made from recycled PET plastic. We’ve done the design and testing and now we need to raise about $500,000 so we can purchase the moulds to manufacture them in Australia. I also want to continue creating content for entertainment and education, sharing our adventures, showing the beauty and the culture of the Torres Strait – and position Salty Monkeys as a global brand.”

Adelaide Four of the best stays for business travellers.

Story by Bridget de Maine

1. Adelaide Marriott

The city’s newest opening (qantas.com/ hotels/adelaidemarriott) is a grand revival of the former GPO building in the CBD, with soaring ceilings and an oat-toned palette. It’s a great central meeting point, where you can breeze from a solo acai bowl brekkie at side alley café Exchange Lane to a business lunch at Mod Oz bistro Penny Blue without ever leaving the premises.

2. Sofitel Adelaide

If you’ve come to expect a lengthy checklist of top-notch facilities from the French luxury hotel brand, this

251-room Adelaide CBD outpost (qantas.com/hotels/sofiteladelaide) won’t disappoint. Highlights include an indoor pool and sauna on level five, a club lounge with complimentary food and beverages, plus spacious rooms with pillow menus, soft linens and, in some, deep freestanding soaking tubs.

3. The Playford Staying awhile? Several room types cater to long-term trips at this 182-room property in the cultural precinct of North Terrace (qantas.com/ hotels/theplayfordadelaide), from the palatial 75-square-metre Loft Suite, with its double shower and collection of complimentary movies, to the kitchenette-inclusive Junior Suite. But after seeing the menu at Euro-

leaning, Art Nouveau-inspired Luma Restaurant and Bar (pictured), you’ll likely lose the urge to cook.

4. Hotel Alba Adelaide

Few details of this South Terrace stay (qantas.com/hotels/hotelalba adelaide) give away its city fringe location, least of all the chalk-white, breeze-block-lined outdoor pool with an adjoining bar and plenty of space for lounging. The affordable, 99-key hotel is well-equipped for its diminutive size, with onsite parking and a bookable private dining room that’s serviced by Ela, the onsite bar and restaurant that dishes up Med-inspired fare – just the right thing for early risers, night owls and lunch-with-yourlaptop stints.

High-flyers

How can businesses maintain a competitive edge?

Eight leaders from finance to hospitality share the opportunities they’re focused on for the next 12 months.

Chris Andrews

CEO, La Trobe Financial

As the Australian alternative asset management firm accelerates its push into the US market, Chris Andrews explains why trust is the number-one quality he instils in his workforce of 550.

“I genuinely believe we have the best team – they are high intellect, low ego and ultra committed. We’ll help them build a meaningful career here, where they know they’ve made a difference.”

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now – and how are you tackling it?

Cybersecurity. Our team has to get it right all day, every day, whereas the threat actors need to get lucky only once. We’re investing heavily in our people and tools for cyber resilience. At a higher level, it’s about managing the extraordinary pace of change in the financial services sector – the effects of technology, AI and the rise of passive investments. Our best response is to double down on our close relationships with customers and partners and evolve our business with their needs in mind. Having $20 billion in assets under management gives us the capacity to make meaningful investments, evolve new product capabilities and invest in technology.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

We operate in a deep, well-regulated market in one of the world’s wealthiest economies. That means the quality of

assets we can bring into the business is very strong – and that drives the performance for investors.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

This year, we launched the La Trobe US Private Credit Fund, in partnership with Morgan Stanley, to American midmarket companies with low cyclical characteristics. They’re not in boombust industries – they’re very stable and reliable. It’s a wonderful investment thematic for investors approaching or in retirement and it has $200 million in assets under management. We want to grow that strategy – and we have two or three more in the pipeline – without taking our eye off our existing offerings.

What makes you most proud of your company?

In financial services, fundamentally, you’re in the trust game so the highest standards of integrity are essential. I genuinely believe we have the best team – they are high intellect, low ego and ultra committed. We’ll help them build a meaningful career here, where they know they’ve made a difference. We have 100,000 investors – most of whom are approaching or are in retirement – who have entrusted their savings to us. They built this country and are relying on us to give them high-quality investment offerings. Meanwhile, our 30,000 borrowers are at the beginning of that cycle, investing in building their life, whether that’s buying a house or starting a business – and it’s exciting to be part of that journey with them.

Angela Colantuono

President and managing director, SAP Australia and New Zealand

“We’re infusing SAP systems with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and showcasing how our new cloud solutions can provide agility and resilience in adapting to market conditions.”

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

Our job at SAP is to address customers’ challenges and right now they’re in a volatile business environment because of external global factors. We’re infusing SAP systems with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and showcasing how our new cloud solutions can provide agility and resilience in adapting to market conditions. Many large organisations in Australia and New Zealand that trust SAP to run their missioncritical systems are now taking the opportunity to simplify and turn on new innovation, including Business AI.

What’s the biggest opportunity? Simplification, innovation and Business AI – when executive teams are presenting their business case to modernise their SAP landscape, more

AI is rapidly changing the tech stack at many companies but it must drive incremental value for the business, says Angela Colantuono of leading software multinational SAP.

and more are taking the opportunity to streamline all the complex custom builds and and move to a clean core. The new best-of-suite SAP solutions with regular innovation and Business AI will drive great advocacy across the organisation – and not just for IT.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

We announced our gen-AI copilot, Joule, in 2023 and one year on we have provided more than 100 scenarios to our customers. From navigating regulatory challenges to addressing complex HR policy questions and generating comprehensive sustainability reports, SAP Business AI capabilities are driving real business value for our customers. SAP data is fuelling our AI engines with relevant contextualised data in a responsible and reliable manner.

What makes you most proud of your company?

It’s always our people – we have 1400 employees in Australia and New Zealand and we’re one of the largest markets outside Europe and the United States. I’m excited to see more women in technology – at SAP ANZ, many of our amazing women applied for new leadership roles during the company’s reorganisation earlier this year. I’m pleased that we now have 41 per cent of women in our leadership teams, with incredible male champions of change. I have moved our leadership team to focus on their local geography, giving us more customer-facing time and the ability to nurture and coach our young talent.

Michael Tassis

“Technical

skills can be taught but hiring employees with the right mindset and personality is our strategy for ensuring a consistently highquality guest experience.”

Owner, Tassis Group

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

From the kitchen to front of house, finding experienced staff is tough. Now I look for people with a can-do attitude who are willing to learn about hospitality. Technical skills can be taught but hiring employees with the right mindset and personality is our strategy for ensuring a consistently high-quality guest experience.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

We’re implementing technology to streamline our operations. Back-end platforms allow us to automate payroll and supplier payments, which means much less paperwork – they also let us personalise the customer experience.

A successful hospitality venture rests on the strength of its relationships – as Brisbane entrepreneur Michael Tassis well knows. By putting suppliers and staff first, he’s set to open the Tassis Group’s 11th restaurant.

Previously, it was up to a maître d’ to know a regular customer’s favourite drink; those details are now captured in online booking systems. If one of our restaurants is fully booked, the platform will suggest another that has availability. AI is more integrated, too – if it’s a quiet night, for example, we can send out specials to VIPs in our database to fill those tables.

Which initiatives do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

We’re trialling AI-driven receptionists to take phone bookings. They’ll always be in addition to our people but if the team is busy and they miss a call, that’s frustrating for customers and could lose us a booking. We’re also opening two more restaurants at the new green bridge that connects Kangaroo Point with Brisbane’s CBD. On the city side is Mulga Bill’s café and bar, while Stilts, serving modern Australian cuisine, is perched on the bridge. It’s an iconic location with stunning views.

What makes you most proud of your company?

I started from humble beginnings in the family restaurant and have kept going through various challenges – I think our loyal staff and patrons can see that perseverance. A couple of my restaurants, Yamas and Opa Bar, reflect my Greek heritage and I’m very proud of those. We have long-serving staff and I make sure they work in a positive environment. When you visit any of Tassis Group’s venues, whether it’s your first time or your 50th, you’ll be greeted like we have known you for years.

tassisgroup.com.au

Jenny George

“We’re helping to develop leaders and I believe that leadership is about providing clarity and hope.”

Dean,

Melbourne Business School

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

Our society will be reshaped by artificial intelligence in ways we find difficult to imagine now. It’s a multidecades time horizon but it is coming and a responsible CEO needs to be able to cast their mind forward and make the investments to be ready. How AI is reshaping jobs is a huge challenge for organisations and the retraining is only just beginning. Melbourne Business School [MBS] has been investing in this for a long time. In some organisations, we’ve delivered training in data and AI literacy to thousands of people and developed programs to help senior executive teams understand how to make use of the latest AI tools without having ethical or governance problems.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

We’re making sure the content in all our degrees, from our MBAs all the way through to our custom programs and short courses, speaks to this new reality. I used to teach the data analysis subjects and it was seen as a hurdle to overcome. Now it’s

As the dean of Australia’s leading business school and the former CEO of a mental-health services provider, Professor Jenny George is committed to changing lives through education.

something that people are excited to learn because they know it’s going to be an important part of their future. We’re introducing a Master of Applied Business Analytics for professionals, with or without quantitative experience, which will take them from a standing start to being able to play a meaningful role in AI and data analytics.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

Through a partnership with BHP, the school is being given $20 million to ramp up the capability of our Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership. We are working to help build an ecosystem that is of benefit to corporate Australia, including BHP, and to the economic empowerment of the Indigenous business sector in Australia.

What makes you most proud of your company?

I’m here because MBS changes lives. I first taught at the school in 1998 and, occasionally, someone I taught 10 or even 20 years ago will message me about what they were taught or a conversation that has stuck with them. We’re helping to develop leaders and I believe that leadership is about clarity and hope. Every industry and every organisation faces headwinds – in those situations it’s about being able to provide hope.

mbs.edu

James Kennedy

“I am proud of our values. I’m all for it when people leave to explore other opportunities but I take pride in the fact that a lot of them call and want to come back.”

CEO and managing director, Kennedy

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

The economic pressures in China are the most significant challenge the luxury goods industry is facing. The slowdown of consumption in that country impacts how luxury brands operate and how much they produce, which trickles down to us, and it also affects the spending habits of tourists from China and the Chinese population in Australia. At the top end of the market we’re somewhat insulated and there’s still demand for our goods – we just have to be a bit more proactive. The sun will shine again.

What’s the biggest opportunity? Difficult times bring opportunities for growth. As a retailer of luxury goods, we have great brand partners

Drawing on business knowledge gained working in finance and investment banking, James Kennedy is taking the eponymous luxury watch and jewellery group from small family business to corporate powerhouse.

in our portfolio – we’re looking to grow the existing ones and add new ones, too. The brands with their own consumer boutiques also own those overheads and liabilities, and some see Kennedy as an extra location to sell another X number of units a year. It’s an opportunity for a company like mine, which is trusted to represent these brands to a standard that both they and the consumer expect.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

We’re growing our footprint and adding categories such as writing instruments, eyewear and fragrance. We’ll have 11 or 12 stores in the next six months so the focus is taking us from a medium-sized, privately owned, family-run business to a more rigorous corporation. We’re adding procedures to ensure decisionmaking isn’t directed back to me at every turn and that the organisation can function under its own steam.

What makes you most proud of your company?

I’ve done every job at Kennedy –there wasn’t one full-time employee when I took over in 2009. Now we have 100-plus retail staff and about 40 head office and infrastructure staff, many of whom started in our stores. I am proud of our values. I’m all for it when people leave to explore other opportunities but I take pride in the fact that a lot of them call and want to come back. That makes me believe it’s a happy place to work, which is very important to me.

kennedy.com.au

Philip Goldie

“We

want to raise industry standards for all organisations, not just Okta customers. We’re hardening our corporate infrastructure to ensure that Okta is secure 24/7.”

Vice-president and managing director, Okta ANZ

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

All organisations are facing the costs and damage of cyber breaches and one of the key things we do at Okta is prevent cybercrime. What was an opportunistic problem a few years ago is now a collective problem for all businesses. Artificial intelligence is touching business in positive ways but it’s also increasing the sophistication and volume of attacks. Essentially, they’re trying to steal identities. We used to think about securing the perimeters of organisations but it’s becoming more about securing the individual identity of everyone who uses a company’s tools and systems.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

Identity is security and security is top of mind among Australian businesses and government departments – and that’s right where we play. Okta secures organisations in the fight against identity attacks. We run a large global service for identity so we see patterns and threats and we’re using that to infuse AI into Okta products – fighting AI with AI. An example is the retail industry being heavily targeted by

Having led Okta’s secure identity authentication and authorisation services in our region since 2022, Phil Goldie is now steering the company’s focus on using artificial intelligence to protect organisations and individuals against cyberthreats.

“credential stuffing” attacks, which involves buying stolen credentials on the dark web and using them to force log-ons for shopping online or stealing further credentials. Okta shuts them out before they even get into the network of the customers we protect.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

We want to raise industry standards for all organisations, not just Okta customers. We’ve led a working group within the OpenID Foundation to establish an open industry standard that’s designed to enhance identity security across SaaS applications. We’re hardening our corporate infrastructure to ensure that Okta is secure 24/7. Given 85 per cent of breaches stem from human error, we need to help organisations

build a culture in which security is taken seriously by all.

What makes you most proud of your company?

Okta’s tagline is “the world’s identity company” and I love that we have 6000 people globally who wake up every day trying to solve this one problem. We’re a 15-year-old business with more than 19,000 customers. Locally, brands that Australians trust use Okta, including Canva, Xero, SafetyCulture, Flight Centre and OFX.

Hedda Felin

CEO, Hurtigruten

At the historic Norwegian cruise line, CEO Hedda Felin is working hard to advance an ambitious sustainability agenda, including a zero-emission ship that’s set to sail the coast of Scandinavia by 2030.

“Our

guests are inspired by our ESG agenda and want to be part of it. They return from their holiday more conscious and educated about ocean health and local food sourcing.”

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

I don’t think the cruise industry has a future if it doesn’t tackle the sustainability challenge and develop positive solutions. Hurtigruten has a mission to push the entire travel industry in that direction and we’re in a good place to do that. We engage with local communities, buy their food and use local people as guides. We’re building a zero-emission ship and putting a lot of effort into decarbonising our products, reducing emissions and having positive ripple effects in communities.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

Our guests are inspired by our ESG agenda and want to be part of it. They return from their holiday more

conscious and educated about ocean health and local food sourcing. There is a trend to “coolcation” in clean, green Scandinavia. Hurtigruten can show guests the real Norway. When you sail with Hurtigruten, you see tiny fishing villages and sail inside the islands, because our ships are small and have the permits to go there.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

Our mission is to achieve carbonneutral cruising and further strengthen our relationships with local communities. In 2025, we will make more progress in our Sea Zero project, building our first ship with zero-emission propulsion that’s ready to sail our Coastal Express route along the Norwegian coast by 2030. We’ve designed it, selected partners and put funding in place. Next is testing, which is very exciting. Rather than thinking about net zero in 2050, we’re doing what’s possible with today’s technology.

What makes you most proud of your company?

Many things but if I have to pick one, it’s our people. They live and breathe our company on both sea and land and have a passion for Hurtigruten, for Norway and giving our guests an authentic experience. Most of our staff come from the Norwegian coast and many have been with us for generations and have stories to tell.

I’m very proud of our team.

hurtigruten.com

Andrew Craig

“We want to educate companies to increase the uptake of this technology and show them how we can personalise communications. It skyrockets customers’ experience.”

Founder and CEO, Chatti

What’s the biggest challenge for your industry right now and how are you tackling it?

Chatti provides Australian companies with communication solutions, including messaging via SMS, MMS, voice, ringless voicemail and video. Our biggest challenge is the rising number of fraudsters using these channels for scams. It deteriorates public trust and makes it harder for companies to use the channels for genuine communications. We work closely with industry bodies, provide our customers with 24/7 fraud monitoring and whitelist their brands with the carriers.

What’s the biggest opportunity?

We want to educate companies to increase the uptake of this technology and show them how we can personalise communications. It could be as simple as sending a personalised ringless

After just four years in business, the Brisbane-based communications service, in partnership with Vonage, counts Uber and Meta among its clients. But for entrepreneur Andrew Craig, there’s always a new challenge in this fast-paced field.

voicemail – delivered to their voicemail inbox – to congratulate the buyer of a new property or sending a prerecorded voice call notifying the customer that their pizza is only minutes away. It skyrockets customers’ experience and streamlines operations without additional labour costs.

Which initiative do you plan to supercharge in 2025?

To help combat voice scams, Chatti is introducing “branded calling”, a new technology that can be integrated into any call centre and allows a company to illustrate their brand, company name and reason for calling directly to the customer’s handset. This cannot be imitated by fraudsters and elevates trust between companies and customers. As Chatti is skewed towards enterprise customers, we’re also developing a new omnichannel self-service platform for small and medium-sized enterprises. Launching internationally, it will enable SMEs to use Chatti to scale up.

What makes you most proud of your company?

Chatti was created because Australian companies were having to accept that sending an SMS didn’t guarantee it would be delivered and that our country had a lack of access to new technology coming out of Silicon Valley. Today I’m blessed to work with an amazing team and business leaders and I see firsthand the impact Chatti is having, one company at a time. I’m also very proud to be one of the few nonASX-listed companies in partnership with Qantas Business Rewards.

chatti.com

Over 95 destinations

across Australia and the world

ONBOARD

Movies

Kick back and catch up on the latest releases

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Thirty-six years after director Tim Burton brought his unique brand of neo-gothic gallows humour to the screen with Beetlejuice, he’s bringing audiences – and the resurrected careers of half the original cast – back for the sequel. Winona Ryder, who was only 15 when she first played the sullen Lydia Deetz, returns with stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and the 600-year-old demonic entity himself, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton, above).

Now a medium, Lydia has her own paranormal TV show and is able to contact almost anyone who is dead, except for the person who matters most: Richard, the father of her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who is cynical about her mother’s gift and quietly furious that she’s marrying again

(her would-be stepfather, Rory, is played by Justin Theroux).

After escaping the house on her bike, Astrid meets local boy Jeremy (Arthur Conti), who believes he has the power to take her to the “other side” so she can reconnect with her father. Meanwhile, over at Netherworld headquarters, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soulsucking demon, has arrived and is determined to exact revenge on him.

Burton skillfully weaves these seemingly disparate storylines together without ditching the motifs that made the 1988 film so great – tiny heads on big bodies, claymation gore and giant sandworms among them. The result is a fun horror soup: warm, salty and strangely comforting. Rated M

Trap

Director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) turns his “gotcha” shtick on to pop culture in this sly homage to Taylor Swift fans and their dads. Josh Hartnett is Cooper Adams, a fireman who takes his daughter Riley (Australian actress Ariel Donoghue, above with Hartnett) to a Lady Raven concert (played by reallife singer and Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka). But they’re not the only ones watching the show – the FBI is on standby as they’re expecting a serial killer will also be attending and plans to capture him. The twists in this narrative start early and go off like fireworks throughout the film, right until the bitter end. With Alison Pill and Hayley Mills. Rated M

Thelma

There are vigilante revenge movies and then there’s Thelma, the tale of a 93-year-old grandmother (played by June Squibb) who’s tricked into handing over $10,000 by a phone scammer posing as her grandson. When the police are unable to help recover her losses, Thelma enlists her friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree, above with Squibb), to ride a scooter cross-country, track down the scammer and recover her money. Rated M

It Ends With Us

A florist named Lily Bloom falling in love with a handsome neurosurgeon called Ryle Kincaid sounds more like the plot of a Mills and Boon novel than a story about an abusive marriage. But author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the novel, It Ends With Us, in 2016, and writer Christy Hall, who adapted it for the screen, know that nobody goes willingly into a harmful relationship with a monster – it’s a hero who first appears, a charming guy who sweeps you off your feet. Directed by Justin Baldoni, who also stars as Ryle opposite Blake Lively (right, with Baldoni) in the role of Lily, this is an imperfect but important film about the nuances and psychology of generational violence – and the survivors who are left in its wake. Rated M

Blink Twice

Ever since Aaron Sorkin won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Social Network in 2011, cinema has been coming for billionaire tech bros. While massive amounts of wealth and entitlement have been the backbone of villainy since Pharaoh ruled Egypt in The Ten Commandments, director Zöe Kravitz – who co-wrote the script and also appears in a small role – puts a handsome face on it with Channing Tatum (left with co-star Naomi Ackie), playing super-rich tech mogul Slater King, who hosts parties for young women on his private island. What could go wrong? With Geena Davis, Christian Slater and Kyle MacLachan. Rated MA15+

Television

The best shows to binge this month

Will Trent Star of the bestselling novels by Karin Slaughter, Will Trent is a clever special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta. He was brought up in the foster child system, resulting in his Achilles heel – he can’t leave any case unresolved. It also means he adopts an abandoned chihuahua called Betty (played by Bluebell). Series one sees Will (Ramón Rodríguez, above with Bluebell) crack a murder case with work partner Faith (Iantha Richardson) as he embarks on a relationship with fellow detective and childhood friend Angie (Erika Christensen). Rated MA15+

Tulsa King

Sylvester Stallone (left) is Mafia capo Dwight Manfredi, exiled to Arizona to build a crime syndicate. His efforts create conflict in New York, where his families (criminal and biological) are growing discontented. Rated MA15+

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Before Real Housewives, there were the Ladies Who Lunch – socialites who ruled 1960s New York. Author Truman Capote called them his “swans” and this series charts his fall after he betrayed them. With Tom Hollander as Capote and Naomi Watts (below). Rated MA15+

Big Mood

Best friends Eddie (Lydia West) and Maggie (Nicola Coughlan, below, left, with West) are riding out their 20s with chaotic panache. But when one of them appears to hit a higher level of mania, a sobering truth reveals itself. Rated M

Queens

This National Geographic documentary focuses on nature’s matriarchies or “queendoms”, commanded by the most powerful leaders in the animal world – female lions, elephants, bears, primates and whales. No rating

Audiobooks

Listen in to these great stories

I Give My Marriage a Year

After an especially fraught Christmas, it’s crunch time for Lou and Josh’s 14-year marriage. For the next year, they manoeuvre their way through a series of self-inflicted tests to decide their union’s staying power: is it worth the effort or is it better for both of them to call it a day? Sydney-based writer Holly Wainwright’s novel paints a true-to-life portrait of a contemporary Australian relationship with all its unspoken regrets, everyday frustrations and complicated emotions.

No Friend but the Mountains

In this lyrical memoir, Kurdish refugee and journalist Behrouz Boochani writes of the six years he was incarcerated on Manus Island. His firsthand account of the trauma suffered in offshore processing centres proved to be an act of survival. Winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Literature and for Non-fiction, this book bears witness to the human cost of detention and gives voice to those still in exile.

The Art of Growing Up

In an increasingly complex world, how do parents nurture and guide their children into adulthood? Bringing everything he’s learnt from decades of working with and writing for young people, bestselling author and educator John Marsden presents his manifesto on parenting and childhood in the 21st century. He offers insights into a range of topics, from the role and importance of education to what he defines as a “problem parent” and a “problem child”.

Enjoy unlimited access to theaustralian.com.au, afr.com.au and themonthly.com.au when you are connected to Qantas Wi-Fi onboard and in Qantas lounges

Connect to Qantas Free Wi-Fi and Entertainment App

Once onboard, connect your own device to Qantas Free Wi-Fi on domestic flights in three simple steps to access the internet and Qantas Entertainment App.

STEP 1

Enable Aeroplane Mode and select the “Qantas Free Wi-Fi” network in your Wi-Fi settings .

STEP 2

Follow the prompts on the “Welcome Onboard” screen to connect.

STEP 3

Once you’re connected, you’re now ready to access the internet and the Qantas Entertainment App.

Having trouble connecting?

Make sure you are connected to the “Qantas Free Wi-Fi” network and go to wifi.qantas.com in your preferred browser to start exploring.

Inflight entertainment varies by route and aircraft. Voice calls are not permitted inflight.

Quick clues

Across

01. Hooded snake (5)

04. Stitched (4)

06. Pig-headed (8)

12. Bans (9)

13. Illness (9)

14. Particular (7)

15. Drill (5)

16. Desert spring (5)

17. Attaining (8)

19. Raze (5,4)

22. Ice performer (6,6)

23. Flotsam and ... (6)

25. Made minor mistake (6)

27. London’s old vegetable market (6,6)

31. Vanish (9)

33. Tottery (8)

35. Radio code word for the letter O (5)

36. Light-rail cars (5)

37. Rushes forward (7)

40. Designer ... Dior (9)

41. Blind devotion (9)

42. Fidgety (8)

43. Gambles (4)

44. Tenet (5)

01. Gets by (5)

02. Returning projectile (9)

03. Defence excuse (5) 04. Kenyan currency units (9)

05. Sushi condiment (6)

07. Here today, gone ... (8)

08. Steer (7) 09. Items left out (9) 10. Brief letters (5) 11. Games tally recorder (11) 17. Tousled (7)

18. Jockey’s mount (5)

20. Proxy (7)

21. Birth pangs (6,5)

24. Accurate (5)

26. Souvenir shop purchases (9)

28. Dogged (9)

29. Refining (computer program) (9)

30. Soldiers on watch (8)

32. Sun shield (7) 34. Break free (6)

35. Take place (5)

38. Hollywood prize, Academy ... (5) 39. New Mexico capital, ... Fe (5)

Cryptic clues

Across

01. Serpent used to represent company support for women (5)

04. Darned bad news! (4)

06. Bob turns out to be uncompromising (8)

12. Renovates hip bistro bars (9)

13. Gripe is a medical condition (9)

14. Extraordinary blackboard menu item (7)

15. Tool that won’t hold your interest? (5)

16. Central Coast is a pleasant sanctuary (5)

17. About feeling sore, stretching is the solution (8)

19. Demolish deck (5,4)

22. Reckons Ms Winslet is right to portray Winter Olympian (6,6)

23. It’s thrown out and back from when mast ejected (6)

25. Spade used after initial licence expired (6)

27. Head nun leaves nunnery flowerbed to go to the Royal Opera House (6,6)

31. Dear Pip: As arranged, get lost! (9)

33. Leans but appears somehow poorly balanced (8)

35. Sought-after figurine of The Odd Couple character (5)

36. Smart turnaround in passenger vehicles (5)

37. Costs associated with government imposts (7)

40. He may be orthodox, but the rich tan is unorthodox (9)

41. Bother to put a limit on love (9)

42. Take fewer breaks when unsettled (8)

43. Wagers that Brett is alternative (4)

44. Hound graduate for doctrine (5)

Down

01 Manages to vary scope (5)

02. Jeer at Pavlova, they say, and it will come back to you (9)

03. Cover story refers in part to feral ibises (5)

04. Performs song about big pile of coins (9)

05. Half of Iowa exhibits strange bias for hot sauce (6)

07. In the morning, motor around before having argument (8)

08. Young ox called Sandra? (7)

09. Simon is so upset about oversights (9)

10. Writes down middle C and D, for example (5)

11. Twenty retain Queen as match official (11)

17. Gathered up fur and ran off (7)

18. Croaky-sounding animal (5)

20. Following negative response, colliery adds final vote for candidate (7)

21. What those making deliveries have to deal with (6,5)

24. Precise demand (5)

26. Drops cast off to get holiday mementos (9)

28. Showing determination, a number keep account of debtor’s promises (9)

29. Removing taps? (9)

30. Guards southern gates (8)

32. It’s a shade lighter than a beach umbrella (7)

34. Flight provides distraction (6)

35. Happen to have our cubic capacity included (5)

38. Present to a part of hospital (5)

39. Yearly visitor has pole position (5)

Wheel of words

Create as many words of four letters or more as you can using the given letters once only but always including the central letter. Don’t use proper nouns or plurals ending with “s”. See if you can find the nine-letter word using all letters.

Match-ups – Türkiye

Work out all the words needed to complete these phrases that you might associate with Türkiye. The letters that are leftover will spell out the name of a stretch of water linking the Black and Aegean seas.

Sea Troy Cove

Battle of the Belly

Fattoush

Gallipoli

Hagia

Lamb

Mount

Mustafa Kemal

Soup

Cruise

Pamuk

Empire Rugs

Pide

Shish

Suleiman the Tigris and Topkapi

Tulip

Turkish Vine

State

Whirling Horse

Spot the difference

Can you spot the seven differences between these two images? Circle what’s changed on the image below.

Quiz

By Hazel Flynn

01. Whose on-screen roles include FBI agent Johnny Utah and Wyld Stallyns guitarist Theodore Logan?

02. In digestion, does food pass through the large or small intestine first?

03. Where were the surfing events of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games held?

04. In terms of geography and government, what links Chile, the Netherlands and South Africa?

05. What name is shared by the place at the front of a plane and the area on an aircraft carrier where planes land?

06. What is the French name for a zucchini?

07. What country has the second-highest tiger population after India?

08. What year saw Netflix begin streaming in the United States, a second America’s Cup win for landlocked Switzerland and the first Chinese spacecraft orbit the moon?

09. Flying Fish Cove is the main settlement of what Australian external territory?

10. What facial “decoration” gets its name from US Civil War General Ambrose Burnside?

11. Which four elements make up more than 99 per cent of atoms in the human body?

12. Tenochtitlan was the capital of which ancient empire?

13. And what present-day metropolis is built on its ruins?

14. Which band, formed as a trio in Melbourne in 1985, released the 2024 album Gravity Stairs?

15. Does the earth rotate faster at the equator or the poles?

16. The names of what two types of ape begin with “g”?

17. What is the largest and wealthiest of the United Arab Emirates?

18. Do You Want to Build a Snowman is a song from which 2013 movie?

19. What does the suffix “itis” indicate in medicine?

20. What does the Spanish phrase Feliz Navidad mean in English?

Paris, France

Just got back from a trip?

Did you marvel at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, surf a gnarly wave in Honolulu or drink in the sweeping views atop San Cristóbal Hill in Santiago, Chile?

Email your Bangkok, Honolulu or Santiago holiday highlights to travel@mediumrarecontent.com for your chance to be featured.

Solutions

If you’ve filled in the answers, please take the magazine with you so the cabin crew know to replace it with a new copy.

Sudoku

Crossword

Easy

Match-ups

Moderate

Hard

Wheel of words

Ciao, Coin, Coma, Corn, Crop, Icon, Iron, Moan, Morn, Noir, Nori, Norm, Orca, Prom, Roam, Roan, Romp, Acorn, Apron, Aroma, Copra, Macro, Manor, Micro, Minor, Piano, Macaron, Macaroni

Nine-letter word: PANORAMIC

Spot the difference

01. Larger hedge

02. Cloud added to sky

03. Man walking moved to the right

04. Visor added to helmet

05. Colour changed on helmet

06. Extra lamp post

07. Hub cap added to scooter wheel

Aegean Sea, Ancient Troy, Anzac Cove, Battle of the Dardanelles, Belly Dancers, Fattoush Salad, Gallipoli Peninsula, Hagia Sophia, Lamb Kofte, Lentil Soup, Mediterranean Cruise, Mount Ararat, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Orhan Pamuk, Ottoman Empire, Persian Rugs, Pide Bread, Secular State, Shish Kebab, Suleiman the Magnificent, Tigris and Euphrates, Topkapi Palace, Tulip Gardens, Turkish Delight, Vine Leaves, Whirling Dervishes, Wooden Horse.

Solution: Sea of Marmara

Quiz

01. Keanu Reeves 02. The small intestine

03. Tahiti 04. They have more than one capital city 05 . Flight deck 06. Courgette 07. Russia

08. 2007 09. Christmas Island 10. Sideburns

11. Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen

12. Aztec 13. Mexico City 14. Crowded House 15. The equator 16. Gibbons and gorillas

17. Abu Dhabi 18. Frozen 19. Inflammation

20. Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas

Inflight workout

These exercises are designed to provide a safe way to stretch and enjoy movement in certain muscle groups that can become stiff as a result of long periods of sitting. They may be effective at increasing the body’s blood circulation and massaging the muscles. We recommend you do these exercises for three or four minutes every hour and occasionally leave your seat to walk down the aisles. Each exercise should be done with minimal disturbance to other passengers. None of these exercises should be performed if they cause pain or cannot be done with ease.

01

Start with both heels on the floor and point feet upwards as high as you can.

Ankle circles

Lift feet. Draw a circle with toes, moving one foot clockwise and the other counterclockwise at the same time. Reverse circles. Rotate in each direction for 15 seconds. Repeat if desired.

Knee lifts Lift leg with knee bent while contracting your thigh muscle. Alternate legs. Repeat 20 to 30 times for each leg.

Neck roll

With shoulders relaxed, drop your ear to your shoulder and gently roll your neck forward and back, holding each position for about five seconds. Repeat five times.

Knee to chest Bend forward slightly. Clasp hands around left knee and hug it to your chest. Hold for 15 seconds. Keeping hands around the knee, slowly let it down. Alternate legs. Repeat 10 times.

In the air

Mobile phones and electronic equipment: All transmitting electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablets and laptop computers, must be switched to flight mode* prior to departure. Smaller devices such as mobile phones, e-readers, electronic games, MP3 players, iPads and other small tablets may be held in your hands or stowed in a seat pocket. Unless otherwise directed by the captain, these devices may remain switched on and used in flight mode during take-off, cruise and landing. Larger electronic equipment such as laptop computers may only be used from when the aircraft seatbelt sign is extinguished after take-off until the top of descent. After landing, the cabin crew will advise when flight mode may be switched off.

Headsets: Do not use a personal single-pin audio headset in the Qantas inflight entertainment system unless it is supported by a two-pin airline headset adaptor. Personal headsets that connect via a cable

to a handheld device can be used at any time from boarding until arrival. Headsets and other devices that connect via Bluetooth must be switched off for take-off and landing but can be used during cruise.

*Flight mode enables you to operate basic functions of your mobile phone or personal electronic device while its transmitting function is switched off, meaning you cannot make phone calls or send an SMS.

Fly Well

Your wellbeing is our priority. Our Fly Well program brings together a number of measures to give you peace of mind during your flight.

Cabin air: Our aircraft air conditioning systems are fitted with hospital-grade HEPA filters, which remove 99.9% of all particles including viruses. The air inside the cabin is refreshed every few minutes, ensuring the highest possible air quality.

02

Put both feet flat on the floor. Lift heels high, keeping the balls of the feet on the floor.

03

Repeat these three stages in a continuous motion and at 30-second intervals.

Forward flex

With both feet on the floor and stomach held in, slowly bend forward and walk your hands down the front of your legs towards your ankles. Hold for 15 seconds and slowly sit back up.

Shoulder roll Hunch shoulders forwards then upwards, backwards and downwards in a gentle circular motion.

Inflight: The aircraft configuration, including the seats and galley, act as a natural barrier, and people are not seated face to face. The direction of inflight airflow is ceiling to floor.

Enhanced cleaning: Our aircraft are cleaned with a disinfectant that is effective against coronaviruses, with a focus on the high-contact areas of seats, seatbelts, overhead lockers, air vents and toilets. Our people are trained in the latest hygiene protocols.

Face masks: Ensure you check the latest government requirements before you travel. Your face mask needs to cover your mouth and nose, fit securely and must be worn unless you’re under 12 years of age or have a medical exemption.

Your inflight health: When flying, passengers can be seated and inactive for long periods of time. The environment can be low in humidity and the cabin pressure equivalent to an altitude of 2440

Foot pumps (foot motion is in three stages)

metres above sea level. The following advice helps you stay healthy during your journey.

The importance of inflight blood circulation and muscle relaxation: When walking, the leg muscle action helps return venous blood to the heart. Sitting in the same position for a long period of time can slow this process and, in some people, leads to swelling in the feet. Some studies have shown that immobility associated with travel of longer than four hours (by air, car or rail) can also lead to an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or clotting in the legs. Personal factors that increase the risk of DVT include:

A ge over 40 years

Personal or family history of DVT or pulmonary embolus

Recent surgery or injury, especially to the lower limbs, pelvis or abdomen

Cancer

Inherited or other blood disorders leading to clotting tendency

Pregnancy

O estrogen therapy (oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy).

There are a number of ways to help reduce the possibility of DVT, including the following:

Avoid leg-crossing while seated

Ensure adequate hydration

Minimise alcohol and caffeine intake before and during your flight

Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes

D uring your flight, move your legs and feet for three to four minutes per hour while seated and move about the cabin occasionally

D o the light exercises we recommend here (see above) and through the inflight entertainment system.

If you have concerns about your health and flying, or you feel that you may be at risk of DVT, Qantas recommends that you talk to your doctor before travelling. Additional measures such as well-fitted compression stockings or anti-clotting medication may be recommended for high-risk individuals. Jet lag: Unlike other forms of transport, air travel allows for rapid movement across many time zones, which can disrupt the body’s biological clock. This is commonly known as jet lag. This disruption can affect various body rhythms such as the sleepwake cycle and the digestive system, leading to symptoms such as tiredness and lack of energy and appetite. In general, the more time zones crossed, the more disruption of the body clock and the more symptoms experienced after the journey. We recommend the following to minimise the effects of jet lag.

Before your flight:

G et a good night’s rest

During your flight:

Eat light meals

Wear loose, comfortable clothing and sleep when you can

S tay hydrated – drink plenty of water and avoid excess tea, coffee and alcohol

At your destination:

If possible, give yourself a day or two after arrival to adjust to the new time zone

G o out in the daylight and do some light exercise

Try to eat meals and do other social activities at appropriate destination times to adjust to the new time zone

Cabin humidity and hydration: Humidity levels of less than 25 per cent are common in the cabin, as the outside air that supplies the cabin is very dry. The low humidity can cause drying of the surfaces of the nose, throat and eyes and it can irritate contact lenses. If normal fluid intake is maintained during the flight, dehydration will not occur.

We recommend:

D rink water and juices frequently during the flight

D rink coffee, tea and alcohol in moderation

Remove contact lenses and wear glasses if your eyes are irritated

Use a skin moisturiser to refresh the skin

Cabin pressurisation: During flight, aircraft cabin pressure is maintained to a sufficient density for your comfort and health. As the aircraft climbs, the cabin may reach the same air pressure as at an elevation of 2440 metres above sea level. Cabin pressure does not pose a problem for most passengers. However, if you suffer from obstructive pulmonary diseases, anaemias or certain cardiovascular conditions, you could experience discomfort at these altitudes. These passengers should seek medical advice before flying, as some may require supplementary oxygen. Qantas can arrange this but requires at least seven days’ notice before travelling. The rate of change in cabin pressure during climb and descent is also carefully maintained and does not usually cause discomfort. However, children and infants, and adults who have sinus or nasal congestion, may experience some discomfort because of pressure changes during climb and particularly descent. Those suffering from nasal or sinus congestion because of a cold or allergies may need to delay travel. The following advice may assist:

To “clear” your ears, try swallowing, yawning or pinching your nose closed and gently blowing against it. These actions help open the Eustachian tubes, equalising pressure between the middle ear chamber and throat.

If flying with an infant, feed or give your baby a dummy during descent. Sucking and swallowing help equalise pressure in an infant’s ears. Give children something to drink or chew during descent.

C onsider using medication such as nasal sprays, decongestants and antihistamines 30 minutes prior to descent to help open up your ear and sinus passages.

Motion sickness: Air travel, especially if turbulence is experienced, can cause motion sickness, as it leads to a conflict between the body’s sense of vision and its sense of equilibrium. Maintaining good visual cues (keeping your eyes fixed on a non-moving object) helps prevent motion sickness. When the weather is clear, you should look out at the ground, sea or horizon. If the horizon can’t be seen, closing your eyes and keeping your head movements to a minimum will help. While over-the-counter medications are available, we recommend you consult your doctor about

the appropriate medications. More information can be found:

At qantas.com.au/info/flying/intheair/ yourhealthinflight

Through the onboard entertainment system

O n our information leaflet available from Qantas or your travel agent

Smoking: Government regulations prohibit smoking on all flights operated by Australian-registered aircraft. The use and charging of all e-cigarettes and other personal vaporisers are not permitted on board an aircraft. There are smoke detectors in all toilets and penalties for regulation breaches.

Travelling with children: Please ask cabin crew for help if required. Baby food and nappies (diapers) are available on most flights, while some washrooms are fitted with baby change tables. Please dispose of nappies etc. in the waste bins.

When you land

Leaving flights: On international flights, the cabin crew will distribute the necessary Customs and Immigration forms. If you are stopping en route, you will need your boarding pass to re-board the aircraft. If you’re travelling as a domestic passenger on an international flight within Australia, retain your boarding card with the large D sticker. This will be required to clear Customs at your destination.

Transferring from Australian domestic flights numbered QF400 and above to international flights: At check-in you will be issued with your international boarding pass. Your international boarding pass and baggage will be tagged through to your final destination. There is no need to claim your baggage or attend check-in at the transfer airport. Follow the signs for international transfers passengers to the complimentary transfer bus (not necessary in Melbourne and Darwin).

Transferring from international to domestic flights numbered QF400 and above: On arrival at your Australian transfer port, go through Immigration and collect your luggage. Proceed through Customs and follow the signs to the domestic transfer area to re-check your luggage. A complimentary transfer bus (not necessary in Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin) departs at regular intervals for the domestic terminal for your connecting Qantas flight within Australia. If your connecting domestic flight is numbered QF1-QF399, there is no need to clear Customs and Immigration. These flights depart from the international terminals. Customs and Immigration clearance will be completed at your final destination.

Transferring to a Jetstar domestic flight: If your next flight is with Jetstar (JQ) or a Qantas codeshare flight operated by Jetstar (QF5400-QF5999), you will need to collect your baggage and follow the signs to the Jetstar counter to check in for your flight and re-check your baggage.

What you need to know about your onboard security, safety and health

Qantas security policy

The Qantas Group has a strict policy of denying boarding, or off-loading any passenger who makes inappropriate comments or behaves inappropriately inflight or on the ground. Qantas will not accept any inappropriate comments as “jokes”. It will also seek to recover all costs incurred, including diversions as a result of security incidents, from those involved.

Group-wide security

Security screening is subject to the laws and regulations of the country of operation. The Qantas Group ensures that its passengers, staff and aircraft are safe and secure through an outcome-focused, risk-based approach to security management. Qantas security standards apply across the business, including QantasLink and Jetstar.

A dedicated operations centre monitors global security events 24 hours a day.

Security advice

Pa ck your own luggage

D o not carry any items for another person

C arry valuables, approved medication and keys in your carry-on baggage

A ll knives, sharp objects or cutting implements must be in checked baggage

S ecurity measures can include random frisk search after consent is obtained. Passengers may request privacy and must be searched by a screener of the same gender

Important note: Security screening is subject to the laws and regulations of the country of operation.

Restrictions on powders and liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs)

On all international flights to and from Australia:

E ach container of LAGs in your carry-on baggage must be 100ml or less

A ll 100ml containers must be placed in a single transparent one-litre plastic bag

P lastic bags containing LAGs are to be screened separately from other carry-on baggage

A ll powders must be screened separately with restrictions on the carriage of inorganic powders over 350ml (350g)

Pa ssengers may still carry prescription medicines or baby products sufficient for the flight

I f departing, transiting or transferring on an international flight at an Australian

international gateway airport, duty-free powders and LAGs must be sealed, with receipt, in a security tamper-evident bag issued at the time of purchase

Full-body scanners

T he Australian federal government has introduced full-body scanners at international gateway airports: Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Perth, Melbourne and the Gold Coast

The Australian Federal Government has commenced introducing full-body scanners at major domestic airports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sunshine Coast, Sydney and Townsville

At international gateway airports passengers refusing to pass through the scanner will be banned from entering the sterile area or boarding an aircraft for 24 hours

E xemptions apply for people with serious medical conditions, infants and small children, and people in wheelchairs

A s per advice, the energy exposure is comparable to that from a mobile phone several metres away

T here are no known safety concerns for people with pacemakers and metal implants or for pregnant women

Dangerous goods

Common items used every day may seem harmless but on an aircraft they may become dangerous. When the aircraft changes altitude, variations in temperature and pressure may cause items to leak, create fumes or catch fire.

Items that are forbidden on aircraft or have carriage restrictions include lithium batteries, other battery types, camping stoves, fuels, oils, compressed gases, aerosols, household cleaners, matches, lighters, paints, explosives (including flares, fireworks, sparklers and bonbons), emergency position-indicating radio beacons, radioactive material, biological and infectious substances and fuel-powered equipment. This list is not exhaustive so please carefully consider what items you pack for your next flight.

If you’re unsure about an item in your baggage, ask a member of our friendly cabin crew.

For further information, go to qantas.com or email dg@qantas.com.au.

Travel advice

Qantas is a partner in the Australian government’s Charter for Safe Travel. Travellers may obtain the latest travel advice for their destination by visiting smartraveller.gov.au.

Automated immigration clearance

Several countries are introducing automated immigration clearance procedures to cope with growing air-travel numbers. The goal is to provide a faster, smoother immigration experience to eligible passengers without compromising border security. Please note that some automated clearance options may not be available due to COVID. Countries providing facilities across our network:

Australia SmartGate: e-passport holders of Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and US

China e-Channel: citizens of China

Hong Kong e-Channel Residents: citizens and residents of Hong Kong

Hong Kong e-Channel Visitors: frequent visitors that are visa-exempt, including Australians

Indonesia Autogate passport gates: citizens of Indonesia

Japan Speedy Immigration: citizens and foreign nationals with re-entry and special re-entry permits

New Zealand SmartGate Plus: e-passport holders of Australia, New Zealand, UK and US

Singapore enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS): citizens, permanent residents, work permit holders and APEC cardholders

UAE eGate: UAE citizens and residents

UK ePassport gates: e-passport holders of UK, Switzerland and European Economic Area (EEA)

USA Global Entry system: US citizens and permanent residents, Dutch citizens, South Korean citizens and Mexican nationals. Canadian citizens and residents with NEXUS membership

USA Automated Passport Control: for US, Canadian and Visa Waiver Program passport holders

Fee applies

Pre-enrolment required

Enjoy one status on 13 airlines.

Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating is in accordance with the individual policy of the oneworld member airline operating the flight. First and business class check-in desks and lounges are not available at all airports. Fast track is not available at all airports. Priority baggage handling is not available on flights operated by British Airways. Extra baggage allowance benefits differ for Sapphire and Emerald tier members. oneworld benefits are available only to passengers on scheduled flights that are both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline (marketed means that there must be a oneworld member airline’s flight number on your ticket). Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines and oneworld are trademarks of their respective companies. Some limitations and exceptions may apply. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/benefits. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner which provides select alliance benefits to oneworld members. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/oneworld-connect. For detailed information on the oneworld Lounge Access policy, visit https://www.oneworld.com/airport-lounges.

Qantas Domestic Route Network