Qantas Magazine - March 2023

FIVE UNIQUE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE

AFRICA

TRAVEL INSIDER

FIND YOUR INNER MUSICIAN IN NEW YORK

AN INSIDER’S FOOD TOUR OF COPENHAGEN

SECRET SURF AND SKI SPOTS TO CONQUER

DINE COUNTRY PUBS WITH NEXT-LEVEL FOOD INNOVATE ANNA BLIGH: FROM POLITICS TO BANKING CRUISING WHICH CRUISE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

LIVE IT ELECTRIC

LEXUS RX HYBRID

Revel in the effortlessly smooth driving dynamics of the all-new Lexus RX. Pioneer of the luxury SUV concept, the 5th generation RX boasts two hybrid engine options designed to perfectly complement your electric life.

THE ALL-ELECTRIC EQV.

Make your move for the next generation.

Progressive luxury has come to people movers with the all-electric EQV. With room for up to 7 in its expansive interior, plus dual electric sliding doors and an indicative range of up to 418km*, it’s designed with your family in mind.

Mercedes-Benz EQV

MARCH 2023

19 The people, places and pop culture to put on your radar

38 Spotlight on Porto, the second largest city in Portugal

Dine

46 On The Menu: The country pubs doing food and wine worth travelling for

50 The Crowd-pleaser: Chicken fricasseé at Restaurant Hubert

52 Best of: Geelong region, Victoria

54 The Pass: Live the good life out of the city

56 Local Heroes: Canberra, ACT

58 Wine List: Grenache

64 Into the wild

72 Eat your out

80 Castaways

84 Street cred

90 Pro secrets

Five new journeys to experience Africa’s natural wonders

Eat and drink like a local in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen

The joys and pitfalls of camping on a deserted Queensland island

Hit the sidewalk on a tour of New York’s iconic musical past

Our hit list of the world’s best destinations for snow or waves

MARCH 2023

162 The B Corp Revolution: Everything you need to know about gaining and keeping the in-demand certification

173 View From The Top: Kirstin Ferguson, executive coach, company director and writer

176 Small Business: The revenue and brand awareness benefits of promotional partnerships

178 Career Path: Anna Bligh, CEO, Australian Banking Association

180 Upstart: Swoop Aero

182 Clock Wise: Elicia McDonald, partner, AirTree Ventures

Cruise special

105 From transatlantic luxury to Norwegian wildlife spotting, there’s a cruise to suit you

Design

146 On The Inside: Hotel Sages, Bali

148 Creative Process: Peta Clancy

150 Foundations: Bahá’í House of Worship, New Delhi

152 The Statement: Hanging Egg Chair

154 The Look: Men’s and women’s fashion

158 The Classic: The caftan

On board

185 Inflight entertainment

190 Health, safety and security on board and when you land

194 Games

Mike French

Editorial

Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Galliott

Content Director

Genevra Leek

Deputy Content Director

Faith Campbell

Content Manager

Natalie Reilly

Contributing Editor

Jessica Irvine

Digital and Content Operations Lead

Hana Jo

Online Editor

Christina Rae

Managing Editor, Qantas Hotels

Bridget de Maine

Digital Producer

Anneliese Beard

For editorial inquiries, contact: qantaseditorial@mediumrarecontent.com

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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. ©2023. 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.

FROM THE EDITOR

“What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on?”

Blame my job title but this is the question I’m asked most often. (The next most popular? “So where are you off to next?”)

And my answer has always been the same... until last year.

My honeymoon in Tanzania and on Zanzibar wore the crown for 16 years. I found intense joy in bumping along savannas that were wide and brown and full of life. The rush of seeing a group of cheetahs frolicking in front of us (and having an elephant charge at us) was matched by the mighty baobabs that towered over the landscape.

I have longed to return to Africa.

And then, in November last year, I did. This time, we had our daughters in tow and the four of us spent four exhilarating days at Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, south of the Kruger National Park.

We saw everything we’d ever dreamed of and more. A lion eyeballed me. A leopard raced up a tree just metres from us. We were so close to a herd of rhinos that we could hear them breathing. To have this experience as a family and create these memories? It was priceless.

You’ve probably clocked that my two favourite trips of all time have a common thread. They centred on the safari, which is also the theme of this issue. The Macquarie – our dictionary of choice here at the magazine – defines the safari as a “journey or an expedition”. It also describes it as a “holiday tour, which may entail some camping out and a degree of adventurousness”.

So while Africa tops my list, there are many forms of safari, from a food safari in Copenhagen (less camping, more culinary adventure) to a snorkelling safari (which offers the lot) on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s really about trying something new, wonderful and life-affirming. Which sums up travel for me.

Have a great month.

Kirsten Galliott Editor-in-Chief

kirstengalliott

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.

A piece of you since 1972.

FROM THE CEO

When you’re flying somewhere, we know how important it is to arrive on time. A meeting, a connecting flight, a loved one or a much-needed holiday is usually waiting for you. That’s why everyone at Qantas has been working hard to improve our on-time performance or – given there is shorthand for everything in aviation – “OTP”.

For several months last year, as travel ramped back up, our OTP was nowhere near what it should have been. We made a lot of changes and launched a program internally called “getting back to our best”. While we’re always working to make things better, that’s what our people delivered. At the time of writing, Qantas has been the most on-time major domestic airline for five months in a row. We always put safety before schedule but thanks to our amazing people, we’re delivering both. Our service levels – bags, cancellations, catering and call centre – are also back to what our customers expect.

With performance on track again, we’re starting to add more capacity to our network, which will help put downward pressure on fares. The great news is there’s lots more to come. We recently announced our first half-year profit since the pandemic, which means we’re able to accelerate investment in the travel experience on board and on the ground. Qantas already has Australia’s most extensive lounge network with 35 domestic lounges, as well as 16 lounges at international airports across the country and around the world. We’ve got five new and upgraded lounges opening this year, with more in the pipeline. We’ve also released more Classic Reward seats for our Frequent Flyers to book using their points.

Our mission to connect Australia’s east coast with London and New York via direct flights is a step closer, with the finalisation of cabin designs for our new Airbus A350s, including all-new First and Business Suites and a wellbeing zone. The designs were influenced by customer feedback on our direct Perth-London flights, launched almost five years ago and now our longest and most popular route. It’s all part of our efforts to make your journey even better.

Thanks for choosing Qantas.

Alan Joyce CEO, Qantas

Expanding the fleet

Qantas will bolster its international fleet when it takes delivery of three new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners later this year. The aircraft will operate on routes including Sydney direct to San Francisco from 22 May and Sydney to New York via Auckland from 14 June.

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:

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 and water.

Mercedes-Benz Sydney

Mercedes-Benz Melbourne

Mercedes-Benz Brisbane

AMG Sydney

Mercedes-Benz Melbourne Airport

Join the brightest minds in Australian business as you enjoy an exclusive experience at Sydney’s hottest new harbourside restaurant, Sala.

Qantas magazine and Travel Insider welcome you to Think. – a thought-leadership reader event, in association with LSH Auto Australia and supporting partner Regent Seven Seas, that is hosted by Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Galliott. You’ll enjoy a four-course dinner as Australia’s top business leaders tackle the night’s theme in a live panel discussion.

The topic

Diversity and inclusion: Why it matters, how it changes a business and what you need to do to make real progress.

The panellists

Paul Zahra, CEO, Australian Retailers Association

A leader in retail for more than 40 years, Zahra is the former Chair of PwC’s Diversity and Inclusion Board and a passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Australia

The head of Diversity Council Australia since 2014 has had a long career in the diversity and inclusion space across corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors.

Tim Fung, founder and CEO, Airtasker

The tech entrepreneur transformed the gig economy through his online marketplace and is as inspired by inclusion as he is by innovation.

Location

Sala, Jones Bay Wharf, 26/32 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont, Sydney

Date and time

Monday, 3 April 2023, at 6.30pm

Places are limited

$200 per person, which includes a four-course menu with matching wine

Be there for you chance to WIN

2 x tickets to the 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sydney AMG/EQ drive day.*

Reserve your seat before the event sells out. Book now at thinkbyqantasmagazine.eventbrite.com.au or enquire at rsvp@mediumrarecontent.com

Piermont, near Swansea in Tasmania, offers accommodation at The Retreat and a local, seasonal menu at its Homestead Restaurant

THE WAITLIST

Sydney’s Mexican boom continues, Perth gets a local-focused wine bar and a plant-based Adelaide favourite blooms again.

Squid ink tortellini with crab meat, roast tomato and lemon and caper sauce at Sala; chef Danny Russo (opposite)

Is there anything more Sydney than Harbour Bridge and ferry views? You might argue for friendly, let-metalk-you-through-everything service or a signature dish that’s proven itself for more than two decades. Sala (saladining.com.au), the new double-storey Italian seafood restaurant in a wharf-meets-warehouse at the end of Pyrmont’s Jones Bay Wharf, has all these things, tied together with a top-tier spirits list.

There are three places to sit: mezzanine, downstairs inside and alfresco. Lower level by the window is the pick for those harbour views and you should kick things off with a bittersweet Cynar Amaro Sour to set your appetite to drive. Order share plates from the crudo and antipasti menus then move onto primi and pesce. The must-try is the squid ink tortellini, stuffed with a smooth mousse of crab, a dish that has been upcycled from executive chef Danny Russo’s time heading up L’Unico in the early aughts and has followed him around ever since.

Perhaps the best part of Sala is its spaciousness, as rare as an oyster’s pearl in most Sydney eateries. It gives you the breathing room to drink in that view, which is the ideal reason to sit back and order another amaro.

Take a seat VIC

Tommy Gunns

Restaurant Igni’s former head chef, James Bond-Kennedy (below), has packed his knives and headed a few clicks along the Bellarine to Barwon Heads and a welcoming weatherboard cottage called Tommy Gunns (tommygunns.com.au). Inside, he’s cooking happy, holidayfriendly bistro food – steak, great seafood, excellent fries – that hits the exact right spot when you’re enjoying a few days away.

NSW El Primo Sanchez

Sydney’s having a real-deal Mexican boom: Pyrmont’s Nativo, Newtown’s Maiz and Taqueria Zepeda at the Rocks, just for starters. Now a Maybe Group and Public Hospitality collaboration, under the direction of chef Alejandro Huerta, is opening El Primo Sanchez (elprimosanchez.com) in the old Rose Hotel in Paddington. Classic cocktails such as Negroni and Old Fashioned are made with either mezcal or tequila to offer a taste of the distinctive Mexican spirits and the food isn’t an afterthought: there’s a solid taco menu, as well as Oaxacan tlayuda (Mexican pizza) and plenty else to snack on and share.

SA Allegra Dining Room

It was a sad day for Adelaide vegans when Allegra Dining Room (allegradiningroom.com) in the CBD called it a day at the end of 2021. Actually, it was sad for everyone because this wasn’t a restaurant just for the plant-positive; it was a place that served fresh, lively food that even a meat eater could love. Now the 28-seater has reopened and is booking up fast.

WA

Margots Wine Bar + Cellar Door

Perth loves an of-its-place wine bar – and why wouldn’t it, when Western Australia has some of the best produce and wine in the entire country?

Northbridge’s 100-seater Margots (margots.com.au) aims to bring together the best small-batch wine, spirits and craft beers in the region, supported by tasting boards that show off its finest bites. You can even bring your dog.

NSW Sala

OXFORD HOUSE

As befits an urban sanctuary, Oxford House (oxfordhouse.com.au) does a good job of hiding out. But when you do find the unassuming door to Sydney’s hippest boutique stay on Paddington’s busy main drag, you’ll be drawn right into its orbit.

Back in the day, the building was a motel and this 56-room revival leans into cool nostalgia. Timber panelling meets original popcorn ceilings and curvaceous bouclé chairs. Abundant natural light spills over a palette of sunbaked caramel and cream, giving even compact standard rooms an airy feel. In two Oxford Terrace Suites, you’ll also find a separate lounge area and a balcony with views across rooftops to the harbour.

George Gorrow, ex-creative director of Ksubi and co-founder of much-loved Bali stay The Slow, was brought in on the hotel’s styling. Metal sculptures by Adam Turnbull hang in hallways; mad collages or acid-lime, pink and purple paintings from Clare Wigney surprise you around corners.

On this stretch of Oxford Street, you’re in the sweet spot between Paddington’s pubs and Darlinghurst’s disco balls. The

Meet the cool new kid on Sydney’s hotel scene.

eat streets of Surry Hills are five minutes away by taxi.

But you don’t have to go out. On level one, a pool and bar serves a Palm Springs mood and mezcal Margaritas. Lolling on a day bed is irresistible and Fridays and Saturdays are a scene. “But it’s not too sceney,” says Public group general manager Joanne Sproule. “We want to keep it an easy spot for locals to drop in for drinks before dinner or a movie at the Verona cinema nearby. Business guests can feel like they’re coming home for a tinny and a club sandwich after work.”

For a more substantial meal, slip into a booth at the diner-meets-bistro on street level. The menu by executive chef Tyler Preston (ex-Chin Chin in Melbourne) swings from Southern-style chicken burgers to delicate octopus confit doused in sherry vinegar and sticky pork belly.

Back in your room, there are Marshall speakers and a mini fridge full of ideas. Limoncello vodka seltzer? Or Billy Button vermentino? Go on, one more nightcap (there’s also nutrient-infused Plant Water for tomorrow morning).

BALLOON SPECTACULAR, CANBERRA

The sky’s the limit with this action-packed calendar of music, art and “look up” moments.

While the sting in summer’s tail may linger elsewhere in the country, mornings in our nation’s capital develop an apple-crisp bite by mid-March. Time it right on a day just like this and you’ll bear witness to another typically autumnal Canberra moment: a rising flock of colourful orbs, suspended over the city as sunrise yawns amber across its leafy suburbs.

Now in its 35th year, the Balloon Spectacular (11-19 March) is a treasured local institution matched only by Budget night in its ability to captivate Canberran attention. Drawing more than 45,000 spectators each year, “it’s an event people are incredibly passionate about,” says Ross Triffitt, executive branch manager of Events ACT. Upwards of 25 local and international hot air balloons take part, providing a multitude of opportunities to engage in the festivities.

Triffitt’s tip is to experience the spectacle from Lake Burley Griffin aboard a kayak or SUP in the fresh early-morning air. “The balloons come right down and touch the water,” he says. “It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”

The Balloon Spectacular is a highlight of the Enlighten Festival (3-19 March; enlightencanberra.com), a 17-day celebration of culture and creativity that sees iconic buildings (Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Library of Australia, among others) illuminated in colour each night, as well as live music, outdoor symphonies and special events – including Canberra Day festivities – across the city.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

Make it a weekend…

Five-star Hotel Realm (hotel. qantas.com.au/hotelrealm)

– with its sunny three-storey atrium hinting at a grandeur that the custom king beds deliver on – is the perfect base from which to explore. Set an alarm (the balloons take off at about 7am, weather permitting) and swing past nearby café

Typica (typica.com.au), where the breakfast sandwich with haloumi, egg and teriyaki sauce on a soft-as-a-cloud milk bun will ease the pinch of the early start. Later, let a Rock Hopper IPA at Fyshwick’s Capital Brewing Co. (capitalbrewing.co) justify the hype around Canberra’s craft beer scene, before heading to dinner at family-friendly Agostinis (agostinis.com.au), East Hotel’s Italian offering.

Melbourne Australian Grand Prix 30 March-2 April

Formula 1 fans, get set – our biggest motorsport competition is back in Melbourne (where it’s now locked in to be held until at least 2037). Taking over from Daniel Ricciardo driving for McLaren this year is fellow local Oscar Piastri. grandprix.com.au

Adelaide WOMADelaide 10-13 March

Held in the city’s Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, this long-running festival brings together a diverse range of performances across music, dance and the arts – there are 35 artists confirmed for this year’s line-up.

womadelaide.com.au

Gold Coast

Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York Until 4 June

If Pop Art is your thing, make Surfers Paradise your next stop. HOTA (Home of the Arts gallery) hosts more than 40 privately held works by artists including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. hota.com.au

Sydney Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Madama Butterfly 24 March-23 April

In this setting, there are no bad seats. Watch an acclaimed performance with Sydney’s incomparable harbour as the backdrop – and if that’s not enough to keep you entertained, there are fireworks, too.

sydneyoperahouse.com

WELL READ

The book everyone is reading Celebrity memoirs are a tricky thing: just because we like someone on the screen or love their music, it doesn’t mean they have anything to say. But Sam Neill is a natural storyteller and this beautiful, funny book is a page-turner as well as a revelation. Capturing a life and a career – from The Piano to Peaky Blinders, Death in Brunswick to Jurassic Park – Did I Ever Tell You This? feels like a seat at the table of the finest dinner party conversation you could hope for, cementing Neill’s place as a living treasure.

The book you should be reading

A Western Sydney comingof-age story that you won’t forget, Funny Ethnics, the debut novel by Shirley Le, is a portrait of the daughter of two Vietnamese refugees: an “unexceptional student, exceptional self-doubter”. The writing is crisp and clear, the voice utterly charming and the Nguyen family join the ranks of the great Australian suburban families of literature.

The non-fiction to know about

Nobody’s writing long-form non-fiction at the moment at the level of Patrick Radden Keefe Say Nothing, his book on Northern Ireland, was a definitive account of The Troubles, while Empire of Pain detailed an American pharmaceutical dynasty and its influence. This latest work,

From the latest novels to classic books worth discovering, these are the page-turning picks for the month.

The Snake Head: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream – a romp through organised crime – is an unstoppable and thrilling ride.

The Australian book to read now Tanya Plibersek, the federal minister for the environment and water, is the longestserving woman in the House of Representatives. In this wide-reaching biography, Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms, award-winning journalist Margaret Simons considers the politician and the woman, exploring

Plibersek’s philosophy and influences and examining what makes her tick.

The classic to revisit

In April, Praiseworthy, a new novel by Alexis Wright (her first in a decade) will be released so now is the perfect time to revisit Carpentaria , her Miles Franklin Award winner from 2006. Set in North West Queensland, it’s a modern epic and an Australian masterpiece. After reading it, your understanding of our literature, history and country will never be the same.

She’s one of the first autistic actors to portray an autistic character on Australian TV, in Heartbreak High, and now, with her memoir, Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent’s Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After, Chloé Hayden is busier than ever. Here’s how she unwinds.

Right now I’m watching…

I’m listening to…

Bluey. I’m convinced it’s the best show ever created. When I’m tired or burnt out and I just need to rest, it’s such a nice, easy show. It’s a really gentle, lovely perspective on Australian life and culture. And I mean, I’m not a parent but I think it’s a beautiful representation of parenting and dogs.

One Direction . I love listening to Dixieland jazz but my favourite band of all time is One Direction and I’ll die on that hill. I was 14 when they formed and I wasn’t even a One Direction person. I thought, “That’s gross, I’m not into boy bands”, but then I was on Tumblr, I saw this picture of Louis Tomlinson and I was like, “Who is that?” and it was all downhill from there.

The movie I love is…

Okay, so Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is my favourite because it was the first time I ever saw autism represented on screen. None of the characters are specifically, canonically autistic but they showcase all aspects of the autism spectrum in such a beautiful way. It’s a great representation of neurodiversity and the importance of different types of people.

The app I use the most is…

The book I’m reading is…

Spotify. I have different playlists for different things. I have my happy playlist. And my sad playlist. And then the playlist that I use when I’m home by myself and I can scream out musical theatre songs when no-one can hear me. I love Matilda the Musical so much, it’s not even funny. I reckon it will probably be in top place of my Spotify wraps this year.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevon. My partner, Dylan, who’s a data scientist, picked it up for me because the cover of it is iridescent and sparkly and he’s like, “I don’t even know what this is but she likes sparkles.” It’s a very cleverly written book about two game designers whose lives intersect. They meet as kids and work together as adults. The main character is disabled [after being injured in a car crash] and I think the representation of disability in the book is just really cool.

Beau Brummell Introductions founders Vinko Anthony and Andrea Zaza, photo by

EAST COAST TASMANIA

Food, wine and… wombats. Discover the southern state’s charms along the East Coast Wine Trail.

Start with a tipple of rainwater-infused bourbon at the Spring Beach cellar door of Suzy and Cam Brett’s Spring Bay Distillery (springbaydistillery.com.au), less than 90 minutes from Hobart, then savour a glass of riesling at Orford’s Darlington Vineyard (darlingtonvineyard. com.au). Darlington owner Janice Evans explains why they both hit the spot. “You’ve got the salt there,” she says, sweeping her hand towards Prosser Bay. “And the clay-and-loam farmland behind it.” With that secret of Tasmania’s outstanding cool-climate wines (and spirits) revealed, it’s time to head north.

Bookings are essential for Sunday high tea at Craigie Knowe Vineyard (craigieknowe.com.au), about an hour away in

(Clockwise from above) The Honeymoon Spa Cottage at Piermont’s Retreat; the former commissariat store on Maria Island; the Lobster Shack, Bicheno

Cranbrook, but don’t expect a cuppa. Instead, scones with cabernet jam and deconstructed blackforest cake infused with estate pinot noir are matched with varietals from the winery. If you’re lucky, you’ll find winemaker Claudio Radenti home when you visit Freycinet Vineyard (freycinetvineyard.com.au), between Swansea and Bicheno, and he’ll lead you through the vines he tends with his wife, fellow vintner Lindy Bull. “The secret is now well and truly out about Tasmania and how good it is for wine,” says Radenti. His favourite? “I love fish and chips with riesling.”

At Piermont’s Homestead Restaurant (piermont.com.au) south of Swansea, head chef Calvin King assembles the fruits of neighbouring farms,

vineyards and bays into an elegant menu. Striped trumpeter crudo and warrigal greens with truffle complement the Martini aperitif made with Spring Vale’s (springvalewines.com) Splendid gin and the grape varietals that thrive in this comparatively dry, sunny region. After dinner, settle into your on-site private stone cottage overlooking the bay at The Retreat

Those tiny haystacks dotting Maria Island (encountermaria.com.au) are in fact wombats, one of several native species thriving in this former convict settlement a short ferry ride from Triabunna. Absorb the painted cliffs, sweeping coastline and imposing Mount Maria, while hiking, snorkelling and exploring heritage ruins.

Wade into the estuary at Freycinet Marine Farm (freycinetmarinefarm.com) at Coles Bay and pluck, shuck and slurp Pacific oysters while immersed in their habitat. Afterwards, repair to the farm restaurant for a feast of mussels, rock lobster and scallops.

The inspired idea to add the Lobster Shack (lobster shacktasmania.com.au) to their southern rock lobster processing facility, overlooking The Gulch marine reserve in Bicheno, has paid off for Sara and Marcus Walkem. Locals recommend the lobster rolls but leave space for the half lobster with hot garlic butter.

AUDI RS 3

One of Australia’s best-loved models is back, with more performance, comfort and kit than ever.

A new RS 3 – exciting! It is. Australia has a huge appetite for this high-performance compact, with the RS 3 making up about a quarter of all A3 sales. What’s it packing? About $10,000 more equipment than the last model, plus eye-watering performance. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine is in its most powerful form ever, bragging 294kW/500Nm and the ability to hit 100km/h in 3.8 seconds. It’s also the first Audi with torque splitter tech, which means it can distribute torque to the rear wheels and reduce understeer. So it can drift? Yes. But it also has drift mode (officially RS Torque Rear mode). For private roads... Of course. This is a very athletic and complex machine but a standout element is the new suspension and active damper system, plus its combination of comfort and agility – something this category has traditionally struggled with. It also helps that you can individually tailor the driving modes to your needs. It’s a top-shelf Audi then? Expect all of the tech, incredibly cool interior options, brilliant connectivity and a 680-watt Bang & Olufsen Premium sound system. Sounds like a box ticker. For the price, you’d want it to be. How much? From $91,391 for the sportback and $93,891 for the sedan, plus on-road costs. audi.com.au

MAKING THE CUT

Movie

Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) stars opposite Colin Firth as an emotionally isolated woman working in a movie theatre on the south coast of England in Empire of Light , a paean to the power of cinema. Written and directed by awards darling Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road latest effort offers hope that one’s existential dread and loneliness can be eased in a darkened hall, with nothing but the golden light of the movie projector for company. In cinemas 2 March.

Streaming

Television’s most dysfunctional, high-powered family is back for a fourth season of Succession (right), in which their ambitious machinations appear inversely proportional to commonsense – and decency. Will any of the Roy children (or in-laws) overthrow patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and pry his billion-dollar media kingdom from his cold, deadlooking hands? They’ll certainly go down trying. Screening weekly on Binge from 27 March.

Podcast

TV journalist Anderson Cooper’s popular podcast, All There Is , offers advice and community for anyone wrestling with grief. When he was 10, Cooper lost his father and a decade later, his brother died at 23. But it was packing up the apartment of his mother, heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, after her death that prompted him to start the podcast. Each episode is an exploration, sometimes with a famous poet, actor or artist, of how to move through loss.

We’ve scanned the zeitgeist for what to read, watch, wear and drink now.

Style

Stripes have been on fashion’s backburner for more than a few seasons but all that changed in January when Valentino sent big, bold black-and-pinkstriped gowns down the runway. Faithfull the Brand followed suit with its yellow-striped collection in February. Meanwhile, Australian label Ilio Nema has opted for multi-coloured “caravan” striping on cute little robes (left, $675; ilionema.com).

Beauty

Two game changers have just entered the hair domain. First, the wearable, bluetooth-enabled CurrentBody Skin LED Hair Regrowth Device ($1159; currentbody.com.au) uses medical-grade light to suspend hair loss and stimulate natural regrowth over four months of continual use, according to the company. And GHD has released its latest cult product, the Duet Style hot air styler (top, $595; ghdhair.com/au), which styles hair while it’s still wet – effectively cutting out the need for a blow dryer –without damaging your locks.

Book

New York-based cook and writer Alison Roman (the best-selling author of Nothing Fancy, a book of easy recipes to impress your friends) is now turning her capable hands to desserts with her new book, Sweet Enough (left). Packed full of laid-back recipes for delicious third courses, including salted lemon pie and caramelised maple tart, it’s available in bookstores next month or you can pre-order your copy now.

SHINING STAR

The dial

Jewellery watches have long been a speciality of the Scheufele family, which presides over Chopard’s 163-year-old design legacy. Crowned by 36 round-cut diamonds of alternating sizes, the white-gold L’Heure du Diamant timepiece marries the Swiss brand’s technical precision and gem-setting virtuosity. Featuring a glare-proof sapphire crystal face, a textured mother-of-pearl dial, 12 brilliant-cut diamond hour-markers and fine leaf-shaped hands, no detail of this show stopper has been left unadorned.

The

case

As delicate as it is dazzling, the timepiece has a case size of 40 millimetres by 35 millimetres, while the diamond-decorated bezel totals approximately four carats. The white-gold

crown is set with a briolette-cut diamond, further rounding up the carat count.

The movement

Gem-setting prowess aside, this model showcases the maison’s watchmaking savoir-faire through its in-house 09.01-C mechanical self-winding movement with a 42-hour power reserve.

The band

A white-gold bracelet band grounds this piece without stealing any attention from its fabulous face.

The price

Chopard L’Heure du Diamant 18-carat white-gold diamond oval medium watch / $161,500 / chopard.com

Animal

attraction

It’s been 60 years since Bulgari’s Serpenti motif found world fame after coiling around the wrist of Elizabeth Taylor on the set of 1963 film Cleopatra . The Roman jeweller’s signature talisman, which represents wisdom, rebirth and vitality, continues to inspire its collections, whether winding around the neck, finger or wrist. This Viper bracelet demonstrates timeless glamour and the glittering sensuousness of the snake, its scales embellished with shining pavé diamonds.

Bulgari Serpenti Viper two-coil bracelet in 18-carat white-gold with full pavé diamonds / $227,000 / bulgari.com

The Collector STORY BY KATRINA ISRAEL

Eddie Brook This NSW distiller makes gin and whisky surrounded by regenerated rainforest, macadamia trees and a koala sanctuary.

“Sustainability is in our roots,” says Eddie Brook, co-founder of Cape Byron Distillery (capebyrondistillery.com), a whisky and gin operation he runs from his family’s 40-hectare idyll in NSW’s Byron hinterland.

He’s not being glib (although it’s not bad as a tagline for the gin he creates using native botanicals foraged from the scrub). “Mum and Dad were dormant hippies,” he says. “When they bought the property in 1988, it was desolate from decades of dairy farming.” After getting involved in the local Landcare movement, Pam and Martin Brook set about planting 4500 macadamia trees and some 35,000 rainforest plants. “The education I got growing up here was all about being a caretaker of the land first and foremost,” says Eddie.

These days, the property is an established sub-tropical rainforest and koala-breeding sanctuary, teeming with echidnas, wallabies and 24 native bird species. Black soldier flies are used to consume organic waste, diverting it from landfill, and a soon-to-commence solar project will see the farm operate off-grid for its electricity needs. The outfit’s closedloop distillation process mixes whisky wash and botanicals with mulch to create a nutrient-dense soil conditioner, which in turn fertilises the Davidson plum orchard. “Those plums are then used in our Brookie’s Slow Gin,” says Eddie.

It’s this full-circle approach to sustainable business that last year landed Cape Byron a coveted B-Corp certification – something only two distillers in the country have achieved. Now though, says Eddie, advocacy has become the mission. “Our major goal is to show people that regeneration doesn’t take a lifetime. We have these giant blue fig pioneer trees that look like they’ve been here for hundreds of years. I stand next to one and it’s only as old as I am. We’re proof that we can drastically change the environment in just 30-odd years. When people realise that, something clicks.”

Eddie Brook (left) and Cape Byron Distillery

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Discover Green Tier

Porto, Portugal

After years in the shadow of Lisbon, Porto has been transformed into one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.

STORY BY SALLY ROBINSON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAQUEL GUIU GRIGELMO

My friend and I are standing on the iconic Dom Luís I Bridge as the rising sun casts a glow over Portugal’s beguiling second city. From high above the gleaming Douro River, the two distinct halves of Porto are laid out in front of us. To our right, the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre rises steeply from the river, its skyline dominated by the 12th-century Sé Cathedral. Below, a puzzle of red-tiled roofs and brightly painted medieval houses tumble down to the shore. Across the river, Gaia has been the heart of port wine production since the 1800s, its long, low-slung white port lodges (cellars) stacked on the hillside like Lego bricks.

Not long ago, any suggestion that this could be among the hottest cities in Europe would’ve been laughed off as a fantasy hatched after too much vinho do Porto. The historic centre was grim; its streets lined with derelict buildings. Things began to change in 2001 when Porto was named European Capital of Culture. Huge investment followed and lively new bars, stylish restaurants and boutique hotels sprang up in the old merchants’ houses. Tourism boomed and gave the city a vibrancy and energy to match the capital, Lisbon. Despite the transformation, Porto has kept its soulful mix of tradition and innovation. Decaying edifices of medieval buildings sit alongside cool neon-lit restaurants and bars, and locals string washing across narrow streets alongside new Airbnb apartments.

The riverside area of Ribeira (above); one of Porto’s heritage trams (opposite)

The best way to explore the steep, cobbled laneways is on foot and we spend our first morning looping through the alleys and squares of the old town. We peek in at the lavish gold interiors of the Igreja de São Francisco church and take in the view from the fortress-like cathedral, high on the hill, where the city was born.

Ribeira is the buzzing heart of the old town, a riverfront area where the towering merchant houses are now bars and eateries with tables spilling onto the limestone-paved quayside.

This is a city that loves to eat. A decade ago, most of the restaurants served traditional fare (such as tripe and beans) but with Porto’s reinvention came new cuisines and last year the Michelin Guide listed 15 spots. “Porto is very open to new ideas,” says Ricardo Graça Moura, co-founder of the supercool Flow Restaurant & Bar (flowrestaurant.pt), which serves Mediterranean dishes with a Portuguese twist in a renovated ceramics factory.

We stop for coffee at the stunning Art Deco-era Majestic Café (cafemajestic.com) one day and the equally beautiful Guarany Café (cafeguarany.com) the next. We feast on roasted octopus at the relaxed hangout Cantinho do Avillez (cantinhodoavillez.pt), owned by acclaimed chef José Avillez, and browse the Mercado do Bolhão, Porto’s recently renovated historic food market, its aisles stacked high with cheese, charcuterie, fish and flowers. As the light fades we join the throngs along Cândido dos Reis for a glass of white port and tonic (Porto’s aperitif of choice). At Almeja (almejaporto.com),

OPO Qantas flies year-round from Melbourne, Sydney,

The 18th-century Igreja de Santo Ildefonso church (opposite); Dom Luís I Bridge spans the River Douro (below)

The Douro Valley

An easy day trip from Porto, the Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world (since 1756), with terraced hillsides, deep ravines and beautiful quintas (wine estates). The fastest way to get there is by road, which takes about 90 minutes. Driving yourself is notoriously hairy so skip the hire car: The Cool Tours (thecooltours.com) runs excellent small-group trips from Porto with a guide and driver. Alternatively, take the train from São Bento station to Pinhão, a pretty riverside town in the middle of the vineyards.

It’ll take two-and-a-half hours or more but it’s a beautiful journey. From Pinhão, it’s walking distance to Quinta do Bomfim (symington.com), which offers guided tours of its wine cellars. The circa-1889, Croft-owned Quinta da Roêda (croftport.com) is also close by. Further up the valley, Quinta da Pacheca (quintadapacheca.com) is one of the oldest estates in the region and has tours, a hotel and tastings, while Quinta do Vallado (quintadovallado.com) has a luxe hotel with rooms in the original 18th-century manor house plus a striking new wing.

a tiny bistro in what was an old-school Porto grocery store, chef João Cura delivers a contemporary Portuguese tasting menu – and thanks to a delicious dish of succulent prawns, Mondego rice, fennel and aioli, our best meal of the trip. On another day, late in the afternoon, we take a taxi to the fishing village of Afurada at the mouth of the river and tuck into fresh sea bass at Armazém do Peixe (Rua 27 de Fevereiro, 311, Afurada de Baixo; +351 912 874 672).

Port remains one of the city’s biggest drawcards and we stroll over the bridge to Gaia to learn more about the fortified wine. At Graham’s Port (grahams-port.com), one of the oldest and best-known producers, we tour the vast cellar of the 1890 Lodge, a dimly lit cavernous space with cobbled floors where thousands of oak casks are stacked. It’s cold down here and a soft musty twang hangs in the air. Around the corner, the bottled port is neatly labelled with vintages stretching back to 1892.

Just down from Graham’s is the extravagant new World of Wine (wow.pt) which opened in 2020. Here, a swathe of centuriesold port warehouses have been restored to create a cultural district with six immersive museums, 12 restaurants, cafés and bars, plus a terrace with glorious views. “Porto has amazing history and great beauty but visitors usually just come for a couple of nights,” says Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, which funded the development. “We wanted to give them a reason to stay longer.”

I’m certainly in no hurry to leave. Back on the other side of the river, we hit Rua Miguel Bombarda, a vibrant street lined with contemporary art galleries, vintage clothes shops and even more bars and restaurants. On charming Rua das Flores, we pop into Claus Porto (clausporto.com), a haven of beautifully packaged soaps, candles and grooming products and, a short walk away, Chocolateria Equador (cacaoequador.pt), which turns out slabs of rich, handmade chocolate. Further up the hill, we browse the rails at The Feeting Room (thefeetingroom.com), a hip fashion and lifestyle store that champions local designers.

As the sun sinks lower in the sky, we make our way to Foz, where the sleepy waters of the Douro meet the wild Atlantic. It’s about 20 minutes on the 500 bus but its wide palm-lined boulevards, stretches of sand and crashing waves make it feel like a world away from the narrow streets of Porto town. Along the boardwalk, a clutch of bars serve sunset beers with million-dollar ocean views. We end the day with a six-kilometre stroll back to town on the scenic riverside path, our steps lit by the twinkling lights of the city’s bridges.

The UNESCO-listed Historic Centre, near São Bento railway station

I just got back from…

Seoul

Three Qantas travellers share highlights from their trips to the buzzing South Korean capital.

Alex Choros FREQUENT FLYER STATUS Platinum

“It was my partner’s birthday and there were seats available on the inaugural Qantas flight to Seoul. I said, ‘Happy birthday! Want to go to Seoul?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, let’s go!’ We flew there on points alone so it cost us nothing. We were there for just three days and went on a 72-hour food bender. Make sure you pack stretchy pants – the food is so good! Go to the Myeongdong Night Market and order ‘street toast’ – a sandwich that has cabbage omelette, a meat of your choice, a couple of sauces and a lot of cheese. It’s the perfect snack after an 11-hour flight.”

Ada May

FREQUENT FLYER STATUS

Bronze

“I’m half-Korean and my partner is, too, so visiting Seoul was a homecoming of sorts. Flying Qantas, there’s a level of comfort and service that you simply don’t get from other airlines. When you’re there, you must try the seafood. Tents out on the streets called pojangmacha are all over the city. You order seafood fresh from the ocean and an icycold bottle of soju and just sit there for hours. I also loved the shopping. Gentle Monster at Haus Dosan (gentlemonster.com) is a glasses and cosmetics flagship store over six floors with an underground dessert café that I spent ages in. You must visit!”

Wendy Nguyen

FREQUENT FLYER STATUS Bronze

“I’d say there are three main things to do in Seoul: eat a lot, have beauty treatments and go shopping. I had some amazing facials at Muse Clinic (gangnam.museclinic.co.kr) and Toxnfill (toxnfill.com). They also have these scalp-care clinics where they examine and exfoliate your scalp – it’s very high-tech! We stayed in Hongdae, a university area with cool vintage stores and street markets. It was interesting to see what was trending. The beauty products are next-level. Tamburins (tamburins.com) is a fragrance brand only found in South Korea – it was a real highlight. And of course, there’s Olive Young (global. oliveyoung.com) – it’s like Korean Priceline.”

Chicken fricassée at Restaurant Hubert, Sydney

THE LOCALS

Forget chicken schnitties and meat raffles –these reinvigorated country pubs are putting a laid-back spin on destination dining.

If there’s one dish that sums up The Scenic Hotel (thescenic hotel.com.au) in Norton Summit, South Australia, it’s the steak tartare. Bright-red flank steak is salted and minced with pickles, shallots and capers then dressed with an emulsion of confit garlic, mustard and anchovy, its preparation an exercise in classicism. But the presentation – on a mound of crinkle-cut chips in a torn foil Smith’s packet – is altogether less conventional.

For venue manager James Roden, it’s typical of the menu he calls “more fun than a wine bar but more serious than a pub”. And with an all-organic wine list focused on small local producers that East Coast bars are falling over themselves to get their hands on, it’s fitting that Roden refers to his workplace as a “wine pub”.

Just 25 minutes from the centre of Adelaide (or a little longer for the cyclists who tackle the steep, winding road), The Scenic sits at the centre of a small community hemmed in by dense greenery. In the three years since the current ownership team took the reins, it’s become a destination for city diners drawn by the elevated food offering and warm country hospitality. There’s a strong focus on sustainability at the hotel, from the use of old milking cows for the steak tartare to biodegradable cling wrap made from potatoes. Most of the greens come from an organic, biodynamic farm deep in the Adelaide Hills but the food miles will drop further when the property across the road is transformed into a terraced garden.

The Waterloo in Swansea, Tasmania

Anna Critchley

For Alex Sumner-Green, co-owner of The Waterloo (waterloo swansea.com), in Swansea on Tasmania’s Freycinet Coast, updating a regional pub wasn’t entirely altruistic. “We just wanted to open the kind of restaurant we would eat at,” says the Melbourne transplant. “That means food that’s simple, fresh and most importantly, fun.”

Sumner-Green and her husband, chef Zac, regularly add pubgrub classics to a blackboard menu that’s so fluid it can get updated mid-service but “sometimes the pendulum has to swing back to fun things that we feel like doing”. In practice, that might mean a choice between Russian lobster salad, nettle and ricotta tortellini and roast lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, while the drinks list marries natural wines with local pinot and a Boags Draught tap.

Since taking over in December 2021, the enterprising couple has worked to build relationships with local producers. They’ve done such a good job that a handful of regular customers now bring in vegetables from their home gardens. This communal approach to sourcing produce ties in nicely with The Waterloo’s shared dining philosophy, which Sumner-Green admits took some locals a little getting used to. “A few of our customers were a bit confused by the concept of share plates at the start but one of the most heartwarming things has been seeing them return and explain to their friends how it works.”

She puts that down to creating an environment where everybody feels welcome. “At the end of the day, there’s nothing better than sitting in a 1980s brick interior listening to bogan rock while having a natural wine and a delicious snack – and still being in bed by 10pm.”

Try these…

Watervale, SA

Watervale Hotel

Not many pub chefs can claim a garden salad as their signature dish but this is no ordinary pub (watervalehotel.com.au).

The Penobscot Farm Salad is billed as “a daily expression of our farm” and the symphony of green arrives fresh from the owners’ organic, biodynamic property each morning. Add a farm tour to the dégustation and you can pick your own ingredients, such as beetroot, blood orange and broad beans. Then watch chef Nicola Palmer transform them into a dazzling feast, accompanied by a wine list that represents vineyards in the surrounding Clare Valley and that culminates in an

unforgettable dessert of watermelon served five ways.

Jugiong, NSW

The Sir George

This stately old pub (sirgeorge. com.au) in the Hilltops region has been serving thirsty patrons travelling between Melbourne and Sydney since the 1850s but a recent upgrade means that guests can now choose to sit at the classic front bar or in the sumptuous Whisky Lounge. An on-site bakery does a mean line in slow-fermented sourdough, while the kitchen serves up dishes highlighting Riverina produce, including Goulburn River trout with preserved lemon and herbs.

Ballarat, Vic

Craig’s Royal Hotel

There’s plenty of history at this gold-rush-era jewel (craigsroyal. com.au) in central Ballarat –Mark Twain and Prince Albert both stayed here and Dame Nellie Melba once sang from the balcony. The plush carpets and lofty ceilings are right on theme, as is the classics-leaning menu at The Atrium restaurant. Marbletopped tables and a glass roof set the scene for elegant but unfussy dishes, such as vodka and beetroot cured salmon with avocado and caper salad.

Mapleton, Qld

Mapleton Public House

In one of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland’s “three Ms” (along with Maleny and Montville), the owners of The Falls Farm have shaped this pastel-pink watering hole (mapleton.pub) in their own image since taking over

in mid-2022. Their regenerative farm provides ingredients for dishes such as roasted baby beets in a puddle of molasses yoghurt and black sesame mousse. The airy deck gazing out towards the coast below is the ideal spot to sample a local craft beer.

Daylesford, Vic

The Farmers Arms

Country charm and urban sophistication combine at this ivy-covered red-brick hotel (farmersarmsdaylesford.com.au) in Daylesford. The à la carte menu features small plates, such as watermelon carpaccio with fried capers and dill, alongside heftier mains, but the real treat is the private six-course long lunch in the Farmer’s Kitchen that features a who’s who of local producers. Visit in the cooler months to celebrate truffle season in style.

Albany, WA

Liberté

Blurring the lines between pub and restaurant, this acclaimed spot in the historic London Hotel (libertealbany. com.au) put Albany on the gourmet map. There’s a distinct Parisian flair to the dining room, which is decorated with gilt mirrors and chandeliers. The opulence runs through a menu that makes room for owner and chef Amy Hamilton’s classical French training in combination with plenty of Vietnamese flourishes. Try rich onion dip spiked with pho stock and dangerously addictive profiteroles stuffed with Vietnamese coffee ice-cream and a topping of chocolate ganache.

Avoca, Vic

The Avoca Hotel

Locals and visitors alike flock to this beloved establishment (theavocahotel.com.au) in the Victorian Pyrenees for the sharp two-hander offering. The bar menu features the usual pub-grub suspects with snacks from the more sophisticated dining room, which pairs local produce and international flavours in dishes such as venison tataki with ponzu dressing and braised miso eggplant. Add in a wine list that comes from the Pyrenees, Grampians and Ballarat regions and you’re onto a winner.

Swansea, Tas

The Waterloo

Don’t let the brick walls, timber panelling and burgundy carpet fool you; this charming former motel (waterlooswansea.com) is like a little patch of Melbourne on Tasmania’s sleepy east coast. Chef Zac Green takes good food seriously but isn’t afraid to play around (potato cakes and caviar, anyone?) and the share plates are interesting and approachable, as is the selection of natty wine.

Norton Summit, SA

The Scenic Hotel

With a wraparound balcony that looks out to the sparkling Gulf St Vincent, this Adelaide Hills spot (thescenichotel.com.au) lives up to its name, especially in the golden hour before sunset. Free-flowing natural wine and dishes like the signature steak tartare ensure the good times continue long after dark, while regular events bring in farmers, winemakers and musicians from across the region.

(Clockwise from opposite) Mapleton Public House; The Farmers Arms; honey toasted pumpkin, farm salad, feta and pumpkin seeds at the Watervale Hotel (below).

CHICKEN FRICASSÉE AT RESTAURANT HUBERT

The Sydney restaurant’s French-born chef admits this dish isn’t strictly a fricassée – it’s something even more delicious.

“As a chef, I don’t usually order chicken in a restaurant,” says Alexis Besseau, head chef at Restaurant Hubert (swillhouse.com) in the CBD. But before he took the gig at Sydney’s favourite Parisienne-style brasserie in 2019, he went there for dinner with his wife and knew that the signature chicken fricassée was the first thing he wanted to sample. “I wanted to know why it had all the fame,” he says. “As soon as I tried it, I understood.”

The beauty of the dish, which was originally created by Hubert’s former executive chef, Dan Pepperell, is that its flavours and techniques evoke dreamy nostalgia. “Fricassée is a stew. It’s a very typical dish that we eat in France, it reminds you of your childhood,” says Besseau. “While this isn’t a typical fricassée – because it’s not a stew – the sauce, with its chicken jus, gives you those fricassée memories.” The twist here is the chicken itself, which isn’t stewed at all; it’s roasted until it’s juicy on the inside with a crisp, golden skin. “That gives you the comforting memory of a Sunday roast.”

It sounds easy in theory – a roast chicken with a hearty sauce – but the dish is a study in artistry and technique. First the chicken is brined for five hours. Then it’s steamed, cooled in the fridge and deep-fried. “It’s an Asian technique, the same process as Peking duck,” says Besseau. Meanwhile, the sauce – which is made with wine, chicken frames and vegetables – is reduced for a full day. The bread sauce that finishes the dish is another process, made from breadcrumbs cooked with confit onion and chicken stock, cream and a tonne of pepper. Finally, it’s plated with a sprinkle of tarragon and an old-school sprig of curly parsley for flair.

Diners order about 120 serves of the dish every week, which is hardly surprising considering it epitomises the restaurant’s ethos: classic French food, comforting memories and a little something extra.

“A lot of people say that when you take the stairs down to Hubert it’s like you’ve travelled in time,” says Besseau. “You sink into that Parisian vibe and forget about your troubles.” And you always, always order the chicken.

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Of

STORY

BY

PAT NOURSE

BY

MARNIE HAWSON

GEELONG REGION, VICTORIA

Best finer-diner Igni

Those in the know reckon Igni is among the finest restaurants in regional Australia. Where some others rely on a bucolic setting to help cast their spell, this small but mighty eatery, tucked away in a backstreet, relies solely on the food, wine and charm. It speaks volumes for the offerings from owner/chef Aaron Turner, head chef Bianca Johnston and their team, whether it’s sea urchins plucked from the bay, cockerels glazed with smoked cumquat or pastry scrolls swirled with venison.

Ryan Place, Geelong; (03) 5222 2266; restaurantigni.com

Best newcomer La Cachette Bistrot

Matt Podbury has worked at several notable European dining rooms, including awardwinning Lyle’s in London. Luckily, he decided to come home and, in 2021, opened this 25-seater with his partner, chef Joanna Karlin. There’s a fresh elegance to their plates –teaming spring asparagus and aged comté with buckwheat, for example, or adding anchovy to a Berkshire pork chop main served with mustard and bitter treviso.

Steam Packet Place, Geelong; 0478 522 996; cachette.com.au

Best all-rounder

Kilgour St Grocer

Peanut butter and pretzel milk chocolate. Pickled pineapple. Lacto-fermented habañero hot sauce. Pre-mix Cosmopolitans. The retail edit at Kilgour Street roams far and wide but there’s nary a dud on the shelves, plus informed and friendly staff make it a corner store to rival all others. Better still, it offers outstanding coffee and damn fine sandwiches.

164 Kilgour Street, Geelong; 0439 683 220; kilgourstgrocer.com

Best fusion

Baah Lah!

If you’ve been saying to yourself, “You know, contemporary pan-Asian food is great but I wish it had more dairy in it”, this spirited little diner has your number. There’s yoghurt with the beef and hot sauce potsticker dumplings, sour cream with the fried eggplant and, most surprising of all, tzatziki on the pork belly and cabbage bao. Throw in some steamed oysters with black bean and ginger plus a barbecued pork chop with green mango salad and you’re there.

1/100 Pakington Street, Geelong West; (03) 4222 7343; baahlahdining.com

Best detour Mortadeli

Driving 30 minutes from Geelong to Torquay for a sandwich might seem reckless... until you bite into one of Jake Cassar’s creations. His Maltese heritage is front-and-centre in the hobz biz-zejt, the classic rendered as tinned tuna, tomato conserve, olives, capers, pickled red onion and salted ricotta between thick, fluffy slices of pasta dura bread. The smoked hotdogs, superb coffee and merch also speak of care and inspiration.

Shop 8, 4-6 Gilbert Street, Torquay; 0466 888 145; mortadeli.com.au

Best destination dining Moonah

Here’s one right off the beaten track. With The Minya Winery as its gorgeous setting and a tasting menu led by Tobin Kent, an alumnus of such local landmarks as Brae and the Royal Mail Hotel, Moonah warrants your close attention. Honey-roasted duck with salt-marsh vegetables and pumpkin seeds? Dry-aged pork loin with dried summer fruits, fermented chard and beach capers? Yes to all of it.

95 Minya Lane, Connewarre; moonahrestaurant.com.au

Innovative here, fun there, exceptional almost everywhere. When it comes to regional dining, this bayside city and its surrounds should be at the top of your list.

Best coffee Cartel Coffee Roasters

It takes confidence to export your product to a coffee capital like Melbourne but this local roaster has done it with aplomb. At the brew bar HQ, expect not just outstanding java but also a serious line in specialty teas and coffee kit, plus cocktails and wine to boot.

1/80 Little Malop Street, Geelong; coffeecartel.com.au

Best tacos Tacos y Liquor

This cantina very much does what it says on the tin – and then some. For the former, try the spicy prawn taco, made glorious with a chipotle, lime and mezcal butter; for the latter, dip into the list of Margaritas, spicy and otherwise.

87A Little Malop Street, Geelong; (03) 5222 2066

Best Italian La Cantina

Italian food is most delicious when prepared close to where its ingredients are grown, which puts La Cantina – at the Common Ground regenerative farm – on a good footing. Chef Glenn Laurie brings woodfired cooking into the equation with the likes of lamb and borlotti beans with anchovy and rosemary sauce.

675 Anglesea Road, Freshwater Creek; (03) 5264 5082; commongroundproject.com.au

Best fried chicken

The Hot Chicken Project

A side gig for Igni’s Aaron Turner, THCP has a very different vibe to his fine-dining flagship but the same commitment to quality. Order your Nashville fried chicken “hot”, “so damn hot” or “evil” and you’ll get what you asked for.

84A Little Malop St, Geelong; (03) 5221 8977

PHOTOGRAPHY

Chef Tobin Kent at Moonah in Connewarre, 30 minutes south of Geelong

CARBON CREDIT

Doing the right thing isn’t always as easy as it sounds, says this food critic.

Eat local, they say. Eat sustainably. The focus on what we put in our mouths –and how we live our best “food lives” – has reached new heights.

Which is all very well but as one of many who tree- or sea-changed in the past few years (I’ve done both because the lure of the sea ultimately trumped the lure of the billabong), I must confess to having my resolve tested when it comes to sourcing locally.

Basically, a lot of food consumed chez moi comes to the plate with food miles on the clock. Do I eat in local restaurants? Not much. Can I ask my local meat retailer for thinly sliced, milkfed veal? You must be joking.

The truth for so many of us who love our food but live a long way from the city is that we have to travel to eat. Mostly.

We go to the city to dine in restaurants where the good stuff happens. Heaven

On Earth, a village far from the rat-race, is rarely able to support a sashimi chef. Fancy Lebanese? Open a tub of hummus.

And we go to the city to shop. Three hours either way and an evening at a funky wine bar with duck liver pâté and a saucy beaujolais is a necessary pit stop when buying meat, fish, bread and the items that provide that certain frisson when you open the pantry door.

Mmmm, Cantabrian anchovies: let’s use them to make a puttanesca with that amazing casarecce we bought at The Re Store (insert here your favourite Italian family grocer) in Perth. It’s food tourism, no passport required.

But there are always swings to these roundabouts. There has to be.

The reality of living far from the big smoke, after a lifetime inhaling carbonderived particulates and the retail benefits that go with them, is that once you’ve

made the decision to forgo traffic lights, you need to get smarter.

If you’re near the water, you learn to fish. If you’re near farms, chances are you’re close to at least one farmer selling direct: in my case, we have a lamb grower whose meat is insanely good and costs less than at the supermarket. It’s a nice outing. You may even live near a grape grower or two: visit the vineyard, drink his/her vino. Shop online – it works.

You grow some of what you might otherwise have picked up at a shop: herbs, fruit, chillies, garlic. And you make stuff at home, like bread (the pandemic taught a few of us that trick). Like pizza. Like fresh pasta with local eggs. Et cetera.

Embrace it, I say. Own your decisions; see the glass as half full.

As we boomers love to sing after a few drinks: if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.

The Pass STORY BY JOHN LETHLEAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIA SOKOR

CANBERRA, ACT

Laotian sausage, Swedish breakfast buns and kimchi jaffles – there’s plenty of international flavour in the capital’s close-knit food community.

“Canberra is just a great place to be a chef,” says Louis Couttoupes. “It’s two hours to some of the most amazing beaches in the world. In the winter, you go to the snow. And it’s also close to growers. Plus, I can go and forage for all kinds of local native ingredients.” Couttoupes would make a great tourism representative for the bush capital if he wasn’t so busy with Onzieme (onzieme.com.au), the chic 40-seat bistro he unveiled in the city’s inner-south just over a year ago, and 11e, its basement wine bar. And apparently, the feeling is mutual. “It’s an amazing community,” says the chef, who spent three years at the hatted Bar Rochford. “We get people dropping off ingredients from their backyards – chestnuts, edible flowers, Davidson’s plums. We love putting these on the menu; it’s another expression of Canberra.” When he’s not making – or receiving – food at his restaurant, here’s where he’s finding it.

Sausage and egg muffin from Intra (above); Onzieme chef Louis Couttoupes (right)

Under For kanelbullar buns

“This bakery (under-bakery.com) is run by Lachlan Cutting, who’s probably the nicest guy in Canberra. He’s an exceptional chef who developed a passion for Swedish baking after a stint there. His speciality is cardamom and cinnamon (kanelbullar) buns. They are to die for. We use them on our menu as a dessert – we turn the leftovers into a bread and butter pudding. If you can, time it to get to the bakery as soon as the buns come out of the oven – around 10am.”

Champi Restaurant

For the whole crispy fish

“The chef here, Aiden Xindavong, is Laotian and the food is a step above your local South-East Asian diner (champi.com.au). They’ve got some wonderful Laotian sausages and grilled

Home-delivered dumplings from

pork skewers but the dish that I always order, especially when I’m in a group of three or more, is the whole crispy fish with a tamarind sauce. It has just the right amount of spiciness and sourness.”

Intra

For the sausage and egg muffin

“They produce some lovely coffee-shop-style food out of a very, very small space in Campbell (intracbr.com.au). They’re quite well-known for their jaffles – such as a mapo tofu jaffle or a kimchi one –but my pick is their take on the sausage and egg McMuffin. It comes with a house-made sauce and loads of pickled onions on an English muffin. The café is directly opposite a dog-friendly park so order the muffin then sit in the park and watch the dogs play on a Sunday morning.”

Dumplinlins

For a snack

“Chef Lin [Linlin Kearney] was a customer of ours once and then she popped up on my Instagram feed (dumplinlins. squarespace.com). She makes dumplings and they’re delivered to your door to cook at home. There are about 10 different sorts – things like shiitake, prawn and leek – and you buy them by the dozen. They are fantastic. My first order was a dozen of every single thing she makes.”

Flavours of Jiangnan

For the hand-cut noodles

“I go for the noodles with salted fish and mustard greens – it’s a big bowl of soup that’s fantastic in winter. One of my favourite things is that the fella who runs it gets around in his high-top Doc Martens, which have

bright-purple sparkles. A chef recommended this place (G6/8 Cape Street, Dickson; 02 6193 3421) to me. It’s tucked away so it’s not easy to find but it’s a top little spot.”

The Italian Place

For the pasta

“When you bite into al dente pasta you know was made that day and it almost bites back… it’s super-delicious (theitalianplace. net.au). Francesco [Petrillo] is a great chef and Tony [Lo Terzo] at front of house is a consummate host. He’s up for a good chat and likes to share a glass of wine. This eatery in Braddon has a great vibe in that local Italian restaurant way and they do modern takes on some very traditional dishes. They also have a providore next door, with charcuterie, salumi and cheeses. I spend twice as much money in the providore as I do in the restaurant.”

Dumplinlins (left); the Capital Region Farmers Market in Mitchell (right)

GRENACHE

Ox Hardy Grenache

Andrew (Ox) Hardy comes from a historic family of growers and was the winemaker at Petaluma before going it alone. His grenache is light, bright and very drinkable. Raspberry and cranberry mingle with star anise, while graceful tannins provide instant appeal.

McLaren Vale / 2021 / $38

Head Old Vine Grenache

Alex Head’s 2020 comes from 80-year-old vines with eight per cent mourvèdre added, boasting mulberry, blackberry and dark chocolate with dried herb aromas. The buoyant flavours reflect the nose with graphite-like tannins enlivening the finish.

Barossa Valley / 2020 / $40

Best known in a blend, this easydrinking red can hold its own solo.

Grenache is the “G” in a GSM red, right? Yes, though now it’s stepping into the limelight after long being reduced to its partnership with shiraz and mourvèdre. How does “pure” grenache taste? It has juicy red fruit flavours and gentle tannins. There are nouveau styles that are bright, glossy and easy drinking, especially when lightly chilled. More serious grenache is made from old, low-yielding bush vines with greater depth, concentration and punch. Where does it come from? It originated in Spain, where it’s known as garnacha, but the French also claim grenache as their own. It’s the dominant grape in a Côtes du Rhône rouge, rising to a pinnacle in the Châteauneufdu-Pape appellation. Where are the best local wines? Australia has some of the world’s oldest grenache vines and South Australia is the epicentre, with plants dating back to the 19th century. It likes some warmth so McLaren Vale and the Barossa are top spots. Our changing climate also sees it in Victoria’s Heathcote, Mudgee and Hilltops in NSW and WA’s Great Southern. What food does it pair well with? Grenache is highly versatile – the lithe, bright styles go with terrines, cold meats or a decent pie. Mid-weight grenache works with pasta or pizza, while the more serious stuff is good with barbecued, roasted or braised lamb. Should it be cellared? Yes, especially the more concentrated styles, for five, 10 or more years. What does it cost? $15 to $50 gets you in the zone, while prestige drops are in the hundreds; Torbreck Les Amis is $200.

S.C.Pannell Smart Grenache

Steve Pannell sources this wine from 65-year-old vines. Perfumes of raspberry pastilles, maraschino cherries and olive tapenade with flavours of musk, sarsaparilla and star anise. The velvety tannins flow to a graceful finish.

McLaren Vale / 2020 / $70

Swinney Farvie Grenache

New to the grenache game, siblings Janelle and Matt Swinney have scooped top awards. Rob Mann makes the wines and here, intensity is the key – sour cherry, damson plum and spices. Tightly woven tannins frame the finale.

Frankland River / 2020 / $150

Wine List STORY BY PETER BOURNE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG WALL

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Art

that’s your cup of tea

Samstag’s latest exhibition will change the way you look at the humble teapot.

In the mind of Bruce Nuske, a teapot is never just a teapot. It’s a jaunty pagoda or a delicate vessel encrusted in the press-moulded forms of geranium leaves. Or it’s decorated with thousands of tiny holes that pick out an intricate design of botanicals.

“I’m obsessed with teapots because they symbolise East-West cultural connections but also the history of the teapot is a panorama of changing styles and designs,” says the Adelaide/Tarntanya-based artist, who’s been making ceramics for 50 years.

Nuske’s eponymous exhibition is showing at Samstag Museum of Art as part of this year’s Adelaide Festival. The showcase includes 50 works, 35 of which are teapots with single tea bowls – a nod to the many cups he had alone during the pandemic.

“In that context, the teapot becomes a vehicle for reflection and contemplation during a time of isolation,” he says. “Traditionally, teapots were small because tea was precious and I like to retain that quality.”

Nuske’s eclectic approach sees each teapot and cup embrace a complex technical process that furnishes it in astonishing detail.

“I don’t use glazes much so it’s more about exploiting the colour of the clay and surface decoration, such as making press moulds or pricking holes.”

Helping Nuske format the exhibition space is Adelaide designer and friend Khai Liew.

“We’ve made furniture together over the years and have great respect for each other’s work,” says Nuske. “Khai also understands my fascination with historical design.”

Liew aims to highlight Nuske’s work through references to 19th-century Japonisme – the

European trend for Japanese art and design – by crafting three standalone shelving units that reference famous designer Edward Godwin’s Victorian-Japanese sideboards.

Samstag is staging two additional exhibitions during the Adelaide Festival, both of which comprise moving-image installations. Australian-born and Lisbonbased artist James Newitt’s Haven explores island utopias and the people who establish them. And British artist Emily Wardill’s Night for Day uses choreography and mirroring to ask questions about our bodies and the convergence of the organic and the technological.

Samstag’s exhibitions run 3 March to 19 May 2023, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Adelaide Festival, 3 to 19 March 2023, 10am to 5pm daily. unisa.edu.au/samstag

A teapot and single cup by Bruce Nuske. Photo: Grant Hancock

Find your thrill in the hottest (and coolest) places to ski and surf

NIHI Sumba resort, Indonesia

Okahirongo Elephant Lodge in Kaokoland, Namibia

David Rogers

AFRICAN SAFARI

Forget what you think you know about safaris in Africa and discover five new ways to experience the oldest inhabited continent, writes

Catherine Marshall.

Namibia Desert Discovery By Air

The Namib Desert seems an unlikely place for a safari. It ripples inland from the Atlantic seaboard, flows into cracked pans, climbs wind-sculpted ranges and reaches into grasslands. But this south-west African wasteland is deeply inscribed with animal tracks that intensify between July and October. That’s when zebras kick up clouds of dust on their way to ephemeral rivers and gemsbok tiptoe along skyscraper-high dunes, their horns spiralling in sharp counterpoint to their moonscape surroundings. When the rains come, flamingos colour deluged salt pans and lions pad through alabaster drifts, tossing their manes in rhythm with swaying grasslands.

The setting

A diorama of desertscapes is revealed on this Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.com.au) itinerary. A private aircraft transports up to 12 guests from the capital, Windhoek, to Ongava Reserve, a wildlife sanctuary abutting Etosha Pan in the country’s arid north-east. The journey continues westwards to the Kunene River, a waterway sluicing a boundary between Namibia and Angola. Then it’s on to the reclusive Kaokoland and the world’s oldest desert, the Namib.

The stay

The campsites bloom like desert roses amid apparent desolation. Anderssons at Ongava echoes the raw beauty of the environment; here, guests learn from scientists working at the nearby Ongava Research Centre. Okahirongo River Camp peers out from the boulders across the Kunene River, heaving with crocodiles and humming with birdlife; a cruise provides the opportunity to step foot on Angolan soil. In Kaokoland, the adobe-clad Okahirongo Elephant Lodge rises from the earth. It’s not the

only settlement in this solitary region: Namibia’s last nomads, the Himba people, offer guests a rare insight into their culture during village visits.

“One of the highlights is the scenic flight south from Swakopmund, as we follow the famed Skeleton Coast, flying over colonies of seals and deserted shipwrecks,” says Patrick Clementson, product manager at Abercrombie & Kent Australia. “Then we head inland over the sand dunes and circle the famous Dead Vlei, a white clay pan surrounded by majestic sand dunes, in Sossusvlei.”

All eyes turn to the heavens at night: the Sossusvlei Private Desert Reserve, an ocean of dunes around Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, is on the boundary of the International Dark Sky Reserve of the NamibRand Nature Reserve. Retract the skylight above your bed and let the stars lull you to sleep.

The surprise

Desert elephants are found in just two countries: Namibia and Mali. If luck is with you, Himba guides will lead you to these rare, endangered creatures.

Olwen Evans. Stevie Mann

NAMIBIA

ZAMBIA

Chisa Busanga, Kafue National Park

For seven long months the rains fall, transforming Busanga Plains into a luminescent, grass-flecked sea. In July the skies cease their rumblings, the deluge recedes and wildlife converges on shrinking waterholes and wilted grasslands. African wild dogs dissolve into this stippled landscape; black-maned lions wear socks of mud as they traverse the waterlogged basin. At least their locks are dry – during the rainy season they’re forced to swim to the other side. Only the amphibians and water-loving antelope, such as sitatunga, puku and lechwe, lament the seasonal change.

The setting

Receding waters also signal the return of adventurers to this little-explored plain in Kafue National Park in central Zambia, accessible by road and plane from the country’s capital, Lusaka. This is the oldest and largest of Zambia’s national parks, yet it flies far beneath the tourism radar. This is set

to change, for Kafue is brimming with untapped potential.

“Zambia is often overlooked in favour of its better-known counterparts, Botswana and Zimbabwe,” says Lara Behrens from Bench Africa (benchafrica. com). “Zambia’s ecosystems are just as diverse, with many of its regions known for greater concentrations of wildlife. In Kafue, travellers are even further off the beaten track, meaning they often have these remote wilderness areas to themselves.”

The stay

Like the weaver bird nests dangling high in the trees, the rooms at Chisa (pictured) –Nyanja for “birds nest” – are designed to withstand seasonal flooding. Garbed with intricately woven twigs and secreted amid terminalia trees, these humansized nests deliver a bird’s view from their stilted perches; the

window is a gaping aperture overlooking the dambos (shallow wetlands) and sweeping plains. Twitchers could spend their days watching for the 500-odd bird species (and the outlook remains unimpeded even when you’re showering). Resemblance to structure is where the avian similarities end: no other nest is as special as these canvas-lined, stylishly appointed dwellings. Entry is via a stairway (or an elevator in the accessible suite). Stroll down to the campfire for a sundowner and dine beneath a lavish tent with the plains as your entertainment.

The surprise Silent safaris have arrived: the camp’s solar power plant charges electric Land Cruisers and e-bikes for the most tranquil of game viewings – nothing to hear bar the engine’s hum and the heart-stilling sounds of the bush.

Okavango Explorers Camp

From above, the Okavango Delta is veined with waterways and mottled with bushveld. After the rains have fallen in January and February, water surges into the Selinda Spillway, leaks across the savanna and floods the woodlands. Elephants lumber through the mire, displacing the clouds that dance upon its mirrored surface. Giraffes splash towards higher ground, where leopards keep their paws dry on sun-warmed outcrops. Every nerve is alive as you glide along the swamp in a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe): crocodiles’ eyes blaze amber above the waterline and spear grass conceals predators come to drink.

The setting

The Great Plains Selinda Reserve unspools below as a bush plane flies you from the Okavango’s gateway city, Maun. Overlooking the intersection of two pristine ecosystems – the upper Okavango Delta and the Selinda Spillway, which tunnels a path from the delta to the Linyanti Swamps – the remote campsite

is the newest addition to Great Plains Conservation (greatplainsconservation.com), which was co-founded by National Geographic explorersin-residence and filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert.

“The latest camp in our Explorer Collection is set within what might just be Great Plains’ best-kept secret – the Selinda Reserve,” says Dereck.

“It offers some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the region. Our guests can expect to spot lions, leopards and wild dogs, all of which hunt regularly in the area, along with elephants, giraffes and rare antelopes.”

The stay

The romance of bygone expeditions is evoked in the comforts concealed within your tent: mosquito-netted beds, writing desks, travel

chests. A swimming pool offers respite from the midday heat and a solar-energy plant heats the water for an evening shower. The call of the wild is amplified as the sun sets and you gather around a bonfire for aperitifs; this is a private utopia for family groups, since it sleeps only a maximum of 12. Wake up at dawn to head out on a game drive, a guided walk across the floodplain or a paddle along the spillway, where thousands of elephants throng the watercourse at the height of the dry season in late September.

The surprise

Dip your toes into forbidden waters during a lantern-lit dinner on a submerged sandbank. Guards will be on the lookout for danger as you dine with the stars blazing above you and the moon shimmering on the water at your feet.

The Great Walk of Africa

As the rivers course down from the Kenyan highlands and across the Tsavo wilderness on their way to the sea, hearts beat in time with elephants’ footfall and pulses race at cheetah speed. Every sense is piqued as you set off in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro on Africa’s longest walking safari, a 10-day, 160-kilometre expedition modelled on the hunting safaris of lore. But the continent’s revered species will be preserved in memory rather than as trophies as you trace the Tsavo and Galana rivers. These wilds are inhabited by the last of the Great Tuskers, elephants whose ancestors were hunted for tusks so immense they would scour runnels into the ground as they walked.

The setting

“Our safari crosses the largest pristine wilderness region of East Africa and it’s thrilling while you’re on foot, miles from vehicles, to see lions, leopards, buffalos, giraffes, zebras and wild hunting dogs that have made their homes along these spectacular rivers,” says veteran trekking guide Iain Allan.

Tsavo encompasses two wildlife belts bisected by the railway line from Mombasa to Nairobi: Tsavo West and Tsavo East national parks, Kenya’s largest protected wilderness.

Mount Kilimanjaro and the Loita Hills are the poignant backdrop for this Classic Safari Company (classicsafaricompany. com.au) expedition, which is best undertaken during the cooler months between May and September. A maximum of nine guests are led by guides and trackers along game trails through a mosaic of riverine forest and doum palm groves, rocky outcrops and floodplains. Rivers are crossed in tandem to warn off crocodiles and every bend promises a new sighting. “To walk up to an unsuspecting

family of elephants, using the wind to its advantage, silently photographing before leaving them oblivious to our presence, is one of the greatest experiences Africa can offer,” says Allan.

The stay

Oases of luxury accommodation appear miraculously at the end of each day, when walkers come upon the night’s mobile camp, positioned to make the most of river views. Dust is washed away under hot showers, stamina fortified with gourmet meals, bodies restored on comfy camp beds. The good news is that no trace is left behind when the camp is packed up every day or two.

The surprise

Theories vary as to why Tsavo’s maneless male lions lost their crowning glory: male-pattern baldness due to high levels of testosterone, perhaps an evolutionary cooling-down trick? Their forebears were notorious for terrorising men labouring on the railway line in the late 19th century but armed guides offer peace of mind for today’s visitors.

Howard

KENYA

TANZANIA AND KENYA

The ALU WILDeconomy Masterclass

The Serengeti is a place of dreams. Of leopards sashaying through waist-high grasses, zebras with their jailbird coats, thorn trees traced in black against the burning sun. Tanzanian savanna flows across the border into Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park, where Africa’s legendary Big Five roam. What lies beneath this idyll’s surface is less easily seen: the vital synergy between conservation and community. &Beyond’s (andbeyond.com) in-situ masterclass, run in collaboration with the African Leadership University (ALU), prompts guests to consider how their expedition contributes to broader environmental preservation.

“What became blatantly obvious at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the resilience of conservation is compromised when we rely on a single activity, such as tourism, to drive economic benefits for communities and governments,” says Joss Kent, &Beyond’s executive chairman and CEO. “There are far more activities than simply tourism that need to be understood in order to create a successful and balanced wildlife economy.”

The setting

The entry city of Arusha sprawls across the edge of the Great Rift Valley in north-east Tanzania, foreshadowing an extraordinary journey. Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro anchor a landscape of ranges and calderas, valleys and salt lakes, woodlands and savanna. Communities and wildlife live side-by-side in the midst of this grandiosity.

The stay

Far from the madding safari crowd, Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge (left) is located at a remote tributary filled with hippos and crocodiles. Curved eaves mimic the bow in the river and elegant circular features – the open-air bar, private plunge pools in each of the 10 suites – honour Maasai manyattas (huts). At mealtimes, guests oversee the chef’s preparation of local specialities, including fish from nearby Lake Victoria. Across the border, Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp overlooks the

Saparingo River and a great sweep of the Maasai Mara. Even though it’s sumptuous, the camp treads lightly on this fragile tract: organic vegetables are served straight from the shamba (food garden), bathing water is solar-heated and drinking water is bottled on site.

The surprise

Interactions with fishing communities, foragers, Maasai warriors and a traditional doctor allow guests to consider the grassroots context of Africa’s wildlife resource management and the implications for sustainability and development. Masterclass host and director of research at ALU’s School of Wildlife Conservation Dr Sue Snyman provides researchbased insight into issues such as carbon markets, hunting and wildlife ranching. “Travellers will understand that conservation and development are not mutually exclusive,” she says.

In less than 10 years, Copenhagen went from being a non-starter on the food scene to luring gourmands for its experimental, edgy and influential dining. But where do the locals eat in the capital of haute cuisine? Lisa Abend finds out.

Photography by Martin Kaufmann

Grimal bistro (opposite); cardamom buns from Juno bakery (above)

When I first moved to Copenhagen, not quite a decade ago, it sometimes felt like there was nowhere to eat. Of course, there were excellent high-end restaurants; Noma had launched roughly 10 years earlier and, with its Nordic cooking, had literally put the Danish capital on the map for the kind of deep-pocketed food-lover who travels the globe to dine in the most acclaimed places. Unsurprisingly, the announcement in January of its closure, scheduled for 2024, made headlines.

There were also plenty of great spots serving smørrebrød – the open-faced sandwiches that are Denmark’s proudest (some would say sole) contribution to world cuisine. But for anything else? A pizzeria serving serious pies, instead of the cardboard crusts that takeaway joints dispensed? A kitchen turning out something decently spicy, whether that’s enchiladas or dan dan noodles? The kind of neighbourhood bistro you could drop into on a Tuesday night and be certain of a good meal? There was a reason why Danes only went to restaurants for special occasions.

Turns out it was only a matter of time. When the streams of ambitious young chefs, servers and sommeliers who flocked to Copenhagen to work at Noma and its ilk eventually started opening their own eateries, they initially clung pretty closely to the upscale Nordic model – all foraged plants, acidic flavours and expensively sleek timber furniture.

But gradually, their vision expanded to include other types of cuisine and ways of serving them and that transition, in turn, drew yet more talented young chefs and somms. Today, the city’s restaurant scene encompasses exciting versions of everything from Caribbean seafood to burgers to tacos to kaiseki. And Danes themselves, delighting in the newfound abundance, have even learnt how to eat out on a Tuesday night.

So, while some visitors come to do a World’s 50 Best Restaurants crawl (in 2022, Copenhagen took out numbers one, 18 and 38 with fine-diners Geranium, Alchemist and Jordnaer, respectively), here’s what the locals are actually eating – and where.

Emil Glaser at his bakery, Juno

Smørrebrød

Danes take their smørrebrød very seriously. Eaten primarily at lunch, open-faced sandwiches come in a bewildering array of variations but are guided by unspoken rules on everything from the type of bread (short answer: rye) to the order in which the pieces should be consumed. One of the best places to get the full experience is centrally located Schønnemann (restaurantschonnemann.dk), where the 19th-century rooms are cosily cluttered, the waiters inordinately cheerful and the multi-page menu features well-made classics such as The Virgin Midnight Snack (a creamy chicken salad studded with bacon and topped with crisp curls of fried carrot) or more newfangled innovations, including smoked eel on fluffy scrambled egg. The traditional pairing is aquavit (considered the national spirit), which comes in its own array of flavours and styles and is served in sizes that range from “embarrassing” (small) to “sensible” (large).

2.

Cardamom bun

The Danish as we know it was actually introduced by a bunch of strike-breaking Viennese bakers (it’s a long story) but the range of pastries here, from flaky spandauers that ooze custard to marzipan-wrapped træstammer (“tree trunks”) that enclose boozy chocolate crumbs, nevertheless attests to a country that loves its cake. Yet for all the buttery diversity, it took former Noma chef Emil Glaser to add the homey cardamom bun, from his native Sweden, to the roster of treats. These days, the aromatic pastries can be found all over the city but the ones Glaser makes at his bakery, Juno, at Århusgade 48 in the Østerbro neighbourhood – impossibly soft, flecked with spice and emerging from the oven with crunchy caramelised bits from where the prodigious amounts of butter and sugar melted into the pan – remain the best.

3.

The hot dog

No, really. Denmark’s original – and for a long time, only –street food, hot dogs remain a favourite lunch or postclubbing snack and one of the few things that the locals will actually eat in public when they’re by themselves. John's Hotdog Deli (Bernstorffsgade 18), often touted as the city's finest, was founded in 2007 and still keeps a stand outside Central Station, making it ideal for

The Virgin Midnight Snack (above) at Schønnemann restaurant (top)

Auren’s Deli (above left) and its celeraic and cheese sandwich; founder John Michael Jensen and his John’s Hotdog Deli stand

takeaway. Like far more highbrow places, its menu, believe it or not, often has a seasonal section; in winter, you can get a sausage made from game and topped with pickled red cabbage.

4.

Asian cuisine

Copenhagen is only a couple of decades late to the trend but the past year or two has brought a veritable explosion in restaurants turning out credible yet inventive takes on different Asian cuisines. One of the newest – and most exciting – comes from the hands of an Aussie, Will King-Smith, who spent many years cooking in some of the city’s more renowned places, including top-ranked Geranium, before ceding to his first love: the Cantonese cuisine that was a staple of his earlier life in Sydney. With its spacious, low-lit dining room populated by curved booths, Goldfinch (goldfinch.dk), which opened in the central Kongens Nytorv area late in 2022, looks unlike any other eatery in the city and its menu is as sophisticated as its décor. Here, the crunchy, sesame-encrusted toast is made with sweet scallops instead of prawns, the plump steamed

cockles are invigorated with citrus and chilli paste and the glaze on the juicy char sui carries an evocatively floral hint of rose. Delicate dumplings, fiery noodles and a luscious “Hong Kong-style French toast” round out the offerings.

5.

Bread

Copenhagen has the best bread in the world – it’s a bold claim but I’m standing by it. The number of bakeries turning out chewy sourdough and cocoa-coloured bricks of malty Danish rye exploded during the pandemic but perhaps the most idiosyncratic is Galst Bageri (galstbageri.dk), which got its start when then-amateur baker Erik Galst took over the kitchen of a local football club. His delectable loaves proved so popular that he was able to open a permanent version last year in the Østerbro neighbourhood.

6.

Pizza

All that attention to sourdough has also translated into some great pizza. At Surt (surtcph. dk) in the Carlsberg district, pizzaiolo Giuseppe Oliva, who comes from a family of bakers, ferments a dough made from ancient grains until it has a noticeable zing of acidity. Then he tops it with gorgeous ingredients and bakes it in the woodfired oven that dominates

Cockles from Goldfinch restaurant (right top); baker Erik Galst at Galst Bageri (right)

the open kitchen until it gets those nicely blackened bubbles that signal a superior pizza. Standouts here include the organic pork sausage and buffalo mozzarella – their flavours jolted with chilli and sage – and the seemingly simple but intensely savoury Rianata, popping with onion and anchovy.

7.

The deli

After working at the acclaimed Amass, Henry Stevens and Pernille Rosenbæk opened Auren’s Deli (aurensdeli.com) last year and quickly made it the neighbourhood shop that Frederiksberg hadn’t known it needed. Along with its selection of French cheeses, local milk and yoghurt from a regenerative dairy, plus imported charcuterie, the beautifully designed shop sells fresh fruit and vegetables – many of them grown on the owners’ farm located outside Copenhagen. As befits a deli, the simple but ever-changing roster of lunchtime sandwiches – a cheddar and chutney or ham and ‘nduja with pickled vegetables – are the stars.

8.

Natural wine

Copenhagen is a hub for natural wines. In fact, after Paris and Tokyo, it may be the natural wine city – yet another debt it owes to Noma, which set the pace by switching its wine list over to the funkier stuff early in its history. Yet even with today’s wide range of venues, there’s still no better place than the OG wine bar, Ved Stranden 10 (vedstranden10.dk). Situated across the canal from Christiansborg, the parliament

building whose spire will be familiar to anyone who has watched Borgen , it remains a remarkably inviting place at every level, from the warm interior furnished in an eclectic collection of Danish Modern to the by-the-glass selection that’s heavy on delicious Austrian wines. The service leans towards the intuitive – instead of a wine list, the waitstaff ask about your preferences then they choose accordingly.

9.

The bistro

Located on a lively corner in Vesterbro, Grimal (grimal.dk) is the kind of place you could happily eat at once a week. The menu isn’t huge – usually just three or four starters, the same number of mains and a handful of snacks that play nice with aperitifs (the proper Scotch egg is especially popular). But each of the one-step-above-familiar dishes, like a tangy tartare studded with cornichons or a plush piece of haddock set atop silky leeks and bathed in creamy sauce, satisfies the soul. And the friendly staff make every diner feel like a regular.

Haddock at Grimal bistro (below)

(Clockwise from below) Surt pizzeria; the interior of Ved Stranden 10 and a selection of its wine

Camping with teens on a deserted tropical island –what could go wrong?

By Bryce Corbett

tIIt sounds like the stuff of family holiday dreams. Two nights camping on our own, private tropical island on the fringes of the Great Barrier Reef. Just me, my wife, Shay, and our two teenage kids. A fully catered, Claytons castaways experience. A chance to unplug, unwind and reconnect.

Our hosts for the weekend are Adele and Stuart – a couple of sea-changers from Sydney who have only recently gotten into the tourism game. She’s an American marine biologist and academic, he’s an Aussie former Navy man. And as they whisk us across choppy waters from Mission Beach to Kent Island – a tiny dot of green in the mottled turquoise waters of the Barnard Island Group National Park – visions of lazy days spent snorkelling among pristine coral and dozing in a hammock swim in my head.

Standing some 30 minutes later in the middle of a bare campsite – a mound of unpacked camping gear to my left, two increasingly agitated children swatting at a swarm of angry green ants to my right and a tropical thunderstorm brewing on the horizon –I think perhaps I should have paid more attention to the fine print. The no-electricity, no-showers and no-toilets scenario had all sounded adventurous when first mooted. There was a distinct romance to it. But as reverie quickly gives way to reality, I begin to wonder what I’d gotten us into.

“You’ve got all your meals there in the esky and the tents should be self-explanatory,” advises Adele cheerily as I stand in the jungle trying to process our predicament. “There’s a first-aid kit there if you need it and a garden spade to bury your number twos. We’ll see you in a couple of days!”

I watch dumbfounded as she hotfoots it back across the beach to Stuart in the waiting boat. “Oh, one more thing,” she says, seemingly as an afterthought. “Whatever you do, don’t go into the bush. There are death adders.”

I throw a nervous glance at my wife and grimace as I watch the boat disappear.

It’s a survival test, I tell myself, hurriedly erecting the tents. A chance to prove to my kids I’m a provider, a protector and calm in a crisis. A moment for them to see their normally desk-bound dad in a new and adventurous light. But the looks of pure contempt on their faces tell another story.

“How long do we have to stay here?” asks one.

“You said this place would have wi-fi!” moans the other.

For her part, Shay takes the only sensible course of action and ferrets a bottle of wine from the bottom of the esky, sitting back with a look of wry amusement.

Being a castaway is not for everyone. As a family, we’ve done our fair share of camping. But never on a deserted tropical island, never as a large tropical storm is brewing and never trying to cook a surf-and-turf dinner in fading light on an eco-friendly bamboo grill with combustible heat beads that refuse to combust.

I keep expecting the crew from Survivor: The Great Barrier Reef to emerge from the bushes or to suddenly bump into Bear Grylls. There will be those for whom the prospect of total isolation with a side serve of extreme adventure is full of appeal. And in the quieter moments between whining children and batting off green ants, the sight of the sun rising over the glassy waters or of a school of cobalt fusiliers darting behind a submarine garden of table coral during a snorkel were enough to make us gasp in wonder. But the spectre of premature demise by death adder finally proved too much and so we raised the white flag the next day and cut short the camping part of our adventure.

The following morning we head off on a snorkelling trip to the nearby Brook Islands. Adele and Stuart run a bespoke tour guide service, Great Barrier Reef Safaris (greatbarrierreef safaris.com), for the Mission Beach area. They’re one of several local companies that can organise transfers from Mission Beach to nearby islands, facilitate boat charters or help to coordinate stays in the handful of private homes-for-rent on Bedarra Island. Their castaway experience comes with national park camping licences sorted, meals pre-prepared (though you do have to cook over a fire yourself), all camping gear provided and a hefty amount of marine-biologist knowledge thrown into the bargain.

And it’s that background in marine biology that comes into its own when we go snorkelling. A known roosting spot for seabirds, the three tiny islands – North, Tween and Middle, which fall within the national park and make up the Brook group – are a human exclusion zone. Only a certain number of visitor permits are granted to charter operators each year. But the snorkelling in the bay between Tween and Middle islands is spectacular.

We’re on a patch of reef referred to by Adele as “the Goldilocks zone”. Close enough to an island to benefit from the fresh water run-off, far enough out from the mainland to not be affected by pollutants. And wonderfully, relatively untouched.

For an entire hour, we have the place to ourselves. The quantity and variety of fish is astounding. The vibrancy of the coral, too, is breathtaking. Lettuce coral, plate coral, pockets of undulating soft coral. There are batfish, parrot fish and those pretty, industrious cleaner wrasses. Angel fish play hide-and-seek as a butterfly fish and a couple of coral trout swim warily below us.

I feel a parental pang of happiness as I look across to see my teens joyfully duck dive for a photo with a giant clam – a school of iridescent blue chromas scattering in their wake.

Later that evening, sun-kissed and salty, we stroll along the wide, palm-fringed expanse of Mission Beach as visitors gallop past on a sunset horseback ride. There’s a live band playing in the buzzy, festoon-lit beer garden of the Garage Bar & Brewhouse (41 Donkin Lane; 07 4088 6280), which we listen to while waiting for a bunch of seriously good burgers (cooked on a gasfired grill under electric lights, no less) from Joey’s (Shop 2/42 Donkin Lane; 0402 005 624). And as our kids suck back on ice-cold Cokes and stuff their faces with hot chips and ice-cream, we reflect on the importance of stepping outside our comfort zone. But also the wisdom of knowing what you like and liking what you know.

CR ED

(Opposite, clockwise from top) Café Bizarre on West 3rd Street, Greenwich Village, in 1959; The Velvet Underground with Andy Warhol (centre) in 1966; Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street, Greenwich Village

86

Jesse Rifkin is easy to spot. With his black jeans and jacket and his T-shirt advertising hip ’80s psychedelic rock group Spacemen 3, he’s obviously the person I’m looking for to take me on a sidewalk safari through New York’s rock history.

We’re meeting for lunch at Caffe Reggio in Greenwich Village because, as Rifkin says, “it’s hardly changed since it opened in 1927. David Bowie used to hang out here when he lived in New York.”

Rifkin played in bands but as he drolly puts it over a couple of Italian sandwiches, “I did everything you can do as a musician, except succeed. I quit in 2018. Going on tour and sleeping on other people’s floors is charming when you’re 21 but not when you’re in your thirties.”

Now, tapping into his background in the music scene and a degree in ethnomusicology, he runs Walk On The Wild Side Tours NYC (walkonthewildsidenyc.com), taking visitors and locals through the neighbourhoods that relate to particular musical genres. There’s one that focuses solely on the Beastie Boys (East Village, Soho, Chinatown, Lower East Side), another that covers post-punk, disco and hip-hop (Nolita, Soho, Tribeca). Today I’m taking his original tour, The Birth Of Punk.

We head around the corner to West 3rd Street and meet up with seven other music fans – a retiree from Sweden in his sixties, a family of four from Arizona and a Welsh couple on their honeymoon.

“Everything we’ll see on this tour stems from this place we’re standing in front of right now,” says Rifkin. Behind us is a dorm building for New York University students but back in the ’60s, it was Café Bizarre, a schlocky venue that was one of the few places a new group called The Velvet Underground could get a gig. Led by Lou Reed, the band got their big break one night when Andy Warhol walked in, was taken by their raw, cacophonous sound and took them under his wing.

Later we find ourselves outside the John Varvatos store on the Bowery, a street that was formerly New York’s skid row. Now it’s a boutique selling high-priced rock-inspired clothing but it used to be a bar that became the epicentre of the ’70s punk movement – CBGB. It was here that many performers found their home, including the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith and Talking Heads.

“I was in a truly terrible band that played here,” admits Rifkin, sheepishly.

“What were they called?” asks the woman from Wales.

“I’ll never tell,” says Rifkin, smiling.

He laments the hyper-gentrified transformation of the neighbourhood. “It’s good that the homeless shelter next door owns this building and it’s right that they should make money from the store that rents this space. I just wish it wasn’t a store that sold $1600 jackets to ad executives who go to see Aerosmith concerts. I kind of wish it was a Starbucks because that would at least make the space accessible to everyone.”

(Clockwise from top left) CBGB on the Bowery, East Village, in the 1970s; Joey Ramone Place; The Ramones on stage at CBGB; tour guide Jesse Rifkin outside the John Varvatos store, the former site of CBGB

Barry Divola

This area of the East Village is rich in punk history, especially when it comes to The Ramones, who shot two of their seminal album covers here – in Extra Place, a laneway behind CBGB, and against a wall in a community garden not far away. We visit both spots and, of course, take each other’s photos, looking nowhere near as cool as the band did more than 45 years ago.

“This is the saddest part of the tour,” says Rifkin at the corner of St Mark’s Place and Second Avenue. From the 1920s to 2020, when it closed due to COVID, this was the location of Gem Spa, a beloved all-night newsstand that also originated the Egg Cream, an iconic New York beverage that contains neither egg nor cream but is a mix of milk, seltzer water and chocolate syrup. The store pops up everywhere in the city’s past – in the 1985 Madonna film Desperately Seeking Susan; in a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat; in a poem by Allen Ginsberg; in the photo on the back cover of proto-punk band New York Dolls’ debut album in 1973.

After two hours and multiple stops, Rifkin ends the tour on a reflective note. “Geographically, we’re only seven minutes walk away from where we started. But we’ve travelled a long way in terms of the music that was created here and the way this neighbourhood has changed in that time.

“New York regularly dies, then a new version of the city comes along. In music, that change is always driven by young people who didn’t fit in where they came from, who move here with no money, who produce music in the cheapest way possible. So if you take anything from today, make it this – support young musicians.”

Bill Tompkins, Barry Divola

(From top) The Beastie Boys mural by Danielle Mastrion, on the corner of Ludlow and Rivington streets, Lower East Side; Gem Spa in 2017

Whether you’re seeking the best wave or deepest powder, these underrated gems will see you carving up the season.

By Ben Mack

Mount Ngauruhoe in the Ruapeha region on the North Island, New Zealand; NIHI Sumba resort in Indonesia (opposite)

SKI & SURF SAFARIS

Scott Howes

Angourie

There’s no need to travel far for some of the world’s top surfing. In fact, Shane “Shayno” Sutherland says all it takes is a 2.5-hour drive south from the Gold Coast in Queensland to the red cliffs and bluegreen breaks of Yamba and Angourie on Yaegl Country in northern NSW. “They’re great spots for surfers of all levels,” he says. “This area offers soft, safe beginner surfing beaches, as well as world-class point breaks, all within a 10-kilometre radius. They’re protected in most winds and the majority of swells are super-consistent.”

Rides here can easily go for 100 metres on waves with faces more than five metres

high, which explains why Angourie Beach was named Australia’s second National Surfing Reserve in 2007. “Angourie Point is the best wave in the area, with long rides, tube sections and playful walls,” says Sutherland, who’s run Surf Camp Down Under (surfcampdownunder.com), a surf school in Yamba with lessons year-round for all ages and abilities, since 2016.

Sutherland is adamant his home has riches beyond surfing. He name-checks Angourie Pools, a rock quarry that was transformed into a popular spot for locals to go swimming when an underground spring was disturbed, and the Yuraygir Coastal Walk from Angourie to Red Rock, which takes you past rolling surf and scrubby bush. Watch the water: you might see dolphins or whales.

The area also has a burgeoning food scene. Sutherland recommends the Wobbly Chook Brewery (wobblychook

brewingco.com), Yamba’s first craft brewery, where you can cool off with a drink, such as the Dirty Bird Brown Ale. Or pop into Paradiso (paradiso restaurant.com.au) for the pan-Asian fare (think prawn wontons and kingfish sashimi) and views of town and sea.

Later, settle in at Angourie Resort (hotel.qantas.com.au/angourieresort), which is set in 600 hectares of rainforest between Yamba and Angourie. The 66 airy rooms have verandas overlooking the bush. For added relaxation, there’s on-site Essential Elements Day Spa, a therapy pool and steam room.

No matter how hardcore a surfer you are, Sutherland urges everyone to dip their toes into this “beautiful, friendly, peaceful” area. “It’s the best coastal town on the east coast of Australia. Great seafood, great weather, great waves and great vibes.”

INDONESIA

Sumba

“It’s the most coveted wave in the world.”

Tim Wood knows that’s a bold claim but having worked as a surf instructor at some of the most exclusive lodgings around the globe for 20 years, he believes the break known as Occy’s Left lives up to the hype.

“It’s just magic. With the view, it’s like a colosseum,” he says of the warm waves that can reach almost eight metres high and cascade down in a smooth barrel against a backdrop of palm trees, sprawling rice terraces and golden-sand beaches where turtles outnumber people.

Wood is the in-house instructor at luxury resort NIHI Sumba (below; hotel.qantas.com.au/nihiwatu), about 90 minutes drive south of Tambolaka Airport, which is a 50-minute flight from Bali. Occy’s Left is only accessible if you’re staying at the resort, with a limit of 10 riders at a time for safety and so as not to ruin the thrill of the adrenalinesoaked runs. “It’s more intermediate to advanced due to the speed and power of the wave once it gets head-high and over,” he says.

But there are plenty of other spots for surfers to find here. “Sumba is twice the size of Bali, with a lot of bays on the south coast,” he says. “The best way to discover the island is by boat – most bays are very hard to get to from land.”

A stay at NIHI Sumba offers much more than exclusive barrels. There are 27 thatchroofed, air-conditioned villas set by the sea, yoga classes in sunlit pavilions, horseback riding on the beaches and through the rainforest and even an inhouse turtle hatchery – an estimated 9000 baby turtles were released in 2022 alone.

Beyond the resort and waves, the jungles and interior savannas are the stars of Sumba Island. Trek to one of the many waterfalls – Air Terjun Wai Marang in the south-east is a must, surrounded by spiky limestone cliffs and with a turquoise lagoon at its base. You might spot inquisitive monkeys and hear the songs of brightly coloured birds along the way. But for many, it’s all about Occy’s Left. “We’ve had some surfers coming back every year for 20 years,” says Wood.

“Perfect” is how Etienne Venter describes the pounding waves of the mighty South Atlantic at Jeffreys Bay (or J-Bay), about an hour’s drive west from Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and 7.5 hours drive east of Cape Town.

Jeffreys Bay

“You can be flying down the line on one of the best rides of your life at the world-famous Supertubes, while three kilometres away a person can be catching the first wave of their life at Dolphin Beach,” he says. “The main surfing hub is called the Golden Mile because with the right tide and swell direction, you can ride a ‘mile’-long wave.”

Venter started Jeffreys Bay Surf School (jbaysurfschool.co.za) in 2000. “In the 1980s and early ’90s there was very little to do for entertainment when the waves were flat; it was hard to even find a proper grocery store. Now there are restaurants and coffee shops, loads of shopping options, surf schools – and all in a relatively narrow five-kilometre stretch.”

Though famous for surfing since the area was featured in 1966’s The Endless Summer, there’s still a laid-back vibe to J-Bay. White buildings with red tile or

thatched roofs contrast with the blue sky, golf courses pepper the landscape outside town and one of the most popular eateries around is a fish-and-chipper: Vismandjie (110 Da Gama Road; +27 42 293 1421), a couple of blocks from the beach in the town centre. Here, you can eat the morning’s catch, cooked however you like. And for a safari that takes you away from the sea, there are game reserves to see the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo) just a few kilometres from J-Bay.

While many game reserves have their own accommodation, the white Art Decoesque Diaz 15 House on the Bay (hotel. qantas.com.au/diaz15houseonthebay) is the pick of the beachside options, with nine spacious suites, an outdoor pool and stylish terraces right along the sand.

Venter has tips for surfers hoping to catch the ultimate ride: “Most of the waves in J-Bay break over rocks, which can be sharp. And Supertubes is an advanced wave that can dish out serious punishment if you get caught in the wrong place.” And sharks? “I’ve never encountered one at J-Bay. I surf or coach just about every single day so my odds are high.”

EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

OAHU, HAWAII

Laniakea Beach

Hawaii’s legendary status in surfing lore might make you think there’s nothing left to discover. But there are lesser-known gems on Oahu’s North Shore that can thrill even the most well-travelled wave-rider.

“Laniakea is a good surf spot on a north swell,” explains Carol Philips, founder of North Shore Surf Girls (northshoresurfgirls. com), which provides an inclusive and safe experience for people of all ages to learn to surf. “It’s one of the longest rides in Hawaii when it’s a pure north swell direction.”

Philips grew up on the North Shore and has been surfing at Laniakea Beach (about a 40-minute drive from Honolulu) for more than 30 years. “My favourite thing about surfing at Laniakea is the long ride – that white, breaking wave.”

Away from the froth – and a short drive from luxury stay Turtle Bay Resort (hotel. qantas.com.au/turtlebayresortkahuku) – there’s the botanical garden Waimea

Falls Park, just four kilometres north-east of Laniakea. The waterfall is a 20-minute walk from the car park and you might encounter peacocks strutting over to say hi, as several of them roam the area.

For a no-fuss way to refuel, explore the shrimp shack and food truck scene for garlicky, sautéed prawns, fish tacos and sweet shaved ice with just about any flavour of syrup you can imagine. South of Laniakea, Haleiwa Joe’s (haleiwajoes. com) pairs impressive seaside views with equally incredible seafood dishes – surf royalty Kelly Slater is a fan.

And while Slater may not need them, Philips has tips for those Laniakea wave runs. “There’s a strong current pulling you towards the left as you paddle out and you have to be careful that you don’t get sucked into the next break over. It’s also very shallow. Always check in with the lifeguards who are posted at the beach.”

Canada’s wildest wonders

Start at Niagara Falls. Then visit grizzlies in an ancient forest or sleep under the shimmering aurora borealis. If you like epic adventures, you’ll love Canada in the warmer months.

“I love that at Niagara Falls you can get incredibly close to one of nature’s most powerful wonders.”

Solmaz Khosrowshahian, Toronto-based food and travel blogger

“I still remember the first time I saw Niagara Falls and experienced sensory overload from the roar, the crash and the spray. I’ve been back more than 50 times since.

Fall is my favourite season to visit. You’ll never forget flying over the falls with Niagara Helicopters (niagarahelicopters. com) while the trees dotting the escarpment are bright red, orange and yellow above the blue rush of the water. You can see the mist creating its own rainbows. On the water, Niagara City Cruises (cityexperiences.com/niagara-ca) goes right up to the falls until you can feel the spray hitting your face. You really sense the power when you’re right under it!

In winter, Niagara Falls is serene. Everything is frozen, there are fewer tourists and sometimes it’s so quiet that you can hear the crackling of the ice. Toronto is less than two hours drive away but if you instead follow the river downstream, you’ll reach Niagara-on-theLake, a heritage town with street lanterns and horse-drawn carriages. I recommend staying at 124 on Queen (124queen.com) – the exterior of this boutique hotel fits the

old-town vibe but the rooms are modern and there’s a beautiful wellness spa. The in-house restaurant, Treadwell Cuisine (treadwellcuisine.com), offers fabulous farm-to-table dining.

My favourite thing to do is rent a bicycle and wander around Niagara wine country. A stop at Two Sisters Vineyards (twosistersvineyards.com) is a must for an Italian meal overlooking the vineyards while sipping cabernet sauvignon. Ravine (ravinevineyard.com) is more rustic and lives by the region’s farm-to-table ethos. Perch on the patio and order a glass of their creamy barrel-fermented chardonnay.

The Niagara region is known for its ice wine, made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. The result is a sweet dessert wine that’s beautifully balanced with bright acidity. Pop by Inniskillin (inniskillin.com) to try its unique vidal or sparkling ice wine – the 2019 Sparkling Cabernet Franc Icewine is my favourite.”

If you like the majesty of Niagara Falls, you’ll love…

Berry Island, British Columbia

For finding grizzlies in the forest

To get to Farewell Harbour Lodge (farewellharbour.com), you’ll board a water taxi from Vancouver Island for the half-hour trip across Johnstone Strait to Berry Island. Expect it to take longer in summer, though, due to traffic. “Sometimes there are so many orca and humpbacks, we have to cut the engines and wait for them to move on,” says managing partner and guide Tim McGrady. Marine life is a bonus – most people come for the bears. Between June and mid-October, grizzlies and black bears are out in force, with cubs in tow. “We take Zodiacs through the Norwegian-style fjords then walk into the Great Bear Rainforest,” says McGrady. “There’s nothing like seeing such powerful animals in their natural home.”

Local tip: Two First Nations villages are minutes away from the lodge. You can visit ‘Mimkwamlis and Tsatsinukwomi to learn about tribal culture and its profound connection to nature.

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

For front row seats to the Northern Lights

Be prepared to stay up late – you’ll see the magnificent coloured lights of the aurora borealis streaking across the clear, dark skies of Canada’s remote north-west. In the forest outside the small city of Yellowknife, a cluster of glowing teepees sits under the Northern Lights for 240 nights every year. Marvel as the sky above Aurora Village (auroravillage. com) is transformed into a giant moving canvas and with Indigenous owners as your guides, deepen your understanding of the phenomenon. Inside the teepees, log fires and hot drinks will keep you cosy. Packages include aurora-viewing from the teepees and accommodation in a Yellowknife hotel. Local tip: The lights aren’t just a winter experience. Visit from August to October when summer and autumn lights are active and the nights are milder.

Churchill, Manitoba

For spotting polar bears and beluga whales

Wildlife activity ramps up in the summer months in Churchill. Kayak, paddleboard or head out on a Zodiac to meet friendly white beluga whales in the Churchill River in July and August with Sea North Tours (seanorthtours.com). On a Churchill Wild (churchillwild.com) safari, you’ll stay in remote rustic-luxe lodges where polar bears are regularly seen ambling past. You’ll also go on walking and ATV adventures to spot them in their natural habitat. If ecology and photography are your thing, explore the diverse flora and fauna of the tundra on a Frontiers North (frontiersnorth.com) day trip aboard a Tundra Buggy®.

Local tip: Head to the Tundra Inn (tundrainn. com) for a meal in the summertime-only pub. Nikki Clace of Frontiers North says the Borealis Burger (wild rice, beans and vegies) hits the spot.

Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador

For conquering the greatest wilderness

Amid 1805 square kilometres of UNESCO World Heritage wilderness, you can hike vast old-growth forests, scale the second-highest mountain in Newfoundland and Labrador and cross tablelands that were pushed up from the earth’s mantle 450 million years ago. Or you can cruise and kayak majestic fjords while whales and icebergs drift past. The perfect place to start? On a stand-up paddleboard tour with Wild Gros Morne (wildgrosmorne.com), peering over the edge of your board into the bright underwater habitat of Bonne Bay.

Local tip: The national park is dotted with stays and campgrounds. At the sustainably run Gros Morne Inn (grosmorneinn.com), rooms for couples or families of four have views, the kitchen serves locally sourced shrimp rolls and the heritage town of Woody Point is nearby for other supplies.

Love, Canada

The white landscape stretches out like a huge cake covered in vanilla frosting, the snow beckoning skiers to make their mark. It’s a stunning alpine scene in New Zealand but this isn’t Queenstown – it’s Ruapehu, in the middle of the North Island, about 4.5 hours drive south of Auckland and four hours north of Wellington.

“The Ruapehu region is a mixed bag of action and adventure,” says Andrea Messenger, owner of Plateau Lodge in National Park Village (hotel.qantas.com. au/plateaulodge), which sits in the shadow of Mount Ruapehu and Tongariro National

NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND

Ruapehu

Park. “Ruapehu offers natural, volcanic, snow-filled basins, steep shoots and dropoffs, plus a dedicated learn-to-ski space at Whakapapa.”

There’s a lot more that makes the region stand out in a country chock-full of sublime powder. “You can ski above the clouds, soaking up the views of volcanic cones, and slide over ancient lava fields,” she says. “You can also sightsee on the Sky Waka – NZ’s longest gondola ride and a spectacular 1.8-kilometre journey to Knoll Ridge Chalet, the country’s highest

dining experience at 2020 metres. And there are nearly 500 kilometres of gradethree cycling trails around Ruapehu.”

Film buffs note: scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed near Mount Ruapehu. You can see the names of several cast members in the guestbook at the rustic Powderhorn Chateau (hotel.qantas. com.au/powderhornchateau) in Ohakune, just south-east of Mount Ruapehu. Many of the 32 guestrooms have wood panelling for a cosy, log-cabin feel and ski storage and a shuttle service are also available.

Ohakune is a typical ski town with pubs and cafés dotted along a main strip –swing by Powderkeg, at the Powderhorn Chateau, for woodfired fare like lamb rump, pork ribs and duck breast, plus a wine selection featuring local drops, such as a Lawson’s Dry Hills Gewurztraminer from Martinborough, at the bottom of the North Island.

But Messenger says you can’t go wrong anywhere in the region. “It’s easy to feel at home here with friendly locals wanting to share this beautiful place.”

LOMBARDY, ITALY

Bormio

The snowy Alps are synonymous with skiing. But Bormio – a three-hour drive north-east of Milan, winding along mountain roads where cows with bells around their necks graze on green grass – stands out thanks to its long, fast downhill runs.

“Bormio on its own is a fantastic destination due to its geographic location,” says David Chapman, chairperson of the Australian Ski Club. “To navigate through some of the most scenic drives in the world and pull up in Bormio is something I can’t get enough of.”

The area has hosted the world’s top skiers many times – and will again for the men’s downhill alpine skiing at the

2026 Winter Olympics – but “the skiing is not restricted to any level”, he says. “It’s a jewel of a spot.”

Henry John of the Ski Club of Great Britain agrees. “The 50 kilometres of wellgroomed, north-facing slopes offer a mix of cruising blues and challenging reds.” There are other benefits, too. “Skiing in Italy means endless supplies of Italian food, including fresh pasta and exceptional wine. Italian resorts are often small but Bormio is large enough to offer plenty of opportunities to indulge.”

A local speciality is bresaola – beef (or sometimes horsemeat) soaked in wine then dry-cured. It’s popular on hot sandwiches with melted casera, a type

of hard cheese. One place to try it is Ristorante Al Filò (ristorantealfilo.it) –you’ll find the eatery in a brick wine cellar in the centre of town.

Check into the QC Terme Bagni Vecchi hotel (hotel.qantas.com.au/qctermebagni vecchi), located in the majestic Stelvio National Park. Each room has panoramic views of the Alps and there’s a wide choice of tubs, saunas and Turkish baths to rejuvenate body and mind.

What sets it apart, though, is the Grotta di San Martino, known as the “sweat cave”. “This cave, which leads to a mineral spring, is a natural sauna unique in the region,” explains QC Terme hotel group CEO Andrea Quadrio Curzio.

There’s thick powder… and then there’s Hakkoda. Word is spreading of its huge runs and fir-tree forests and valleys offering pristine cross-country skiing – but it’s still less crowded than better-known Japanese ski spots.

“Japan is famous for its off-piste thanks to the almost continuous snowfall during winter. Hakkoda boasts over four metres every year,” says Henry John of the Ski Club of Great Britain.

Hakkoda, which sits in the north of Japan’s main island, Honshu (the one Tokyo is on), is about 90 minutes by train south of the city of Aomori and the Shinkansen bullet train service to Aomori from Tokyo takes about 3.5 hours.

“Hakkoda retains its Japanese authenticity, which, while it can still be found in places like Niseko and Rusutsu, has been eroded as Japan becomes better known to Western markets,” says John.

There are a few things first-timers should keep in mind. “The often continuous snowfall creates challenging conditions, even on-piste. Access to the off-piste is through controlled gates in the out-ofbounds ropes, which must be obeyed.”

Aside from skiing, Hakkoda is packed with hiking trails. The nearby forests and Tsuta River look like watercolour paintings brought to life, especially in autumn when many trees turn orange, red and yellow, a multicoloured contrast to the greens, whites and blues of snow-spackled fir trees and burbling water.

“Visiting an onsen is the best method to recover from a hard day’s skiing,” advises John. Hotel Jogakura (hotel.qantas. com.au/hoteljogakura) in Arakawa features steamy hot springs, as well as 31 cosy rooms with traditional Japanese and chalet-inspired architecture and soaking tubs. And the fitness area has a climbing wall, if you haven’t left everything on the slopes.

As for what else to do? “Eat, eat, eat!” says John. “You’ll never eat so well over the course of a skiing holiday. Katsu curry is the perfect skiing food and you can’t find better sushi.”

The region is also famous for fresh scallops. You can try them at The Summit Restaurant on Mount Hakkoda, which is reached via a gondola ride to the top ropeway station.

HONSHU, JAPAN

Hakkoda

IDAHO, UNITED STATES

Sun Valley

Carving the deep, white powder runs framed by building-sized pine trees and the descriptively named Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho’s Sun Valley, one word comes to mind repeatedly – big.

“Bald Mountain is 3400-feet vertical from peak to base, has no flats, no plateaus and nothing but downhill,” says James Grant, who’s originally from Canberra and is now director of mountain operations at Sun Valley Resort (hotel.qantas.com. au/sunvalley).

“With the barely-there lift lines, there’s plenty of time to make as many turns as your legs will allow, usually under a sun that shines for 80 per cent of the year. ‘Baldy’ is a mountain for people who like to go downhill, no matter the type of terrain or what they strap to their feet.

The runs range from expert to beginner, groomers to off-piste.”

Then there are the Rocky Mountain elk, which can be the size of horses and watch skiers from among the trees.

Over the decades, celebrities including Ernest Hemingway, Marilyn Monroe and Arnold Schwarzenegger have flocked to Sun Valley – about a 20-minute drive from Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey or about 2.5 hours drive east of the larger Boise Airport. It’s still possible to stay in the same large, chalet-style rooms at the resort as they did.

“There are beautifully designed lodges for on-mountain dining and après,” says Jess Fiaschetti, an Australian living in Sun Valley. “From the historic Roundhouse restaurant and Averill’s bar at the top of

the gondola to River Run and Warm Springs base lodges, where you can have freshly baked cookies or refresh with an ice-cold beer at the end of the day.” Adds James Grant: “Sun Valley has the feel of an Australian country town with the overlay of the culture, shops and restaurants of Melbourne or Sydney.”

Aside from skiing, there’s snowshoeing, hiking, fishing and mountain biking, plus the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve. And there’s Sun Valley’s “other” mountain. “Dollar Mountain is where skiing learnt to ski,” says Grant. “The home of the world’s first chairlift, it now has fun terrain-park offerings, along with beginner-friendly slopes. It’s the hidden gem of skiing and it’ll make you say, ‘Why didn’t we come here years ago?’”

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Lands of plenty

A luxury cruise that’s all about the adventures that await on shore? Faith Campbell finds it on the Aegean.

Split in Croatia

Pavel Dudek

Tucked into my king-sized bed, I reach out and silence the alarm. On day eight of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Ballad of the Black Sea itinerary from Venice (Trieste) to Istanbul (rssc.com), I wonder if I need to test out the rainforest setting on the spa’s experiential shower. Often during the 12-night voyage I think of excuses to stay on board Seven Seas Explorer but each morning, as I catch a glimpse of the Croatian coast, a Greek island or the shores of Turkey, it’s futile to resist seeing more. I stick to my schedule – guided short tours and day trips from Regent’s extensive list of shore excursions – and find there are still surprises in the best-laid plans.

Make Croatian pizza with the locals In a sunny courtyard, amid lavender and a rambling garden that’s home to chickens and a sleepy donkey, Rino smiles as he mixes the dough for soparnik, a woodfired spinach and onion pie that I’m told is the Croatian spin on pizza.

We’re at Truša, a B&B tucked away in low karst mountains about a 40-minute drive from the port at Split. Our group of eight (“It’s like a private tour!” someone exclaimed earlier on the mini bus) watches as Rino throws together salt, flour and sugar measured by eye and handful. He pats white fingerprints on his apron and fetches sour cherry and walnut liqueurs –made from fruit grown on the property – for us to try. There’s a local family inside celebrating a christening and as our host works, women in their Sunday best drift out to watch and, apparent even to those who don’t speak Croatian, heckle the cook.

“Underneath it looks like the prettiest pizza you ever saw,” drawls a Texan, who tells me he’s been on “10-or-so” Regent cruises. We’re by the courtyard’s woodfired oven, cameras up as Rino flips the soparnik, thin and almost a metre in diameter, and brushes ash off the gently charred crust.

The day’s heat is at its heaviest as we sit with glasses of chilled Croatian white

wine and pick at local olives, cheeses and cured meats. Our cook has cut the pie into diamond shapes and grins as we fill our plates with hot, moreish slices.

“I’ve been wanting to go there forever,” the charming wife of the Texan muses when talk turns to our final port, Istanbul. The couple prefers voyages of 12 nights or more (“It takes three days to find your way around the ship!” he says) and will stay aboard Seven Seas Explorer for its next trip, to the Holy Land and back to Istanbul.

When our host asks if anyone will have a go at making soparnik, a young guy from Las Vegas – on the cruise with his wife and wearing a GoPro body harness –jumps up. While he rolls out dough for the pie’s top and bottom and braids the long edge, our group is encouraging. Just like the locals, we band together and tease the cook: “He’s better than you!” A good sport, Rino hands our shipmate his prize –a pouch filled with fragrant dried lavender grown in this quiet corner of the country.

Kayak along the coast of Rhodes “Rhodes has 300 days of sunshine a year,” shouts guide Yiannis across the water as the nine double kayaks in our flotilla drift this way and that on the twinkling Aegean.

“We’re fighting that floating nursing home stereotype every day!” jokes a 50something guy from Boston, while he paddles in sync with his husband. They’re here with friends from San Francisco and my boyfriend and I have a laugh with them on most of the active shore excursions.

Today, we’re about a 30-minute drive from the port of Rhodes, where we pulled up at 8am and switched from ship to bus to explore the Greek island that’s closer to Turkey than Athens. After gazing at the sea from the pool deck, out the window at dinner (the ship’s restaurants have horizon-view tables) and in the pastel early mornings on our private balcony (all 373 suites have one), trailing my hand through the clear, cool water feels like just deserts.

Prime 7 restaurant on the Seven Seas Explorer

ULTRA-LUXURY

CRUISING IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

“Any divorces yet?” someone quips as we bump into a raft formation. Teamwork may test tempers but it’d be impossible to stay mad here: water every shade of cliché kisses limestone cliffs framing crescent bays and clouds can’t conceal the blue above.

In sloshing swell, we nose our boats through a narrow opening in the rock wall until we’re bobbing like ducks inside a dark cave. The guides hand out watermelon slices and Yiannis tells us that legend says pirates used the small space as a hideout, although “divers haven’t found any gold”.

We find treasure at Anthony Quinn Bay, all topaz and turquoise water, emerald trees and pearlescent sand. The Hollywood actor was so enchanted by the place (1961’s The Guns of Navarone was filmed here), he bought it from the Greek government. When they reneged on the deal, he left and never returned. “He said he loves Greece and Greeks but not the Greek government – like us now,” says guide George wryly.

Back at Faliraki Beach after our roughly six-kilometre paddle, half the group goes for a swim while the others get started on chilled beers. Standing on the sand, one of my Boston mates and I agree that the afternoon was incredible but not something we would’ve organised ourselves. “I’d just google ‘what to do in Rhodes’,” he says with a laugh. It’s easy to have a good time in the Greek Islands but today feels like one of those happy travel accidents –exactly how Regent planned it.

Wander the streets of an ancient city

“Today was unbelievable,” says guide Muge (pronounced Moo-gay, “It’s Turkish for lily of the valley”), sitting in the shade and sipping fresh pomegranate juice. She’s talking about the temperate weather and relative lack of crowds at Ephesus – the ancient city and one of Turkey’s 19 UNESCO World Heritage sites – but I’m wowed from the moment we pile on the bus at 7.45am.

Anthony Quinn Bay on Rhodes

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“All the flatness you see around? This was the Aegean Sea,” she tells us on the 25-minute drive from Kuşadasi’s port. “Everything you can think of is grown here – peach, pomegranate, fig, mulberry, olive trees. We’ll also see almond, quince, cotton and artichoke fields.” I watch it all whizz by and try to picture water.

“At every ancient site you want to see cats – they keep away scorpions and snakes,” Muge advises our group of 12 when we arrive at the slightly underwhelming “back entrance” to the city. On cue, a tabby stalks along a stone wall, looking for pats rather than prey.

We stroll further and the grandeur of Ephesus is revealed as columns, statues and the remains of amphitheatres, homes, marketplaces and shops rise against the green valley backdrop. “There’s a lot of sophistication to this city,” says Muge, warning us to step gingerly on marble pavers polished slick by centuries of foot and horse traffic. “Underneath every street was a sewerage and a water system. It sounds normal now but it wasn’t then.”

And what was usual then seems kind of weird now. “The public toilets were important for social connection,” says Muge outside the structure. “It would be normal to spend an hour here, gossiping and talking politics.” She points to the marble seats, which were pre-warmed by enslaved people in winter, and at what’s left of the decorative floors. “Remember before the iPhone, we’d just sit and stare at the floor? Here they would be looking at beautiful mosaics.”

There are still only a few small groups besides our own as she compares wide promenades to “Fifth Avenue in New York”, hooks a finger in a small hole bored into a cornerstone where animals would be tied up and leaves us slack-jawed in front of the city’s most-photographed façade, the two-storey Library of Celsus. Squinting up at the carved stone and neat arches, I try to picture the soil that covered it before the Austrian Archaeological Institute began excavations more than 120 years ago.

When we leave, the sun is just starting to sting. After draining her juice, Muge says, “In summer it gets to almost 50°C. You’re smart or lucky to be here now.”

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus

Answer the call of the wild and embark on an all-inclusive Polar expedition with Silversea. From international flights and all airport/hotel/ship transfers, including private executive transfers from home, to pre- and post-cruise hotel nights, shore excursions and more, our Door-to-Door All-inclusive fares will ensure complete peace of mind every moment of your journey. Our voyages to the farthest realms on Earth – from Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands to Svalbard, Iceland, and Greenland – are hosted by expert Expedition Teams with decades of experience aboard all-suite ships designed for polar exploration and renowned for their extraordinary comfort.

Which cruise is right for you?

Whether you’re into adrenaline-pumping wildlife expeditions or all-inclusive luxury, there’s a cruise line for everyone (yes, even the undecided). By Dilvin Yasa

For teens

For milestone occasions

There are times for candles on a cake and there are times when nothing but an all-inclusive cruise complete with door-to-door transfers and 24-hour in-room butler service will do. Of course, any Silversea cruise would fit the bill for a milestone (with smaller-than-average ships and low passenger counts, the key word here is exclusivity) but in the spirit of “go big or go home”, why not book the 63-day Grand Africa & Arabia voyage aboard Silver Spirit (silversea.com)? With 28 ports across 13 countries, you can celebrate again (and again) in destinations as varied as the Seychelles and the Sahara Desert.

For Christmas fanatics

Close your eyes and visualise a string of fairytale villages heady with the scent of freshly baked gingerbread and glittering under fairy lights and mistletoe. Unleash the eight-yearold within on Viking’s new eight-day Danube Christmas Delights cruise (vikingrivercruises.com. au) through Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. You can skate on outdoor rinks, shop the Christmas markets and consume your body weight in spiced strudels.

Will it be a morning of surf and skydiving simulators or dodgem cars and laser tag? An afternoon of rock climbing and sushi-making or arcade games and robot-crafted mocktails? Behold the cruise line that turns the most mature adult into a fun-loving teen as Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas (below) departs Sydney for a seven-night South Pacific voyage (royalcaribbean.com). Sure, your actual teenagers will appreciate the great snorkel and swim spots in Vanuatu and New Caledonia (once you force them off the ship) but this is a situation where the journey is every bit as exhilarating as the destinations.

For young families

What parent doesn’t owe a little something (additional sleep, pockets of silence, etc) to Disney? Now, for the first time, Disney Magic at Sea is coming to Australia on the Disney Wonder ship (disneycruiseline.com), sailing out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland from October this year. The entire 984-foot ship (and indeed, fleet) is geared towards mini passengers making memories with their new best friends (aka characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars movies). Expect interactive dining experiences, colourful deck parties, Broadway-quality shows and more primary colours than a Benetton campaign.

For bucketlist travellers

Bucket-list cruises usually mean voyages to places such as Antarctica and Galápagos, right? Wrong. “We have more than 100 years of experience in understanding where to take travellers to give them ‘goosebumps’ moments,” says Alice Ager of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises (uniworld. com). The company’s Rivers of the World itinerary, for instance, takes in the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Swiss Alps, Central Europe and northern France in an all-inclusive (onboard) journey over 46 nights. “From black-tie gala dinners in the Grand Egyptian Museum to after-hours strolls through the crypts of Saint Mark’s Basilica, this is about enjoying months of experiences inaccessible to most.”

For adventurers

Howard Whelan, expedition leader for Aurora Expeditions (auroraexpeditions. com.au), doesn’t speak like a man who’s visited Antarctica “90 times or so” but rather like someone who’s just fallen in love. “What makes Across the Antarctic Circle the ultimate adventurer’s cruise is that few cruise lines take the challenge to push through the crossing so you’ll see parts of the continent that most people never will.” The journey isn’t only about viewing but also about polar snorkelling, scuba-diving, alpine trekking, sea kayaking and ice camping – all activities that can be enjoyed on the 13-day cruise aboard the Greg Mortimer

For wildlife-lovers

Speak to Damian Perry, managing director, APAC, at Hurtigruten, about its In the Realm of the Polar Bear cruise to Svalbard (a Norwegian archipelago where polar bears outnumber humans) and you expect him to talk about, well, polar bears. “Nooo!” he exclaims. “I put Svalbard up there with the saturation of wildlife you’d see in Antarctica – polar bears, yes, but also Arctic foxes, whale pods, walruses, narwhals, reindeer and all manner of birdlife.” Variety aside, what makes this the ultimate wildlife cruise? Hurtigruten Expeditions (hurtigruten. com.au) provides a team of experts on hybrid-powered vessels to enhance your experience.

For the epic voyager

Six months aboard one ship isn’t for everybody but it’s a once-in-alifetime dream for many people and Oceania Cruises’ signature Around the World cruises on the 656-passenger Insignia sell out almost as soon as they’re announced (oceaniacruises.com). With access to 100 UNESCO heritage sites across five continents, 34 countries, 96 ports and 24 overnight stays – punctuated by spa treatments, creative workshops, gourmet meals and a Monte Carlostyle casino – you won’t be left wondering about the world or your capacity to enjoy it.

For gourmands

For culture vultures

Looking at the Louvre Abu Dhabi or the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat is one thing but understanding their significance is another. With Middle East experts on hand, passengers who embark on Ponant’s Cruising the Arabian Coast (ponant.com) can bookend visits to major sites with onboard talks by a former United States ambassador to Afghanistan and a distinguished religious studies scholar. Result? The world’s most polished open classroom.

For romantics

It’s a genuine dilemma: you’re on a romantic cruise in French Polynesia, with eyes only for each other, and a parade of dreamy vistas keeps turning your head. It’s a constant issue on Windstar Cruises’ voyages (windstarcruises.com) and its seven-day Overwater Bungalow & Tahitian Paradises Tour doesn’t make it any easier. The cruise line, which operates a fleet of small luxury ships, takes you to six of Polynesia’s most captivating islands aboard Wind Spirit or Star Breeze, with overwater bungalow stays, breakfast delivered by canoe and dinners on the beach.

“To the French, food is more than just nourishment; it’s a way of life,” enthuses Scenic’s Anthony Laver of the cruise line’s 11-day Tastes of Southern France trip hosted by renowned chef Gabriel Gaté (scenic. com.au). “Gabriel goes to great lengths on the Scenic Sapphire to ensure passengers gain a deep understanding of the art of savoir vivre.” Scenic is well-known for its gastronomy and on this voyage, shore excursions include day visits to truffle farmers and vintners, cheesemongers and local chefs.

For LGBTQIA+ travellers

Take a sizzling Mediterranean landscape, add bucketloads of fun and you’ve got Celebrity Cruises’ annual Pride Party at Sea (celebritycruises. com), the cherry on top of the cruise line’s long-standing relationship with the LGBTQIA+ community. “We’re passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion year-round – it’s a core part of who we are – but Pride Month provides a special opportunity to show solidarity,” says Celebrity’s Tim Jones. The Pride Party at Sea flagship, Celebrity Edge (above), will kick off festivities with a trip through Italy, France and Spain in June.

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Smooth sailing

What’s one to do, sans shore excursions, when crossing the Atlantic on the legendary Queen Mary 2? Plenty, it turns out. By Ben Mack

The Queen Mary 2 in New York

Magnificent Europe – 15 Days Amsterdam to Budapest

Unpack once and let Europe’s quaint towns and buzzing cities come to you. When you cruise Europe’s rivers with APT, everything you need is included and organised, even your flights, so you can rest assured the details have been taken care of.

• Go beyond the gates to explore Namedy Castle before enjoying an exclusive cocktail reception and piano recital.

• Travel aboard the Grand Empress steam train to Gödöllő Palace, the favourite residence of Elisabeth of Bavaria (April – September departures#).

• EXCLUSIVE – Enjoy a special visit to Vienna’s City Palace for a cocktail party and private recital.

“En garde!” A sword shoots towards my chest. I raise my own weapon just in time and the clash of metal echoes through the brightly lit hall known as the Queens Room on Deck 3. Back and forth my partner and I battle under crystal chandeliers and the gaze of about a dozen people – and several paintings of British monarchs. We’re fencing, our upper bodies covered in white padding and faces obscured by mesh masks, on a ship rocking about in the middle of the Atlantic.

Foil fencing is one of the activities on offer as our ship, the Queen Mary 2 (QM2), sails between New York and Southampton on England’s south coast, a voyage that typically takes seven to eight days. “We’re the world’s last ocean liner,” says hotel manager David Shepherd. Unlike a cruise ship, he says, an ocean liner is long and narrow to cut through large waves. “Also unlike a cruise, there are no shore excursions. So the attraction has to be the ship.”

My partner and I discover this when we visit the kennels on Deck 12, where we find dogs and their owners clad in black vests – it’s photo day, a tradition each voyage. “She really knows when she’s on the ship,” says Christy Austin of her fouryear-old Yorkshire terrier, Simba, sporting a pink bow and sitting quietly. “The dogs get to know each other and you meet other

owners – it’s great. This is the only transatlantic ship that lets you take dogs and cats.”

Austin has sailed with Simba on the QM2 four times. Next to them is Helga Stempelmann and chocolate-coloured, 10-year-old Luna, a baby-sized Brussels griffon with what looks like a walrus moustache. They’ve sailed on the ship 19 times. “Day one with the dogs is like a kindergarten,” says kennel master Oliver Cruz. “But eventually they get used to what it’s like onboard. If the animals are happy, their parents are happy.”

The Queen Mary 2 is the flagship of Cunard – it bought the company that owned the Titanic. We pass the doomed ship’s resting place early on day three at sea, which Captain Aseem Hashmi lets everyone know in the daily briefing that’s broadcast at noon over the public address system. “People are on board for many reasons,” he says. “For some, it’s a bucket-list item. Others are retracing immigration routes their families took or are migrating themselves. All walks of life come together. There are ordinary people. There are politicians, royalty, film stars – they’re walking around in disguise and you wouldn’t know it.”

Crew member Simon Evison is even related to someone from the Titanic. His three-times great-uncle on his mum’s side, Wallace

The bedroom of a Duplex Suite

Hartley, was a bandleader. “This is the closest thing to the Titanic,” says the deputy production technical assistant, who’s worked on the QM2 for 10 years. “We still have afternoon teas with scones, we still have dancers with feathers. This is stepping back in history.”

It does feel as if we’re on a floating time machine when we set off, sipping champagne on the top deck amid a fluffy fog that gives the lights of New York golden halos. The Statue of Liberty’s torch appears to shine a path through the murky evening. Our cabin – a Queen’s Suite on Deck 9 – also harks back to a gilded age. Two bottles of Laurent-Perrier champagne greet us on arrival. The main room has a king-sized bed, couch, table, writing desk, armchair, wardrobe and minibar with an espresso machine. There’s a hallway with another desk, leading to a walk-in closet and bathroom with a jacuzzi. Our butler, Dong, and his assistant, John, provide daily salmon and caviar canapés and 24-hour room service.

It’s tempting to stay in for the whole journey – but we’re glad we don’t. A huge range of mostly free activities for the next day are listed in the paper delivered to our cabin each night. We visit the art gallery – showcasing street artist Mr Brainwash – and catch a talk by Grant Harrold, who discusses his years working as a butler for now King Charles III. One evening we attend a variety show, where performers in bright dresses and strappy heels sing

everything from classical opera to Beyoncé and an orchestra plays the Indiana Jones theme. On another day, we visit the planetarium – the first (and largest) of its kind at sea – and get manicures and pedicures at the spa, which is spread across two decks.

Beyond scheduled activities, there’s the world’s largest floating library on Deck 8 – more than 10,000 volumes on shelves that light up. Being in a Queen’s Suite means we can eat at restaurants like the Queen’s Grill, where the menu changes daily and waiters remember our names and our preference for cheesy bread instead of regular rolls. Chef de cuisine Rajesh Devadiga says the waitstaff attend culinary school and receive another five to six months of training on board before serving passengers.

Watching the dark-blue waves from our cabin’s balcony isn’t on the activities list. Neither are the golden sunsets that lead to silver stars at night, so numerous it seems glitter has been spilled on the black sky. Nor is the whale we see on day four – the spray from its blowhole unmistakable.

The most magical moment, though, comes during a Roaring Twenties-themed “gala evening”. Men in tuxedos and women in fancy dresses dance, drink and laugh in small groups. A band plays foxtrots and waltzes. It’s difficult to recall what century we’re in. Until I remember that there is Zumba the next day.

Four-legged passengers on the Queen Mary 2

Be transported to an ancient world. Zip across floodplains on an airboat as crocs watch on. Touch the moon without leaving the planet. To really know this country is to experience all its wonders.

CONQUER TASMANIA’S MOST FAMOUS WALK

An abundance of landscapes ripe for exploration await you on the fully guided Cradle Mountain Huts Walk, a 65-kilometre six-day adventure on Tasmania’s celebrated Overland Track. From Waldheim to Lake St Clair there are alpine meadows, temperate rainforests and Australia’s deepest lake. Hikers on a Tasmanian Walking Company tour (taswalkingco.com.au) are filled with a constant sense of journey, explains field experience manager Justin Dyer. “It really is total immersion on one of the most inspiring walking tracks in the world. The magic here is tied to the drastic changes in terrain and varied ecosystems.” Eco-lodge accommodation, plus nightly three-course meals, add the right sort of sophistication to the mix.

Jason Charles Hill

STEP INTO AN OUT-OFTHIS-WORLD WORLD

Witness sights rarely seen by outsiders when you’re transported to an ancient world at Normanby Station, home of the Balnggarrawarra people in Far North Queensland. On arrival, guests are greeted by Traditional Owners who will take them on a full-day immersive experience into their homelands. Culture Connect’s (cultureconnect.com.au) Normanby Station Rock Art & Rangers Tour includes a guided interpretive walk to discover rarely seen rock art, visits to Indigenous Ranger Program sites, access to important cultural and heritage locations, storytelling, plus morning tea and lunch.

WALK ON THE WINGS OF A BOEING 747

You don’t have to be an aviation geek to get into the spirit at the Qantas Founders Museum (qfom.com.au) in Longreach, Queensland, but you can fly high as you strut along the wings of a Boeing 747 and 707, sit in the pilot seat and see up close how they arm the doors. The museum’s Platinum Package offers a four-hour guided tour of these once-in-a-lifetime activities (including inspecting the cargo hold), concluding with exploration of the museum, lunch – and much conversation. “Eyes certainly pop when teenagers see seats without screens and armrests with ashtrays,” says senior curator Sarah Johnson, laughing. “But what’s really exciting is seeing the evolution of women in aviation through their eyes – you never know who we’re inspiring in the next generation.”

Sean Scott, Jack Harlem

TRAVERSE THE BLUE MOUNTAINS ON HORSEBACK

Checking into Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley (oneandonlywolganvalley.com), a conservation-based resort in the Greater Blue Mountains Area west of Sydney, is good but exploring its native eucalypt bushland on horseback is better. Home to 40 stand-alone villas – and 14 pampered horses chosen for their temperaments – Wolgan Valley offers an unmissable 90-minute Signature Trail Ride. There’s no better way to appreciate the beauty of the property, says resident horse guide Rachel Case. “Leisurely riding past mobs of kangaroos and wallabies, you’ll never forget the thrill of gazing out between your horse’s ears during a river crossing and seeing the majesty of that dramatic landscape.” Post-equine luxury isn’t far away – simply retire to your villa with its private pool and enjoy the luxury lodge’s all-inclusive indulgence.

ZOOM PAST THE TOP END’S FAMOUS CROCODILES

It’s unusual for crocodiles and brumbies to fall under the spell of your own powerful movements but this is exactly what makes airboating – shallow-water vessels built to skim the floodplains – the signature experience of Bamurru Plains (bamurruplains.com). “Some mornings we zip along and wildlife, including flocks of native whistling ducks and magpie geese – up to a thousand strong – fly alongside us as water buffalo and crocs watch on,” says general manager Pieter Bosch. “It’s extraordinary.” A stay at the all-inclusive luxury safari lodge, just west of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, isn’t just about airboating, of course. Check into a safari-style wilderness bungalow and involve yourself in a world of guided adventures, including crocodile-spotting cruises and open-top safari drives. A sundowner by the infinity pool overlooking the bird- and wildlife-filled floodplain also provides the perfect opportunity for reflection.

MASTER THE 4TH HOLE AT BOUGLE RUN

Bougle Run has a dramatic location atop coastal dunes in north-east Tasmania – the course is the sister to Lost Farm and The Dunes and has the pedigree to match. But what Barnbougle (barnbougle.com.au)

owner Richard Sattler wants golfers – serious and social alike – to understand about the short, sharp 14-hole addition is that it was created to play in just 90 thrilling minutes. “You can arrive at Barnbougle in the morning yet still play a full game in the afternoon,” he says. “It’s about having fast, furious fun.” Only a short helicopter ride away from Barnbougle are some of the Central Highlands’ premium freshwater fishing experiences, luxury lodges and wineries. Book a Barnbougle Golf Day tour or a transfer with Unique Charters (uniquecharters.com.au) and you can talk tactics on how to ace that tricky 4th hole – the windy conditions can be as distracting as the ocean views on this 253-metre par 4.

FIND EVERY TYPE OF FISHING (IN THE ONE SPOT) IN THE NT

Do you want to cast a line for a myriad of species in tidal coastal bays or angle for blue-water hard-hitters in 45-metre-deep ocean trenches? Choosing won’t be required in the diverse marine environment surrounding Groote Eylandt – an island paradise 650 kilometres east of Darwin in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Here, reef, blue-water and estuary fishing can be enjoyed at the one destination. Groote Eylandt Lodge (grooteeylandtlodge.com.au) offers two- to five-day sports fishing charters to help amateur and experienced anglers reel in everything from marlin to barramundi.

GRAB A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO MOTHER NATURE, THE MUSICAL

On the sleepy reaches of South Australia’s Murray River, where a wildlife oasis meets the outback, a difficult decision must be made: to observe the region’s 180 bird species – plus a significant population of koalas and kangaroos – on foot or opt for a tour that combines a multitude of activities. Whether you select Murray River Trails’ (murrayrivertrails.com.au)

iconic four-day Murray River Walk or the three-day Murray River Safari, which intersperses shorter guided walks with canoeing, open-boat cruising and an outback drive, one thing is certain: post-twitching accommodation never looked so good. Your stay for the duration of each tour? A luxury houseboat complete with top-deck hot tub, plus meals and wine.

REVEL IN THE BEST OF MCLAREN VALE

Gemtree (gemtreewines.com) is to South Australia’s McLaren Vale what method acting is to Hollywood: unapologetically engaging. Commit with a stay at CABN X William (cabn.life), one of four luxurious CABN nature escapes in the celebrated wine region, complete with woodfired sauna and outdoor bath, and sign up for Gemtree’s Wine and Wander experience. There are no Oscars for completing the one kilometre-long Gemtree Eco Trail (a biodiverse haven of native flora and fauna), a wine-making lesson or private dining at Salopian Inn (salopian.com.au), a celebrated regional restaurant specialising in contemporary Australian cuisine, but all are prized.

LIVE LA DOLCE VITA ON PROSECCO ROAD

Tie that neckerchief and polish the Vespa – your next Italian getaway is only a three-hour drive from Melbourne. Prosecco Road, King Valley, is home to some of the highest altitude vineyards in Australia, perfect for cool-climate sparkling and other Italian varietals, including pinot grigio and nebbiolo. And this scenic road trip, incorporating five prosecco-producing wineries, demands active hedonism. Pop by Brown Brothers (brownbrothers.com.au) for a wine blending experience, prosecco brunch or day glamping picnic package. Or release your inner Sophia Loren at a pasta masterclass at Pizzini Wines’ A tavola! Cooking School (pizzini.com.au). You’re only a short stroll away from their two charming guesthouses – a two-bedroom, self-contained vineyard cottage adjacent to the cellar door and a spacious four-bedroom across the road.

EXPERIENCE TRUE FARM-TO-TABLE AT A TWO-HATTED RESTAURANT

There’s a danger with placing Daylesford’s iconic Lake House (lakehouse.com.au) on a list like this, so ardent are its devotees to their “little secret”. One stay at this lakeside property, located 90 minutes north-west of Melbourne, and you too could find yourself obsessively spreading the gospel of Lake House. And why not? It’s got a two-hatted restaurant with a 1200-strong wine list and a deep connection to the soil, land and superb produce. Much of the menu is sourced from its own farm, bakehouse, olive groves and orchard. And guests are encouraged to take a 10-minute drive down the road to visit neighbouring Dairy Flat Farm to discover the journey of their meal for themselves. The property also has a celebrated spa, which utilises products from the region’s volcanic plains and healing waters.

HOLD THE MOON IN YOUR HANDS

Clutching a piece of the moon – or Mars – while a curator happily talks you through its journey to the museum sounds like science fiction until you realise the “close-up” approach to priceless artefacts is the premise of the new Close Up experience at Perth’s WA Museum Boola Bardip (visit.museum.wa.gov.au/boolabardip). The curatorled, 90-minute tour isn’t only about getting to grips with objects aligned with the rich stories of Western Australia and beyond, it also includes a deep dive into the museum’s collection of artefacts that have yet to go on display. “We’ve got everything from two-headed reptiles to elephant bird eggs,” explains manager Helen Simondson. “We’ll even take you on an elevator large enough to transport a T-rex.”

GO ON A JOURNEY 65,000 YEARS IN THE MAKING

What does it take to convey 65,000 years of culture through dance? All is revealed in a guided Behind the Scenes tour at Bangarra Dance Theatre (bangarra.com.au). This three- to four-hour experience includes a personal Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony, guided tour of Bangarra’s Walsh Bay theatre, canapés and cocktails created using native ingredients and either performance tickets at the Sydney Opera House or exclusive access to the Bangarra rehearsal room to watch a production take shape. “When you watch a production that’s seamless, it can be difficult to appreciate just how many hundreds of hours of work go into every element of our storytelling,” explains Bangarra’s artistic director, Frances Rings. “This is a rare opportunity to see the rawness of rehearsals and understand the emotions that inform the music or the props – it’s the ‘why’ behind everything we do.”

HEAR THE BIG STORIES THAT MATTER

What makes Australians tick? National Museum of Australia (nma.gov.au) senior curator Craig Middleton says he has the answers with Big Histories, the Canberra museum’s 90-minute curator-led exploration of notable objects and the stories behind them. “It could be looking at Phar Lap’s heart and explaining its connection to the race that stops a nation or seeing the first Holden prototype and talking about how it was secretly shipped to Australia to be tested on our roads,” he explains. “How do we preserve a Tasmanian tiger and how did we get the cars here? Curatorial decisions, conservation and installation challenges… our secrets are all laid out.”

CONNECT WITH THE DREAMING IN WA

Lie under a canopy of stars and lose yourself in the magic of the Dreaming with Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Cultural Adventures (wulagura.com.au). The Didgeridoo Dreaming Night Tour in Western Australia’s Monkey Mia offers the culture of the Gutharraguda (the Indigenous name for Shark Bay) via didgeridoo, conch shells or tapping sticks. It makes for a rich accompaniment to two soul-stirring hours of seafood, bush-tucker tasting and storytelling in the glow of a campfire.

James Fisher

Hotel Sages, Canggu, Bali

HOTEL SAGES, BALI

A boutique hotel bordering one of Bali’s coolest villages encourages guests to focus on art and wellness.

The scene resembles an ancient Grecian spa – palm trees, earthenware urns, whitewashed stone walls and a colonnade of arches surrounding a pool of shimmering aqua – but this isn’t Greece. Bordered by rice fields and the village of Canggu, Hotel Sages (hotel-sages.com) is a chic new stay in Bali where wise guests rise early to reserve a deck chair.

“The pool is the favourite hangout,” says Australian Liam Constantine, who is based in Bali and co-owns the hotel with fellow Aussie expat Tyson Mullane. “The sun shines all day and it’s a great spot to enjoy some natural Balinese wine and a bite to eat.”

It’s a far cry from the “enormous rundown residence” the pair stumbled on in 2019. After two years of renovations, the doors opened mid-pandemic with a ceramics studio and four guestrooms. By the end of 2021, the studio had closed and there were five additional rooms, each with crisp white walls and furnishings in taupe and terracotta hues.

“It was important to us that people could not only relax here but focus on their wellbeing, too,” says Mullane. In addition to yoga, meditation, spa and Pilates retreats, the property also hosts an artist residency – most recently, Indonesian figurative painter @RizRizRizz had 15 works on display.

The hotel is also the ideal place to practise gratitude by engaging with the daily ritual of Canang Sari, in which the Hindu Balinese team lay out offerings of flowers, food and burning incense in small trays made from pandan leaves, to give thanks to the gods.

PETA CLANCY

Standing in front of Peta Clancy’s 2018-2019 photographic series Undercurrent, a disquiet settles. A stirring of something not quite recognisable, the feeling at the fringe of your brain that you’re missing something important, just out of focus.

In collaboration with Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Custodians in Victoria and commissioned by the Koorie Heritage Trust, Clancy produced the works over the course of a year, returning repeatedly to the site of an Aboriginal massacre now submerged under water. “I started taking photographs and I looked at them and they didn’t reveal much about the layers of history in the landscape,” the Bangerang artist explains. “So I began printing them out and returning to Country. I’d take the photograph back to exactly the same location, cut into it then rephotograph it [in situ].”

The resulting images show the seemingly serene landscape across different time frames simultaneously – the dark history of the site’s violence is still hidden but there’s a hint of what’s unseen. “I focused on the horizon and cut it. It’s almost as though something is hovering over the images or in other ways, like something is peeled back. I’m exploring the scarring of the landscape.”

Clancy doesn’t disclose the exact location of the massacre –“it’s not my story to tell” – but a complex history with Country is one that resonates. Her grandmother’s dying wish was to return to Bangerang land. “The complicating thing is that she was part of a generation that was ashamed of their Aboriginality. She wasn’t counted in the census until the referendum [in 1967]. There was a real silence.”

Her most recent project, Confluence (an expanded version of which will show this month at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of Melbourne Now; ngv.vic.gov.au), was created in response to historic photographs taken at the Merri Creek and Birrarung confluence and held in the State Library of Victoria collection.

“Photography is a colonial tool with a violent past,” says Clancy. “I don’t ‘take’ photographs; I ‘make’ photographs. I ask permission and work with Traditional Custodians. As a result I think there’s a kind of agency of Country that comes through.”

She’s not so much concerned with unveiling denied histories through her work as inviting a conversation about their existence. “How can photography come close to truth-telling about such a horrific history?” she asks. “For me it’s about having a voice that my grandmother couldn’t have. It’s about a lifelong journey of learning and respecting and listening.”

Submerged secrets and hidden histories inform the beautifully eerie photographs of Bangerang artist Peta Clancy.

Exhibited at:

Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney; Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery, Melbourne; Bendigo Art Gallery; Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney; Carriageworks, Sydney

Studied at: She completed a practice-based PhD and is currently a senior lecturer and the associate dean, Indigenous, at MADA, Monash Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University, Melbourne

Breakthrough moment:

Awarded the inaugural Fostering Koorie Art and Culture grant from the Koorie Heritage Trust in 2018

Foundations AS TOLD TO RACHEL LEES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIMIT NIGAM

BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP, NEW DELHI

I went to India in 1997 when I was still a student . I’d just spent a couple of years working for an architect in Malaysia, where I’d made a lot of really good Indian friends. Somebody said, “As an architect, you’ve got to see the Lotus Temple.” I had no idea what it was. The temple was designed by Iranian-American architect Fariborz Sahba and inaugurated in 1986. Although it’s devoted to the Bahá’í religion, it’s open to people of all faiths.

When you walk inside, there can be 1300 people but it’s totally silent. I’d been in India for over a month by then and I was totally worn out and in a bit of culture shock. Being in a foreign country with a billion people, it’s just noise and beauty and horror and craziness a lot of the time, especially in New Delhi. But the minute you step onto the temple grounds, everything starts to drift away. There are these incredibly beautiful gardens and then you see this building shaped like a flower.

I’m not normally a fan of buildings that look like objects. For me it wasn’t about the form of the structure but what it signified. The symbolism of the lotus is that beautiful things grow out of muddy water. It also ties back to belief systems and how humans want to present their world to others. It showed me the power of architecture to influence belief and behaviour and, at the same time, to produce an internal kind of beauty, where you can rest and contemplate.

Everybody gathers around a central column of light that filters down from above. There’s no altar or statues; it’s about accepting all religions and allowing you to visualise what you’re praying to. The temple is white with a marble floor and timber work on the ceilings and the way the light bounces around the interior is important in a place that’s about meditation and prayer.

It’s reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House in that you get an idea of how the structure works internally. The structural integrity of the petals is evident from inside the building but it’s done in a way that is absolutely beautiful. All the lines work towards creating a sense of peace and tranquillity, which reinforces why you’re there in the first place. I didn’t want to leave.

James Davidson is the founder and principal of award-winning JDA Co. (jdaco.com.au), leading architects for flood, fire and storm resilience. A former director of Emergency Architects Australia and a Winston Churchill Fellow, his recent projects include The House at Lizard Island and the refurbishment of Queensland’s oldest standing theatre, The Princess.

A temple in India built in the form of a lotus has left an indelible impression on Brisbane architect James Davidson.

HANGING EGG CHAIR

The swing seat defied traditional ideas of furniture – and the way we view our living space.

By all accounts, Nanna Ditzel was hard to say no to. For more than six decades the Danish designer and maker revolutionised materials and production methods to produce countless original furniture pieces, jewellery, textiles and other objects.

Experimentation thrived at the design studio that she established in 1946, aged just 23, with her husband and collaborator, Jørgen Ditzel, a fellow graduate of the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Interiors and multi-purpose furniture were the focus. Then, in 1959, following many hours in the workshop of wicker master Robert Wengler, the couple’s Hanging Egg Chair kicked things up a notch.

“[The chair] is partly the result of my parents’ idea that a room’s dimensions should be taken advantage of. And that we shouldn’t just sit in an old-fashioned chair with four legs,” Nanna and Jørgen’s eldest daughter and archivist, Dennie Ditzel, told Copenhagen’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in 2019. As for form, Nanna looked outdoors for cues. “There are no right angles in nature,” she said.

The cocoon-like chair, made of steambent rattan and swung on a ceiling-fixed chain, was photographed in about 1960 with a young Dennie perched inside. It appeared in interiors publications around the world and put rattan furniture on every home-maker’s wishlist.

After Jørgen’s unexpected death at 40, Nanna carried on creating and making, collecting awards and the title of “The First Lady of Danish Design” along the way.

In 2014, the Hanging Egg Chair was among several Ditzel pieces reissued by Danish manufacturer Sika-Design. The result was a new wave of wicker love and the evergreen chair remains in production – a standout amid a sea of copycat styles. And with rattan once again trending on the homefront, the playful piece (from $3295, domo.com.au) is still riding high.

Nanna worked and promoted Danish design until her death in 2005, aged 82. “To her, nothing was impossible,” says Dennie. “Foremen often said, ‘It can’t be done’, to which she would say, ‘We can try.’”

making places inspiring

Play around with colours, shapes and dimensions and design your own furniture with our online configurator

Australia: Anibou – anibou.com.au

Sydney 726 Bourke St. Redfern NSW 2016, 02 9319 0655

Melbourne 3 Newton Street, Cremorne VIC 3121, 03 9416 3671

info@anibou.com.au

New Zealand: ECC – ecc.co.nz

Auckland 39 Nugent St Grafton 1023, 09 379 9680

Christchurch 145 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central 8013, 03 353 0586

Wellington 61 Thorndon Quay, Pipitea 6021, 04 473 3456 info@ecc.co.nz

Style tip

Go for a simplified polo knit in sage-green that gives a refined sporty touch to your weekend look.

1. Commas knit polo, $485, commas.cc. Haulier pants, $425, haulier.international. Rodd & Gunn loafers, $179, roddandgunn.com. Mr. Leight sunglasses, US$670 (approx. AU$993), mrleight.com. IWC Big Pilot’s stainless steel automatic 43-millimetre watch, $14,700, iwc.com. 2. Valentino Garavani tote bag, $2800, (02) 8404 0888. 3. Ray-Ban sunglasses, $208, from Sunglass Hut, sunglasshut.com. Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer ethical yellow-gold automatic 40-millimetre watch, $51,900, (02) 8197 6007. 4. Venroy shirt, $280, venroy.com.au. Commas shorts, $455, commas.cc. Cos jumper, $350, cos.com. Omega DeVille Prestige Co-Axial Master Chronometer Power Reserve Sedna gold 41-millimetre watch, $19,475, omegawatches.com.au.

TIME OUT

Dressing for a transeasonal weekend can be comfortable without compromising on style. Opt for corduroy and cashmere to elevate your outfits.

STYLING BY LUCY WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GOODE HAIR, GROOMING AND MAKE-UP BY PETER BEARD

1. Carl Kapp dress, $2495, carlkapp.com. Edie Collective heels, $440, ediecollective.com.au. Jasmin Sparrow 14-carat gold-plated sterling silver earrings, $744, jasminsparrow.com. Oroton bag, $399, oroton.com. 2. Bottega Veneta bag, $3990, bottegaveneta.com. 3. Bird & Knoll dress, $370, birdandknoll.com. Holly Ryan sterling silver earrings, $310, hollyryan.com.au. Dinosaur Designs resin and metal bangles, from $60 to $245 each, dinosaurdesigns.com.au. 4. Alias Mae heels, $220, aliasmae.com.au.

COLOUR BLOCK

Singular bright shades deliver maximum impact while remaining chic. Find a dress that packs an elegant punch and team it with striking accessories.

Style tip

These heels demand attention in a citrus hue with coiling straps. Pair with equally vivid pieces or let them be the focus.

The caftan This size-agnostic garment has a history as diverse as its wearers.

Royal robes

The caftan’s history can be traced back thousands of years, most notably to the 14th-century Ottoman Empire, when the garment was worn by men across the Middle East. But think of a caftan today and you’ll more likely conjure an image of Angelina Jolie on the red carpet. The caftan – or kaftan as it’s also known – has a (literally) rich past. In 1903, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Alix of Hesse, attended a royal ball with her husband, Tsar Nicholas II, wearing heavily embellished Russian coronation robes, similar to the caftans worn by

Ottoman sultans. The tightly corseted women of Western Europe nearly fainted at the thought of such liberation.

High roller

In the mid-1960s, American Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland declared the caftan “fashionable for the beautiful people” following a trip to Morocco. Vreeland would waft through the office in multicoloured, flowing versions and devote pages of the magazine to caftans by brands such as Pucci and Christian Dior. Algerian-born French fashion designer

Yves Saint Laurent further

popularised the style after being photographed reclining on Turkish rugs in a white cotton caftan in his second home in Marrakech and creating garments for his muses, Talitha Getty and Marisa Berenson.

Home game

Venturers on the hippie trail in the 1960s and ’70s picked up caftans en route from Europe through Turkey to Pakistan and the style filtered through to a new breed of folk and rock stars. Fans included Mama Cass and Demis Roussos, who was once dubbed “an unlikely

caftan-wearing sex symbol”. From there, it morphed into a suburban hostess dress in the ’70s and became de rigueur for home entertainers preparing prawn cocktails and Piña Coladas.

Diva fever

Elizabeth Taylor made the caftan a staple, wearing a tie-dyed version for her second marriage to Richard Burton in 1975. Later that decade, the ever-evolving garment took a disco diversion at the hands of Halston. The American designer’s silk chiffon and shimmering lurex styles were ubiquitous on the dance floor at Studio 54. While it may have fallen out of favour in the 1980s and early ’90s, the caftan was creeping back onto catwalks and into women’s wardrobes by the early 2000s, thanks in no small part to Tom Ford’s sexy takes at both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

Living large

The caftan was equally perfect for Vogue ’s towering creative director, André Leon Talley, while the more diminutive Kate Moss, along with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, have worn them as readily on the Starbucks run as the red carpet. Closer to home, Sydney’s caftan queen Camilla Franks has seen her printed and bejewelled robes made famous by Beyoncé and Oprah. More recently, Jennifer Coolidge regularly wore Camilla in both seasons of The White Lotus while on holiday in five-star resorts. To be fair, when the sun is out and the champagne flowing, is there anything you’d rather be wearing?

STORY BY GLYNIS TRAILL-NASH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID CAIRNS

Caftan-clad Elizabeth Taylor with husband Richard Burton in Sardinia in 1967

Open to direct wholesale & sophisticated investors.

Gross asset value $80.6m.

Significant co-investment by business & investment managers.

Low initial gearing of 19.73% on gav.

Projected year 1 (annualised) cash dividend of 7.5c per Stapled security.

Target annualised total returns of 10%+ over the first 7 years.

Projected year 1 (annualised) franking credit of 2.5c per stapled security.

Designing social change

After contributing to the design of global projects like the Sydney Opera House and British Museum, this forward-thinking engineering company is looking to leave a smaller footprint.

Social and environmental responsibility is at the core of everything international building consultants Steensen Varming do. The firm boasts offices in Sydney, Canberra, London, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and New York, specialising in mechanical and electrical services, lighting and sustainability design. Over the past 90 years it has innovated iconic structures both here and abroad, including a seawater cooling system for the Sydney Opera House and energy reductions and improved environmental control at the National Gallery of Australia. Now the company has joined the certified B Corporations network of environmentally responsible businesses. CEO Dan Mackenzie explains why the move was a natural progression of the firm’s longstanding values.

Why is sustainability so important to Steensen Varming?

We believe in creating positive environments and being aware of the social implications of every project we undertake. To demonstrate our responsibility to sustainability, we have

chosen to meet B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

Why B Corp certification?

We believe B Corp is responsible for the most rigorous test of values in action and it reflects how we go further than “talking the talk”, putting real substance to our actions.

What changes have been made to achieve B Corp certification?

Our responses reflected how we have long acted as a company. But it has given us a focus on issues such as transparency, setting targets and looking closer at our supply chain. We need to be better at structuring our data collection and reporting for ongoing certification and improvements we would like to make.

How do you see Steensen Varming as a business that is a force for good?

Our projects are chosen for their wider societal or environmental benefit, such as our design

for the UWS Eucalyptus woodland free-air CO 2 enrichment (EucFACE) facility, which was recognised at the Engineering Excellence Awards for Environment and Heritage in 2013. We try to enhance these by doing our job better than anyone else so that naturally leads to being a force for good.

What does the future hold?

We use the term “good work with good people for good reasons”. We look forward to transparently continuing to balance profit and purpose while exceeding our goals of social and environmental responsibility.

As David Bowie said, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know it won’t be boring!”

For more information on Steensen Varming, visit steensenvarming.com

Anna Bligh, CEO, Australian Banking Association

THE B CORP REVOLUTION

WITH CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES NOW DEMANDING BUSINESSES BE SUSTAINABLE AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE, THERE’S ONE CERTIFICATION THAT MANY COMPANIES WANT TO HAVE.

HERE’S A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO B CORPORATIONS.

BY DEBORAH TARRANT ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHNSON ANDREW

The number of B Corps around the world looks likely to double in coming months as businesses in almost every sector rise to the challenge of balancing profit and purpose by officially becoming ever-improving forces for good.

“It took 15 years to get to 4000 B Corps globally, a milestone passed in 2020,” says Andrew Davies, CEO of B Lab, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, the organisation behind B Corp certification in this region. “Then in the first 15 months of the pandemic, we had more than 4000 applications to be certified.”

The momentum continues. B Corps have grown to more than 6100 globally, with the same again reportedly waiting to be verified. Although it’s mostly the preserve of smaller businesses, some larger companies– such as Nespresso, Danone, Kathmandu and luxury label Chloe – have signed up. Unilever Australia and New Zealand became the first regional subsidiary of the worldwide Unilever business to become a B Corp last year. And Australia’s second-biggest asset manager, First Sentier Investors (formerly Colonial First State Asset Management), also joined the movement. In Australia and New Zealand, some 500 B Corps employ more than 30,000 people and turn over $13 billion-plus annually.

Here’s what you need to know.

WHAT IS A B CORP?

In 2006, three American businessmen –Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan and Andrew Cassoy – set up B Lab, the nonprofit organisation behind B Corp, which “serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good”. A year later, they certified the first B Corporation.

The B in B Corp stands for “benefit” and certification zooms in on five distinct categories: how strong the business is on governance, community, environment, workers and customers. Central to the process is its rigorous B Impact Assessment (BIA) that poses potentially hundreds of questions across those categories. The BIA runs on an AI-powered decision-tree model and responses to questions may elicit further questions.

After that there’s the audit process, conducted by an international B Lab team, which further interrogates, seeks evidence and suggests changes to be undertaken.

In short, it’s tough. “Measures must be scientific and, where possible, third-party validated,” says Rosanna Iacono, managing partner at The Growth Activists, a B Corpcertification strategy consultancy that has helped 24 businesses through the process and is part of a network of 50 B consultants accredited by B Lab Australia and New Zealand. “Our job is to check everything is fully documented before they press the submit button. It’s about measurements, policies and procedures.” Her catchcry for clients? “No proof, no points.”

WHY B CORP?

A rising tide of accountability for business has come with climate change awareness and a new era of social consciousness accelerated by the pandemic. While some companies have their own sustainability guidelines because it attracts employees in a critically talent-short world and to satisfy customers who want brands to do the right thing, others embrace B Corp status.

Millennials, in particular, have a fresh set of values about what business can and should do, Davies notes, and on a planet inundated with greenwashing it’s a surefire way to differentiate.

On the path to becoming a force for good, companies are also navigating a tangle of sustainability standards and frameworks. “It’s the most comprehensive, whole-of-business certification and it measures the impact for all stakeholders,” says Iacono. “B Corp considers an even bigger group of stakeholders – customers, suppliers, employees, community partners – and it’s a powerful trust mark.”

Companies are looking for the “how”, the architecture to become an exemplary business, says Davies. They need a definition of what that looks like and which practices they should bake in.

WHAT’S THE SCORE?

A pass mark to enable B Corp certification is 80 or above. The average score for those who use the open-source BIA tool is about 50. Some companies never qualify for certification and some choose not to, preferring to use the process for their own benchmarking.

Transparency rules. As part of the certification, final scores are published on the B Lab website and B Corps must also disclose them, along with any relevant past misdemeanours. Once certified, businesses are expected to continuously improve and go through recertification every three

years with the aim of improving their impact and raising their scores.

For its extreme rigour, achieving and retaining B Corp certification delivers what many describe as an authenticity halo – and successful B Corps like to shout about it.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Unilever ANZ’s general counsel, David Dwyer, was gobsmacked by his company’s two-year process. “But as a lawyer, I like that it’s not easy. It really drills into every function and analyses it.”

Complex companies take more time, says Davies, and it depends on the changes you need to make to your business but “12 to 18 months to go through the process is not an unreasonable expectation for most”. Some might fly through one category but fall short in another, he says. “And a lot have been operating sustainably since they started, well before it became a buzzword.”

CAN YOU PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS?

Companies that were founded with an Impact Business Model (IBM), in which the organisation has been established to solve a societal or environmental problem or has a charitable giving model, earn super-charged points.

Subscription toilet-paper brand Who Gives a Crap, which donates 50 per cent of its profits to improve sanitation in developing nations, is a standout example.

Another is KeepCup, the Melbourne company established with the aim of ridding the world of disposable coffee cups (and one of the first B Corps in Australia).

Customer-owned mutual Beyond Bank, which recently completed its third recertification since 2015, boosted its B Corp score to a whopping 146.7 due to its numerous services for customers and communities, says CEO Robert Keogh. The bank also maintains branches in small, under-served rural and regional communities, supporting individuals and their economic development through local businesses. On the environment, though, the bank’s score was comparatively low so green loans and services to help its customers transition to renewables and electric vehicles are now being introduced.

One aspect that Beyond’s sustainability manager, Kate Carroll, particularly likes about the B Corp process is the ability to play to your own strengths in areas where you “can create the most meaningful impact”. It links directly to how you drive revenue and profitability, she says, “and that’s how you drive change”.

WILL YOU NEED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES?

Both the speed of certification and the size of scores rely on the resources that a business can devote to the assessment process. Sole traders and early-stage startups can do it but in bigger businesses, a cross-functional team is needed.

Unilever ANZ’s initial team of eight ballooned to 20, for example. “And the biggest challenge was finding people who were prepared to put in discretionary effort,” says CEO Nicky Sparshott.

“This wasn’t about bringing together an army of additional resources to get certification – this was about leveraging the goodwill and expertise that sat in the business.”

At Torrens University, with 10 campuses in Australia, New Zealand and China and almost 20,000 students, it’s a full organisation effort. While just a couple of people manage the certification process, the B Corp principles are embedded across the entire business model, says Todd Wegner, chief of staff of Torrens University Australia, Think Education (Australia) and Media Design School (New Zealand), who has led 75 companies through the certification process.

“We strive to integrate the B Corp social and environmental performance metrics holistically across our business, from our strategic plan and annual priorities down through our operations,” he says.

ARE YOU FULLY PREPARED?

Surprises invariably abound in the B Corp process. For KeepCup’s co-founder and managing director, Abigail Forsyth, it was the life-cycle assessment that revealed 97 per cent of the company’s carbon footprint was due to fossil-fuelgenerated electricity for the hot water

used by customers to wash their cups. “When the world moves to renewables, our emissions will drop radically.”

Recertification can also be an eyeopener, according to consultant Iacono, whose team has received SOS calls from businesses that certified on their own the first time but received a low score the next time, after resting on their laurels for three years. “The standards are dynamic. B Lab constantly lifts the bar.”

WHAT ARE THE OTHER BENEFITS?

Companies often use the B Corp process as an organisation-building tool. Zorali, a newly certified B Corporation that creates apparel and products for outdoor adventures, used B-Lab smarts to produce its employee handbook – even before anyone was hired – along with a code of conduct for manufacturers in China and Sri Lanka.

“We put in systems to collect the data we needed about the percentage of organic or recycled fibres we use,” says co-founder and managing director Cam Greenwood. Today, all of its products have information about their carbon footprint.

Larger organisations also use the certification process like a management system or roadmap to increase ESG awareness and action across the board.

On the outside, there are countless marketing benefits, not least from the increasing recognition of B Corp branding on products, services and websites –it’s an instant stamp of independently evaluated credibility. On the inside, there’s a particularly strong people story.

Unilever ANZ witnessed the power of purpose-driven work for employees. “The team-building effect is already showing up in our employee engagement survey scores,” says Dwyer.

And no-one is objecting. Dwyer, the self-described “battle-hardened lawyer who likes the evidence”, says he also found it transformative. “It was really challenging in terms of the time spent but when I realised the goal, it didn’t feel like hard work.”

A further benefit is the opportunity for engagement with other businesses that are doing good in the world. B Lab provides resources, guidance, webinars, networking opportunities and events.

HOW CAN B CORPS WORK TOGETHER?

As the B Corp community burgeons, there are plenty of opportunities opening up for them to collaborate and extend the movement. Across the globe, they’re getting together to find solutions to common problems. In the United Kingdom,

a coalition of beauty sector B Corps is tackling the industry’s environmental issues, including the ubiquity of small plastic bottles.

Offshore manufacturers are sharing ways to wrangle supply chain issues and modern slavery legislation. In Australia, Torrens University offers a free online Introduction to B Corps course, while Beyond Bank provides fee-free banking to other B Corps.

Many companies share open-source tools to help others become forces for change. KeepCup gives access to its Impact Calculator tool, formulated by Edge Environment, another B Corp.

HOW WILL B CORP ITSELF CHANGE?

The global organisation has been taking feedback on a set of new draft standards across 10 topics: governance; fair wages; worker engagement; climate action; diversity and inclusion; justice, equity, human rights; environmental stewardship; collective action; impact management; and risk. A phased introduction is planned from 2024.

“Business as a force for good is an ethos that compels us to keep doing better for people, the planet and communities,” says Davies. “For B Corps, there is no finish line.”

Business Passport

Business has tripled since Andrew McGregor and Garry Smith left corporate careers to run eco-friendly, educational toy company Artiwood – and they’ve travelled to all corners of the world to make it happen.

Andrew McGregor and Garry Smith had been partners in life for almost two decades when they decided to hunt for a business they could work on together. “We wanted to get off the corporate treadmill, leverage our skills and enrich ourselves rather than shareholders,” says McGregor, who’d been COO of a global tech marketing company, while Smith was a senior business analyst in the financial sector. In 2015, after a three-year search, they found their dream company: Artiwood, an importer and wholesale distributor of traditional and educational toys, whose founder was retiring. “All Artiwood toys are made from natural materials, such as wood, rubber, cork and organic cotton: no plastic, no batteries.

It was a well-defined niche – sustainability and ethically sourced products – and had the right foundations for growth. The business today is more than three times bigger than when we acquired it.”

This growth has seen Artiwood relocate its warehouse four times and open a new showroom in Sydney but as McGregor reveals, success hasn’t come from staying put in the office...

Where: Sydney Hong Kong China

“Our toys are made by hand from natural materials. There are no assembly lines and plastic extrusion moulds. In the factories, the

machines are merely tools. It’s the skill of the people involved that ultimately creates the value of these toys. With so much at stake, we regularly go into the factories to review them, always flying Qantas. It lets us see for ourselves that the toys are being produced ethically and the staff are well supported. Garry also advises Kinderfeets, our largest brand, on quality control improvements in its factories. By building these relationships in person, the factories look after us. They build our products with greater care because we’re not just names on an order. Our focus on personalised relationships is why we fly Qantas. On one China trip, in 2018, it was Garry’s 50th birthday as he flew home – the Business cabin crew noticed that and made him feel very special.”

LONDON

Where: Sydney London

“Right before the pandemic hit we attended the London Toy Fair and secured Bigjigs Toys, now our third-largest brand and growing. They were looking for a new Australian distributor and we gave them a presentation about how we would refresh their brand in the market here. They said it made such an impact that they couldn’t let us leave without appointing us. It was the fastest appointment they’d ever made for a distributor in their 37 years. Garry and I used points we’d earned through Qantas Business Rewards to upgrade our Business tickets to First for the trip home, which increased our baggage allowance from four to six. We filled three suitcases with Bigjigs samples so we could take them back to exhibit at the Australian Toy Fair a few weeks later.”

MELBOURNE

Where: Sydney Melbourne

“We flew our team to Melbourne for the Reed Gift Fair in August. It’s the largest event we exhibit at and the first time we’d been able to be there in person since 2019. This was our most successful event ever. The value of sales we wrote was up 33 per cent over the 2019 fair, with orders from new customers up 54 per cent. For all of us, being able to connect personally with people and put a face to a name is invaluable. I book travel for all the staff together through our Qantas Business Rewards online account. As they are Qantas Frequent Flyers, they earn points individually as well as points for Artiwood. Plus, they get a Flyer Bonus of 250 points for every flight booked under our membership. We often use our Qantas Points to upgrade staff when they’re travelling interstate. It’s a simple gesture that acknowledges their value to the business and the impact travel has on their families.”

LONDON

Where: Sydney London Nuremberg

NUE GERMANY

“Earlier this year we flew to London for the Toy Fair and the following week to Nuremberg, Germany, for Spielwarenmesse, the industry’s largest international trade show. We go from morning to late at night for days on end. International trade shows are critical for us to meet our brand suppliers face-to-face, identify emerging global industry trends and assess the competitive landscape. We’ve flown the non-stop Perth to London route, which we love, but this time we included a weekend stopover in Singapore to help us adjust our body clocks. Because we know the dates of these events so far in advance, I set up alerts and when a great deal pops up, I’ll book Business tickets and immediately apply for an upgrade using points we’ve earned through Qantas Business Rewards. As business owners, we are usually working right up until we get in the cab for the airport so the Qantas First Lounge is an oasis where we decompress and centre ourselves before we set off on another intensive trip.”

Let your business fly

“We can book and manage travel for all our team in one place through our Qantas Business Rewards online account. They earn Qantas Points individually as Frequent Flyers; we earn points for our business, which we can use on future trips. It’s a win-win.”

Manage your company travel in one place

Here’s how to use the Qantas Business Rewards online account to book travel quickly and easily, minimising paperwork and ensuring your business gets maximum savings and Qantas Points.1

Turn your business’s points balance into your next flight Search and book flights in one place to earn Qantas Points1 and access flight savings2 exclusive to Qantas Business Rewards members. Plus, redeem Classic Flight Reward seats or request an upgrade using points directly from your business’s account.4

Manage your team’s flight bookings and unlock bigger benefits

The Qantas Business Rewards online account is the best way to keep track of your team’s flying activity, be notified of any flight changes and ensure both your business and staff earn points.3 You’ll also discover ways to maintain or progress to the next membership level.

Save time on paperwork when booking travel

Store your team’s traveller names and Frequent Flyer details to save time and maximise benefits when booking flights. Plus, view your business’s spend across categories and easily reconcile monthly travel expenses.

Discover how other members unlock more for their business at qantas.com/businesspassport

Kirstin Ferguson The leadership expert and author has one message for all of us: if you’re not leading with empathy, your days are numbered.

CURRENT ROLES Non-executive director, PEXA and Envato TENURE Two years

AGE 49

PREVIOUS ROLES Deputy chair, ABC; chief executive officer, Sentis; director of corporate services, Norton Rose Fulbright; flying officer and flight lieutenant, Royal Australian Air Force View

How do you define good leadership?

For me, good leadership is if you leave a positive legacy in your wake. That can be in a moment, over a decade or across a lifetime. If you walk through life leaving a legacy that harms people, upsets them, puts others down or does anything not to propel others forward then I think you need to look at your leadership. Every moment is an opportunity to lead well.

And you believe that everyone is a leader, don’t you?

I do. It doesn’t mean we’re all CEOs – that would be chaos –but we all play a leadership role in our lives. If you’re a single mum at home, you are leading your family. We saw nurses during the pandemic who were incredible leaders. They don’t have a big team of staff and a fancy title or a corner office but I don’t think anyone would disagree that they’re leading. We’ve all got different responsibilities but the words we use, the choices we make and the behaviours we exhibit or role model are all part of being a good leader.

How do you think leadership – and specifically what we want from leaders – has changed?

A good example is at Microsoft with its CEO, Satya Nadella. It went through a rebirth when he was appointed [in 2014]. Microsoft had a real dog-eat-dog, success-at-all-costs culture, particularly in the 1980s and ’90s. But Nadella has been quite open in saying empathy is a bottom-line value for the organisation. So one of the largest companies in the world is saying that it will make better profits if it leads

with empathy with its customers and its staff. It’ll have a better brand and a better reputation. That’s a very different attitude.

Your book is called Head & Heart because that’s how you think we should all lead. Why do so many leaders struggle with the heart stuff? At school, at university and in our jobs we’re not rewarded for leading with our heart. We’re rewarded for leading with our heads – the technical knowledge, the achievement of KPIs and all of those tangible things. You can be the most technically proficient person in an organisation but if you’re terrible at leading people and no-one wants to be in your team then you’re never going to be in those senior leadership roles – that’s my hope anyway.

Do you think there’s still a perception that leading with your heart makes you weaker?

That perception exists with people who don’t understand what it means to lead. It’s hard to lead with empathy all the time; it’s something you do need to work at. Being vulnerable is difficult, being self-aware requires a lot of practice and being a humble leader is something that gets harder the more senior you become.

What’s the difference between humility and confident humility?

Confident humility is the sweet spot we all need to aim for. It’s that position between crippling anxiety or imposter syndrome and overconfidence or arrogance. Confident humility means that you understand you don’t have all the answers, that you need to seek out other people’s opinions and accept your own limitations.

Some leaders still struggle with not having all the answers. And the extreme of that is the smartest person in the room idea, where you’re in a meeting with your team and you feel you have to answer all their questions; you need to be the one with the solutions. Confident humility is having the confidence to draw on others’ ideas and not see them as a challenge to your authority. It has a lot more nuance than either having all the answers or sitting there and not having any answers.

Why do you think people are fearful of leading with empathy?

Empathy is not about taking on the emotions of others or listening to stories that are challenging then being upset yourself – that’s hardly helpful. It’s being able to put yourself in the shoes of others and trying to comprehend what they’re feeling. It isn’t easy and it means accepting that your lived experience of the world isn’t the same as everyone else’s. Unless you can respectfully listen to and engage with positions that are different to yours then you’re unlikely to make the best decision you can – and you’re also unlikely to be able to lead people who are different from you.

And yet it’s so powerful.

Incredibly powerful and essential. Obviously, if you’re leading BHP, it’s impossible to know the lived experiences of 80,000 people but it’s understanding that you’re not representative of all those 80,000 people. So it’s the mindset of, “How will this decision impact people who aren’t like me?”, and seeking to find out.

We’ve been talking about the softer skills but we do need to lead with the head and the heart. It can’t be one or the other, right?

No. There are a lot of leaders – especially in the not-for-profit sector – who are heart-based leaders and feel it’s all that’s needed. That’s absolutely not the case. They’re not going to be effective in the work they do because you have to be able to use all the skills. You have to be able to read the room, be wise about risk-taking and the direction your decisions are going, be curious and technically capable. This is not about saying one or the other is good or bad; it’s saying that you have to be able to integrate both. So to the CFOs of the world who feel comfortable living in their heads, they need to start thinking about leading with their hearts. Equally, heart-based leaders must use their heads.

What’s the perfect balance? Is there a 60/40 rule, for instance?

Well, that’s the art. In some conversations you might just need a heap of technical skills. On any given day, we’re all going to be moving in and out of our heads and our hearts. But thinking that you can go to work and put your headbased leadership on and it’s going to be sufficient isn’t what it looks like to be leading in the 21st century.

How can leaders get more feedback on their performance when they’re surrounded by “yes” people?

If you’re surrounded by “yes” people, you need to change the dynamic. The people you want in your team are the ones who are prepared to give you feedback. That’s a unifying factor of the leaders I spoke to – they have people who are prepared to not pull any bullshit and give them feedback in a constructive way. But leaders need to ask for it. And when you ask for it, listen respectfully and never question the feedback. It doesn’t mean you need to act on it and it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily correct but it is something that’s an important issue for that person. If it’s valuable, which it generally will be, go back a couple of days later, say thank you and show them how you’re changing.

I loved Salesforce CEO Pip Marlow’s discussion with you about how she asks junior staff members for feedback. She was upfront in saying it’s quite difficult. When you do it the first time, they’re going to say, “Oh no, you’re great.”

That’s just the power dynamic. But she makes an effort to acknowledge that’s what’s happening and then say, “Okay but next time here’s a specific thing I’d love you to look out for.” Any time you ask someone and empower them in that way, they’re more likely to give you helpful, targeted feedback. But you must – must – make it a safe environment for them.

So how do I know if I’m a head-based or a heart-based leader? I wanted to make this interactive so I built a scale in conjunction with QUT [Queensland University of Technology; headheart leader.com]. It ranks the eight attributes and then gives you a moment-in-time indication of where your strengths are and which attributes you tend to default to.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give a brand-new CEO? Remember you don’t need to have all the answers on day one. Spend a lot of time listening. And bring the leader you are at home to work.

investment even more rewarding

PICK YOUR PARTNERS

Co-marketing – joining forces with likeminded, non-competitive businesses to promote both partners for reciprocal benefits – can drive revenue and customer engagement. Here are three different ways of partnering with other brands.

Find an online matchmaker

Jessica Ruhfus, the Australian founder of subscription-based Collabosaurus – an online “matchmaking” app that lists about 9000 brands primed to form businessboosting partnerships – says brand collaborations are up to 25 times less expensive than digital advertising. “Ninety per cent of collaborations on Collabosaurus don’t involve cash exchange. Brands might do something creative together and then cross-promote to each other’s audiences.” She cites a collaboration between South

Australia’s Zema Estate Wines and illustrator and pattern designer Christie Williams, who created the label for a special release of Zema’s sparkling merlot. The release and the alliance were promoted on the winery’s email newsletter (with links to Williams’ website and Instagram feed) to its 800 VIP subscribers. The wine sold out within three days at a 50 per cent higher return than usual because of its limited-edition status – and Williams gained a high-profile success story for her portfolio.

The key ingredient of rewarding promotional partnerships between businesses is that your brand values and objectives are aligned. On Collabosaurus, companies describe their mission and list their partnership goals upfront, whether it’s diversifying customer reach or finding aligned products to bundle with

Get more bang for your marketing buck by making it a joint effort.

for special offers. The platform then matches them with compatible partners.

Look for like-minded brands

When COVID hit, the lockdown period gave Chris McNally, hotelier and co-owner of Tasmania’s Stillwater Group, which includes a boutique hotel and restaurant in Launceston, the chance to put together exclusive packages that he’d wanted to organise since opening the hotel in 2019.

To offer his guests unique experiences, he partners with venues that he loves, such as wineries. Stillwater has even teamed up with another luxury hotel, Kittawa Lodge on King Island, to create a six-night “ultimate escape package” that both businesses promote to their databases. “We have people from the United States, United Kingdom, Austria and Germany booked in,” says McNally.

He chooses collaborators he knows will care for his guests the same way Stillwater does and that “will also recommend us as a restaurant and accommodation to people who visit their businesses”.

Make the most of opportunities

In 2018, 8 Star Energy, headed by brothers Julian and Nick Sweeney, was redesigning and branding quality China-manufactured home energy-storage systems and portable battery packs for off-grid adventures. They booked a stand at All-Energy Australia, the renewable-energy conference and expo in Melbourne, and a representative from US battery megaforce Energizer stopped by.

That conversation led to a licensing agreement and, in 2022, 8 Star launched Energizer Solar rooftop panels, inverter, home battery and EV charger products in Europe. This year it will introduce its range to the US. The partnership has grown with time and trust that each will uphold the other’s interests and vision.

STORY BY NATALIE FILATOFF

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZOE ELEY

Zema Estate Wines collaborated with Christie Williams Design on a limited-edition sparkling merlot (above)

Flexible finance, global opportunities

Growing a side hustle into a global brand is no easy feat. But for Nimble Activewear founders Katia Santilli and Vera Yan, a passion for the gym and equally agile business moves have helped them to grow at about 50 per cent annually for the past five years.

“The dominant activewear brands made great quality apparel but they weren’t flattering, while fashion brands made garments that looked good but couldn’t stand up to a sweaty workout and regular washes,” recalls Yan.

This gap in the market drove the pair to launch Nimble in 2013, engaging designers and manufacturers to create workout gear that, well, worked. In 2016, they hit a turning point. “Two key things happened for us,” says Yan. “We started investing in digital marketing and we opened our first physical store in Bondi Beach, turning us from a side hustle into a real living and breathing brand.”

Around the same time, the young business owners signed up for the American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card. “Having up to 51 days to pay for purchases1 on the Card was really attractive for us,” says Yan. “Being able to front-end funding meant we could future-proof the business and invest in things ahead of time, like creating really beautiful representations of the brand that resulted in a huge uptake.”

With no pre-set spending limit on the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card, businesses can access up to $1 million in a line of unsecured funding across a 12-month period. 2 This allowed the co-founders to expand Nimble even further, opening a Melbourne store in 2017 followed by one in Brisbane in 2021.

“Using the Card means we’ve been able to earn millions of Qantas Points for purchases we would have made anyway,” says Santilli.

“So when we opened our Brisbane store, we sent the whole team there on flights booked with Qantas Points. This year we’ll be going to the UK and the US to explore some exciting business opportunities and be able to pay for those flights with Qantas Points too.”

The thriving business now has over 30 employees, annual turnover in the millions and customers all over the world. But despite their success, Yan and Santilli say they’re prouder of the sustainability initiatives they’ve implemented along the way – saving more than two million plastic bottles from landfill to create Nimble’s signature MoveLiteTM fabric.

“There’s a huge connection between movement and mental health,” says Yan. “When you move your body, you’re a better, more balanced person. And operating a sustainable business that’s focused on wellbeing feels like an extension of that.”

Unlock the possibilities for your business. Earn 150,000 bonus Qantas Points 3 with the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card. Offer ends 4 April 2023. Available to new American Express Card Members only. T&Cs apply. For more information, visit qantas.com/qbr/amex

Katia Santilli and Vera Yan

INTERVIEW BY KIRSTEN GALLIOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIC WALKER

ANNA BLIGH

Don’t waste a crisis, says the former Queensland premier, who is adept at running towards – and putting out – political and corporate fires.

Sometimes you have to run towards the fire

2017-present CEO, Australian Banking Association

“There were plenty of eyebrows raised when I took on this role because banks were in real trouble reputationally, they were hotly contested politically, the Labor Party was calling for a royal commission and banks were rapidly losing community trust. Perversely, that’s what attracted me. Banks matter. They are the life blood of the economy. After the government, they pull some of the biggest economic levers in the country. So getting it right really matters and the opportunity to bring together all of the skills I’ve had the opportunity to learn through politics and other parts of my career was enormously attractive. It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster ride since 2017, with a royal commission, a huge legislative reform program, a lot of focus inside banks on fixing the problems of the past and then COVID. When I sit down with all of the CEOs of Australia’s banks, it’s a very powerful table but I feel I’m with a group of people who bring values and purpose to that table. I came in to it because I was drawn to the problem and the need for this problem to be fixed. I’ve found peace with the fact that I’m the person who likes to run towards the fire and derives personal and professional satisfaction from it.”

Fast and forceful isn’t always best

2014-2017

CEO, YWCA

Never, ever waste a crisis

2007-2012

Premier of Queensland

“It’s not easy to step away from a premier’s office but moving to the YWCA felt like coming full circle and back to my community sector roots. At that time, the YWCA was full of terrific people doing great work but their ability to compete for funding and to influence decision-makers was hampered by the fact that there were nine small YWCAs around the country. So I embarked on a very ambitious idea to merge them all into one national body. After being in government – and in a very powerful position where I could make things happen simply by directing that they happen – I had to relearn some lessons. I was a bit of a bull in a china shop for a while and impatient with people who needed a lot more care and talking before they could be persuaded. A good thing to learn about yourself is that you can adapt.”

“It’s often said that the hardest problems end up on the leader’s desk and that was certainly my experience. What that often means for a political leader is they’re dealing with crises and critical issues all day. They’re high-stakes decisions but I find personal satisfaction in working with or grappling with really gnarly, complicated problems and wrestling them to the ground. Most Australians would have encountered me during the floods in 2011 and I’m firmly of the view that leaders should never waste a crisis – there is an opportunity for change and reform. How do I take this problem and use it as a lesson, a trigger for change or a motivator to do something differently or better? If you’ve got a seat at the table, use it. One thing is certain in politics – it won’t last forever so you need to have a sense of urgency.”

Engage all of your stakeholders

2001-2005

Queensland education minister and leader of government parliamentary business

“When I became education minister, Queensland had one less year of schooling than other states. Our children started school younger and our school completion rates were lower. So I felt the agenda was very clear – we had to fix the structures and the whole shape of our education system – but these were groundbreaking reforms. On the day I announced the reforms I was in such a rush to get them out that I failed to appropriately consult with the Catholic education system, which educates a quarter of children in Queensland. It was a good lesson in how important every single stakeholder is – and I had a long morning tea with the Archbishop [smiles]. You cannot engage in transformation without spending a huge amount of time, effort and thought about how you bring everybody with you.”

Learn how to achieve consensus

1990-1995

Senior policy officer, Queensland Office of Cabinet, then Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations

“The Queensland public service was absolutely critical to my political career because it gave me a rock-solid grounding in how to navigate complex bureaucracies. I don’t think you can ever overstate the importance of those navigational skills – being able to sit back and work out how the structures influence the outcomes, where the doorways for approvals are and how to get through them. Some people call them soft skills but being able to form relationships with the right people and drive consensus is often underestimated. In my first six months, I was frankly quite befuddled about how to get from A to B, how to make things progress, but I gradually learnt those skills. What sort of arguments are they going to find compelling? How to get through their door? I learnt a lot about negotiating and finding consensus.”

Learn how to say no – quickly

2006-2007

State treasurer, Queensland

“I was the first Labor woman to be treasurer and I was only the second female treasurer. I was very conscious of having to establish myself as someone who had authority, who knew her stuff and could be relied on to get the jobs that needed to be done, done. It was also a period in which I had to become very conscious of exercising power and authority. You’re having to say, ‘No, I’m not going to fund that’ or ‘We need to spend more in this area than that area.’ I had to toughen up in the Treasury portfolio. People don’t like being told no – no-one does – but they do want decisions and they do value certainty. So one of the things I learnt is there’s no point in putting off ‘no’. They will respect you more if you’re decisive and you give them good reasons.”

A sense of purpose is vital

1981-1983

Childcare worker, Women’s House

“I was facing very confronting circumstances – children with cigarette burns, children with serious developmental delays, children who were terrified of adults and manifesting that in all sorts of ways. Even though my primary responsibility was organising activities for the children, there were times when I was dealing directly with women who were coming into the refuge. You can’t hear all those stories without developing a burning sense of injustice. It was very hard work emotionally and it would have been easy to walk away. But purpose and passion are strong drivers; they keep you doing things that you often don’t want to do – things that are emotionally challenging and exhausting. If you’ve got a real sense of purpose and passion, that will get you through.”

Upstart

STORY

BY

JANE NICHOLLS

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

CATHERINE BLACK

SWOOP AERO

Need to know

Founders

Eric Peck (below), 33, and Josh Tepper, 31

Staff

About 94, known as Swoop Crew

First customer

The Vanuatu Ministry of Health and UNICEF for a joint project in 2018

Market valuation

US$200 million

What is it? “We design, prototype and manufacture drones and develop the software that supports them to be deployed at scale,” says co-founder Eric Peck. Swoop Aero operates networks of drones in geographic “hubs” and claims to be the only end-to-end drone logistics platform in the world. “We currently operate on six continents and 4.5 million people get medical supplies delivered by our aircraft. Our goal is to reach 100 million people by 2025.” Where did the idea come from? Former RAAF pilot Peck flew Hercules, the workhorse aircraft for moving people and cargo, often on humanitarian missions. Before Peck left the Air Force, he completed an MBA and later joined Deloitte. Co-founder Tepper is a mechatronics engineer. In 2017, alarmed by the WHO statistic that half the world’s population lacks access to basic healthcare, they wanted to develop a drone company to move

Headquarters

A former Air Force pilot and a robotics engineer are disrupting the logistics ecosystem with their sophisticated drone networks.

Melbourne, with an office in Malawi and teams based in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia and the United States

Investors

Main Sequence Ventures, Folklore Ventures, Levitate Capital, Right Click Capital

medical supplies to remote areas. There were others trying to do the same thing but they were making “a delivery drone out of a toy”, says Peck. “We wanted to shrink the 70-tonne Hercules into a 25-kilo autonomous aeroplane, with software to automate it, so we could have one person looking after 70 drones, not 70 people looking after one Hercules.”

How did you get it off the ground (literally)? In 2018, Peck and Tepper went through the Startmate Accelerator program in Melbourne and won an open-tender contract for vaccine delivery in Vanuatu, funded by the local government and UNICEF. “I sold my house and moved to Vanuatu, got some more people on the team and started running a vaccine drone delivery service there.” That experience, he says, validated “the scale of the problem that we could solve” and the “opportunity for impact in developed and developing countries”. The Swoop Aero fleet continues to evolve. “The fourth-generation aircraft is the Kookaburra and the fifthgeneration is the Kite, which is designed to fly over rural and regional areas and also cities, with a range of 175 kilometres. Some components are made in Geelong, some in Bayswater and Western Sydney, and the aircraft are assembled in Port Melbourne.”

What have you learnt? Laser-like attention to customers and culture has, says Peck, allowed this small Australian company to punch above its weight internationally. “We’ve been extremely focused on creating a positive culture and hiring a diverse group of people, who can come together and solve seemingly impossible problems. It would have been really easy to hire 50 versions of me – white ex-military people. I didn’t think that would make a good drone company and we’ve proven that. If you get the right team and right culture, you can do pretty much anything.”

What’s next? Swoop Aero’s operations delivering medical supplies in African countries has built its reputation. Now it’s making prescription-to-the-door deliveries in regional Queensland. “In the next 18 months, the southern Queensland network will expand to cover about 150,000 square kilometres and 2.5 million people.” The company also plans to extend to seven African countries by 2025 and increase networks in developed economies. “We can leverage the work we’ve done in developing countries to build a big commercial business. That helps us to expand in Africa.”

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Venture capital is all about finding the right outliers, says

AirTree Ventures partner

Elicia McDonald .

06:10

My day starts with my two-year-old coming in to say, “Mama, the clock is yellow”, and I get a kiss. On a bad day, my two girls wake me up closer to 5:30am when their clock’s still blue. I check Slack, emails and WhatsApp and negotiate with a four-year-old about what to wear.

07:30

I drive the girls to daycare and walk to the station. The train is packed but I’m six months pregnant [at time of interview] so people shuffle over. I listen to an audiobook, Winners Dream, that quotes Theodore Roosevelt: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” I like that. VC [venture capital] is a people role. For a diverse portfolio, you need to build genuine relationships with a range of founders and support them through ups and downs. When AirTree’s recruiting, empathy is a non-negotiable.

08:30

Meet with Regrow, in the resilient agriculture space. Anastasia [Volkova, co-founder and CEO] closed her $50 million Series B at the same time she was getting her mum out of Ukraine.

09:00

Guest prep session for our Stacking the Odds series, where great operators share knowledge with the local startup community. Sara Clemens, a board director at Duolingo and Hootsuite and former COO of Twitch and Pandora, talks about thinking of the COO role differently depending on what a company needs at a particular time – when to stay scrappy and when to put in process.

09:30

Coffee with an early-stage founder. There are misconceptions around what a first meeting with a VC looks like, that you’ve got 30 seconds for the elevator pitch. But you don’t need to be a polished pitcher. The initial meeting is about getting to understand the founder’s motivations. Are they able to convey their vision with a passion that gets us excited and will excite other investors, customers and potential employees? I also leave time for them

to ask heaps of questions. Great founders will be choosing between a number of investors.

10:30

Partner presentation. A founder comes in to meet the rest of the partnership. I’ve read the investment committee [IC] paper – a memo prepared by the partner and investment manager who did diligence. Now’s an opportunity to hear the vision firsthand, to ask questions and for founders to ask how we’d work with them. I’m mindful it can be intimidating. We always say, “We’ll try not to interrupt you too much”, but it’s better when it’s a conversation.

11:30

As soon as the founder leaves the room, we have a blind voting process. No-one speaks or reacts. We fill in a Notion form with our initial vote: a “strong yes”, “supportive”, “not supportive” or a “veto”. The process is to avoid bias and groupthink. It’s important that the loudest person or the first to speak doesn’t influence others. [See The Real Deal .] Then we chat and debate – starting with the person with the strongest view – and give people the opportunity to change their vote. We need two “strong yes” votes from the five investment partners to make an investment. The deal lead might do additional diligence. Otherwise we call the founder that day.

12:15

Team lunch in the office. Everyone’s in on Tuesdays.

13:00

Weekly IC meeting, where we review companies we met over the week. The partners and investment managers meet about 40 new companies each week and score them from 0 to 10. We discuss only those that score six or above. If an investment manager gives a new opportunity an eight or a nine, a partner will jump on and we decide what we want to get comfortable with in our diligence. We make around 12 new investments a year.

14:00

Emails. Messages. Siobhan Savage, CEO of [talent platform] Reejig, WhatsApps about aligning goals before the next

funding round. She’s getting a lot of interest from international funds and wants to stay focused on executing.

14:30

Weekly meeting for the portfolio success team, which runs executive C-suite peer forums. We’re planning a deep dive into ESOPs [employee stock option plans] and hosting our inaugural CEO summit – an opportunity for the CEOs within our portfolio to network in person.

We have 90 portfolio companies now, including eight unicorns [privately owned companies valued at more than $1 billion]. People are incredibly willing to help others avoid mistakes they’ve made. There’s also that element of talking to someone who’s going through the same challenges. The founding journey can be very lonely.

15:00

Call a customer of a company I met two weeks ago. We want to unpack how the product has impacted their workflow, what other solutions they’ve considered and how they’d feel if the product was no longer available. You get nuggets of wisdom. We typically do four calls and only when we’re very serious.

15:30

Monthly founder call with Human, a pre-seed early-stage company in the healthtech space. Georgia Vidler and Kate Lambridis are building out their first version of the product and we discuss hiring.

We strive for relationships that when something goes really well, we’re the first people the founder wants to call. And the first when something goes really bad.

16:15

Emails. Slack.

17:30

Time with my family. I try to stick to that.

19:30

Once a week, I join a running club with a friend. I hope to keep it up a bit longer.

22:00

Parenting two kids, working full-time, being pregnant – I don’t have trouble falling asleep.

The real deal AirTree’s blind voting process documents each partner’s opinion; the voters include pros, cons and whether additional diligence would change their mind. There’s a lot for AirTree to analyse later – what correlated to success? – and the data will become more valuable over time. “It’s a long feedback cycle knowing whether your swing is right or not,” says McDonald. “You have signs as companies progress. But it’s 10 years until we’re giving the money back to our investors.”

The investment manager also votes, without changing the outcome. “When you’re training up talent in VC, this is an incredible learning experience,” says McDonald. “It’s a way to get comfortable with having a view and leaning into that with conviction.”

Nagano, Kyoto, neon lights in Tokyo

FLY DIRECT FROM SYDNEY, BRISBANE AND MELBOURNE TO TOKYO (HANEDA) WITH QANTAS () Q

On board

Premiere movies, hit TV shows and absorbing audiobooks

Movies

There’s something for everyone in this selection of new films.

The Inspection

A young, black, gay man, Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, above), alienated from his brittle mother, Inez (Gabrielle Union), and the wider community, decides to enlist in the Marines. French believes this will give him the heroic identity he craves but Inez, a police officer, warns him that his sexual preference will make him a target. Sure enough, Ellis finds himself unprepared for the brutality – both physical and emotional – of boot camp, where he’s violently hazed by his fellow soldiers. Written and directed by Elegance Bratton and based on his own experiences, The Inspection offers hope amid the grimmest of circumstances. Rated MA15+

Babylon

Behold the spectacle of Old Hollywood in the 1920s, at the twilight of the silent film era and the rise of “talkies”. Writer and director Damien Chazelle (who won multiple Oscars in 2017 for La La Land ) has orchestrated a mammoth story about the origins of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles as it morphs into a glittering beast, determined to hide its paganistic excesses and preach a conformist happily-ever-after through the magic of moving pictures.

Babylon runs for a colossal three hours and nine minutes but nobody is given much time to properly flesh out their character as multiple narratives can-can across the screen. There’s the outsider, Mexican immigrant Manny Torres (Diego Calva), trying to score his

big break. There’s Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a world-weary Clarke Cable type, all too aware – as he steps through the highly choreographed orgies, drugfuelled tableaux and on-set meltdowns – that his star is fading. There’s the gossip columnist, Elinor St. John (Jean Smart), who wants to trumpet this sad fact to the world. And then there is Margot Robbie (above, with Calva), who nails that mascara-running, unhinged persona (see The Wolf of Wall Street) and succeeds here by adding a girlish free-spiritedness to her portrayal of fictional actress (and Manny’s love interest) Nellie LaRoy.

Will Manny follow her up to the dizzying heights of big-screen greatness? Or pull her star back down to earth? Rated MA15+

Blueback

Based on the best-selling novel by Tim Winton, written in 1997, the themes of Blueback – about the sacredness of the sea and the environment – resonate more strongly than ever. Blueback the novel was about a boy, Abel, but the movie follows the story of a girl, Abby (Ilsa Fogg), who befriends a blue groper while diving. She forms a connection to the fish she calls Blueback so fiercely strong that when developers enter with plans to disrupt the coral reef where the big fish lives, she finds herself turning into an activist. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Eric Bana and Ariel Donoghue. Rated PG

Words by Natalie Reilly

The Son What happens to the only child of divorce?

This is the central question of The Son, written and directed by Florian Zeller, who conceived this as a companion piece to his 2020 movie, The Father. That film, about a controlling father in the final throes of dementia, won Anthony Hopkins a Best Actor Oscar. Hopkins appears here, too, but as a different version of a dad – this time to Hugh Jackman (right). Jackman plays Peter, a lawyer with political ambitions, opposite fellow Australian actor Zen McGrath as Peter’s 17-year old son, Nicholas, from his first marriage to Kate (Laura Dern). Peter has believed up until now that he can move on to another wife, another son and a new life without looking back. A distraught conversation with Kate changes all that as he learns that Nicholas is in trouble. He comes to live with Peter in the hopes of alleviating his depression and reconnecting with his father. But Peter, unaware of the depth of his son’s pain, makes too many missteps, worsening their relationship. Rated M

She Said This slow-burner tells the true story of how two female New York Times reporters lifted the lid on allegations about mega movie producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, after rumours of his sexual misconduct had swirled around for more than two decades.

Directed by Maria Schrader (who worked on the hit TV miniseries Unorthodox) and based on the book of the same name by Meghan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, the pair’s explosive reporting proved a watershed cultural moment that helped kick the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment into high gear. Starring Carey Mulligan (far left) and Zoe Kazan (left), with Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher, She Said plays like All the President’s Men for feminist millennials – and anyone else with an interest in hard-won truth triumphing over corruption and the abuse of power. Rated M

Television

Whatever your mood, there’s a show to match.

1923 Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star as a husband and wife in this prequel to the smash-hit series Yellowstone – the sprawling Western that’s been compared to that other dynastic TV series, Succession, but on a ranch. (Or Game of Thrones but in Montana.) Ford (above, with Jerome Flynn) stars as Jacob Dutton, the great-greatgrand uncle of John Dutton (Yellowstone ’s Kevin Costner) and the patriarch of the Montana ranch before the big crash of 1929. He’s joined by wife Cara (Mirren), who might just be tougher than he is. Rated MA15+

Inside Amy Schumer

The unapologetic stand-up comedian, who turned the idea of a “hot mess” into a viable personality trait in films including the rom-com Trainwreck, brings her feminist-branded humour to another season of skit comedy. Rated MA15+

Colin from Accounts

This quirky series, which feels something like an Australian version of New Girl meets Dharma & Greg , follows a couple brought together after they cause accidental injury to a dog. Created by and starring Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer (below, at right, with Brammall). Rated MA15+

Shining Vale

Imagine The Shining but with a woman (Courteney Cox, below) as an author with writer’s block instead of a man and a haunted house instead of a hotel and you have Shining Vale’s darkly funny plot. Co-starring Greg Kinnear. Rated MA15+

Somewhere Boy

After the death of his wife in a car crash, Danny’s grief-stricken father imprisons his son in his own home. After 18 years, Danny (Lewis Gribben, below at front), shy and completely unprepared for the outside world, finds freedom. Rated MA15+

Tune into these compelling stories.

Bridge of Clay

With their mother dead and father gone, the five Dunbar boys are forced to fend for themselves. To survive, they’ve had to write their own rules. Clay, the quiet fourth brother, will be the one who creates a miracle of sorts, building a bridge for his family to transcend life as it is for something better. This Australian coming-of-age story from Markus Zusak, author of worldwide bestseller The Book Thief, is about the possibility of love and dignity in the midst of terrible loss and cruelty.

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.

News

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.

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 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: Some destinations require you to wear a mask during your flight or at the airport. 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

Foot pumps (foot motion is in three stages)

cabin pressure equivalent to an altitude of 2440 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-thecounter 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 offloading 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

Quick clues

Across

01. Loves foolishly, ... on (5)

04. Destructive insect (4)

06. Tolerable (8)

12. Tank (9)

13. Limitation (9)

14. Representative specimen (7)

15. Pesto ingredient (5)

16. Recessed pattern (5)

17. Sword-fighter (8)

19. VIP’s signature (9)

22. Lowest part of bureau (6,6)

23. Brain tissue, grey ... (6)

25. Assert (6)

27. Shellac (6,6)

31. Main entrance (5,4)

33. Overfriendly (8)

35. Lidded lab plate, ... dish (5)

36. Magazine edition (5)

37. Violent gale (7)

40. Acknowledge (9)

41. Flawless (9)

42. Taking long steps (8)

43. Pub drinks (4)

44. Land of the pharaohs (5)

01. Sombre tune (5)

02. Bible part, Old ... (9)

03. Remove paint (5)

04. Affirmed (9)

05. Journalist (6)

07. Out-and-out (8)

08. Putting into order (7)

09. Dazzling (9)

10. Competition application (5) 11. Marine arthropods (11) 17. Question after mission (7)

18. Glances (5)

20. More grating (7)

21. Barber (11)

24. Flavoured mayonnaise (5)

26. Speedy two-seater vehicle (6,3)

28. Cruel (9)

29. Travel plan (9)

30. Location (8)

32. Cottoned on (7)

34. Recount (6)

35. Roles (5)

38. Pancake topping, ... syrup (5)

39. Rendezvous (5)

Cryptic clues

Across

01. Bestows lavish affection on Danish leader with broken toes (5)

04. Pets might be a nuisance (4)

06. Exam success can be fair to middling (8)

12. Where water is stored when Rose River is diverted (9)

13. Take a break before coach gets out of control (9)

14. Asked for egg sample for illustration (7)

15. Herb to sail off after superb finish (5)

16. Design that’s set in stone, perhaps (5)

17. One who hopes to win the fight with a second to spare? (8)

19. Handwritten name of star sign (9)

22. Storage space for one who comes last in sketch class? (6,6)

23. What things are made of will be of importance (6)

25. Demand a piece from twin sister (6)

27. Varnish displaying Parisian sophistication (6,6)

31. At which one may stand and deliver (5,4)

33. Known to be impertinently intimate (8)

35. Dish from another culture? (5)

36. Official release of disputed legal topic (5)

37. Extreme temperatures suggest a fierce storm (7)

40. Identify on sight the corgi seen wandering around (9)

41. Managing to expel army is worthy of imitation (9)

42. Marching along with dog tag held by string (8)

43. Beers from foreign sale (4)

44. Where pyramid selling is a common marketplace practice (5)

Down

01. Contracted Diane and poor Reginald to write funeral song (5)

02. Formal witness statement meant trouble after trial (9)

03. Remove robes so saint can rest in peace (5)

04. Declared openly what the senior academic apparently did? (9)

05. Subscriber rubs out writer (6)

07. Like the power of a despot? Perfect! (8)

08. Arranging to sing about silly nonsense (7)

09. Train Bill to be extremely clever (9)

10. Admission appears in diary note (5)

11. Crabs and lobsters provided for Tuscan Races Organisation (11)

17. Offload after the event, have bed made up and fire set (7)

18. Watches appearance (5)

20. Her rash is becoming more severe (7)

21. Stylist who puts clothes on big rabbits, by the sound of it (11)

24. Garlic sauce is an initially overpowering lunch inclusion (5)

26. Proudly show off evidence of damage to low-slung convertible (6,3)

28. Lacking in compassion like the Tin Man (9)

29. List prepared with some reservations (9)

30. Spot job vacancy (8)

32. Finally understood how to describe a branch (7)

34. Relate again the story about Swiss archer (6)

35. Splits into components (5)

38. One thousand turn pale as wood (5)

39. Meeting on Struggle Street (5)

Tough puzzle, simple rules: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1-9.

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.

15 G ood

17 Very good 20+ E xcellent

Match-ups –

Movies with dogs

Work out the missing words from these movie titles and cross off the words in the box of letters. The leftover letters will spell out the name of a 1966 family movie featuring man’s best friend.

101 BUD

BABE: PIG IN THE BAILEY’S IN SHOW HILLS CHIHUAHUA CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY EIGHT GREYFRIARS

HACHI: A DOG’S FOR DOGS

LADY AND THE LASSIE

LENNY THE DOG MUST DOGS AS A DOG YELLER

FINDING RIN SPACE THE OF MILO AND OTIS THE INCREDIBLE THE OF LOBO THE HOBO

THE DOG

THE ABOUT CATS & DOGS THE OF OZ & HOOCH

Quiz

By Hazel Flynn

Spot the difference

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

01. What is the name of Daniel Craig’s character in the Knives Out movies?

02. Of the geological divisions age, eon and epoch, which is longest?

03. What are the metal discs on a tambourine called?

04. Of the six republics previously federated as Yugoslavia, which is last alphabetically?

05. The 1960s rocker Chubby Checker’s stage-name is a play on what other chart-topper?

06. What potentially deadly poison gets its name from the Greek for “dark blue”?

07. In water sports what does SUP stand for?

08. Approximately what percentage of the world’s geysers are in the United States’ Yellowstone National Park?

09. What is the only African national capital to start with W?

10. What Mediterranean island was the home of the Minoan civilisation?

11 Which Socceroo scored five World Cup goals for Australia between 2006 and 2014?

12 What river flows through Townsville?

13 How many wings do butterflies have?

14 In which country did bubble tea/boba originate?

15. The Sicilian Defense and the Ruy Lopez are opening moves in what game?

16 What creature is made of clay and brought to life in Jewish folklore?

17 Who invented the mercury thermometer?

18 In short bursts, can a saltwater crocodile swim at up to 9, 19 or 29 km/h?

19 Steep Point holds what Australian geographic distinction?

20. In human anatomy what does ACL stand for?

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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.

Crossword

Wheel of words

Dent, Diet, Dint, Duet, Edit, Etui, Quit, Teed, Teen, Tend, Tide, Tied, Tine, Tune, Unit, Etude, Quiet, Quint, Quite, Tined, Tuned, Unite, Untie, Quinte, United, Untied, Detinue, Quieted, Quieten.

Nine-letter word: QUIETENED

Spot the difference

01. People in pool removed

02. Deckchair removed

03. Walkway over pool removed

04. Extra arrow on road

05. Extra green car

06. Extra red umbrella

07. Extra trees over pool

Match-ups

101 Dalmatians, Air Bud, Babe: Pig In The City, Bailey’s Billions, Best In Show, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore, Eight Below, Greyfriars Bobby, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, Hotel For Dogs, Lady And The Tramp, Lassie Come Home, Lenny The Wonder Dog, Must Love Dogs, My Life As A Dog, Old Yeller, Finding Rin Tin Tin, Space Buddies, The Adventures Of Milo And Otis, The Incredible Journey, The Legend Of Lobo, The Littlest Hobo, The Shaggy Dog, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, The Wizard Of Oz, Turner & Hooch Solution: The Ugly Dachshund

Quiz

01. Benoit Blanc 02. Eon 03. Jingles

04. Slovenia 05. Fats Domino 06. Cyanide

07. Stand up paddleboarding 08. 50 per cent

09. Windhoek (Namibia) 10. Crete 11. Tim Cahill

12 Ross River 13. Four 14. Taiwan 15. Chess

16. A golem 17. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

18. 29 km/h 19. Australia’s most westerly point

20. The anterior cruciate ligament

Qantas Domestic Route Network