Qantas magazine - September 2023

Bungle Bungle Range, the Kimberley, Western Australia

Progress you can feel

Horizons aren’t boundaries

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COVER: Photography by Jarrad Seng

The List

30 Coming In Hot: Reine & La Rue, Melbourne

33 Piece Of Mind: Alice Pung

34 Book It: SXSW Sydney

36 On Trial: Colour and sound therapy

38 The Ride: BMW Z4 M40i

40 Get Smart: Reading list

42 Epic Stay: Villa Riad, Ewingsdale, NSW

On Country

The Menu

70 Main Course: Yum cha

76 Neighbourhoods: Adelaide CBD

79 The Special: Conti roll from Deli’s Continental, Perth

80 Taste Maker: Ben Russell from Rothwell’s, Brisbane

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

84 In The Drink: Canberra District

86 Wine List: Tasmanian sparkling

The Break

90 Long Weekend: Gold Coast Hinterland

92 48 Hours In... Circular Quay, Sydney

The Look

The Business

96 Epic Escape: The Station @ Kapunda

On Board 193

Bold colours encapsulated in a trilogy of timeless jewels.

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief

Kirsten Galliott

Content Director

Genevra Leek

Deputy Content Director

Faith Campbell

Content Manager

Natalie Reilly

Online Editor

Christina Rae

Senior Digital Producer

Maxim Boon

Managing Editor, Qantas Hotels

Bridget de Maine

Digital Producer

Anneliese Beard

Creative Director

Tony Rice

Art Directors

Kate Timms

Nick Clark

Visual Director

Elizabeth Hachem

Copy Director

Rosemary Bruce

Deputy Copy Director

Sandra Bridekirk

Copy Editors

Pippa Duffy

Nick Hadley

Production Manager

Chrissy Fragkakis

For editorial inquiries, contact: qantaseditorial@mediumrarecontent.com

ADVERTISING

Head of Sales, Travel and Luxury

Tony Trovato

+61 404 093 472

National Sales Manager, Travel

Callum Bean

+61 404 729 224

Senior Account Manager, NSW

Crystal Wong

+61 420 558 697

Senior Account Manager, NSW

Anthony Sullivan

+61 408 447 148

Sales Manager, Qld, WA and SA

Sarah Harding

+61 403 699 867

S enior Account Manager, Victoria

Miranda Adofaci +61 410 387 707

Senior Account Manager, Victoria

Jo Farrugia +61 450 968 882

Digital Sales Director

Mike Hanna +61 402 640 095

Digital Campaign Manager and Product Specialist

Anna Delgado +61 404 855 041

Implementation Executive, Travel and Luxury

Ammara Mumtaz +61 480 223 837

I nternational Representatives

Greater China and Japan

Peter Jeffery +852 2850 4013 peterjeffery@ asianimedia.com

South-East Asia and the UK

Nick Lockwood +65 9776 6255

nick.lockwood@ pharpartnerships.com

United States

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

For advertising inquiries, contact: qantasadvertising@mediumrarecontent.com

RARE CREATIVE Strategy and Partnerships

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

Senior Content Editor Natalie Babic Partnerships Editor Helen Martin Senior Writer Terry

Christodoulou Creative Director Philippa Moffitt Art Director Georgia Dixon Designer Mark

Gattellari Strategy and Insights Director Jane Schofield Senior Strategy Manager Natalie Pizanis

Qantas Senior Partnerships Manager Alana Baird Qantas Loyalty Partnerships Manager Molly

Maguire Qantas Partnerships Campaign Executive Kellie Hammond Content and Events

Campaign Manager Jessica Manson

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

From the Editor

Last month, The New York Times revealed that a slew of dodgy guidebooks has flooded Amazon. The books, created by “travel experts”, are keenly priced and have a bunch of five-star reviews... but they’re poorly written, lacking in detail and repetitious. Basically, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on and The Times concluded that they’ve been “compiled with the help of generative artificial intelligence, self-published and bolstered by sham reviews”. Of course, we’re all looking at AI to ascertain how we can harness it effectively. But there are many things that AI can’t do – and one of those is to travel to a destination, unearth the best places to eat and drink, play and stay then whittle those down into an itinerary. Yes, the Pantheon is an icon that you must experience. But the tiny trattoria tucked down a lane that serves the best version of cacio e pepe that you’ve ever tried? AI isn’t going to find it because it hasn’t been written about 30,000 times – and isn’t that part of what makes the eatery so special?

We take our job seriously. We want to give you ideas and information so that you can enhance your travels. To do that, we have a network of people all over the world and out in the field. And we’re always looking at ways we can improve. That’s why, this month, you’ll notice a few changes to the magazine. We’ve kept what we think is working well. We’ve let go of a few things that have had their day. And we’ve added some new bits to the mix, including a section called The Break, which will focus on long weekends and quick getaways.

We’re kicking off with a special issue dedicated to Australia to celebrate all that is new and unique in this country, from the rugged south-west coast of Tasmania to the neighbourhoods of Melbourne. I hope you have a chance to get out there this 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.

From the CEO

I often hear from customers that our lounges are one of the things that sets Qantas apart. Qantas has 51 lounges around the world, including 42 in Australia (12 of which are at regional airports) and this month the Qantas Lounge network is celebrating a major milestone as we reach 50 years since the first Qantas lounge opened at Sydney International Airport.

A pre-flight lounge experience was offered for the first time in September 1973 for First Class customers travelling on our Boeing 747s. The lounge featured classic 1970s interior design and a menu to match. In those days, you’d most likely be served a chicken sandwich and a glass of sherry or Tia Maria. Today, we have seasonal menus featuring fresh ingredients from leading Australian producers and a team of sommeliers who select great Australian wines to serve onboard our flights and in our lounges.

Fifty years after their modest beginnings, our lounges are almost under constant improvement. We’re currently rolling out a $100-million upgrade to our lounge network, including plans for a new First Lounge in London, a new Qantas Club in Hobart, a new Regional Lounge in Broome and major redevelopments to Sydney and Melbourne’s International Business Lounges, among others. Our investment in lounges is one of a number of things we’re doing to improve your journey, including upgrading the Qantas App to feature bag tracking and increase your ability to manage your booking. We’ve also introduced new menus with bigger serves across all cabins, adjusting the way we board our domestic flights and we’ve started rolling out fast and free Wi-Fi on some of our international routes, with more to come. Across Qantas and Jetstar, we’re taking delivery of one new aircraft every three weeks on average for the next few years. Big and small, these changes represent lots of investment to make your experience with us better. Thanks for choosing Qantas.

China is back!

Need a reason to go to Shanghai? Whether you prefer to dine at the Michelin-starred T’ang Court at the Langham Hotel in the Xintiandi district or spend the day at Disneyland (or both), Qantas is resuming direct flights between Sydney and China’s largest city on 29 October.

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

Alan Joyce CEO, Qantas

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

Qantas Holidays Ltd 13 14 15 (ABN 24 003 836 459; Licence No. 2TA003004)

Qantas Club and Frequent Flyer Service Centre 13 11 31

From overseas +61 3 9658 5302

I just got back from…

Hot pools overlooking a glistening river, world-famous burgers and an island dotted with wineries. Here, three Qantas Travellers share highlights from their recent trips.

Bronze Frequent Flyer

“I flew Qantas to Queenstown with my three sons aged seven, 10 and 11 [below]. While we were waiting to leave Sydney Airport, my youngest had a chat with the pilot and he was so excited. We booked a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at the Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa (qantas. com/hotels/hiltonqueenstown) with views over Lake Wakatipu. Most days we went skiing but we also visited the Onsen Hot Pools (onsen.co.nz), which overlook the Shotover River, and the kids loved Game Over go-karting (gameoverqueenstown.co.nz) so much, we went twice. Patagonia Chocolates (patagoniachocolates.co.nz) on the waterfront is a must-do for ice cream. They cover everything in chocolate – it was a hit.”

Silver Frequent Flyer

“Two weeks after my husband, Jason [above, right], and I got married, we flew Qantas to Queenstown; it’s always a pleasant experience. We went over for our friends’ wedding but we treated it like a mini-moon. We had a special dinner at Nest Kitchen & Bar (nest.co.nz), where all the produce is from the region, and a great Japanese lunch at the vibey Tanoshi Cow Lane (tanoshi.co.nz) – order the sushi mori and veg ten don. We couldn’t go without sampling Fergburger (fergburger.com) –believe the hype, the burgers are epic. Amisfield Winery (amisfield.co.nz) was also lovely. We ordered lots of beautiful wine so we could take a piece of our New Zealand holiday home.”

Bronze Frequent Flyer

“Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) was the perfect choice for a girls’ holiday. My friend Hannah [on right] and I went for a week and stayed at voco Auckland City Centre (qantas.com/hotels/vocoauckland), which has views of the Sky Tower at night. It’s a very walkable city; we spent our days strolling around the lovely streets. I really enjoyed the Auckland Bridge Climb (bungy.co.nz), where you get 360-degree views at the top. Another highlight was visiting Waiheke Island. It’s just a 45-minute ferry from Auckland Harbour and we had lots of fun exploring the wineries on the island via a zipline tour (enjoi.nz).”

Fly Qantas to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Get packing

Digitise copies of your ID and travel documents. Save them to the cloud, a USB or an app (such as TripIt). This means you can ditch some paper and also keep a backup of important information.

Make a master list of what to pack, which you can refer to and modify according to the destination and the purpose of your trip. Try PackPoint, a free app that makes customised lists based on weather/activities.

Create a large space, gather together everything that needs to fit into your bag and organise it into categories. What then? Scan the QR code below to find the rest of our essential how-to-pack guide.

Travel Insider takes you places with expert guides, destination dining and inspirational ideas. Go to qantas.com/travelinsider. Follow us on Instagram @qftravelinsider

Peter Donnelly

THE LIST

Villa Riad, Ewingsdale, NSW

Reine & La Rue, Melbourne

The biggest new restaurant opening offers French-accented food with a side of opulence.

Story by Alexandra Carlton

Melbourne isn’t short of restaurants with great food, gracious service and a convivial vibe but few are as strikingly beautiful as Reine & La Rue (reineandlarue.melbourne), the newest offering from the Nomad Group.

“The most iconic spot to sit is over the original prismatic floor in the centre of the dining room,” says the group’s co-founder Rebecca Yazbek of the opulent space inside the 1890s-era former Melbourne Stock Exchange on Collins Street. “Actually,” she adds, switching gears, “sitting at the red marble bar watching the bartenders shake cocktails under custom-made Henry Wilson lights with the gorgeous up-lit limestone wall behind them… that’s my kind of jam.”

No matter where you end up, tear your gaze from architecture to plate and find French classics conjured from mostly Victorian produce by executive chef Jacqui Challinor and head chef Brendan Katich (“With the bigger flavours Nomad is known for,” says Yazbek). That translates to dishes such as charcoal-cooked Lake Entrance calamari with café de Paris butter and dry-aged O’Connor rib eye with a side of frites. It would be remiss not to raise a glass to the sophisticated setting with a Martini or Manhattan, either inside Reine restaurant or at the adjoining eight-seater speakeasy-style La Rue wine bar.

At its core, Reine & La Rue is as much an experience as somewhere to eat and a monument to the Nomad team’s commitment to high-class hospitality. “I had a vision for this place when we signed onto it,” says Yazbek, “but everyone’s layers of expertise on top is what makes for a truly beautiful restaurant.”

Petrina Tinslay

Alice Pung

The Melbourne-born writer, editor and lawyer was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to literature in 2022. Here she reveals her other passions. As told to Natalie Reilly

The last book I read was… Landbridge by Y-Dang Troeung. This is the most powerful book I’ve read this year. Y-Dang and her family were survivors of the Killing Fields of Cambodia and we were both born around the same time. [Baby Y-Dang was the last of the 60,000 Cambodian refugees admitted to Canada.] She was also an academic who pared back all the pretensions of academia, illuminating with laser-bright insight the duty of the “survivor”. Sadly, Y-Dang knew she would not survive to see the publication of her book this year [she died of pancreatic cancer in 2022] so it is written as a series of letters to her young son. It is the most stoic, wise and beautiful meditation on life, loss and love.

The last movie I watched was... Avatar: The Way of Water. I have three young children and it’s rare that my husband and I get to spend time with only our eldest, who is eight, so watching this film with him was special. Because it was so long, with slow segments in which the Na’vi are just swimming around or running through jungles, parts of it were quite peaceful and meditative – particularly since we live in the city.

The last TV series I binged was… DNA – a Danish thriller set in Denmark, France and Poland. Based on a real glitch in the Danish Police DNA central registry, it was gripping and very moving. Among other things, it’s about how one tiny mistake can derail a life, veering it in an unexpected direction.

My favourite website is…

Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files He seems like a funny, wise, self-deprecating man occasionally masquerading as a rock star. When struck with devastating losses [including the deaths of two of his sons], all the pretensions of cultivating a persona fell away. It’s strange to read angry fans missing this former persona when what they’re now getting might be closer to true character.

The podcast I listen to is…

The Boring Talks by the BBC, a series of 15- to 20-minute podcasts with speakers who chat about things they find interesting or are obsessed with, to which we usually don’t turn our day-to-day minds, such as Teletext, pencils, even “the sounds of computer games loading”. My favourite episodes are Jigsaws and Roads That Don’t Exist

SXSW Sydney

One of the world’s leading festivals of music, film, technology and ideas is coming exclusively to Sydney, bringing a week of Next-Big-Thing moments.

Story by Bek Day

“Imagine a conference with the vibe of Glastonbury,” says South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney managing director Colin Daniels. “It's the world’s fair of the creative industries.” Daniels has attended the Austin, Texas-born innovation conference an impressive 19 times but there’s something about the open-ended possibilities of the Sydney iteration (the first outside North

America in its 37-year history) that whips up this kind of evangelism, even in first-time attendees. With more than 1000 events across seven days, spread out from Darling Harbour to Chippendale and other city-fringe suburbs, SXSW Sydney (15 to 22 October) introduces innovative concepts in tech, music, film, gaming, advertising and marketing to an expected 100,000 participants. But it’s less about the variety of subject matter, says Daniels, than the alchemy of these ideas intersecting. “What makes South by Southwest so special is the convergence. There are lots of conferences and events that are industry-specific but when you bring all those industries together, that’s when the magic happens.”

AI is expected to be a hot topic, with quantitative futurist Amy Webb (who Forbes decreed as one of the top five women changing the world) the first keynote speaker named. “We want to show you the optimistic side as well as the pessimistic side,” says Daniels. “Amy was talking about the future of AI long before many others were.”

Speaking of the future: about 300 emerging musical artists are slated to play across more than 500 showcases throughout the festival. “[SXSW Sydney head of music] Claire Collins saw Billie Eilish playing to 200 people. I saw Mumford & Sons when they were unsigned. That’s South by Southwest – it’s all about what’s next.”

Sleep in the heart of the Red Centre and witness Canberra in full bloom. Your next epic Australian getaway is calling – and you’ll find it at Qantas Hotels and Holidays.

QantasEarn3Points per$1

QANTAS HOTELS

Choose from more than 500,000 of the world’s best stays qantas.com/ hotels

Score last-minute school holiday deals

Over the next 30 days, book the best hotel offers for you and your family at Qantas Hotel Deals (qantas.com/hotels/deals). You’ll find bonus Qantas Points, Classic Rewards and Luxury Hotel offers on properties such as DoubleTree by Hilton Perth , where guests have a choice of city- or river-view rooms just a short walk from Elizabeth Quay and the iconic Bell Tower. You can use cash or points to book – or a combination of both with Points Plus Pay.

QANTAS FLY & STAY

Package your hotel with flights and save qantas.com/ holidays

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Discover outback luxury

Opulent yet laid-back and singularly Australian, Sails in the Desert at Ayers Rock Resort is a bucket-list stay.

Iconic white sails shelter 228 airy rooms and suites arranged around a gum-tree-shaded pool, close to Uluru. Be sure to secure your stay today with a 20% deposit.1 Search Qantas

Luxury Holidays to book.

Earn points with Airbnb

Book your Airbnb via Qantas Hotels and you’ll earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1 spent. You’ll also receive a bonus 500 Qantas Points 3 on your first booking.

See Australia in spring

As the weather warms up, events take off around the country. Check in to the sleek Ovolo Nishi in Canberra as Floriade blooms from September or book a stay at Vibe Hotel Darling Harbour (pictured) – a dip in the heated rooftop pool is a must – ahead of the first-ever SXSW Sydney in October. Better yet, bundle your hotel and flights with Qantas Holidays to pack in more value – and save your money by using Qantas Points to book.

Two people can stay three nights from $1,555 or 133,934 Qantas Points Save 30%

When you book with Qantas Luxury Holidays, you’ll receive:

Daily buffet breakfast

1 x Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner for two (valued at $770)

Return airport coach transfers

Complimentary Indigenous Experiences (Didgeridoo Workshop, Bush Food Experience and Bush Yarns)

Offer ends 30 September 2023 2

Book now for summer

Did you know that, on average, travellers book their holidays 63 days out from their departure date? So now’s the time to get in early and score the best summer escapes.

Colour and sound therapy

Try the healing therapies at Aurora Spa & Bathhouse – and the luxury hotel that’s right next door.

Story by Natalie Reilly

“This is going to sound a bit woo-woo” is an opener my friends, family and a few Uber drivers are tired of hearing. But after I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (an autoimmune disease that causes exhaustion, dry skin and a sluggish metabolism) and found medication didn’t really help, I turned to alternative treatments.

Six years ago, I would have considered colour and sound therapy a hobby for people with toe rings and tie-dye shawls but I’m open-minded when I arrive at Aurora Spa & Bathhouse (auroraspa.com.au), at Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, to meet with founder and wellness guru Lyndall

Mitchell. Colour or “chromotherapy” has been around since the ancient Egyptians and is meant to heal, reduce stress, aid sleep and promote focus. Sound therapy is said to do much the same; both will play out while I soak in a magnesium bath.

Mitchell doesn’t greet; she hugs. “I have a rule here,” she tells me later. “No small talk. We can ask how you are because we can help to improve that. But we don’t ask how work is – we want you to feel present, cared for.”

In my room at the adjoining InterContinental Sorrento, I change into swimmers, throw on a robe and pad back down to the airy waiting room. I’m sipping herbal tea when I meet sound therapist Daniel Byrne of Cymatic Harmony. He’ll be using crystal singing bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, chimes and bells for the next hour.

Mitchell guides 20 of us in a meditation. In between slow breaths, she asks us to focus on the colour green and its associations: Rebirth. Growth. Abundance. Then we’re led silently into a darkened room where only a green light is visible above the baths.

Mitchell has explained that magnesium soaking isn’t just an ancient practice but a vitamin pill for your skin. While Daniel gongs away, I sink into the water and try to welcome the instrument’s vibrations, the green light and a debt-free lifestyle into my consciousness. After 30 minutes in 40-degree heat, my heart is pounding as I get out of the pool and head back to my room for a cold shower. Guided by a force larger than myself, I order a huge bowl of fries from room service. I don’t think this is the abundance Mitchell had in mind.

But back home in Sydney, I put my head on the pillow and don’t move for 14 hours. And I’ve never slept that long in my life.

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With its open roof and sporty feel, this convertible is ideal for Australian conditions. No coincidence then that it was designed by one of our own.

Story by Noelle Faulkner

Now that looks like fun. Absolutely. Drop-top, BMW's 3.0-litre turbo inline six-cylinder engine, 8-speed transmission, 408W 12-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound system, sport-focused suspension, rear-wheel-drive, M Sport electronic limited-slip differential, M Sport snappy brakes and an incredibly precise steering feel. What more do you want from a good-time car? How much power and torque does the engine have? The newly updated M40i is the top spec out of two variants and has an output of 285 kW and 500 Nm and can hit 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. It looks good from the outside, too. The elongated front three-quarter is what gives it that beautiful sense of emotion, freedom and attack. Fun fact: The exterior of this generation of BMW Z4 was originally designed by an Aussie, Sydney-born Calvin Luk, who now heads up the car maker’s Shanghai studio. When the third-generation Z4 launched, he said it was designed to be the “epitome of a pure driving machine”. Convertibles are a rarity these days, no? Sadly, the small performance roadster is becoming an endangered species and BMW has said it will soon wrap up production of the Z4 so the chances of owning one are dwindling. Is it good for long drives? Convertibles get a bad rap but the Z4 is super-comfortable. The seats are well-bolstered (and heated), it comes with USB-A and USB-C ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's also moderately economical for a performance car, with a 7.5 l/100 km consumption claim. What about the price? From $139,800, plus on-road costs. bmw.com.au

A one-of-a-kind collection.

The Artisan Series consists of 50 one-of-a-kind pieces to commemorate each year of Linneys’ storied history. Hand-crafted using incredibly rare Argyle pink diamonds, this collection celebrates the unique natural beauty of WA’s most prized gems. Each piece not only offers the owner an item of exceptional rarity and value, but also the privilege of becoming the custodian of one of nature’s most exquisite gifts.

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From the latest novels to classic books, these are our page-turning picks.

Story by Michael Williams

The book everyone is reading Next year, when literary awards season rolls around, expect to see the name Sara M Saleh on all the shortlists. Her remarkable debut novel, Songs for the Dead and the Living, follows a Palestinian family’s journey from the outskirts of Beirut to Australia. It captures powerfully the stories of refugees but with a specificity and grace that comes from a singular, very

personal set of experiences. Saleh’s background as an award-winning poet is apparent in each beautiful sentence and the story of Jamilah and her family will have you buying this release for all the booklovers in your life.

The book you should be reading Sarah Firth is a seriously talented comic artist. Her drawings burst off the page and the energy and fun in her storytelling is always a treat. Eventually Everything Connects, her first graphic novel, is a collection of illustrated essays – memoir, philosophy, comedy, critical thinking – all in beautiful and explosive colour. Even if you typically don’t read graphic novels, make an exception for this exceptional book.

The non-fiction to know about I’ll Let Myself In by Hannah Diviney is a collection of autobiographical essays about growing up disabled in Australia. Writer, advocate, editor – even actor, in the terrific SBS series Latecomers – Diviney presents a challenge to conventional narratives about disability. Her stories on how to navigate a world that excludes or limits people with disability will move, challenge and even delight you.

The classic to revisit Tony Birch’s 2019 novel, The White Girl, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and has won countless other prizes. The story of Odette Brown and her granddaughter, Sissy, who are fighting to avoid the attention of welfare authorities removing Aboriginal children from their communities, is everything that makes Birch – who also writes short stories and poetry – a beloved author. It’s a beautifully written page-turner full of characters who will live on in the Australian literary memory for generations to come.

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Committed to being committed

Just minutes from Byron Bay, this new luxury private retreat is the perfect setting for an easy group escape. Story by Alex Greig

Pulling off Hinterland Way onto Plantation Drive en route to Villa Riad (villariad.com.au) in Ewingsdale, 10 minutes from downtown Byron Bay, offers a taste of what’s to come. It feels exclusive and secluded, with large properties set back from the road, half-hidden among tangled vines, palms and knotty figs.

Upon entry to the sprawling whitewashed property, via an impressively large decorative timber door, the effect is immediate calm. Inspired by a traditional Moroccan riad, the property is enclosed

and lush, with subtropical gardens and trickling water features. There’s a series of suites within the main Gallery House plus three larger private garden villas, all loosely arranged around a fountain-fed magnesium pool (with accompanying traditional sauna).

The colour palette is white and natural timber alongside moody black and charcoal – Morocco by way of Bali and India. A wander around Villa 2 is an exciting journey of discovery. Is that bathroom basin a slab of hollowed-out petrified wood? Can I sit on that swing? What is that heavenly scent? And there are plenty of places to recline, artfully nibbling grapes or sipping wine – in your outdoor stone bath beneath a sparkling night sky, for instance, or on a sunlounger by the pool.

Accommodating up to 22 guests, the property is booked as a whole so it’s made for intimate events or escapes – a small wedding, a healing retreat or a family reunion would make excellent use of this serene hideaway.

Owner Elsa Comiskey envisions a place where your cares are deposited outside the distinctive front door. She plans to work with guests to create a personalised experience for each group, drawing upon contacts acquired during her 20 years in the area. Choose from healers, beauty therapists, yoga instructors and chefs, such as Simon Favorito – founder of the Conscious Cooking Academy – who’ll create wonders in your villa’s sleek kitchen while you graze on warm olives and sourdough. And he’ll top up your glass while he’s at it.

5 things to know

What to read, listen to, buy and wear now.

Compiled by Natalie Reilly

Book

What is there to say about a building so monumental it threatens to overshadow the city it was built in? Transcendence: 50 Years of Unforgettable Moments at the Sydney Opera House celebrates the iconic structure with recollections of the House from some of Australia’s best-loved artists, including Deborah Mailman, Tim Minchin and Simone Young. In bookstores from 26 September.

Beauty

Co-founded in Perth by Imogen van Haagen and Courtney

Thornton, Mud Organics focuses on beauty from within.

Its supplements are boosted with fulvic acid, a naturally occurring compound that is said to reduce inflammation, and sea buckthorn, an antioxidant-rich plant. The company’s lush Sea Buckthorn Serum ($75; mudorganics.com.au), designed to nourish all skin types, has become its bestseller.

Podcast

Inside the Tribe, a true-crime series hosted by award-winning Australian journalist and author Tim Elliott, follows the story of Mark and Rose, parents to two small kids, who came across a Christian sect in 1996 called the 12 Tribes. Lured by the promise of tranquillity, acceptance and

communal living in the NSW Blue Mountains, the couple and their children soon found themselves in a world of dark rituals and extreme beliefs, under the influence of a charismatic leader who forced them into more than a decade of virtual slavery.

Style

Launched just three years ago in the middle of lockdown, Sydney fashion label Alémais is the brainchild of Australian-Lebanese designer and creative director Lesleigh Jermanus. It’s also now one of the most sought-after brands around. Want proof?

Alémais opened Australian Fashion Week in May (below; alemais.com) and its whimsical, consciously made clothing and jewellery are stocked everywhere

from Net-A-Porter to Harvey Nichols. The latest covetable collection drops next month.

Gadget

Experts suggest that regular sauna sessions can improve sleep, energy and your immune system but who has the time?

Enter the Heat Healer Infrared Sauna Blanket ($898; heathealer. com), a heated sleeping bag you can take almost anywhere. The homegrown design has a bed of 96 smooth jade and tourmaline stones that help conduct and disperse infrared heat while blocking electromagnetic fields. It’s certified non-toxic and made with the same fabric used in astronaut space suits – all you have to do is put it in a comfortable place, hop in, zip up and relax.

A watchmaking icon gets crowned in

The colour purple was once revered as the ultimate status symbol. In times past, it exuded power and wealth, mainly because it was so fiendishly difficult to get hold of. (Purple dye was sourced back then from the mucous glands of a particular type of sea snail and the process to extract it was as fiddly as it sounds.) Fitting then that one of the world’s most sought-after watch brands would use this regal hue to update an icon.

Since its launch in 1932, the Calatrava has become the quintessential dress watch and a byword for refined understatement. Now it’s letting its hair down with this exuberant makeover. “It’s a funkier watch for Patek Philippe and feels more a la mode,” says Julian Farren-Price, owner of Sydneybased luxury watch-seller, J Farren-Price. As Patek’s longest standing authorised retailer in Australia, the boutique has sold countless iterations of the Calatrava over the years. Few have been so brazen.

There’s a richness and shimmer emanating from a dial embossed with concentric waves and coated with more than 50 layers of translucent lacquer. Adding extra pizzazz, the face is framed by a 35-millimetre rose-gold case that’s set with 76 diamonds. Flip it over to see the open caseback, which highlights Patek’s impeccably finished Calibre 240 movement. It’s housed in an ultra-thin case that’s just 7.4 millimetres thick to ensure an elegant silhouette. But as the bold shade of the calfskin strap reminds you, this watch is no shrinking violet.

purple. Story by Luke Benedictus

Patek Philippe Calatrava self-winding, rose-gold and diamond watch / $56,150 / jfarrenprice.com.au

The Olympics may be nine years away but Brisbane (Meeanjin) isn’t wasting any time getting out of the starting blocks, with its jewel in the crown, entertainment precinct Queens Wharf, starting to take shape. The best place to witness the changing skyline is from the 870-metre-long Brisbane Riverwalk, which takes pedestrians and cyclists from the city to New Farm on a floating walkway. Plan your wander so you finish at Howard Street Wharves, under the city’s storied Story Bridge, and then choose your reward, from a tasting paddle at Felons Brewing Co. to saganaki at Greek taverna Greca.

David Chatfield

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ON COUNTRY

The

As told to Nina Fitzgerald, with additional reporting by Bek Day and Genevra Leek

shifting of tides. The gathering of Community. The sharing of knowledge. Eight First Nations people speak to their unique connection to land, water and sky.

Latrell Mitchell Biripi Wiradjuri man and National Rugby League player

Biripi Country, Taree region, NSW

“The first thing I do when I turn off the highway to come home to Biripi Country is wind down all the windows and switch off the radio. I let the air rush in and I still get goosebumps every time. The air in Taree hits different and as I let it in, I also let my old people know that I’m home. My connection to Country can’t be described in words; it has to be felt in the body.

I own two properties out here – I’ve got Mum and Dad on 50 acres where we run 30 head of Angus cattle. We’ve hosted leadership camps for city kids on the farm, which for me is about letting the next generation know that they’re welcome on my land, just like I’m welcome on theirs. I know a lot of our heritage has been lost but watching them connect to something greater than themselves here, it’s pretty special for me.

I feel incredibly proud that I’ve been able to anchor my family on our land because it’s so much more than just a place. It’s where my heart lies, where my ties are, where our old people are. The trees, the sky, the water – they all tell a story but my connection to the Nowendoc River, which runs into the Manning River, is especially deep. One songline starts at the beginning and another finishes at the end. My family is at both ends of that journey.”

Photography by Elise Hassey

Magnolia Maymuru

Yolŋu woman, actress and model

Galuru (East Woody Beach), Nhulunbuy, East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory

“I’ve been coming here since I was little. After school, our parents would panic, not knowing where we were, but we were just down here trying to crack some oysters. I’ve lost friends and family that I used to hunt here with so it’s a very special place where we have memories. A sentimental place with beautiful sunsets.

A long time ago, this was a sacred meeting spot for Elders. We still camp here as adults and I like to take my little girl. I don’t trust her to climb on the mangroves alone yet, though she tries. It’s really beautiful just to see how I once was as a child. I love teaching her – Western knowledge and Yolŋu. I want my daughter to get it from me first.”

Magnolia wears a Maara Collective dress

Photography by Nina Fitzgerald

Ben Bowen

Wiradjuri man and CEO, Indigenous Literacy Foundation

“There’s a little spot in Rozelle, down on the harbour, where we’ve got a significant midden and carving site that still exists in plain sight. It’s a place where I grew up, learning from my nan and Community about fishing, harvesting and the seasons. Now, I’m raising my own kids there. The old fellas from the Community have been trying to protect this site for a long time.

Our family are Wiradjuri and Gandangara freshwater mob from inland and we do have saltwater blood through other family connections from the Dharawal and Yuin Nations. So we’re connected on multiple levels to this site. It’s a place where the ocean currents and tides push into the harbour and up the river, and the freshwater that’s coming from inland pushes back out.

Aboriginal people talk about how we don’t own Country – we have a responsibility to Country and we’re the voice for Country. But we also have this flip side to our identity that we are Country. It’s this concept that – after 250 years in a place like Sydney, where there’s been a huge amount of development – Country endures. We can still connect to sites that may be under concrete. We may have let grass grow over them but we still do know them. We know how to use language to breathe life and connect to Country. And that’s the most important thing because when we pass, we become Country – a connection that is unbroken.”

The Point, Callan Park, Rozelle, Gadigal/Wangal Country, NSW

Photography by Nick Cubbin

Narelda Jacobs

Whadjuk Noongar woman and journalist

Lesmurdie Falls, Mundy Regional Park, Noongar Country, Western Australia

“Think of the most beautiful places that you’ve been to – that’s Country. When you stand in a place and think, ‘Gosh, this is beautiful’, well, that is probably a very spiritual place. And it’s been appreciated for 65,000 years. It just so happens that you’re the last one to appreciate it.

When I go back to Perth there’s endless sky. The Derbal Yerrigan [Swan River] is gorgeous. It hugs the city and leads all the way to the Wheatbelt where my dad was born. He was stolen and sent to a place called Mogumber Mission. He wanted to instil in us a sense of belonging and identity so we always knew that we were Noongar. The whole Noongar Country is special because everything is Country, everywhere is Country.”

Photography by Jason Capobianco

Hair and make-up by Nicole Forde. Styling by Shannon McGuire. Narelda wears a Kirrikin dress

Graham Bootsie Thorpe

Gunai Elder and health advocate, Dardi Munwurro

“Growing up in East Gippsland, I just remember feeling free. I came to Melbourne when I was around 11 – Dad had come down looking for work. When I say Dad, that was my grandfather – my grandparents reared me from when I was three months old. Fitzroy frightened me; coming from the bush it was like going to Las Vegas. But we’ve got connections everywhere we go. That’s what our people are like.

Dardi Munwurro [strong spirit] is a gathering place where we can come together for a yarn. I’m an Elder. My role is the love and the respect. That’s my way of helping the Community and looking after my people. And it’s bringing the unity back into Community, because it went for a while. When you get to my age, you know, you see it, you hear it, you feel it – the separation from people. So that’s what this is, a meeting place. Everybody is welcome.”

Aunty Alma Thorpe’s Gathering Space, Preston, Wurundjeri Country, Victoria

Photography by Michelle Tran

Mural artwork by Gunai artist Ray Thomas (cousin to Thorpe)

Ruth Langford

Yorta Yorta woman and founder of Nayri Niara and The Good Spirit Festival

Waterfall Bay, Tasman National Park, lutruwita/Tasmania

“Waterfall Bay is a place of such beauty, power and magnificence. It replenishes me. I first went with family and have memories of eating fresh fish sitting around the campfire. It’s not my mother’s blood Country but it was certainly the Country that I learnt to walk on. It’s the place that I go when I’m feeling confused or conflicted – Country gives me guidance. On one side you have the expansiveness of the sun and the open sea. On the other side, towering bush and trees and waterfalls. The climb up the mountain gets rid of all the anxiety and toxins or any anger I’m carrying. I cross a little stream where I stop; I put the water in my mouth and then I release the water back out and remind myself, I am water. When I reach the sea cliff, I sit, contemplating, observing, open to the spirit of Country to teach me what it is that I need to know. On the climb down, if there’s anything I need to let go of, I strip all my gear off and then plunge under the waterfall’s icy cold water. Solutions always come to me, without fail.

As First Nations people, we all have that place. We may not physically be able to go to it but we can tune into it. And we can call out to that Country and our ancestors. We can say, ‘Please help me. Give me some guidance and protection.’ That’s the beauty of the feeling of belonging.”

Hair and make-up by Sophie McDermott

Photography by Adam Gibson

Zaachariaha Fielding Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) person, artist

and musician

APY Studio and Gallery, Adelaide (Tarntanya), South Australia

“When I am in my work, I observe the space in the room. Everyone is in their own stillness. It’s their happy place. For me, it is my Mimili Community. I hang out there, inside my mind. Land has an authority over our mental state, of humans and how they think. Going back home reminds me of who is in control. There is a disconnect in cities. Land connects me back. Stillness. Trees do it, mountains do it. Regal. Natural.

I work alongside all of my Elders and emerging artists in this space. This place has given me the opportunity to reminisce on our songlines and history. Our songlines are about land and how we are in collaboration with the land. Are one with it.

I have a really beautiful memory of being a child, being around my Elders. The gossip, the Anangu humour, the tea. Reminiscing of grandmothers and grandfathers. I am a sharp observer; I rely on my creativity. I try to simplify my work. Sorrow and joy, in harmony.”

Photography by Josie Withers

Alisha Geary Gurang Gurang, Deibau and Wuthathi woman, entrepreneur and co-founder of Thirsty Turtl skincare

Gurang Gurang Country (Bundaberg region), Queensland

“This is my dad’s country. He’s Gurang Gurang and the Bundaberg area is Gurang Gurang Country. We’re people from where the rainforest meets the ocean. It’s gorgeous and Dad still comes here when he’s feeling homesick.

Mum’s family lives on Thursday Island now but she’s from Badu Island and the Aboriginal side of her family is Wuthathi. Growing up in the Torres Strait Islands, my family shared really valuable knowledge but it’s never written down. A lot of our culture’s medicinal practices are still largely undiscovered – if those people were to disappear, who else knows it? I’m excited about the potential to preserve a lot of those stories about the amazing native botanicals that we have.

I now live on the Gold Coast with my sister. It’s a little city but it’s got the rainforest and the beach, all the elements of where I’m from. I’ve travelled the world and a lot of people still don’t know what Indigenous Australian culture is. We’re the oldest surviving culture in the world and we have a responsibility to pass it forward.”

Photography by Elise Hassey

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THE MENU

From lazy Susans and rattling trolleys to messy tables crowded with baskets, the ritual of yum cha remains a beloved Australian dining tradition.

Story by Myffy Rigby

A chaotic, rambunctious experience of perennially leaky teapots, spilled chilli and soy sauce. The piling of steam baskets, the clattering of plates. Friends and families gathered together on a weekend. One of the most beautiful things about the ritual of yum cha is its inclusiveness – it’s affordable and all are welcome.

A centuries-old Southern Chinese tradition of a social morning meal of tea and dim sum (small but hearty snacks), yum cha means “drink tea” in Cantonese and its first Australian appearances were in Sydney and Melbourne’s Chinatowns.

It was Denis Wong, the late legendary nightclub proprietor, who changed the way many Aussies spend their weekend mornings. The owner of Chequers nightclub, which once ruled Sydney’s Goulburn Street, Wong is widely credited with bringing yum cha to Australia in the mid-1970s when he began serving weekend dim sum at his 24-hour restaurant, the Mandarin Club. By the late ’80s it had become a fixture.

Fanatics will tell you to steer clear of the fried stuff. But that would mean missing the salt and pepper squid or savoury Chinese doughnuts wrapped in soft folds of rice noodle and forgoing the trolleys piled high with crisp fried dumplings filled with thin slices of pork, beef and prawn. Not to mention the mobile hotplate trolley dishing out radish cakes and fried rice noodles dressed with sesame and hoisin sauce.

High-end yum cha lends itself to a little less chaos, with restaurants such as Melbourne’s much-loved, two-hatted Flower Drum (flowerdrum.melbourne) and Sydney Cantonese fine-diner Mr. Wong (merivale.com) both offering à la carte yum cha – something that didn’t really exist when Cantonese fare first gained popularity in Australia.

For Mr. Wong chef Dan Hong, yum cha was a big part of his food upbringing. “The quality would change from place to place, depending on which restaurant had the best dim sum chef,” he recalls. In the ’80s, the Tingha Palace in Parramatta (now part of the Parra Leagues club; parraleagues.com.au) was “a huge place that always had a line”. In the early ’90s, the Hongs gravitated to Kam Fook in Haymarket or over Chatswood way to Chequers Seafood Restaurant (both have since closed).

Flower Drum has three specialised dumpling chefs on rotation and has been doing yum cha for the past 35 years. “We generally stick with the classics and do them well,” says general manager Jason Lui. But he notes that the influx of Chinese migrants to Australia has broadened the scope of dumpling options. The restaurant’s har gow (widely considered the benchmark and one of the hardest to get right) is a silken thing of gossamer-like dumpling skin enveloping sweet prawn meat, gently steamed and served with a selection of condiments, including the housemade XO sauce. Berkshire pork xiao long bao is another highlight.

There’s a certain pride in getting a yum cha order right and seeing all your favourites land on the table. “I'm never satisfied until I get all the dishes I intend to get,” says Hong. “Prawn dumplings [har gow], braised chicken feet with black bean sauce [feng zhao] and the sesame prawn roll, a deep-fried prawn-filled roll wrapped in thin rice paper and crusted in sesame seeds.”

Regardless of your order, one thing remains consistent – the tables are made for big groups. “The situation of your table decides how satisfying your meal will be,” says Hong. “That's why a larger table of four to six people is the best because these types of tables are never stuck in the corner. It’s all about how much traffic your table will receive and how often trolleys go past. A table right near the kitchen is an absolute jackpot.”

Where to find the best yum cha

VIC Crystal Jade

It’s all about the à la carte here in Melbourne’s colourful Chinatown (crystaljademelbourne.com.au). Take a group, order widely and always leave room for an egg tart.

Lee Ho Fook

Located in the centre of Melbourne, this beloved Chinese diner from chef Victor Liong (leehofook.com.au) now has a set brunch yum cha menu. Enjoy local slipper lobster, char siu laminated beef puffs and char siu bao.

Flower Drum

One of Melbourne’s oldest and most respected Chinese restaurants, Flower Drum (flowerdrum.melbourne) offers refined classics made with the best Australian produce and is frequented by rock stars and Hollywood celebs.

Chef and owner Victor Liong of Lee Ho Fook, Melbourne

NSW The Dynasty

This is the gold standard when it comes to suburban yum cha, located in the Canterbury League Club (canterbury.com.au) in south-west Sydney. Come for the steamed spare ribs, stay for the mango pancake.

Mr. Wong

Dan Hong’s fine-dining Cantonese restaurant (merivale.com) in Sydney’s CBD serves à la carte yum cha, including excellent roast duck and chive dumplings and luscious prawn toast topped with foie gras.

Palace Chinese Restaurant

An old favourite with chefs, office workers and families in the Sydney CBD (palacechinese.com.au), this 250-seater is the place for fried pork bean curd rolls and lava custard buns.

TAS

Me Wah

The well-loved Cantonese restaurant in Hobart’s Sandy Bay (mewah.com.au) dishes up pink ling dumplings, eggplant fried with red miso and the all-important Chinese greens.

QLD

Golden Palace

A classic eatery in the heart of Fortitude Valley, Golden Palace (thegoldenpalace.com.au) has been feeding Brisbane dumpling fans for generations. Don’t miss the chicken sticky rice wrapped in a lotus leaf or white ox tripe with ginger and shallot.

SA Star House

A top yum cha pick of chef and Adelaide food guru Cheong Liew, Star House (@starhouse31), in the city centre, dishes up delectable roast meats and chicken feet. Expect a busy, buzzing full house on weekends.

Zenhouse

Here’s one for the vegetarians. Zenhouse (zenhouse.com.au) has been serving Radelaide residents vegetarian and vegan yum cha options since 2006. Try steamed mini lotus buns and crisp, puffy salt and pepper tofu.

WA

Northbridge

Chinese Restaurant

If you’re not visiting this inner-city Perth institution (@northbridge chineserestaurant) for the Chinese doughnuts stuffed with prawn and wrapped in soft rice noodle sheets then it must be for the chicken pie with shortcrust pastry or the scallop and prawn siu mai.

Canton Lane

Baked barbecue pork buns are the dim sum to bet on at this eastern Perth restaurant (cantonlane.com.au), along

with stuffed eggplant with black bean sauce. For those of you arriving the morning after a big night out, there’s pork and preserved egg congee.

Fortune Five

Chinese Restaurant

An exhaustive dim sum menu means plenty of choice at this Northbridge eatery (fortunefive.net.au). Go for steamed glutinous rice with chicken and salted egg, maybe, or scallop rice flour rolls. Beef tendon with barbecue sauce is a smart choice for something silky or try prawn and chive dumplings for a taste of the fried kind.

Crispy dough and prawn rice flour roll (top) and baked barbecue pork buns at Canton Lane, Perth

This is the insider’s guide to eating and drinking in the Adelaide CBD.

As told to Stephanie Wood

When David Swain and Sharon Romeo (above) opened Fino Vino (finovino.net.au) in 2019 they injected the DNA of their winery restaurant, Fino Seppeltsfield, into Adelaide. And something else: Romeo’s exuberant warmth as front-of-house dynamo. In a textured space – brick and stone, leather and timber – she guides diners through a drinks list popping with sherries and interesting varietals and on to Swain’s snappy menu. It favours the housemade (chorizo with pickled green tomato made to Romeo’s late father’s method), likes its vegetables and signs off with a totemic crema catalana. Here, she shares her pick of dining haunts in the city centre.

Clever Little Tailor for the Martini

“I love classic cocktails and my choice at Clever Little Tailor, aka Clevers or CLT (cleverlittletailor. com.au), is a very clean Martini using their own gin, Brighter Later Marine Ultra Savoury Dry Gin. CLT is intimate, with a great vibe but not toocool-for-school, and has a thoughtful list of eclectic wines and snacks, such as Ortiz anchovies.”

My Kingdom

For A Horse for a caffeine hit

“This wonderful little café (mykingdomforahorse. com.au) roasts its own beans and serves great coffee – I order a piccolo. It has an all-day menu with things like blue swimmer crab omelette, a bacon butty that uses Hahndorf thick-cut bacon and excellent shakshouka eggs. But really, it's just the bloody great coffee.”

Market St café for the croque monsieur

“I absolutely love this tiny café (marketst.com.au). The owners also have a bread shop called Dough at the Central Market so they make the best toasties using their own sourdough. My pick is the croque monsieur. They also do a twist on a Reuben sandwich using kimchi with the pastrami and cheese instead of sauerkraut.”

Wah Hing for the salt and pepper tofu

“On my drives between the Barossa Valley and my Port Willunga home, I sometimes stop in at Chinatown to pick up excellent Chinese from this family-run business (wahhingrestaurant.com. au). God, it’s good – their tea-smoked duck, the beautiful steamed chicken with ginger and shallot, fantastic fried rice. And salt and pepper tofu – my go-to comfort food.”

Etica for pizza with integrity

“Etica (etica.pizza) is an institution that serves wood-oven-cooked pizza, thin and beautiful like in Naples. How can you go wrong with a traditional Napoletana using fior di latte? We’ve had an influx of pizza places in the past couple of years but the owners at Etica have remained true to what they do. They have such integrity and use ethically sourced produce.”

Africola for peri peri chicken and pipis

“Everybody knows about Africola (africola.com.au), South-African-born star chef Duncan Welgemoed’s take on African food. He creates an amazing atmosphere in an eclectic, colourful, mismatched space; it’s probably the most fun place to be in Adelaide. And he does a really good peri peri chicken and the best pipi dish with fermented chilli.”

Clever Little Tailor

Etica Africola

Conti roll from Deli’s Continental, Perth.

“This is the best conti roll” are fighting words in Perth. Everyone has their favourite charcuterie-stuffed deli sandwich and most are layered not just with fillings but childhood nostalgia, too. “It’s what we all grew up with,” says chef Stev Makhlouta from Deli’s Continental (@delis_continental). “It’s bread, some kind of cured meat, a bit of pickle, maybe lettuce and tomato. That’s home for a lot of people.”

When Makhlouta and his business partners decided to create a conti roll at the Inglewood sandwich shop that started as a pop-up in 2020, they figured it would be a sleeper hit at most. “We thought we’d sell maybe 20 rolls in our first week,” says Makhlouta of his Classico roll, which comes on crunchy

housemade bread and is stuffed with two salamis, mortadella, provolone, homemade pickles and salad that’s glued together with olive tapenade and a piquant sauce of capsicum, garlic and chilli. How wrong they were. “We ended up selling out of 20 rolls within about 20 minutes.”

Now the team sells about 1000 rolls a week and the people of Perth have spoken: Deli’s double-hander has triumphed at several “best conti roll” awards, often winning the public vote. But the chef insists that “best” is still relative and while he’s delighted to attract so much acclaim, he bows graciously to the competition. “There are so many banging conti rolls in Perth and while many of them have good ingredients, a lot of them are loved because you remember going there as a kid. When it comes to a conti roll from Western Australia, nostalgia holds just as much weight and value.”

Story by Alexandra Carlton

Chef Ben Russell from Rothwell’s recalls one perfect meal in Melbourne.

As told to Pat Nourse

“I don’t think anyone else was wearing damp swimming trunks in the dining room that day but I feel certain it wasn’t a first. France-Soir has seen it all. The neon sign over the door has lit the way since 1986, the aesthetic going in and out of fashion, but Melbourne has never lost its taste for the very French brand of hospitality this restaurant is all about. This visit was in the wilderness between Christmas and New Year in 2016. There was no particular occasion other than that I’d been swimming at St Kilda with friends and we were seeking refuge from scorching heat and a strong wind.

I had history with France-Soir. I grew up in a small town in Tasmania and moved to Melbourne in 1995 to get into restaurants. The first time I went there, I remember asking for bread with the cheese course and feeling very chuffed to have won some cred with the unimpressible floor staff. The last meal I shared with my father was in this restaurant. So I approached it with some nostalgia.

We sat outside. We ate oysters with lemon and mignonette dressing. There was marinated salmon with crème fraîche, onion, chive and dill; a Provençal salad with green bean, potato, egg and tomato; and duck rillettes with cornichon. We did all the hits: the steak tartare, dressed with a confident hand and plated up with potato chips; the brains, fried golden in crumbs and cut with a bitey caper mayonnaise and leaves of watercress. We kept lubricated with a few Kronenbourgs, a cool bottle of chablis and even a splash of pastis. Years later, France-Soir was a key reference for me and Dan Clark when we were talking about what our restaurant, Rothwell’s, could be. If we’ve captured even a little of the magic, we’ve done something right. Long may it reign.”

France-Soir 11-13 Toorak Road, South Yarra; (03) 9866 8569; france-soir.com.au

Rothwell’s 235 Edward Street, Brisbane; (07) 3038 1169; rothwellsbrisbane.com.au

ELEGANT HANDCRAFTED WINES FROM THE YARRA VALLEY

TAKE THE MEMORY WITH YOU...

Jo McGann

Abrolhos Island scallops at Apollo Inn, Melbourne

Where to eat, drink and be seen right now.

VIC Apollo Inn

When renowned restaurateur Andrew McConnell (the wizard behind Gimlet, Supernormal and Cumulus Inc.) whispers that something new is brewing, it’s best to take notice. His latest baby is cocktail bar Apollo Inn (apolloinn.bar), which sits a few footsteps from Gimlet in Melbourne’s CBD. Early adopter guests are talking about the impeccable Martinis – of course – and the raw Abrolhos Island scallops served in the shell with their own tiny bottle of orange vinaigrette to season as you please.

Odd Culture

The concept behind Sydney’s Odd Culture Group (oddculture.group) is everything fermented, brewed, wild and weird – that applies to the food as well as what comes in a glass. The new Melbourne offshoot in Fitzroy (a bottle shop and wine bar on one premises) takes this promise even further, with a massive collection of lambic and farmhouse beers, Burgundy and Jura wines, plus the OG OC signature cocktail: the Sour Negroni. Snacks are simple and almost all lean saline – anchovies, pickles, terrines and charcuterie. They’re served in a space designed for up to 300 ferment fans.

NSW Alfie’s

The indefatigable team behind Newcastle’s South American-style barbecue restaurant Meet and The Criterion Hotel has turned its cooking

compass to Italy with the opening of this charming neighbourhood trattoria (alfiesitalian.com) in New Lambton. The pastas are simple, seasonal and brimming with comfort but perhaps the biggest drawcard is the high rotation of by-the-glass wines from the nearby Hunter Valley and further afield.

The Smoking Camel Light Years and Moonlight are two of the most alluring places to sink a drink and a snack in Byron Bay. Now the same crew has opened this Middle East-inflected sibling (thesmokingcamel.com) on Lawson Street, serving tumbles of mezze including chargrilled veg and meat with flavours referencing Turkey, Israel and Lebanon.

Moku

Japanese with a native Australian twist?

It’s not a classic combo just yet but this tiny bar and omakase restaurant in Sydney’s Darlinghurst makes a strong case for the pairing (mokusydney.com). The sea urchin and caviar served on what looks like a wedge of crystal (but is actually cleverly processed potato starch) is the bite on everyone’s lips. Though it’s not quite as shiny or sparkly, the drinks menu also deserves some attention: there’s a focus on Japanese whisky, plus a bottomless Highball brunch every Saturday.

WA Small Print

Perth’s beloved multi-venue Print Hall has spawned this perfectly petite but packs-a-punch basement wine bar (printhall.com.au). The idea is that you can start your night here with a cheese

plate or charcuterie and maybe a glass of something from South Australia’s Hither & Yon or a clean albariño from Spain, before taking the party upstairs to the more bombastic Print Hall. It’s also just as easy to drop by, settle in and linger over a drink or two.

QLD Patio

Breweries are straying from their lane and into the bar game, with one of the most recent and anticipated being pretty Patio (patiobyrange.com), from the team behind Range Brewery. There’s a delightfully retro feel to the indoor/outdoor space in Brisbane’s Paddington, with mustard and maroon tones, vintage furniture, bare brick and timber panelling that would look at home in a 1970s pub. But the drinks and food are 100 per cent modern: there’s a range of 10 beers on tap, a selection of understated cocktails and snacks including beef and ’nduja meatball subs, gildas and woodfired pizzas.

SA

La Louisiane

Alexis Besseau, former head chef of Sydney’s cult classic Restaurant Hubert, has been lured to Adelaide to lead this sultry French diner on King William Street (lalouisiane.com.au). Every French culinary fantasy is dished up at this shimmering sanctuary of late-night Martinis and weekend jazz: gruyère soufflé, escargots, tartare and steak with the inevitable frites. There are no bookings so wander in whenever the mood strikes. How very louche, how very French.

Story by Alexandra Carlton

The Canberra District has more than 35 cellar doors.

Better stay awhile.

Story by Alexandra Carlton

“What I love about Canberra wineries is that they’re all boutique,” says Laura Jallier, a guide with Van du Vin (vanduvin.com.au), which offers a range of wine tours. “A lot of them still operate out of tin sheds.” The district’s cellar doors are the kind where you can have a tasting, a chinwag with the winemaker and a plate of local cheese or charcuterie for under $20. “Around here,” says Jallier, “people are all about the wines, the terroir and connection.”

The wineries

Mount Majura Vineyard

Sitting on one of the finest blocks of soil in the region – some have compared it to

Burgundy’s Côte-d’Or – Mount Majura (mountmajura.com.au) is a Canberra legend and technically the only winery located in the ACT itself rather than the outskirts of NSW. Famous for tempranillo, the cellar door is open daily for tastings.

Yarrh Wines

A peaceful hideaway at the end of a bush road, this tiny cellar door near Murrumbateman (yarrhwines.com.au) is worth the effort to find. There are several experiences to choose from but the pick is the Winemakers’ Tale, a tour that explores the sustainable, low-intervention vision shared by winemaker Fiona Wholohan and farmer Neil McGregor.

Gundog Estate

A Hunter Valley-based label, Gundog (gunddogestate.com.au) makes plenty of wines using Canberra fruit and serves

its range inside a cosy former stables in Gundaroo, about 30 minutes north of the capital’s CBD. Pull up a stool, order the pot pie of the day from next door’s Grazing restaurant and don’t forget to take home a jar of the pinot puttanesca sauce for later.

The spirits

The Canberra Distillery

Stop everything. These guys make a bright pink liqueur that tastes just like an old-school musk lolly. “Australians love it,” says manager India Brown, laughing. “Americans aren’t so sure.” It’s gimmicky but also wonderfully, playfully nostalgic. You can taste it, along with a range of classic gins, at the distillery’s Mitchell HQ (thecanberradistillery.com.au), about 15 minutes from the city centre.

The restaurants

Heywood

Nick O’Leary is one of the most recognisable names in these parts and now he’s augmented his much-loved riesling and shiraz with a sleek, vine-side restaurant in Wallaroo, about half an hour from Canberra (nickolearywines. com.au). Chef Matt Fely can transform even a ubiquitous burrata or crudo into something inventive. Perhaps surprisingly for a winery restaurant, cocktails such as the savoury-sweet It’s Go Thyme are a big drawcard, too.

Agostinis

Is there anything more snug on a frosty winter’s day than a wedge of lasagne enjoyed next to a roaring wood fire? That’s what you can expect at this delightful Italian restaurant at Lark Hill

Winery (larkhill.wine) on Canberra’s north-eastern outskirts. Visiting in the warmer months? The doors open out to the patio, where you can enjoy views of the vines in full foliage.

Such and Such

The team from adored fine-diner Pilot has opened a rambunctious, joy-filled small-plates eatery (andsuchandsuch. com) in the middle of the city, filled with bright colour and an even brighter welcome. The Sri Lankan-spiced school prawns have become an immediate crowd favourite, while the blue-eye with acqua pazza (“crazy water”) looks demure but packs a wallop.

Terra

Woodfired meat stars at this Braddon eatery (terracanberra.com.au) but the huge – and mainly low-intervention –

wine list waves energetically from the wings. Whether you order the pork belly, roast chicken or grilled eggplant, always ask for the exceptional housemade hot sauce on the side.

The stay Hotel Realm

It may be a bit out of the way from the hustle of the city centre but this Barton hotel (qantas.com/hotels/hotelrealm) makes up for its relative seclusion with views of the spire on top of Parliament House (and as any local will tell you, you’re never more than a 10-minute drive from anything in Canberra). Rooms and suites are sleek and functional, while the lure of the Realm Precinct restaurants, including Lilotang, Louis Dining and the pub-style Ostani Bar, is strong.

Agostinis Gundog Estate

Pirie Non Vintage

Andrew Pirie is Tassie’s vinous trailblazer. Think Pipers Brook, Apogee and Tamar Ridge, where he left his moniker on this benchmark (now Brown Familyowned) drop. A fresh citrus and white peach bouquet leads to a vibrant palate and zesty acidity.

Tasmania / NV / $35

Jansz Vintage Rosé

Jansz began as a collaboration between Heemskerk and Louis Roederer Champagne and is now owned by the Hill-Smith Family. This intense but graceful rosé has subtle white strawberry and candied apple flavours, plus a hint of marzipan.

Tasmania / 2018 / $57

Story by Peter Bourne

Tassie sparklings tend to command a high price – are they worth it? Absolutely. Tasmania is the epicentre of premium Australian sparkling wine. While we can’t call it “champagne”, fizz from the Apple Isle stands tall alongside the French benchmarks. What makes Tasmania’s version so special? The state’s cool maritime climate is perfect for growing chardonnay and pinot noir grapes that have subtle yet intense flavours and brisk acidity – essential ingredients for great sparkling wine. Why are some big-brand champagnes sold at a similar price? Tasmanian sparklings are made by the méthode traditionnelle, exactly the same complex and time-consuming process as used in Champagne. The only real difference is the terroir. And what difference does terroir make? It’s a French word to describe the soil, climate, aspect and the all-important human experience of wine production. The key difference between the terroir of Champagne and Tasmania is the geology; the former has lots of chalk, while the latter is rockier, its complex topography shaped by ancient oceans. So does that explain the difference in the taste? Yes. Though they taste different, the quality and pricing is very similar. What are the labels to look out for? The Arras and Stefano Lubiana sparklings are top-notch, as are those from Clover Hill. Apogee (Andrew Pirie’s new brand) is wonderful and try Bellebonne by Natalie Fryer, the fizz-ologist who made her name at Jansz. Can sparklings pair with food or are they just an apéritif? The vintage drops deserve food – especially seafood. Think scallops, Pacific oysters, abalone and rock lobster.

Delamere Blanc de Blancs

Fran Austin, who cut her teeth with Ed Carr at Arras, has partnered with her husband, Shane Holloway, to revitalise Delamere. The purity of chardonnay shines through with a lemon pith and oyster shell bouquet. Racy and fine-boned with an enticing tension.

Tasmania / 2016 / $70

House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged

This homage to Ed Carr was aged on its yeast lees for 13 years. Intensity and complexity are the key, with flavours of almond meal, toffee apple and exotic spices. It competes with the best from Champagne.

Tasmania / 2008 / $266

Craig Wall. Shot on location at Aalia Restaurant, Sydney

Tasmanian sparkling is the tipple that rivals the big-name champagnes.

Take your tastebuds on a journey from Japan to South Korea, China and South-East Asia in Tiger Lane. The buzzing set of neon-lit market stands and hawker-inspired eateries are found in Canberra Centre – the capital’s premier retail destination – and serve up pan-Asian street food, including steaming pork buns, Korean fried chicken and roast duck alongside three authentic restaurants.

Sample Canberra’s finest sushi

Shaun Presland, former culinary director of Sydney stalwart Saké, leads Tiger Lane as the precinct’s

executive chef. “After four years of working in London, the 2000 square metres of blank canvas was enough to bring me home,” says Presland. Using his experience working under Japanese sushi masters in Yamagata, as well as chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Presland helms Inari, a sushi-focused eatery named after the Shinto god of rice. The menu fuses traditional Japanese dishes with locally sourced seafood. “My food has always been about putting the protein first and balancing it with ancient techniques.” That means deftly crafted pieces of nigiri, maki rolls of wild bluefin tuna belly and grilled miso-marinated Glacier 51 toothfish washed down with a flight of saké.

Indulge in contemporary Chinese

While a table at the 1930s Art Decostyle Mrs Wang readies diners for a traditional banquet of Chinese cuisine, what follows is a celebration of its evolution in Australia. The restaurant, led by Singaporean-born, Canberra-based executive chef Gerald Ong, melds Cantonese and Shanghai flavours – such as Sichuan pepper and sweet and sour – through reimagined classics like moo shoo duck pancakes with hoisin, sizzling clay stone beef tenderloin and tank-fresh lobster. Alongside Ong is dumpling master Kian Hong Hoe, who uses his 20 years of experience to serve perfectly steamed parcels of prawn siu mai and purses of spinach and mushroom.

Share in sizzling steaks and seafood

Things heat up at Taki, a restaurant with two distinct dining areas. One side offers shabu shabu (Japanese hotpot), where a bubbling nabemono (broth) is placed on an induction cooktop in the centre of the table with a platter of proteins and vegetables. Try the Seafood Lovers: a white miso broth imbued with garlic and yuzu, served with scallops, salmon, squid, prawns, noodles and vegetables to dip into the simmering soup. Alternatively, the yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) section sees charcoal grills fitted to the tables for DIY cooking. Take hold of the tongs and sear A5 Japanese Wagyu striploin or flip green prawns from South Australia’s Spencer Gulf.

To find out more, visit tigerlane.com.au

Carved into the heart of the Springbrook plateau just 45 minutes from Surfers Paradise is a majestic, 156-acre (63.17ha) elevated 700m private estate, adjacent to World Heritage Springbrook National Park.

Above the Gold Coast hinterland, Eaglemont Estate is one of the most prominent rural holdings representing 13% of cleared land in Springbrook, sub-divided into five, commercially viable lots.

With temperatures 8–10°C cooler than the coastal belt, Eaglemont is primed for potential buyers eager for eco-tourism destinations, botanical commerce, agri-farming or simply

BotanicalRare&Immaculate GardensEstateForSale

stargazing with friends and family, boasting thousands of magnolias, camellias, a variety of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and planned tree allotments dotted amongst rolling hills, with enviable water sources on-site.

A lavishly appointed four-bedroom residence is surrounded by manicured gardens and includes a chef’s kitchen, under-floor heating, two fireplaces, ducted air-conditioning, solar and gasheated magnesium pool, outdoor pizza oven and championship tennis court.

The Estate also includes a private, three-bedroom guest-house, a lower-level, modern 5-bed ‘Bunk House’ and an additional two bed/two ensuite workers cottage situated in the fruit nursery.

A rare find and an enticing landscape for investors in the eco-tourism market or families looking for privacy and space, Eaglemont is a breathtaking expanse with priceless potential.

For Sale

Eaglemont Estate

Lyrebird Ridge Road Springbrook Gold Coast Hinterland QLD

Enquire now

Ron London 0415 114 342

Nick Jamieson 0421 771 100

Trevor Groves 0409 579 823

londonea.com.au

THE BREAK

GOLD COAST HINTERLAND

Away from the beach, there’s more to the Goldie than meets the eye.

Story by Bek Day

The just-add-water holiday formula of the Gold Coast’s beaches has drawn sun-seekers to Queensland for decades but just 30 minutes west lie the sleepy mountains of the Gold Coast Hinterland. Friendly locals, remarkable produce and bucolic beauty remind you that even though its views stretch to the Glitter Strip, you really are a world away.

Drop your bags

Look to your left from the cedar hot tub perched on the fringe of Verandah House Country Estate’s (vhcountryestate.com.au) sprawling lawns on Tamborine Mountain and you’ll see all the way to the Pacific. Pan right and you’ll take in pinch-yourself views over the Gold Coast Hinterland’s “Green Cauldron”, a jungly bowl scooping back up to Wollumbin (Mount Warning) and across to Binna Burra in the Lamington National Park. As hard as it may be to drag yourself away from this vista, the estate itself –with eight country-luxe suites cloaked in Ralph Lauren and Hermès – is equally easy on the eye. Owner Judy Pereira, an award-winning interior designer who, along with her builder husband, Laurence, transformed the site in just eight months, is the jewel in the B&B’s crown, offering a warm welcome the moment you open the car door.

Local fare

The restaurant at the Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation (tamborine mountaincoffee.com.au), dishes up all-day brunch and (not surprisingly) excellent coffee. Loll in the sunshine with a flat white and a seasonal menu that never misses – the swimmer crab benny with smoked miso hollandaise on toasted milk bread is a food memory in the making.

Stop in for lunch at The Polish Place (polishplace.com.au) to admire Scenic Rim views while you enjoy Eastern European favourites, such as pierogi (dumplings), slow-roasted ham hock and apple pancakes. When Phil and Ania Sowter bought a block of land perched on Tamborine Mountain on their honeymoon 40 years ago, they wanted to create a place that felt like home. Specifically, the tastes, smells and traditions of Ania’s native Poland. Today, the couple and their adorable chalet-style inn and eatery are woven into the fabric of the region. At dinnertime, the contemporary interiors of Main Street newcomer Wolf Restaurant (wolfrestaurant.com. au) are softened by the grand stone fireplace in the dining room. The menu – a Modern Australian variety pack of complex flavours – runs the gamut from kangaroo tataki and lighter-than-air zucchini flowers kissed with truffle malt syrup to 55 degree Wagyu 6+ tenderloin.

Happy hour

If you arrive at family-run Witches Falls Winery (witchesfalls.com.au) on a Sunday, when there are food trucks, live music and happy kids playing tag in the vines, you might think you’ve stumbled into a party. Book ahead for a table – weekends are especially busy. If spirits are more

your speed, two minutes down the road you’ll find Cauldron Distillery (cauldrondistillery.com.au), just over seven hectares of rolling meadows where the award-winning Five-To-Five gin range is produced.

Take a walk

Three hundred metres of steel somehow manages to camouflage itself inside the swooping canopy of Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk (skywalktamborine.com), where the 1.5-kilometre round trip will take you through palm trees, gums and cathedral figs jostling for their glimpse of the sunlight above.

The surprise

It’s quiet in the Hinterland at 7am and even more so 3000 metres above the earth, drifting silently in a hot air balloon over the blanket of mist covering the region’s farmland. Hot Air Balloon Gold Coast (hotair. com.au) doesn’t put a time limit on its sightseeing flights so you’ll find yourself floating for as long as the wind – and gas in the balloon – will allow, before landing in time for Mimosa and eggs at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards. After breakfast, make friends with some alpacas, care of the neighbouring farm where you can even take a long-necked companion for a walk or engage in a (one-sided) conversation.

CIRCULAR QUAY, SYDNEY

The gems in this historic district lie within footsteps of a grand hotel.

Story by Genevra Leek

The stay

From the baby grand in the foyer to the butler’s entry in the kitchen and the Byredo body products in the bathroom-slash-dressing room, the Presidential Opera Suite at the InterContinental Sydney (qantas.com/ hotels/intercontinentalsydney) is home-away-from-home luxury. Level-29 views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Garden are reflected in the cool greens and blues of the interior furnishings, which spill outside onto a private terrace complete with fireplace. The suite is one of three new premium designs unveiled following the relaunch of the 509-room hotel, located in Sydney’s heritage Treasury Building. While guests have automatic access to the Club InterContinental lounge two floors up or can be distracted by the views from the rooftop Aster bar, sunsets are best shared at the 14-seat dining table back in the suite. The vast circular bathtub overlooking the eastern harbour? Keep that to yourself.

The gallery

Make a beeline for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA; mca.com. au), at the western end of Circular Quay. Visit on a Friday night to experience

local and international exhibitions after dark along with live performances, artist talks and workshops, plus some late-night shopping at one of the beststocked art bookstores in the city. Admission is free and the gallery provides tailored support to anyone with access requirements.

The café

Drop into Bar Mammoni (barmammoni. sydney) for pastries and sourdough ciabatta made from flour milled at neighbouring Grana, inside Hinchcliff House. Set yourself up for the day with an espresso (sipped standing, Italianstyle) or better still, a Breakfast Gimlet with milk-washed gin, marmalade and fresh lime.

The bar

Enter through a door masquerading as an ornately framed painting and you’ll discover Bar Messenger (bar messenger.com.au), a former filestorage room that’s been transformed into an intimate speak-easy. From Wednesday to Friday the bar draws the city’s office crowd but on Saturday, theatregoers bring a sophisticated Jazz-Age atmosphere, fuelled by the glow of rose-glass lamps on dark timber tables and an Australian-focused wine list that can be sampled with a toastie of gruyère, ricotta and pecorino.

The Treasury lobby bar (above) at the InterContinental Sydney and its eponymous cocktail (opposite)

WINTJIRI WIRU, ULURU

Be part of a First Nations story that’s been passed on for millenia, told in a light show.

Story by Bek Day

Before its taproots make the long descent to the basin of water that lies beneath Uluru, the kurkara (desert oak) looks small and unremarkable, a bit like a thin feather duster. But once the tree reaches that ancient source of nourishment, its branches open up, leaves outstretched, in a transformation so profound it could be mistaken for a different plant altogether.

These kurkara form part of the backdrop to Wintjiri Wiru – “beautiful view out to the horizon” in the local Pitjantjatjara language – a state-ofthe-art drone and light show that brings to life a chapter of the Mala ancestral story at Ayers Rock Resort (ayersrock resort.com.au).

The spectacular, which runs twice nightly as part of either the three-hour Sunset Dinner or the 1.5-hour After Dark show, is the first of its magnitude anywhere in the world, comprising more than 1100 luminous drones that swirl and dip in formation to create a three-dimensional story told in light, 200 metres above the red earth. It also aims, in some small way, to share the traditional knowledge held for tens of thousands of years by the Anangu community of Uluru.

Words are woefully inadequate to describe the show’s impact and that’s kind of the point. “These are things you can’t put down on paper,” says Anangu artist Rene Kulitja, who was part of the Anangu Consultation Group that worked with media architecture studio RAMUS on the production and whose own Yananyi Dreaming design famously covered a Qantas Boeing 747. “They are things you have to hold and hear in your being. Our children will hold it. They will keep it.”

Make it a weekend

Overnight options at Uluru run from campground to high-end eco-luxury. Philip Cox-designed Sails in the Desert (qantas.com/ hotels/sailsinthedesert) has 228 rooms and the languid feel of a watering-hole oasis. Even further upmarket is exclusive Longitude 131° (qantas.com/ hotels/longitude131), one of the country’s most premium eco-camps and worthy of the bucket-list status of Uluru, which is visible from every custom-made bed in the 16 tented pavilions.

David Gray

THE STATION @ KAPUNDA

Pull up at this sanctuary outside Adelaide for a laid-back wine weekend.

The last steam engine may have left Kapunda’s grand Italianate train station decades ago but this sprawling property (thestationkapunda.com), about an hour north of Adelaide, still manages to evoke the golden era of rail travel.

Lofty ceilings and large windows accentuate the feeling of spaciousness in the 160-year-old building, which, at 91 metres, is large enough to turn a game of hide-and-seek into an all-day affair. And vestiges of its past life are visible everywhere, from the gold lettering on the ticket office to a former

tearoom (complete with wood stove) that has been converted into one of seven bedrooms.

But pride of place goes to the preserved railway platform out back, where a long table with plenty of space for 14 guests renders the dining room obsolete. Even in the height of summer, an overhead mister keeps things cool as the sweet smell of trellised jasmine washes over the platform and the sky turns burnt-orange at dusk. On the other side of the building, a shady arcaded verandah looks onto a 12-metre pool and a cellar that’s been turned into a reading room for anyone needing some alone time.

The small township of Kapunda is just 20 minutes from the nearest Barossa Valley wineries and less than an hour from the Clare Valley. But if that seems too far to travel, head for the main street, where Coven Wine Room (covenwine room.com.au) showcases vibrant minimal intervention wines including an amphora-fermented grenache.

And because nobody wants to spend their holiday shopping, the owners will fill the pantry and even organise someone to fire up the pizza oven and cook. Then all you need to do is grab a handful of garnishes from the flourishing herb garden, sit back and enjoy life in first class.

Story by Alexis Buxton-Collins

FLIGHT OF FANCY

The splendour of Argyle Pink Diamonds™ is brought to life by Copenhagen jeweller Hartmann’s against the backdrop of another Australian-born, Danish-designed icon.

On the cover:

Pink Butterfly brooch with 9.81 carats of Pink and Blue Argyle Diamonds and 3.85 carats of white diamonds, $183,827

From top:

Legacy Flower earrings with 0.38 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 6.28 carats of white diamonds, $92,149

Legacy Dream collier with 0.90 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 24.05 carats of white diamonds, $235,555 Ring with 0.24 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and a 1.54 carat pear-shaped diamond, $56,250 Necklace with 0.07 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and a 0.70 carat pear-shaped diamond, $16,865

Clockwise from top:

Legacy Legend earrings with 1.92 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 3.01 carats of shield-cut white diamonds, $141,144 Ring with 0.26 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 1.82 carats of white diamonds, $36,840 Bracelet with 0.27 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 1.62 carats of white diamonds, $23,461 Ring with 0.29 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 2.16 carats of white diamonds, $24,403

Clockwise from far left:

Necklace with 0.10 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.35 carat of white diamonds, $6501

Earrings with 1.27 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.60 carat of white diamonds, $56,345

Necklace with 0.14 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 1.82 carats of white diamonds, $22,519

Earrings with 1.89 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 8.68 carats of criss-cut diamonds, $186,465

Ring with 0.19 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 4.70 carats of white diamonds, $122,300

Argyle Ellipse earrings with 2.10 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.62 carat of white diamonds, $33,825

Ring with 0.42 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and a 3.40 carat emerald-cut diamond, $156,408

From top: Blue Hope ring with 0.78 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and a 1.02 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, POA Legacy Rose earrings with 1 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds, 0.35 carat of pink diamonds and 3.54 carats of white diamonds, POA

From top:

Halo ring with 0.27 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and a 2 carat Asscher-cut diamond, $55,497

Ring with 0.21 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.41 carat of white diamonds, $9328

Bangle with 0.45 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.82 carat of white diamonds, $35,710

Blue Night collier with 6.79 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 37 cushion-cut blue sapphires, $461,687

From top:

Earrings with 0.50 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds and 0.63 carat of white diamonds, $15,923

Signature ring with 0.37 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds, $18,561

Signature bangle with 1.44 carats of Argyle Pink Diamonds, $56,439

Ring with 0.37 carat of Argyle Pink Diamonds, $16,489

Sydney Operascape

By Ray Besserdin

The Sydney Opera House is the inspiration for this paper sculpture, which captures the simplicity and beauty of the architectural icon that celebrates its 50th birthday this year.

Photography by Frederik Lindstrøm

The beauty of Australia’s precious rare gems – Argyle Pink Diamonds – has united two sides of the globe.

For Danish master jeweller Ulrik Hartmann (pictured), the allure of Western Australia’s East Kimberley region is rivalled only by what lies beneath. Pink diamonds, as rare as they are stunning, are unique to this remarkable landscape.

As the only Scandinavian Argyle Pink Diamonds Select Atelier, Hartmann and his jewellery house, Hartmann’s, were chosen to honour the story of Australia’s finest rare gem. “Our 15-year partnership has always been an inspiring one where we’ve pushed the boundaries to create jewellery that speaks to the Argyle Pink Diamond’s beauty and rarity,” he says. “We strive to create bespoke jewellery that will be treasured for generations.”

Denmark is more than 14,000 kilometres from Australia but the design symbiosis between the two nations is at the heart of the jeweller’s custodianship of Argyle Pink Diamonds. The Sydney Opera House –another Danish-designed icon – is a perfect example of how the countries are united by a timeless visual language based on simplicity and meticulous artistry. It’s this philosophy that Hartmann translates into each of his pieces. “The simple design lines allow the diamonds to become the object of attention.”

Denmark’s Australian-born Crown Princess Mary has proudly showcased the relationship between her homeland and Argyle Pink Diamonds over the years. Her Hartmann’s Shamballa bracelet is a regular feature on her wrist, while a pair of the jeweller’s cluster earrings were worn by her daughter Princess Isabella for her confirmation in 2022.

For Jakob Stausholm, chief executive of the Argyle parent company, Rio Tinto, the relationship with Hartmann’s is based on a mutual obsession with the gemstones and the confidence that their shared vision does justice to this quintessential symbol of Australia.

“Ours is a powerful partnership driven by an extraordinarily rare and beautiful product,” says Stausholm. “Ulrik is well known for his passion and outstanding designs and Hartmann’s has invested in creating beautiful Argyle Pink Diamonds jewellery, with its unrivalled craftsmanship, passion for our product and Danish design aesthetic.”

Find out more about the diamond ties that bind Australia and Denmark at argylepinkdiamonds.com.au and hartmanns.com

New aircraft are on their way

THE JOURNEY

Bondi Beach, Sydney Matt Hardy

On the rugged south-west coast of Tasmania, in a place barely touched by time, there’s a luxurious new way to experience the wilderness.

Story by Faith Campbell

Photography by Lean Timms

“The yellow-throated honeyeater has a call on beautiful days like this. I think it sounds like ‘all is well with the world’.” And it is. Up the Old River we go, skimming the glossy surface, disturbing wobbly reflections of tea-trees, banksias and black swans cutting across the pale autumn sky. A shower falls from the branches above as the tinnie bumps ashore. Our guide, Peter Marmion, who saw the endemic honeyeaters I could only hear, embodies the adage “great stories happen to those who can tell them”. He leads our group into the quiet bush. “You’re doing what not a lot of humans have done, scrub bash through Huon pine,” he calls over his shoulder.

In the Gondwana forest, on the ancient, unceded land of the Needwonnee peoples, cool filtered light illuminates slime-green moss and makes tannin-stained creeks glow

amber. There’s sassafras, leatherwood, native laurel and Smithton peppermint. I recognise the fishbone ferns that tickle my legs and my first Huon pine sighting is a delight. Its branches bend like a Christmas tree under the weight of imaginary ornaments and dewdrop fairy lights twinkle in the sun.

“Some Huon pines are 3000 years old, many are 2000,” Marmion tells us. “It’s all quite Tolkien-esque.” I hear water rushing nearby, hear my cohort marvel at the moss (“It feels like an Axminster carpet!”), hear our muffled footfall on the soft, wet earth. By the Old River that flows to Bathurst Harbour, which narrows to the Bathurst Channel and meets the wild Southern Ocean on the south-west edge of Tasmania (lutruwita), there’s no-one else around to make a sound.

From the seaplane on the one-hour flight from Hobart (nipaluna), I watch as the built world disappears. First towns, then homes, then farms, then roads. Gradually, the landscape begins to stir: steely water ripples, wind tousles the scrub and skipper Pieter van der Woude waves from the tinnie. Our party of four climbs out of the small plane and into the small boat then we whizz across the bay to Odalisque III, the six-cabin, 24-metre catamaran on which we’ll be cosseted from the wilds of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour for four nights.

“There’s no time in Port Davey, only seasons,” says Marmion, as we sip elderflower welcome drinks and I try to memorise everyone’s names (eight guests, seven crew, two Petes). From my forest-green cosy chair in the upper-deck

Guide Peter Marmion

Wheelhouse Lounge, I might easily lose track of time and seasons if it weren’t for the windows that take up most of every wall.

Alice van der Woude, Pieter’s daughter and the director of experience for their family business, On Board (onboard expeditions.com.au), balances Marmion’s poetry with pragmatic guidance about what to expect on shore, rugging up for the changeable conditions and when to meet on the stern deck (there’s always a straggler; Alice is always smiling). Briefings happen each evening (with cocktails and canapés) to prepare us for the next day, the crew adjusting to the whims of the weather so there’s never Plan B blues; every hike, sea eagle sighting, scone break and story feels too special to miss.

I sleep with the blinds up so I don’t miss any of the quiet lilac dawn. When light subsumes dark, views of Mount Rugby, russet-stained rocks and water that matches the mood of the sky compel me out of my cabin cocoon. The coffee machine becomes our water cooler, where consistent hot topics include how comfortable the beds are and chef Courtney Drew’s “surf and turf” of barbecued local crayfish and Cape Grim beef. After breakfast we rush off to change out of slippers and stretchy clothes. “First time I went out, I had layers on, then the second time I added more. Now, I’m wearing everything,” says Pam, who’s here from Queensland with her husband, Graeme.

“It’s a landscape rich with stories,” Marmion tells us on one of our daily trips to shore. He shares yarns as my boots crunch over quartzite that’s more than a billion years old and when we peer into caves that sheltered First Nations people long before wayward seafarers arrived. On day two we explore Melaleuca, the one settlement in the region (a gravel airstrip, a few buildings and the only other people – just two – we see).

Marmion brings to life the exploits of characters who came here in the 1930s to fish, mine for tin and survive in a place that was then only accessible on foot or by boat. At 66, the now retired school principal has been returning to the south-west wilderness for 51 years. “It’s great to hear these stories from someone who was actually here,” says Graeme to fellow Queenslander Phil. “It brings them alive,” agrees Phil, a doctor who’s travelling with his wife, Lesley. Heading back to the tinnie, all dawdling to try and capture the golden light with our phones, Marmion sets the pace: “Time to have a beer and tell a few lies.”

Who knows how many lies are told on the evening of our ramble through the Gondwana forest but nobody can stop talking about it. Conversation is eased by shared interests, surprise connections (daughters who are close friends, sons who are former students) and restorative amounts of Tasmanian wine from Mapleton, Ghost Rock and Arras. Over red-winebraised goat with polenta one night, Acqua Pazza with risotto blanco on another, chatter drifts from Tassie people to Tassie produce and how the food is so good, it’s like we’re dining in a floating restaurant. Chef Drew, who gets about in shorts and Crocs and somehow conjures breakfast, lunch and dinner (plus muffins, scones and canapés) in a very small kitchen, very far from the shops, is unflappable. (I hear her belting out Bennie and the Jets as she preps eggs Benedict.)

One drizzly morning, hot drinks, board games and Drew’s cinnamon biscuits are a compelling argument for staying in. Mount Stokes looms beyond the windows and a 90-minute hike to the top seems foolhardy from where I’m standing in my socks. In the end, six of us set off and after we make the

beach landing without getting our feet wet, Marmion piggybacks us one-by-one across a creek then takes off like a mountain goat. His bright orange jacket is both a beacon and a tease and about halfway to the summit, when I do catch up (only because he stopped to take photos), I turn around to see nothing but nature in every direction. “If we were here 60 million years ago, we’d be looking at the high mountains of Antarctica,” he says. At the peak, I sit on cold rock under the afternoon sun and try to map out the coves we’ve anchored in, the rivers we’ve traversed. With no evidence of the modern world in sight (Odalisque III is tucked away behind a bluff), the minimal impact of our expedition is obvious. Everything we arrive with, we leave with. Before setting off, I finish an apple and pocket the core.

On our last full day, we follow Marmion along a trail through scratchy heath between Spain Bay and Stephens Bay. I hear the Southern Ocean before I see it and duck out of a sheltered green bower into a cinematic swathe of pale sand, relentless sea and a towering wall of dunes, defenceless against

the elements. We wander along the beach before cutting back, away from the shore. Here, fringed by native grasses and pig face plant, sandy masses extend for hundreds of metres down the coast, scattered with small wallaby bones turned dry and white as driftwood and gleaming with pearlescent abalone shells. The site is evidence of at least 10,000 years of Aboriginal culture and its scale is striking.

Sitting on the grass eating chicken salad wraps and passing around a block of chocolate, all heads turn when two sea eagles fly low overhead. As he often does, Marmion puts into words the things I find too big to comprehend: “There might have been humans here 30,000 years ago, eating their lunch like us.” Icy rain cuts short our rest and we head up the beach, pulling beanies down and zipping jackets up. Back on the muddy path we walked in on, our footsteps fall clumsily beside the neat tracks of spotted quoll and devils. “You want to walk backwards to try and take them away,” says Marmion, stepping carefully. But in the wilds of south-west Tasmania, it won’t be long before the weather sees to that.

It’s fast, it’s slow. It’s regimented but somehow relaxed. When the romance of a rail journey meets the spirit of Australia’s outback, magic happens.

Story by Di Webster

Photography by Emily Weaving

ON THE BEATEN TRACK

It takes a second to figure out where I am. My room is rocking, gently and rhythmically, and blades of soft light are lifting the darkness. Clickety-clack hum, clickety-clack hum, clicketyclack hum. I slip out of bed, wind open the venetian blinds and because it’s 2023, reach for my phone. There’s a streak of cloud like a child’s finger-painting over Warumungu, about 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs (Mparntwe), and beneath it a blazing new day emerges, clear and endless like a portal into another galaxy. Of all the sights I’ll see from The Ghan over the next four days, sunrise packs the biggest emotional punch: watching this vast, ancient, living, breathing landscape waking up as it has done for millennia.

I’m on what for many of my 201 fellow passengers is the journey of a lifetime; an almost 3000-kilometre rail expedition from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin (Garramilla) down to Adelaide (Tarntanya) in South Australia, via Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy (Umoona). Along the way we’ll explore an age-old gorge, ride camels, be guided through chasms and desert parks and dine on white tablecloths with red dust at our feet and a sky full of stars overhead.

It’s a fun, meticulously organised speed date with outback Australia, variously beautiful, profound and surprising. “I’m a spiritual person,” says Melbourne retiree Barbara McArdle, who’s travelling with her husband, John. “[Being in the outback] gives you a wonderful feeling of how big the universe is and how small we are.”

Our ride is 735 metres long (it can stretch to a kilometre) with 31 carriages and no fewer than 40 cheerful staff members who will, variously, cook gourmet meals, pour fine wine, convert cabins into sleeping quarters and ensure passengers are always where they should be.

On that last point, they meet very little resistance. “Sometimes it’s nice to have a holiday where you don’t have to think about what to do next,” says Perth Auslan interpreter Alinta Cohen, who’s on the train with her lively 90-year-old mum, June. They are, like me, travelling in a Gold Twin cabin, which has a bench seat that turns into two narrow bunks at bedtime (Alinta confirms it’s she who climbs to the top bunk – after meeting June, you’d assume nothing) and a tiny ensuite. Platinum class cabins have double or twin beds, a bigger bathroom and an endless supply of Bollinger champagne.

Organising hundreds of passengers’ meal times, off-train activities and on-train etiquette (narrow corridors demand a Law of the Sea-like set of rules) requires a crack crew and our carriage has been blessed with Lily, one of four unflappable guest experience managers. By the time the train eases alongside a platform at Katherine station four hours after leaving Darwin, we know what we’re doing, when we’re dining, where to hang our clothes and who to call if the toilet goes bung.

And we’ve had a taste of the glorious menu, with a brunch selection that includes buffalo curry, haloumi and roast vegetable salad and white chocolate and lychee pancakes. But it’s in Katherine that one downside of the speed date becomes clear. The off-train experiences in each location look fabulous but you can only choose one. With two of today’s four activities temporarily off the table – a scenic helicopter flight and a tour of the Cutta Cutta Caves – our choices are a cruise through the phenomenal Nitmiluk Gorge or a visit to an outback cattle station to see working-dog and horse-breaking demonstrations and the tantalising prospect of a jackaroo playing guitar standing on the back of a horse.

For reasons that stretch beyond its natural majesty, Nitmiluk Gorge is never a wrong decision. It’s too early in the day, indeed the year, for the trill of cicadas after which the local Jawoyn people named the area. In its place is a steamy, other-worldly silence, a goose-bumpy reminder of our place in a landscape that goes back 1.6 billion years. As we motor along the Katherine River in an oversized tinny, skipper Jasmine guides our imaginations under the swirling water to the secret life of crocodiles, above it to the ancient sandstone cliff faces and back in time to a rich First Nations history, the arrival of European colonisers and the 1989 land rights victory that changed everything. I can’t wait to hear about the cattle dogs and singing cowboy from the guests who chose that option but this Jawoyn-run experience is outstanding.

Back on board the train, I shower (what looked like a laughably compact bathroom somehow works), change and make my way to dinner. The Outback Explorer Lounge is buzzing.

“Did you see the rock art?”

“Those dogs are so smart.”

“Espresso Martini, please.”

“The shower curtain doesn’t cling!”

Liane Schwandt, who has three rescue dogs at home in Berlin, had been to the working-dogs experience. “I loved it,” she tells me over a cocktail. “I got a lot of training tips.”

At 6.45pm, Lily calls us through to the Queen Adelaide Restaurant. The dining car is a nod to its regal namesake with crisp white tablecloths, booths for four and a lush Art Deco-style fit-out that speaks to the romance of rail travel but not the landscape we’re rolling through. There’s no mistaking the provenance of the menu, however, with sophisticated offerings such as crocodile dumplings and saltwater barramundi sitting alongside duck breast and Yorke Peninsula chickpea dahl.

Steve and Jenny Chensee, the retired owners of a successful printing business, are on a “ski” holiday –“Spending the Kids’ Inheritance,” says Jenny, laughing, as we

dine alfresco the following night at the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station, a signature activity on The Ghan Expedition.

Flames dance from a row of rusty metal drums to our right but they’re no match for the desert winter chill. The Ghan was on Steve and Jenny’s COVID-interrupted bucket list.

“This is an iconic thing to do,” they say, almost in unison. “The service and the staff are impeccable,” adds Steve, as a plate of pavlova lands on the table and a staffer tops up his wine.

While we’re tucked under our hypoallergenic quilts each night, the train carves a neat north-south line through the middle of Australia, taking a hard left as it snakes closer to Adelaide. By then, our senses, too, have negotiated a bend –the opal-mining outpost of Coober Pedy and its moonscape surroundings (if you’re in Coober Pedy and no-one has mentioned Mad Max, Mortal Kombat or any of the other intergalactic/apocalyptic features filmed here, wait a minute).

With vast fields of mine-shafts and mullock heaps and many of the town’s population living, working – even worshipping – underground to escape the extreme temperatures, it’s one of the trip’s most fascinating whistle stops.

As our bus returns to The Ghan, which is right where we left it at remote Manguri, the rail siding on Mount Clarence Station, we spot the flames of a bonfire. Drawing closer, happy huddles of humans come into focus, drinking wine and nibbling hors d’oeuvres in a setting so simply grand you wonder which element is key – the red dirt, the big sky, the fire, the setting sun bouncing off the train or the sight of sheer nothingness to the horizon. Maybe it’s all of them.

I grab a glass of wine and find Alinta and June. To celebrate June’s 90th birthday, the mother and daughter – who have travelled together by train throughout Europe and across Australia – are ticking The Ghan off June’s bucket list. (“I haven’t got a lot of time left,” she says with a wink.) “I think this is a particularly beautiful, gentle way for older folk to travel, see the country and meet people,” says Alinta. Her mum nods. “It’s not like going on a holiday to the beach where you just lie on the sand and go for a swim – that’s very boring,” says June, who’s braving the sunset chill in a peppermint-green pantsuit. “On this journey, every day has been different, every hour has been different.”

In fact, every moment has been different. Last night after dinner, chatting by the fire at the old Telegraph Station, I glanced up at the Milky Way just as a star fell, trailing a streak of white light in its wake. To the local Arrernte people, it means that the spirit of someone who died far away is returning home. In Western culture, it means I’m supposed to make a wish. I’m standing by a roaring fire under a blanket of stars in the middle of this epic country before falling asleep on a gently rocking train. My wish has already come true.

Tabac Bakery owner Lily Nguyen with her brother, Peter

SECRET

The restaurants of Melbourne reflect its alchemic energy and multicultural heritage but there’s more to dining here than indulging at the big names. It’s the under-the-radar spots that make this city so special.

Story by Dani Valent

Photography by Emily Weaving

SERVICE

(Above) Tabac Bakery’s crispy pork roll

Tiger rolls at Tabac Bakery SPRINGVALE

About 20 kilometres south-east of the CBD, busy, vibrant Springvale is best known for its Vietnamese community but it has large Indian, Cambodian and Chinese populations, too.

“Most people come here for a roll then go to the market to buy seafood and vegetables,” says Lily Nguyen, owner of Tabac Bakery (@tabacbakery), one of the suburb’s most popular producers of banh mi, the famous Vietnamese filled bread roll. Tabac’s point of difference is house-baked “tiger rolls” with a mottled crust. “They’re crisper and stay crunchy for longer.” Tabac has been on Springvale’s main street for more than a decade but in 2022, Nguyen took over from her uncle, who passed on a secret recipe for the signature roast pork, which is stuffed into up to 1000 rolls a day, along with pâté, chilli, shredded carrot and lettuce. “He wanted to retire and take a trip around the world.”

Other local options include Chinese, Korean, Japanese and many Vietnamese restaurants serving fragrant pho. “It’s hard to say which is the best place,” says Nguyen. “Every shop has a different flavour. Everything in Springvale is good, cheap and fresh.”

Ethiopian at Ras Dashen FOOTSCRAY

When Wondi Alemu opened Ras Dashen (rasdashenethiopianrestaurant.com) in 2011, his humble venue was one of only four or five Ethiopian restaurants in Footscray, about six kilometres west of the city. “Now there are more than a dozen,” he says. Back then, the clientele was mostly Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants, plus a few curious non-Africans from the neighbourhood. “Now we have people from all backgrounds,” he says. “They come from the east, the south – they taste it and they are happy. It shows that everyone is interested and wants to be part of this experience. It’s put its mark on Melbourne's culture.”

Popular dishes include chicken and beef wots (stews), often seasoned with spiced butter and served with injera, a fermented flatbread. Eating with your hands is encouraged.

To finish, it has to be a coffee ceremony. “We roast beans, grind them and present it with frankincense,” says Alemu. “Coffee is a foundation of culture in Ethiopia. The Italians introduced espresso to Melbourne but this is the real coffee culture.”

Alemu loves living and working in Footscray. “It’s very metropolitan and progressive.” Local bars Bud of Love and Mr West allow customers to bring Ras Dashen food to enjoy with a drink and he is also a fan of Plough Hotel, a nearby pub. There’s no better place for fresh produce shopping than Footscray Market. “My children grew up wandering around that place.”

Regional favourites at Thai Tide MELBOURNE

Bang in the centre of Melbourne, a hill rises from Bourke Street Mall towards Parliament. Wander this route and you’ll pass about 10 Thai restaurants among the retail stores. Merica Charungvat is the pioneer who kicked off the trend. “When we started 11 years ago, there was no food on this strip at all,” she says. “We thought it was a good area for growth.”

Her restaurant, Thai Tide (thaitide.com.au), serves regional food – including ant larvae soup from the north-east, southern-style green chilli squid or coconut noodle “osso buco” – alongside Australian natural wines. “We are a hideaway from the bustling city,” says Charungvat. “We close our curtains and create a culinary experience, even if it’s just for a quick lunch.”

The diversity means there’s room on the street for every taste. “You have boat noodles, curries, street food, som tam. Everyone can find a niche and diners can discover a place at every price point.” Charungvat points to next-door neighbour Nana Thai, which specialises in north-eastern cuisine, and Heng, a little further up the hill, which does hotpots. Hidden in a carpark at the top end of the road is Soi 38, which is beloved for street food. “The more the better,” she says. “When Melburnians or visitors want Thai cuisine, they can take their pick.”

(Left and top) Thai Tide on Melbourne’s Bourke Street

Capers co-owner Anastasios Konnari at his Thornbury bar and restaurant

Homestyle Greek at Capers THORNBURY

About half an hour north-east of the city, High Street is a long commercial artery that runs through half a dozen suburbs and morphs from hip to Hellenic and Asian to Muslim along the way. You wouldn’t necessarily know it as you whiz by on a tram but the Thornbury area is a strong Greek neighbourhood that’s on the cusp of revival thanks to businesses such as Capers (@capers.thornbury), a homestyle bar and restaurant with treats such as a Greek Salad Martini and baklava ice-cream.

Christian Evripidou, who runs Capers with his cousin Anastasios Konnari, used to work next door at GRK, the tavern owned by his parents. “There’s a lot of Greek history around here,” he says. “Post-war there were [Greek] boutiques, theatres and lots of social clubs, some linked to one island or village. We still have delis, a Greek radio station, Orthodox churches and a monastery, along with cool souvlaki joints and cake shops.”

He treasures institutions like Psarakos Market, which has an excellent selection of Greek wine; the modern Greek Street Food for its outstanding souvlaki; and Taso’s Cafe & Patisserie. “You can’t go past their kataifi and frappe.” The old-school social clubs aren’t open to the public but you can visit Ladadika Greek Tavern in adjacent Northcote, which has Greek live music and authentic food.

“You have people whose families arrived in the gold rush, post-war migrants, a second generation wanting to celebrate their Hellenism, plus a new wave coming since 2009,” says Evripidou. “It’s all happening.”

Shanghainese at Golden Lily BOX HILL

With its gleaming towers and new-style Chinatown, Box Hill is Melbourne’s second hub. The CBD’s Chinatown is dominated by Cantonese restaurants, some owned by families tracing their immigration history all the way back to the 1850s. By contrast, Box Hill, about 15 kilometres east, reflects more recent waves of migration from northern and western China.

Kelvin Chan manages Golden Lily (artserieshotels.com.au), a yum cha restaurant with Shanghainese specialties hidden away on the first floor of boutique hotel The Chen. “Box Hill has a lot of high-rise buildings now and the public transport is so good from the city,” he says. The train from the city stops underneath Box Hill Central, a lively shopping centre with fresh produce and dozens of casual Asian eateries. “There are so many snacks – sticky rice, wontons, noodles, Taiwanese meals and desserts. I often bring stuff home for the kids.” Chan is a big fan of the seafood here, too. “I buy live crab, lobster and oysters.”

Golden Lily is also known for seafood, with à la carte specialties such as fried rice with scallop and spicy chilli crab. Top yum cha dishes include barbecued pork buns, prawn dumplings and silky congee with century egg.

Pakistani barbecue at Khabbay CARLTON

Lygon Street in Carlton was known for its Jewish food in the 1920s then became a spaghetti, pizza and espresso destination from the 1950s. There’s still Italian food along the strip but the southern part of the street, a short walk north of the city, is now a halal hub brimming with Pakistani, Yemeni and Egyptian food and culture.

Usman Ashraf owns Khabbay (khabbayrestaurant.com.au), a Pakistani barbecue restaurant, with his brother, Zeeshan. “The Lygon Street vibe is amazing,” he says. “It’s so beautiful, a real community. We have a lot of local customers, as well as a following from all over Melbourne and even regional Victoria.” They come for chicken skewers, lamb mince kebabs and charcoal-grilled

barramundi. “We do Australian fish with Pakistani spices that we buy whole and grind fresh,” says Ashraf. “We’ve worked really hard on our spices.”

There are Pakistani restaurants sprinkled through outer suburbs but Ashraf is delighted to be closer to the heart of Melbourne. “People are still here at midnight, whereas the suburbs die by 9.30pm.”

Near neighbours include Pakistani eateries Ziyka and Qabail; Mandina, which offers Yemeni food; Egyptian restaurants Cairo Nights and Leyalina; and shisha lounges

El Giza, Balcony and Nefes.

Being part of the city’s rich tapestry is a thrill for Ashraf. “Melbourne has the best food options anywhere in Australia, especially when it comes to subcontinental offerings. We love introducing our food to everyone.”

Golden Lily in Box Hill

WEST

The prodigious Kimberley region is reduced to the enchanting sum of its parts (including a grand outback stay) on an immersive walking adventure.

Story by Alexis Buxton-Collins

Photography by Damian Bennett

WAY OUT

“Be careful near the water,” a voice cautions as we approach Zebedee Springs. I’m used to being on croc watch in northern Australia but these springs gush from the ground into clear pools that are 100 per cent predator-free. Seeing my puzzled face, ranger Gabby explains, “The water here is so clear that it’s hard to tell how deep it is; some people have misjudged their step and fallen in face first.”

Duly warned, I gently ease myself into crystalline water that sits at 32°C. Around me, prehistoric Livistona palms rise on slender trunks before bursting out in fan-shaped fronds. The burnt-orange cliffs that tower above are reflected in the water and as the afternoon progresses, the colour intensifies until the surface is flecked with gold.

I’m here with Walk Into Luxury (walkintoluxury.com) on the four-night Kimberley Walk, which uses the El Questro

Homestead as a base camp to explore this obscenely beautiful region. It’s clear that the six other guests are equally impressed. “If someone was to design the perfect garden, they’d base it on this exact scene,” says Michaela, the director of a social enterprise in Melbourne. “The moss is so delicate, the red rocks stand out against the blue sky, palm trees exactly where you’d plant them… it’s like paradise.”

The same can be said of the sprawling homestead, which has the feel of an upscale safari lodge and sits on a rocky outcrop above the broad Chamberlain River. Out front, a swathe of lush green grass leads to the escarpment and the suites are flanked by avenues of frangipanis and ghost gums. Several cantilevered rooms filled with timber, brick-coloured tiles and white linen sit directly above the water and boast private river views from the bathroom and open-air deck. (When the manager informs

me that I might see a saltwater crocodile cruising the river from my shower, the property’s swimming pool instantly becomes more inviting.)

Located near the eastern terminus of the 660-kilometre Gibb River Road, which connects Derby and Kununurra, El Questro Wilderness Park encompasses more than 283,000 hectares. It’s an area so vast that it’s shared between two Traditional Custodian groups, the Ngarinyin and the Balanggarra peoples. The southern section where the homestead and most of the walks are situated was handed back to the Ngarinyin last year and is now operated under a lease agreement that will allow them to play a larger role in the property’s management.

Seen from afar, the Kimberley appears unimaginably gigantic and formidable, a savannah punctuated by islands of almost two-billion-year-old rock. But up close it harbours a glorious cacophony of life, a point rammed home when I find a bright-green tree frog lurking in my suite’s toilet bowl. While the region’s scale is hard to wrap your head around, our guide, Phil Clucas, does a pretty good job of it. He has a deep tan, a neatly cropped white beard and the confident mien of a man completely at home in his environment. Pointing out a distended boab surrounded by a cluster of green shoots at the start of one walk (it tastes like “a cross between water chestnut and sweet potato”), he tells me that the size of the property creates different climatic zones so the same plant species will bloom at different times throughout the park. The highway to Kununurra is lined with kapok trees sporting garlands of canary-yellow flowers but elsewhere we see turkey bushes dusted with pink blooms and passages of silverleaved grevillea covered in curls of yellow and red blooms.

After waking to the sound of the river flowing beneath my room, I step outside to watch the dormant rock face on the opposite bank come to life as the sun hits. A set of natural steps leads down to a broad sandstone platform where Michaela greets each morning with a meditation session.

We all meet for breakfast on the terrace before piling into a 4WD and heading out to scout a different part of the park each day. The trails are mostly flat but creek crossings and broken ground keep us on our toes and the canyons trap the heat so that beads of sweat prick my brow within minutes of setting out. Fortunately, every adventure includes at least one opportunity to go for a dip and my swimmers get almost as much use as my walking shoes over the five days.

One 3.4-kilometre track leads from a dusty savannah of spear grass and spinifex into Amalia Gorge, where sheer rock walls gradually close in on either side until we reach a 32-metre waterfall thundering into a jade-coloured waterhole. It’s large enough to comfortably accommodate several Olympic-size swimming pools and I dive in to escape the tropical heat. On the way back, beside a rock that makes a natural diving board

YAWU BREW

into another pool, Clucas points out a milkwood tree where green ants are patiently sewing leaves together into a nest. Grabbing one between my fingers, I carefully bite its backside, a burst of formic acid providing a sharp citrussy tang. When he stops again, I follow his gaze up to a shaded overhang where hundreds of honeycombed nests are surrounded by clouds of vivid orange native wasps.

By the afternoon some guests are chilling out at the homestead, while others check out places like Zebedee before making their way to one of the clifftop lookouts in the region. “There’s not a bad spot to watch the sunset in the Kimberley,” says Clucas, “but this property has some of the best.” And every stop is accompanied by popping corks (the champagne flows so freely I begin to suspect Louis Roederer is a sponsor).

When we return for dinner, the warm air is perfumed with frangipani and the kitchen staff are busy prepping a five-course feast that might kick off with pan-seared scallops served on the half shell or tender slivers of pearl meat soaked in coconut cream and topped with crisp curry leaves, finger lime caviar and butterfly pea flowers. We sit around a long table on the outdoor terrace and while each successive wine pairing increases the temptation to stay out all night under the star-studded sky, the lure of the coming sunrise proves even stronger and we drift off to our rooms after dessert.

Picking my way over the broken slabs of ripple rock in Emma Gorge the next day, I’m grateful for the early night. The sun waits for no-one in the Kimberley and even at eight in the morning I can feel a fierce heat radiating off the rock. We stop for regular drink breaks but it’s a relief to reach a small waterhole that flashes turquoise in the harsh light.

At the end of the canyon, there’s a larger pool fed by a gushing waterfall. The sun slowly moves across the water until a sunburst appears over the escarpment and makes the cascade sparkle like a disco ball. “This is transcendental,” says Michaela, her words just carrying over the gentle white noise of falling water that echoes in the natural cathedral. Where Zebedee was an earthly paradise, this is like another world.

Guide Phil Clucas

Your new coffee with an impact.

With a drive time of 20 hours, the Pacific Coast Way is a big drive. You’ll need a week to do justice to the route, from south-east Queensland to the Tropical North. Fly into Brisbane Airport, pick up your car from Avis and hit the road, discovering cities, coastal idylls, hinterland havens and national parks along the way.

FLY DRIVE DISCOVER

Hervey Bay

Drive through the laid-back Sunshine Coast with its surf beaches and the gold rush town of Gympie before rolling into Hervey Bay. Take to the sea with Whalesong Cruises (whalesong. com.au) – humpbacks pass by from mid-July to mid-November.

A 50-minute ferry ride takes you to K’gari (Fraser Island) to swim in freshwater lakes and marvel at ancient rainforest. Wander lively Hervey Bay Esplanade in the evening – Enzo’s on the Beach (enzosonthebeach.com.au) is an all-day affair offering spanner crab omelettes through to cocktails made with Noosa Gin. Mantra Hervey Bay (qantas.com/hotels/mantraherveybay)

is a boon to the weary traveller, with a heated lagoon pool and three-bed options with full kitchen.

Bundaberg

No visit to the sugar-cane city is complete without sampling the local rum at Bundaberg Rum Distillery (bundabergrum.com.au). But another highlight is Mon Repos Beach where, between November and March, visitors witness loggerhead turtles nesting and tiny hatchlings making their journey to the sea. Visit Grunske’s by the River ( grunskesbytheriver.com.au) for fresh prawns, scallops, bugs and fish then rest up at Manta Bargara Resort

Cairns

Mackay

Townsville

Rockhampton

Bundaberg

Hervey Bay

Airlie Beach

1695km

Brisbane

Gold Coast

When you rent with Avis, you can be confident your drive will go smoothly. The modern Avis fleet comes with all the latest conveniences such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Visit qantas.com/avis

(qantas.com/hotels/mantabargara resort). The next morning, take a 30-minute ferry to the Great Barrier Reef’s Lady Elliot Island and spend the day snorkelling before turning in at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort (above, right; ladyelliot.com.au). The sound of the ocean will lull you to sleep in your glamping tent.

Mackay

This region is all endless beaches, lush rainforests and coral reefs off untouched islands. Cool down with a freshwater plunge in Finch Hatton Gorge and share sunrise with wallabies on the beach at Cape Hillsborough National Park (above). Just under 90 minutes from Mackay, Eungella National Park wows with platypus spotting and an eco-focused retreat, Broken River Mountain Resort (qantas. com/hotels/brokenriver).

Airlie Beach

There’s a relaxed charm to Airlie Beach, gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, where you can set foot on the famously fine sand of Whitehaven Beach (opposite) and hike Conway National Park with its green-water Cedar Creek Falls. Daydream Island is 30 minutes away by ferry – take a daytrip or spend the night at Daydream Island Resort & Spa (qantas.com/hotels/day dreamisland). Book dinner at the resort’s Infinity Restaurant for Asian-fusion delicacies such as soft shell crab bao and sambalroasted barramundi. After returning to Airlie Beach, pass through Townsville – pop over to Magnetic Island if you have time – before cruising into balmy Cairns.

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Swimming, fishing, hot sand and even hotter chips. Seven notable

DAYS OF

Aussies share their memories of the NSW coast.

SUMMER

Bondi Beach, Sydney

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann on Herons Creek (Gumbaynggirr Country)

“Not long after my father returned from the Vietnam War and I was born, my parents found a dilapidated petrol station and general store by the Pacific Highway, in a tiny town called Herons Creek on the NSW North Coast, about 20 minutes from Port Macquarie. The town itself was off the highway, less than half a mile in, and even though it was connected to a vast hardwood timber mill, there were perhaps seven houses. The only other commercial space in town was the post office, which was about the size of Dr Who’s police box. My mum and dad were determined for us not to be isolated so the little house, petrol station and mixed business became home to visiting artists, relatives and all kinds of influences. My dad was always renovating and reimagining everything. The whole place became a kind of creative caravanserai, if you can imagine those exotic inns where camel trains stopped as they plied their trade along the Silk Road. In our minds, we lived in such a place, with its activity, commerce and drama, but it was ultimately a place from which the only way to travel was to create, invent and imagine.”

Writer Malcolm Knox on Blueys Beach (Worimi Country)

“Blueys Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast was different in the 1970s. We stayed for a fortnight each summer in a weatherboard duplex, which, like the sand-mining machines churning rutile out of the beach, is not there anymore. Our grandparents came for the second week and having my grandfather there meant one more bowler for cricket in the yard. I was caught in a rip only a few metres from shore and thought I was going to drown until my father swam out to save me. Twice during that fortnight, we would drive to Forster and pile into a hired putt-putt boat on Wallis Lake to spend a day fishing and getting burnt to a crisp. My grandmother offered 20 cents for the first fish caught. I would fish only while the 20-cent coin was up for grabs then wind in my line and read a book.”

Fashion designer Jenny Kee on Bondi Beach (Gadigal Country)

“I grew up in North Bondi and always thought of Bondi as my beach. The school was by the beach so I’d walk down and swim most days after school and on weekends, too. I never thought about going to other beaches. I mean, why would you go anywhere else when you had Bondi on your doorstep? We took it for granted when we were growing up but when I look back, I think how amazing it was to have that iconic beach as your place to go.”

Blueys Beach, Mid North Coast, NSW

Journalist Brooke Boney on Stockton Beach (Worimi Country)

“No matter what beach or what state or even what time of the year you go in Australia, there is, without fail, an extremely cool bunch of teenagers hanging out who either make you feel too young and daggy (as I felt in 2001) or too old and daggy (now). I remember vividly one holiday to Stockton Beach near Newcastle in NSW, with sand dunes that stretch further than your imagination and a sense of tranquillity matched only by the potential for fun at the caravan park after dusk. Coldplay had just released Yellow and we were too young to walk around after dark but not young enough to be content to stay in with siblings and cousins and play board games. But it was one of the best holidays. Give me long days in the sand eating hot chips with too much salt and not enough tomato sauce, a beach towel unfurled on a surface that’s hot enough to cook sausages and the promise of a wave of disinterested grommets hanging on the break wall and I’ll give you shell necklaces and memories that last a lifetime.”

Author Geraldine Brooks on Bondi Beach (Gadigal Country)

“When I was growing up without a car in the western suburbs of Sydney, I longed for the beach. On heatwave days, my uncle would arrive with his ute. My cousin and I would ride in the flatbed, slapped around on the hot metal. As soon as we got to Bondi, the two of us would race into the surf and stay there for hours, screaming with joy, churned up, dumped time and again, ecstatic. At sunset we’d head home, sandy, exhausted, sunburnt.”

Artist Ken Done on Fairy Bower Beach (Gayamaygal Country)

“My grandparents lived at Fairy Bower in north Sydney and I learnt to swim in the rock pool that’s still there. It’s a wonderful little beach and now a nature reserve so there are great fish to see in the water. As a teenager, my parents built a house in Balmoral and I spent many happy years diving, snorkelling and just mucking about on the northern end of Balmoral Beach. The view of the beach when you drive down Awaba Street and look out through Sydney Heads is one of the great sights. When I was growing up, there were lots of shops along the Esplanade, including an old butcher shop with a sawdust floor. Now it’s home to very flash restaurants and probably the best fish and chip shop on the coast. I’ve made many paintings about the joy of the beach and the pattern of the sailboats on the sparkling sea.”

Fairy Bower ocean pool, northern Sydney

Avoca Beach, Central Coast, NSW

Author Liane Moriarty on Avoca Beach (Darkinjung Country)

“Just before World War II, my grandfather learnt from a workmate about a magical place called Avoca Beach, ‘where the fishin’ was real good’. One weekend he and a group of friends caught the train to Gosford on the Central Coast then a bus. They finally came to a long curved strip of deserted golden beach bookended by huge rocky headlands and camped where Avoca’s Surf Lifesaving Club now sits. That was it – they were hooked just like the fish they caught. Next time they brought their wives. After the war they brought their children, who grew up and brought their own families. When I was little, back in the 1960s, I mistakenly called Avoca ‘Our ’Voca’. It made sense: I thought it belonged to our family. Every summer my siblings and I packed into the back of the brown Holden station wagon and headed up the Old Pacific Highway.

We stayed in a caravan park just a short walk from the beach, ran free with zinc-creamed noses, bodysurfed, panicked when the shark alarm wailed, watched tiny crabs in the rock pools and played in the shade of the giant Norfolk pines. It seemed that there was always a sandy baby wrapped in a towel being patted off to sleep by my dad under the beach umbrella. At night we played cards and Scrabble by the light of a kerosene lamp. My grandfather and his friends still fished every morning. It was mostly bream, which my grandmother cooked in the frypan with a bit of flour. Fish has never tasted that good.”

Waterholes are spectacular, sunsets are epic and time slows right down. Summer in the Northern Territory is when nature performs its finest work.

Time your visit for a tropical summer and let the power and beauty of Kakadu flood your senses.

All it takes is a moment, mere seconds, to understand you’re an audience for a symphony like no other. It’s the thunderous roar of majestic waterfalls, the twittering of comb-crested jacanas flapping across water lilies, the ripples of a jade waterhole swollen from tropical rains. Stop, close your eyes and let time roll by; this is nature’s way of telling you that you’ve arrived in Kakadu National Park, a 2.5-hour drive south of Darwin, in summer – that perfect time of year when the wetlands are lush, green and teeming with wildlife. Out here, waterfalls that deliver spectacular swim spots in the dry season are transformed into raging

torrents best appreciated from above. Take to the skies with Kakadu Air on the 60-minute Jabiru Helicopter Flight (kakaduair.com.au) and soar above ochre-red escarpments as water tumbles 200 metres down the imposing Jim Jim Falls, while the split cascade of Twin Falls becomes 150 metres of gravity-powered spectacle.

Down in Yellow Water Billabong, things are just as intoxicating; fragrance from its famous pink lilies settles over the billabong like a perfumed mist. Book a two-hour dawn Yellow Water Cruise (kakadutourism.com) and experience the ultimate wake-up call alongside some 60 species of waterbirds eager to show off both their World Heritage-listed homeland and vocal styling. This habitat isn’t for swimming (crocs see to that) but you can try landing a hefty barramundi on the tour operator’s Yellow Water & Home Billabong three-hour fishing expedition.

Cover: Daniel Tran

Settle into position at Nawurlandja Lookout and enjoy the front-row view as summer skies provide a canvas for moody storms, lightning shows and sunset spectaculars. A short drive away at Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), a journey through 20,000 years unfolds along a 1.5-kilometre walk that takes in Anbangbang Billabong and Aboriginal art sites. Summer is also the ideal time for Kubara Pools, where tackling a six-kilometre trail delivers your reward: a shady spot with bonus seasonal soundtrack of cascading water. The summer sounds at Ubirr are just as stirring. Kookaburras call in sunset as you gaze over the floodplains and ribbons of rainforest and woodland. The smooth stone walls here offer wonder of a different kind – a gallery of artwork that reflects ancient and ongoing connection to this land.

Fly to Darwin

Stay Cooinda Lodge Kakadu (qantas.com/hotels/cooindalodge), a canopy-shaded property located beside Yellow Water, has resort rooms and elevated glamping tents (both air-conditioned) alongside a refreshing pool and two on-site restaurants.

Kakadu

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park promises to make you feel small – in the best possible way.

The facts in themselves are impressive: 550 million years old, 348 metres high, six kilometres underground and, according to the local Anangu people, a resting place for the past spirits of the region. But the emotion of seeing Uluru for the first time? That’s a little harder to articulate.

Visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in summer and the monolith’s uniqueness is amplified. Rare rains form quicksilver rivulets that tumble along sandstone curves. And, of course, there’s the light. As Uluru transforms from ochre to burnt orange and fiery red, the sky changes along with it. It all comes together to remind you that you’re in the spiritual heartland of Australia.

Take the one-kilometre Kuniya loop walk to the shaded sanctuary of Mutitjulu Waterhole, which is humming with life at this time of year. Stay a while and listen to the calls of finches and tawny frogmouths as you reflect on the deep connection First Nations peoples have to this place.

Explore this further when you sit with an Anangu artist (and an assisting interpreter) to learn traditional methods and create your own masterpiece with Maruku Arts during a 90-minute Dot-painting Experience (maruku.com.au). Your atelier? An outdoor studio, where drawings in red sand help bring stories to life.

Come sundown, your open-air desert theatre presents two options. At Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner (ayersrockresort.com.au), feast on blackened pepperleaf kangaroo, smoked emu and other native tastes as the

Nicholas Kavo

ancestral Mala story is shared through drones, lasers and projections. Lower your gaze and be mesmerised by Ayers Rock Resort’s Field of Light , a fantastic walk through a vast carpet of 50,000 spindles of light shimmering all colours under a starlit sky.

Just 40 kilometres west of Uluru, the 36 soaring domes of Kata Tjuta/the Olgas glow at sunrise and sunset, transporting you to another world, another time. This Mars-like landscape can be best explored on an early morning Valley of the Winds walk. The three-hour full circuit provides an option to return 60 minutes in after the first lookout. Alternatively, see both landmarks from the air. Book with Fly Uluru on a sunset Uluru & Kata Tjuta Scenic Flight (flyuluru.com. au) and take in expansive aerial views over parts of the park that simply can’t be appreciated from the ground.

Fly to Uluru

Stay All-inclusive Longitude 131° (qantas.com/hotels/longitude131), features 16 luxury tented pavilions nestled in sand dunes, delivering unparalleled views of Uluru. Sails in the Desert (qantas.com/hotels/ sailsinthedesert) offers 228 rooms and suites around a large resort pool shaded by gum trees.

Uluru

When the temperature rises, head to the best waterholes in the country.

Palm-fringed and gin-clear; it’s as though the Northern Territory’s waterholes present some conundrums. Should you float along gentle streams or bask under the falls of the tropics? There are plenty of choices – in summer, many of the Territory’s spectacular swimming spots remain open. With its paperbark- and pandanus-trimmed natural pool and cascading waters, Leliyn/Edith Falls in Nitmiluk National Park is an oasis in the outback. Yes, you’ll work up a sweat when you take the hour-long, though moderate, walk to the pool (open most of the year). But immersing yourself in the deep blue is an incredible pay-off.

The roar of Florence Falls is at its most majestic in summer; in the dense monsoon forest of Litchfield

National Park, an hour’s drive from Darwin, it can be heard long before it’s seen. Take a leisurely dip at the top of the falls in Florence Creek before descending 160 steps through emerald undergrowth to dunk under the twin streams.

Further along the same stretch of road, Buley Rockhole offers an elevation of pools, ranging from shallow baths to deep plunge basins.

Ready to gorge on gorges? In the Territory’s red heart, at Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park on the outskirts of Alice Springs, refresh with a bracingly cool dip at Ormiston Gorge, a year-round waterhole some 14 metres deep. It’s the surroundings of this significant bird sanctuary that make this swim extra-special, thanks to towering red walls and sandy verges.

Ten minutes drive away, the sheer quartzite cliffs of Glen Helen Gorge cast a spell, glowing crimson in the afternoon sun. Take the plunge into these still

Jackson Groves

waters and let the 500-million-year history sink in. Only 30 minutes from here, Ellery Creek Big Hole is renowned for its picturesque swimming spot and rock escarpments. Don’t be tempted to try reaching the bottom – it’s at least eight metres deep and these shaded waters maintain a low temperature that can make you gasp.

Back north near Nitmiluk, a thermal pool wonderland awaits at Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park, just two kilometres from Mataranka. Here, 34°C water bubbles up from the ground, inviting you to take the short 500-metre loop through tropical woodland before hitting relax as you drift on the downstream current.

For all parks and pools in the Territory, check for updates at nt.gov.au and always follow safety advice.

Fly to Darwin

Stay Settle in at Finniss River Lodge, Litchfield (qantas.com/hotels/ finnissriverlodge). A working cattle farm perched between Darwin and Litchfield National Park, this new property offers modern rooms, a dreamy pool and sense of wetland isolation despite its handy location.

Florence Falls

The buckled wonders of Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges wait to be explored on the journey from Alice Springs to Watarrka/Kings Canyon.

This isn’t your average Sunday afternoon summer drive. After exploring Alice Springs and all its culture, restaurants and shops – plus more art galleries per capita than any other Australian town or city – a road trip along the Red Centre Way is the journey of a thousand lifetimes.

You’ll need a park pass (parkbookings.nt.gov.au), a Mereenie Loop Permit from the Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre, an early coffee and a 4WD pointed west (check conditions at roadreport.nt.gov.au before setting off). Some 25 minutes of scenic Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park driving later, you’ll arrive at the towering cliffs of Simpsons Gap, an ochre gorge shaped by Roe Creek. Several Dreaming stories cross here and rare black-footed rock wallabies frequent the area at dawn and dusk.

A further 40 kilometres along, Standley Chasm, a geological formation sacred to women’s Dreaming for the local Arrernte people, lies in wait. The easy 1.2-kilometre gumtree-dotted walk along the ravine draws you in to be dwarfed by 80-metre-high walls. West of here, more beauty spots are strung like jewels: twisted gums and rock walls perfectly frame Ellery Creek Big Hole; Ormiston Gorge, where you can set off on any of several walks, including the three-tofour-hour Pound Walk loop; and Glen Helen Gorge, a place to linger over lunch and perhaps have a dip. The views of Mount Sonder, one of the highest points in Central Australia, are a bonus.

From Glen Helen Gorge, your destination lies 235 kilometres south-west along the Mereenie Loop, a bucket-list stretch of unsealed road that forms part of the Red Centre Way. Watarrka/Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park is bound by 300-metre-high walls that house palm-dotted crevices, a sacred permanent waterhole and unforgettable views out over the desert. Watch the shifting colours of the last light on 400-million-year-old red sandstone walls before you check in at your accommodation. Then set your alarm early to capture the very best of the next morning: seeing first light from the famed six-kilometre Rim Walk.

Fly to Alice Springs

Stay Just 36 kilometres from Kings Canyon, Kings Creek Station (qantas.com/hotels/kingscreek station) has a range of accommodation options, including luxury secluded glamping tents complete with ensuites and air-conditioning.

Glen Helen Gorge

Daniel Tran

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85 Ware St, Fairfield NSW 2165 (2023)

by Mylyn Nguyen

THE LOOK

Mylyn Nguyen

This down-to-earth artist is all about attention to detail and revealing the allure of the miniature.

Story by Susan Horsburgh

When Mylyn Nguyen was a toddler, she’d collect empty matchboxes and make paper dolls to tuck into them, with paper blankets and pillows. Later, she became a master of the cardboard cubby, sitting in the box for hours, finding comfort in the “dim, browny-hued darkness and warm paper smell”.

Decades on, 41-year-old Nguyen still makes mini replicas of big buildings but now she does it full-time and has 152,000 Instagram followers watching videos of her imagination at work. The delight is in the details: her Asian bakery, for example, has microscopic vanilla slices in the display cabinet, a teeny tea towel on the oven door and a Lilliputian plastic chair for the owner to sit on. “That says there’s a human in there. He’s just out the back emptying the rubbish or taking a bathroom break.”

Nguyen has a solo show at .M Contemporary in Sydney’s Darlinghurst next year, with a selection of 15 buildings from Newtown’s King Street in shrinky-dink form. About 10 centimetres high, each palm-size piece takes at least three

weeks to make. The exhibition’s working title is I’m not cool enough for Newtown. “There’s something about Newtown that freaks me out. I’ve never felt like I fitted in with the arty crowd.” Influenced by picture books and such “everyday art” as an elegantly sculptured armchair, Nguyen finds inspiration in “real things”, like the patina on a weathered brick wall. She has impressive university credentials but no delusions about the weightiness of her work. “I don’t mind people calling my art ‘cute’ because it is cute! It’s adorable! Why can’t that be art as well?”

Studied: Bachelor of Visual Arts (majoring in glass) and Master of Visual Arts, Object Art and Design (Glass), Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney.

What the critics say: “ Mylyn Nguyen’s beautifully detailed tiny models depict stop-offs that are part of the everyday fabric of life. Looking at them from this angle, you can soak up the incongruently glamorous remnants of glorious old façades above their awnings.”

– Stephen A. Russell, Time Out

(Opposite) 224 King Street (2022) by Mylyn Nguyen; (above) the artist with The Emerald Green Tiles (2022)

Breville Original 74’ sandwich press

Story by Susan Horsburgh

It might seem odd for an electrical appliance to inspire as much misty-eyed affection as the Breville sandwich press does but childhood memories (and melted cheese) will do that. “A lot of us grew up with them,” says Breville’s design and innovation director, Richard Hoare. “Coming home from school and having something delicious – you're going to remember that, right?"

Since the mid-1970s, the Breville jaffle maker has been a kitchen workhorse. Filled with everything from leftover bolognese to baked beans, the triangles of gooey goodness were even known as “brevilles”, especially in Sydney and the United Kingdom.

It all began when friends Bill O’Brien and Harry Norville, a radio salesman and engineer respectively, joined surnames to start the Breville company in Sydney in 1932. Almost 42 years later, the Snack ‘n’ Sandwich Toaster was launched in 1974. It was a runaway success, reportedly selling 400,000 in the first year and making its way into 10 per cent of the nation’s households. A step up from the hand-held jaffle iron, which was invented by a Bondi doctor in 1949 and used over open flames, the toaster was influenced by electric waffle irons and sandwich grills that had been around since the 1920s. The design evolved, notably with its “scissor action” in 1976, which cut each sandwich in half.

The jaffle maker fell out of favour as café-goers embraced focaccias and panini in the 1990s but it had a resurgence about a decade ago, when jaffles took on a retro appeal, and now they even pop up in cool eateries (Sydney’s Lankan Filling Station and Melbourne’s Her).

In 2014, Breville marked the jaffle maker’s 40th anniversary with the Original 74’ ($140; breville.com), a premium version with bigger plates to fit modern super-sized bread. It was an unexpected hit but Hoare isn’t surprised. “There’s nothing like that caramelised cheese around the outside.” Nearly half a century later, the Aussie invention is still feeding hungry hordes.

The electric jaffle maker created a much-loved, uniquely Australian take on the toasted sanger.

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John Gollings

Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, Northern Territory

As told to Rachel Lees

Last year, I had the opportunity to visit Uluru for the first time on a work trip. As a young Indigenous architect [Reti is 27], I work predominantly in community, so my directors told me it was important to go and see the cultural centre while I was there. The centre was built by Gregory Burgess Architects in the mid-’90s at the base of Uluru. It was co-designed with community and set an important precedent for the work I do. Its aim is to educate visitors on the concept of Country and the Traditional Owners, the Anangu people.

The textures and colours of the materiality are born from Anangu Country. It’s a free-form structure built from 90,000 mudbricks that were made onsite from local soil. It has a fluid shape that reflects the curves of Uluru and Kata Tjuta and represents two ancestral beings, Kuniya the woma python and Liru the venomous snake, who battled at Mutitjulu Waterhole and helped create Uluru. Although the internal rooms are quite dark, it never feels cold or dank. Instead it has a cavernous effect in the spaces where exhibitions are held and facilitates the sharing of the Traditional Owners’ stories and history.

I didn’t anticipate feeling so connected to Country inside the building. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are icons and the imagery feels very spiritual. While it doesn’t do it quite as well as Country itself, the building does have an energy about it that reflects these incredible natural landscapes. Part of the journey of going to Uluru is walking the trails around its base – the way people are encouraged to move through the building has a fluid path that feels reminiscent of those trails.

This is the peak of good Indigenous architecture. When this type of work happens successfully, it doesn’t start with the building, it starts with genuinely engaging with community. Gregory Burgess embedded the knowledge he learnt from the Traditional Owners and that shows in the architecture.

Palawa and Ngāti Wai woman Marni Reti works at Kaunitz Yeung Architecture (kaunitzyeung.com), a Sydney-based firm that delivers projects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

How a built structure perched beside a natural wonder influences the work of architect Marni Reti.

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Styling by Lucy Wood

Photography by Edward Urrutia

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Paspaley Lavalier

An icon inspired by the sea celebrates its tenth anniversary.

“I think a pearl finds its wearer,” says Christine Salter, the creative director of Paspaley. “There’s something magical about it.”

Salter, who began her career as a deckhand on a pearling lugger, says the wildness of the Kimberley coast, where the company harvests its luminescent gems, speaks to the romance of both her family’s work – first fueled by her grandfather Nicholas Paspaley almost 90 years ago – and the allure of its fine jewels. It’s a legacy captured in the house’s iconic Lavalier, an intricate design inspired by nautical ropes and old glass pearling buoys that was so innovative when it was conceived a decade ago it required a patent.

Its newest incarnation sees a round pearl, hand-selected from the pearl vaults and encased in 18-carat rose-gold, offset by 30 sparkling Australian opals and 68 white diamonds and a keshi pearl ($30,600; paspaley.com).

For a creation inspired by centuries-old tradition, the effect is modern. Fans of the Lavalier – Meghan Markle, for example, wore the earrings – are able to select a unique combination of fine net and hand-picked pearl. The joy of the design, says Salter, is being able to open the meshwork and hold a loose pearl in your hand. “The fact that you can choose your own pearl, knowing that it’s untouched, undrilled, exactly as it came out of the shell, makes it all the more precious.”

Tim Robinson

Interview by Bek Day

The city you frequent most and why? I’m back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne quite a bit. Sydney’s my base but Melbourne’s where my family is. What do you love about both cities? In Sydney, it’s the water. In Melbourne, it’s my community and, as a Somali woman, the food. There are six Somali restaurants on Flemington Road alone. What’s a must-order at a Somali eatery? You can’t go past chapati (sabaayad). When you’re on the move, do you pack for just-in-case? I’m a chronic overpacker but I’ve stopped shaming myself about it. Might as well use up the checked-in baggage allowance, right? Definitely. If you could only take one pair of shoes, they’d be… Wait, can I take two? Sure! The first pair would be my Crocs for comfort and the second would be my Amina Muaddi heels. The one thing you always pick up at the airport? I usually head to the M.A.C store for a lip liner or lipstick that I definitely don’t need. In the air, what do you have by your side at all times? I’m one of those crazy people who has a Korean sheet face mask on mid-flight. What is your flight take-off ritual? I always say a little dua for travelling: Subhanal-ladzi sakhkhara lana hadza wa ma kunna lahu muqrinin. Wa inna ila Rabbina lamunqalibun. It means I hope the journey is safe and that I return whole. My mum always said it when I travelled with her as a kid. What’s the last great thing you read on a flight? I finished Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall on my last flight and it was amazing. Where do you stay in Melbourne? With my family or at the Hilton on Little Queen Street (qantas. com/hotels/hiltonmelbournelittle queenstreet). It has a great restaurant, Luci [left], that’s worth a visit. Best places for a nightcap? I don’t drink but I’m a shisha girl so it’s Blackout Lounge (blackoutfitzroy.com) in Fitzroy for one, followed by a mocktail at Taquito (taquito.bar) in Carlton. First thing you do when you get home? Stretch!

Portrait photograph by Ben Morris

The Somali-Australian activist and model often jets between our two biggest cities.

Here’s what smooths her commute.

Hanan Ibrahim

Right at home

Artwork from the heart of Malak Malak Country and projects that support biodiversity restoration on the banks of the Namoi River. Country Road’s pieces are a commitment to Australian made and a better future for all. Meet the people bringing this pledge to life.

Sharing cultures

Kieren Karritpul

In Nauiyu Nambiyu, three hours south-west of Darwin on Malak Malak Country, art flows through Kieren Karritpul’s bloodlines like the local Daly River. “It was decided for me by my ancestors,” says the Ngen’giwumirri painter and printmaker. “My grandmothers told me when I was born that I would be an artist.”

Karritpul comes from an illustrious family of creatives, including his mother, Patricia McTaggart Marrfurra OAM, and he’s fortunate to live out his passion every day. His art has been exhibited internationally at the Fowler Museum at the University of California and hangs in major collections at the National Gallery of Australia and The Art Gallery of South Australia. This recognition helps Karritpul represent his people, which he says is the aim. “My work is influenced by my ancestry and I’m interested in teaching others about our strong and long culture.”

In 2020, Karritpul took out the Textile Design Award at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards, where he first connected with Country Road. That meeting led to a co-designed eight-piece Australian-made dining collection, imbued with Karritpul’s highly spiritual motifs. The ceramic pieces are crafted from Australian clay by ceramicists in Bendigo, Victoria (Dja Dja Wurrung Country), while two tea towels and a table runner are screen-printed by hand at Printink in Collingwood, Melbourne (Naarm). The project, inspired by Dreamtime stories of mermaids on billabongs (“We can’t see but we can feel their presence and hear them calling to us”), was Karritpul’s chance to engage a new audience away from gallery walls and into Australians’ homes via their dining-room tables. “I’m very proud to share my culture and tradition in their homes – and particularly around their family.”

Karritpul’s co-designed range starts from $39.95

Sustainability in action

Andrew Watson

For farmer Andrew Watson, magic happens when you let nature take its course. He’s seen it play out on his family’s cotton and grain farm – Kilmarnock in Boggabri, north-east NSW – which has been undergoing regeneration since the 1960s. When his parents, John and Robyn, bought the farm, which sits along 35 kilometres of the Namoi River, the banks were degrading. The family worked with conservation not-for-profit Landcare Australia and planted trees to stabilise the environment, taking out non-native species such as willow trees. “They look beautiful in the English countryside but in the Australian landscape, they contribute to blue-green algae and nutrient imbalance in the water.”

This care and attention restored wildlife corridors along the river, replenishing the diversity of bird and insect life. Watson says there are farming pay-offs, too, including natural pest control for crops. “This has contributed to a 100 per cent reduction in the use of chemical insecticide.”

Partnered with Country Road and Landcare Australia’s The Biodiversity Project, the Watson family aims to revegetate 3.7 kilometres of river frontage on the Namoi, at Merriendi, another of their properties. Country Road has committed a minimum of $600,000 over three years to The Biodiversity Project with the aim of restoring ecosystems in cotton-growing regions. This has already contributed to the planting of 3200 seedlings on Watson’s farm, including 1500 to replant flood-affected areas. “We are living in a world where we must all work together to protect the environment.”

By purchasing a Verified Australian Cotton Heritage Sweat from Country Road, you will be contributing to The Biodiversity Project.

Country Road Verified Australian Cotton Heritage Sweat, $119

Made in Melbourne

Julian Collins

Supporting fellow Australians and opting for local supply has never been more important, says Julian Collins, global sales manager at textiles manufacturer ABMT. “Australia has amazing cotton and merino wool farms. We also have a heritage in textile and apparel production with skilled technicians right here.”

Cast back just 30 years and most of our clothing was produced onshore. “To maintain that Australian fashion DNA, we need to make product locally so those technical skills are shared for generations.”

ABMT has been operating in Melton in Melbourne’s outer west since the 1990s, employing about 60 staff from all backgrounds. The sewing factories are predominantly operated and managed by women, many of whom are from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Working with the Endeavour Foundation, the mill also empowers staff with disabilities.

The mill was the first Australian textiles facility to be certified as organic and employs sustainable strategies such as solar power and water recycling. “It’s up to companies such as ours to lead the world into more responsible ways of clothing people.”

Country Road shares that same philosophy with ABMT, making their partnership on the 90s Reissue Sweats and Australian Made T-shirt an ideal synergy. The nouveau-retro classics are made to last and designed to be worn time and time again.

“When we make these pieces, we make sure every step is authentic,” says Collins, “whether it’s the Australian fibres used, the history behind the designs or the long-term commitment to the makers.”

Better yet, wearing the collection flies the flag for Australian-made products. “Every sweat touches at least 30 Australian hands before it hits the shop floor.”

Support Australian made by visiting countryroad.com.au today.

Country Road Australian Made T-Shirt, $89.95

THE BUSINESS

Lucy Turnbull

Current role Executive director, The Australian Ballet

Tenure Nine months

Previous roles Executive director, Bangarra Dance Theatre; executive director, Major Performing Arts and National Engagement, Australia Council for the Arts; director, New Zealand International Arts Festival; associate director, Sydney Festival

How do you define good leadership?

I realised very early on in my career that you can’t do it alone and nothing is done all by yourself. Leadership is about building an environment where people want to listen and want to be motivated. I wouldn’t be the first to say that it’s important to surround yourself with a really strong team, who have complementary abilities. But to make it work, you have to be able to inspire trust and confidence in a common purpose and ambition.

You’ve been in this role since December. What’s been the biggest surprise?

Probably the complexity and the broadness of things we’re facing in the next few years. I was in a meeting with the executive directors of the world’s major ballet companies and it was a real sharing of knowledge. We’re not yet out of COVID and audiences haven’t returned. I said, “Well, I’ve been in the

Interview by Kirsten Galliott Illustration by Marc Némorin

Lissa Twomey

Running The Australian Ballet falls to two people – the executive director and the artistic director – which creates an unusual but effective dynamic.

role for 16 days and we’re going to be out of our home venue [in Melbourne, for renovations] for three years in our most profitable market, going through the challenges of the next couple of years on the back of COVID.” They said, “Did you know about all of this when you first started?” and I said, “Yes, I did. But I still took the role.”

What do you do about audiences not coming back as you would have hoped?

In 2019, audiences made up 65 per cent of our income. We didn’t get back to that level at all in 2022 and now, in 2023, we’re in a challenging economic context, with discretionary spending down. We do all that we can – we’re looking at accessible ticket pricing and ensuring that we’ve got the right balance of programming. Big classics like Giselle, Swan Lake and Nutcracker do bring in audiences but there’s a real appetite for new works as well.

You’re new, you have a relatively new artistic director and a new musical director. What are the advantages of having that much change at the top?

Fresh eyes. We’re working in a very different environment. For a lot of arts organisations – not just ballet – models that have held true and were strong before are not necessarily the best way into the future. Audiences are changing. We’ve seen audience shifts pre-pandemic that have been exacerbated post-pandemic. The Australian Ballet has a very strong subscription base – more so than many other major companies – but people are used to staying at home a bit more. We’ve been doing a lot more in terms of digital and streaming but live performance will never go away. You can’t replicate the intensity of being in a theatre with 2000 other people and experiencing that moment together.

And what about the disadvantages of having a brand-new team? The leadership hadn’t changed for a long time. Change is often a little bit uncomfortable but [artistic director]

David Hallberg has been here since 2020 – what an interesting time for him to come in! – and there is a new ambition and a different focus. We see that audiences are responding to that.

You’ve had a perhaps unexpectedly public stoush with the dancers over pay increases. What have you learnt through that process?

These processes are rarely easy, especially in an inflationary environment where our revenue is not CPI-linked. Some really positive changes were made to scheduling, including lowactivity days to support the work-life balance for the dancers. I’d like to think that, next time, these discussions will take place in a more positive environment – without the triple impact of a global pandemic, the current cost-of-living challenges and the looming disruption of the closure of our home theatre. That said, I think it took some time for both parties to fully understand the other’s position, which is essential in seeking a solution.

How do you approach difficult conversations in general? With honesty. Sometimes it will involve things that people don’t want to hear so you have to have a mutual respect and humility.

Do you practise those conversations or are they more in the moment?

I don’t do it on the run. I go into it thinking about my key points, the perspective of the other person and how this will impact them. And then I do lots of listening.

Feedback is so hard, isn’t it?

Feedback is hard but feedback is important. I continually hold a mirror up to myself to look at how others perceive me and what we’re communicating. It’s really important in motivating a team to understand the impacts of what we’re doing and what we’re trying to do, what we hope to be and what their part is in that journey.

This is a very public role. How did you prepare for that? It’s a different public role. When I was the artistic director of the New Zealand International Arts Festival, which was the leading arts organisation in that country, people would recognise me at the supermarket! Like any CEO coming in to a role, I absorbed as much as I could about the workings and the stakeholders. It’s also a leadership role with the artistic director, David Hallberg. We’ve talked about that a lot – what does that mean? It is unique; it’s not something that’s replicated in the corporate world. We have two voices at the top needing to come together, one with the artistic responsibility and one with the financial and organisational responsibility. It’s a bit of a marriage. I have to get inside David’s head and understand what he wants to achieve but at the same time balance that with the reality of the financial management of the company.

In marriages, couples fight. How are you negotiating that dynamic?

We haven’t had a fight yet [laughs] and I’m not saying we will. David’s a gorgeous person. But we’re upfront with one another. You know, “Tell me when I’m deliberating and when I’m procrastinating.” We keep very close together on a daily basis in discussions about what’s happening. Undoubtedly, there will be a time when we don’t agree but like all good marriages, the best way forward is to sit down, understand the other’s position and find a way to move forward. I’m not anticipating a major divorce.

You’ve spent your entire career working with creative people. What are the challenges that come with that?

Creative people are very disciplined, just in a different way. It’s maybe not about budgets or timelines but they put so much passion into their discipline. It’s my job to understand what it is they want to do and how I can best help them achieve that ambition.

Creative people can bring a certain emotion to the workforce and sometimes that can be tricky. Yes, it can be tricky because you’re there wanting to do the very best to realise the passion that a director or choreographer wants to bring to the stage but it’s not without boundaries. We’re there to keep the company sustainable and there are facets to that – the work on the stage, the donors, the stakeholders, the audience, the bottom line, the budget.

Would you describe yourself as a creative thinker?

Yes, I do think outside the box. During COVID, I had a sticky note on my desk at home that said, “Hope versus a plan.” I relish the times where we have a moment of uncertainty – not always a crisis – and have to be imaginative and find a solution. It may not be the most direct or most obvious path but once I get something in between my teeth I won’t let it go.

As a not-for-profit you need to have great relationships with donors and a key part of your role is extracting money from them. Is that comfortable territory for you?

There are different times when you feel comfortable about making the ask. A lot of philanthropy is about finding a way to match that desire to support the company with the right sort of proposition. I really enjoy having conversations with donors about why they’re attracted to the company and what they hope to achieve and getting into the mind of the donor.

Let’s talk about the dancers. The average age of retirement is about 35. How do you prepare them for life after ballet?

We have a lifestyle coach who works with the dancers, not just on their mindset to ensure that they do their very best on stage but to think about what’s next. We have a dancer transition fund so they can apply for funds that have been donated to support study. We’ve had people study criminal law, go on to become a midwife or have careers in arts administration. We also invest heavily in our artistic health team to ensure that dancers can have a much more fulfilling and even longer career with the Australian Ballet or another ballet company.

Take-homes

Personal motto

“Trust, respect, inspire.”

Email approach

“Minimise email domination.

I’m trialling a new AI tool, SaneBox, to sort my inbox.”

“

Motivation tactic

“Celebrate milestones big and small.”

Business book or podcast

Good to Great by Jim Collins. A number of the concepts and basic messages explored in the book have stayed with me: the importance of a strong team,

How are you going on injury prevention?

The results have been incredible. We’ve charted injury over the past 20 years and seen the eradication of some of the usual problems. The objective here is not necessarily about seeing more time at the crease or more time on the stage, it’s about strengthening the dancers to ensure their ongoing physical health and wellbeing. Ballet companies across the world do an exercise commonly called the Aussie calf raise to reduce injury.

What’s your biggest strength as a leader?

Perseverance. I’m not one to resile from problems and say that something can’t be done.

And your biggest gap?

I continually check myself to ensure that I don’t get trapped in the doing. It’s too easy to say, “I’ll just do that and I’ll do it right.” But it’s about helping others to get things done because you do need to concentrate on the higher. In my early career, I was given a piece of advice that has stuck with me. It was, “Lissa, you need to let others do things, even if it means they fail the first time or don’t do them as well as you would like.”

Where do you do your best thinking?

In the early hours of the morning. You can let go of the slurry of the day before, take stock and think, “Okay, what are the things that would make the most difference right now?”

The ballet has celebrated its 60th anniversary. Do you think about legacy and what your contribution to that will be? I have to say it’s something I do think about. You can get lost in the challenges of the moment but what’s the longer term? We’re looking at some big legacy projects.

Finally, what advice would you give a brand-new CEO? When you first start, it’s easy to get so busy, into everything and the detail. There are likely to be many stakeholders and many wheels spinning. You need to think about it broadly and long-term.

honest, critical assessment

– no matter how brutal it is –humility and the importance of disciplined cumulative effort.”

Productivity hack

“Prioritise, schedule, delegate or delete.”

Hard-and-fast rule

“Be honest and true to your word.”

Favourite piece of advice

“There is a solution for everything – you just have to look hard enough.”

Four of the best stays for business travellers.

1. Hotel X FORTITUDE VALLEY

The appeal of Hotel X (qantas.com/ hotels/hotelxbrisbane) is in its form and function. The 146-room designled property has a generous checklist of in-room gadgetry – tablets for room service or pillow selection, Dyson hair dryers – in its spacious suites. The location, less than 10 minutes by taxi to the CBD, is another win. And apart from the fully equipped gym, the 6.5-kilometre Brisbane River run route is close by.

2. Rambla @ Perry House BOWEN HILLS

Even a swift check-in can feel lengthy when you’re on a tight schedule. At

Rambla @ Perry House (qantas.com/ hotels/ramblaperryhouse), serviced apartments 10 minutes north-east of the CBD, check-in is digital, keyless and contactless, activated by an app – ideal for post-red-eye arrivals. The shared on-site office space is a boon for remote work and the kitchen- and laundry-equipped suites smooth those extended stays. The heated rooftop pool is welcome come knock-off time.

3. The Calile Hotel FORTITUDE VALLEY

It’s been five years since The Calile Hotel (qantas.com/hotels/calile brisbane) took over James Street but the shine of this 175-room stay hasn’t dimmed. It’s the antidote to stuffy client confabs: from the light-bathed, sand-hued meeting rooms to on-site diners SK Steak & Oyster and Hellenika,

where even non-guests pull up chairs in droves. Being based in the city’s coolest ‘burb means you’ll never run out of places to wine and dine.

You can easily blur the line between business and pleasure at The Westin Brisbane (qantas.com/hotels/westin brisbane), a tower that soars above the city centre. The quiet Westin Club, with its refreshments and plump leather chairs, fits into the work column, as do in-room workstations with desk-level plugs and coffee machines. Heavenly Spa by Westin, Guy Rossi’s new Settimo (above), an Italian restaurant featuring flavours of the Amalfi Coast, and the heated pool all slot into play (although there’s nothing to stop you taking a phone call at the swim-up bar).

Story by Bridget de Maine

4. The Westin Brisbane CBD

Lucy Turnbull

As Sydney’s first female lord mayor in 2003, she learnt a thing or two about trailblazing. Since then, the philanthropist, company director and chair of the Sydney Opera House Trust has always been willing to push boundaries.

As told to Julie Lee

My first job was making sandwiches in the school holidays when I was about 15. The guy who ran the local grocery store asked if I’d like to start a sandwich bar. I had a board outside saying, “Come in and try Lucy’s sandwiches.” It was a good way of learning how to deal with customers and have fun at the same time.

My first uncomfortable conversation was probably with a younger brother! But seriously, when you’re in a leadership position, you have to have uncomfortable conversations. There’s no doubt that when you’re in charge of an organisation, some people will be a better match for your goals than other people. What’s important is having empathy for the person you’re talking to.

My first boardroom was at a not-for-profit, the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. With any not-for-profit board or foundation role you have to be passionate about what you’re doing and about the cause – children’s health has always been a passion of mine and we raised a lot of money. To do that, you need to work on your “elevator pitch”, the same as in any sales role, be it children’s health, selling houses, securities, even political campaigns. Everything you do should align with that pitch.

The first time I chaired a council meeting as lord mayor was great. The most exciting thing was how many people wrote to me saying it’s so good that somebody has broken through the glass ceiling as a female lord mayor. I didn’t expect it. I’m practical – I do stuff and don’t consider what people think. Julia Gillard spoke about that when she became prime minister and it chimed with me. In a way, that meant more to me than becoming lord mayor.

The first time I invested in an entrepreneur I was hooked. [My husband] Malcolm and I established the Turnbull Foundation, which is a private foundation, more than 20 years ago. We get a lot of enjoyment out of supporting early-stage not-for-profit ventures: there’s a fantastic guy called Shane Phillips, who runs the Tribal Warrior Association; a wonderful woman, Dr Tracy Westerman, who has a foundation with the goal of educating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychologists; and Arise Foundation, which helps to re-establish women leaving home after domestic violence. It’s the small, community-driven notfor-profits that actually see the opportunity and do the work.

My first professional failure was in 1986. I capitalised a fashion business with a small amount of money. The money was spent very quickly. It taught me to know what I don’t know – and I didn’t know anything about fashion.

The first time I recall being truly impressed was when I went to the opening of the Sydney Opera House with my godfather in 1973. It’s very poignant to me that I’ll be going to its 50th birthday celebration in October as chair of the Trust. It’s something I would never have imagined in a million years.

Defining moment

I worked for many years in a law firm. We did some really interesting legal cases, like the Spycatcher case in 1986. I worked closely with Malcolm as his offsider. He was interested in the drama of the trial, the witnesses, the headlines; I loved doing all the legal research. The case itself was a triumph but it was also a triumph for our partnership and our marriage.

The digital MBA

Continuous learning is essential for current and aspiring leaders. The flexibility of this innovative online MBA allows lifelong learners to keep up with their everyday commitments while building cutting-edge skills.

Undertaking an MBA is a concerted effort to unlock your full potential in the workplace. Yet, with many people increasingly time-poor, online study suits a wide range of those looking to upskill to meet the evolving nature of their current job or to change roles.

Monash University’s online MBA (Digital) has been specifically designed by the university’s triple-crown accredited Business School – a distinction achieved by fewer than 1 per cent of business schools globally – to keep competing priorities in mind. The MBA (Digital) is a highquality online course that looks to the future with a focus

on operational trends such as automation, sustainability practices and a greater focus on employee wellbeing.

“Our academics have designed all the units alongside industry professionals, leaders of various business sectors and learning designers, which makes a significant difference,” says Associate Professor Jonathan Matheny, Monash MBA (Digital) course director. “Every part of our course has been designed to enhance the student experience, whether they’re engaged in self-directed learning or taking advantage of online learning sessions with classmates from all over Australia and beyond.”

The course is also flexible, with students able to choose when they start and how quickly they complete the program throughout their studies, with the freedom to work independently at any time and anywhere in the world. This flexibility extends to Monash’s online Graduate Certificate of Business Administration (Digital) that provides experienced students with an alternative pathway into the MBA (Digital).

Online learning in action

While students aren’t together in the same room, they are in it together, with plenty of chances to interact online. “They’re put into groups where they can collaborate on a shared virtual whiteboard over Zoom. Here, they can confirm their level of understanding of a subject with their fellow learners,” says Associate Professor Matheny (above). Unlike with a classroom whiteboard, participants can save a copy of the virtual whiteboard and add to it at their own pace for their own purpose.

“One of the downsides of online education has been that it’s a solitary experience but with our Monash MBA (Digital) we’ve worked hard to create many ways for students to interact with each other, the faculty and our online unit coordinators.”

All live online learning sessions take place in the evenings. While attendance is optional, most students value meeting and working with other MBA (Digital) students. Most sessions run for an hour a week but Organisational Skills units (Strategic Management, Leadership for Sustainable Development and Innovation in Digital Transformation) offer four hours a week of grouplearning activities that are recorded for those who can’t attend so they can see others put the tools to use.

Focus on the future

Monash University’s Dr Andrea Fenton (above) recently developed a new unit, Innovation and Change for Digital Transformation, in conjunction with an industry expert, as part of the MBA (Digital).

The unit explores the contemporary application of innovative approaches for digital transformation. “We had students from regional Victoria, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Indonesia,” she says. They came from a broad range of industries, including health, education, recruitment, HR, retail, manufacturing, mining and government. “We got fantastic feedback about the value of being able to collaborate and compare findings across different industries. They learn a lot from each other because of that great diversity.”

Dr Fenton knew that digital transformation was a “pain point” in the industry and “developed this unit to specifically plug that gap”. The reallife application of the unit has seen students immediately taking learnings into their organisations. “Many students have emailed me to tell me they’re presenting the digital transformation plan that they developed in the unit to their work.”

The MBA (Digital) is designed and run by Monash University, which consistently ranks in the top 1 per cent of universities globally and is a member of the prestigious Group of Eight (Go8). Visit online.monash.edu for more information.

A level playing field

Until Monash launched its MBA (Digital) in 2021, Dr Martijn van der Kamp (above) had spent his career teaching face-to-face. He now relishes the opportunity to reach a wider range of students through online learning.

“The major difference is accessibility – making it possible for people who would normally not be able to study for an MBA to attend class,” says van der Kamp, who leads units around professional development, leadership and sustainable development. “The reasons range from living far away, not being able to make the time that the classes are run or perhaps having a disability. Being able to study online has also seen more women – who are traditionally under-represented – join the course so now our classes are gender-balanced.”

It’s the level of accessibility that sets this online MBA apart, according to Associate Professor Matheny. “After the live class online, you can come to it in your own time, stop and start the recording, make more notes and deepen your learning. It’s much more in tune with modern life and it prepares you for leadership in an ever-changing future.”

How to… innovate

In his book

Invention to Innovation

,

former CSIRO

head Dr Larry Marshall draws lessons from his years as a scientist, an entrepreneur and the agency’s longest-serving CEO.

As told to Alison Boleyn

Don’t mistake invention for innovation. The problem in Australia is we think that once we’ve invented something, it’s someone else’s job to figure out what to do with it. You need to carry the invention all the way to a solution and deliver a product to a customer willing to pay for it. That’s when it becomes innovation and creates economic and societal value.

Most of the innovation you need is already inside your company. The first step is to start talking about the uncomfortable truths. In my first year at CSIRO, we created a crowd-sourcing platform that gave the 5500 people who worked there a voice. It was messy and noisy but like a pressure-relief valve – the crowd got more positive.

Remember how at school it was, “Let’s learn by doing”? Ease off on the KPIs and say, “We’re going to try half a dozen new things and we’re not sure they’ll work.” Measure everything but turn failing into lessons that solve the problem.

Hierarchy is the enemy of innovation. Innovation almost always happens at the intersection of two different parts of the company; you’ll have one part with a problem and another that has the solution.

The unicorn never comes from consensus. You need diversity. In a venture fund, the outlier – the deal only one person was passionate about – is usually the winner. Because if everyone at the table can see it, then everyone outside the organisation can, too.

Try to make your product obsolete. When we created [carbon emission-abating livestock feed company] FutureFeed, the criticism was, “It only works in feedlots”, but we’d already invented a way for it to work in open grazing. As you launch a product, have your team innovating the next. But keep it quiet and nail the first product.

James Horan

A career with a legacy

Four generations of the Dean family have worked on Australia’s Snowy Scheme. The modern iteration, Snowy 2.0, is set to power the nation into the future.

For Tim Dean, returning to the Snowy Mountains has always been a dream. He grew up there, with both his grandfather and father working on the original Snowy Scheme. Now Tim and his son, Hunter, are a part of Snowy 2.0, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power three million homes over the course of a week. Tim talks about his work on the project and how he finds a work-life balance.

What do you do on Snowy 2.0?

I’m an electrician by trade but in 2021 I joined the project to complete the construction and commissioning of the precast factory in Cooma. I’ve stayed on to manage it since. Here, we make the concrete segments for the 27 kilometres of underground tunnel lining. The precast factory will produce 135,000 segments that weigh seven tonnes each. Since Snowy 2.0 was first announced, I’ve kept across the project because I always wanted to work on the Snowy Scheme. Plus, my mum is still in Talbingo, which is an extra drawcard.

What does the team working on the precast plant look like?

There are about 170 people and we work 24/7. We went from creating roughly 29 segments daily to an average of 190 to 210 segments a day – we’re best-in-class in the world. When Snowy 2.0 is generating power, these huge tunnels will carry the water down from Tantangara through the power station and empty into Talbingo reservoir. We have a lot of Snowy Mountains locals on the team and source our aggregates locally so it’s been good for the economy here.

You fly-in, fly-out. What does your week look like?

I work for two weeks on then I head home to my wife, Bec – we’ve been together since we were at school here in the Snowy Mountains – and our three kids in Port Stephens, NSW. On my week off, I captain my 47-foot O’Brien boat, Calypso, and take people out game fishing. I let go of the wheel at the factory and grab the wheel of my boat!

EXPLORE OUR NATION-BUILDING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Snowy 2.0 is an internationally recognised project using engineering innovation to enhance the iconic Snowy Scheme. Future Generation JV provides work-life balance, FIFO rosters and charter flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Now hiring Drill and Blast personnel, Technical staff, Engineers, Supervisors, Superintendents and more.

What’s it like being back in the Snowy Mountains region?

It was a great place to grow up; we were always fishing, waterskiing, snow skiing and motorbike riding in the clean air, surrounded by big hills. I have lots of special memories. I also have lots of old friends here, as well as new ones working on the project. We have a very diverse workforce and get to learn about other cultures, too. It’s a great place to work and to live.

Scan the QR code to learn more. Or visit futuregenerationjv.com.au

Tim Dean

Carbon

Fact file

Co-founders Jessica Richmond, 31 (pictured centre, CEO); Lindsay Ellis, 32 (left, COO); Danny Hoare, 37 (right, chief product officer)

Investors Blackbird, Possible Ventures, Cameron Adams (Canva) and Wedgetail

First customers Tasmazia, Taz Drone Solutions, Hellyer Gold Mines, Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Headquarters Burnie, Tasmania

Staff 12

Interview by Jane Nicholls

What’s your elevator pitch?

“Sumday (sumday.io) is a subscriptionbased service to support making carbon accounting as rigorous as other financial reporting. We can help large companies train their CFO and finance teams and bring their supply chains along by upskilling them. This has to become normal for small businesses – use our software to build it into your business now, before you get to the consequences of not doing that. For accounting firms, you’re the ones best placed to bring clarity around the data and

to drive sustainability decision-making for your clients. And we can help.”

How did the idea come about?

“We’ve all worked in heavy industry – mining, energy and resources. I’m a lawyer, Danny and Lindsay trained as accountants and Lindsay also has an academic background in sustainability.”

What was the problem you were trying to solve?

“As we realised how many companies wanted help with carbon accounting, we found the numbers being fed into it were generally based on high-level industry averages. How can companies

accounting that is thorough, clear and helps drive sustainability decision-making? It’s easier than you think, says co-founder Jessica Richmond.

make informed decisions about what they should prioritise in order to decarbonise when they’re going off numbers that may as well be on the back of an envelope?”

How did you get it off the ground? “We did close to 50 carbon-emissions assessments across heavy industries, as well as small businesses. We get the contacts for the supply chain – whether it’s 100 or 1000. We don’t ask them to fill in a heap of forms; we ask them if they can provide the carbon associated with the goods or services they’re supplying. Most can’t and we say, ‘No worries – it’s you and everyone else.’ We ask if they’d be willing to start if they had support,

software and their accountant helping. We’re seeing a real increase in businesses willing to learn more.”

How did you convince investors?

“It can seem a bit random to investors and other tech companies that we’re in regional Tasmania. We told the story of a small local tourism business – Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot – that paid us to do its carbon accounting. It got investors across the line and now when we catch up, they ask, ‘How’s everyone in Lower Crackpot?’ We started small but also very complex and granular. That’s how we keep it meaningful, versus another enterprise software calculating averages.”

What’s next?

“The magic is in being committed to staying fit-for-purpose for the average small-to-medium business with 10 employees but maybe selling valuable goods or services into that larger machine… We’ve gone global from day one because supply chains are global. We’ve taken trips to the UK and the US – we reach out via LinkedIn for coffee and cake and say, ‘This is how carbon accounting could be done’, and that’s evolved into discussions about how to roll this out. We have a mining customer in Finland, our first accounting firm at the enterprise level is in the US and we have another in Canada. The European Union, UK and US are already equal with Australia in terms of our focus.”

Let your business fly

Abbie White knows her profession often has a bad rap. “I once told someone I work in sales and she said, ‘Oh, so you rip people off for a living,’” says White, who rose through the ranks at IBM in the UK before moving to Australia in 2013 to become the tech giant’s national sales manager, turning her division into one of the best-performing in the world.

A passionate salesperson, White believes this negative reputation stems from outdated attitudes to selling. “When I launched Sales Redefined in 2017, I wanted to disrupt ineffective selling approaches and raise the bar. Sales is about being customer-centric – if you have a great product or service that can help a client get the best outcome then you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t offer them the opportunity to work with you.”

Today, White has a team of eight delivering integrated campaigns to clients. She jokes that she’s the marriage counsellor between sales and marketing. “We are about high-performance sales and aligning revenue-generating teams for growth.” The result? Clients have seen up to 2000 per cent increases in return on their investment.

White brings the same laser focus to planning her travel schedule. As Sales Redefined expands internationally – it’s grown almost 800 per cent since 2020 – she’s heading further afield, while trying to make it home to tuck her young son into bed at night. “If I’m not where I need to be each day, I have to deal with a business impact, a family impact or both. I know I can trust Qantas to get me there.” This year has been a particularly busy one for business travel, as White explains, unlocking surprising opportunities along the way.

Abbie White left her corporate sales role in big tech to share her secrets for smarter selling. Since launching Sales Redefined in 2017, she’s travelled the Asia-Pacific region to build up a seven-figure business.

“As a Qantas Business Rewards member, we save up to 10 per cent on flights, reducing our costs significantly given the amount our team travels.”

Abbie White, Sales Redefined

“This in-person speaking tour was a game changer for our business”

“Earlier this year, I was a keynote speaker at the Better Business Summit in five Australian cities, including my home town of Sydney. It gave us huge brand-building exposure – being in front of more than 2000 people has a massive impact for us as a small business and you would never get the same connection via a webinar. It was great to make so many new contacts but it was also important for me to get home for my little boy as quickly as possible after each event. We book all our team’s flights through our Qantas Business Rewards account; we can easily make changes or book last minute to see a new client, while earning Qantas Points for ourselves and the business at the same time. So everyone’s happy and we build up points for future trips.”

SINGAPORE

“I used my points to upgrade the overnight flight so I could reset”

“After working with the Australian arm of a global energy systems and tech provider, the team asked us to come to Singapore for a big APAC sales kick-off earlier this year. It was our first time on the ground for this event and the difference was huge. We devised a host of interactive activities and created an environment for our client’s teams to build connections together. When we’re there in the room we can create real energy, which is so vital for sales teams, and we can see how the participants

respond and adapt the program on the go. I used my Qantas Points to upgrade to Business for the overnight flight home to Sydney. After being on my feet from 7am delivering the workshop, this was well-needed. I unwound and had dinner in the Qantas International Business Lounge at Changi Airport so I could go straight to sleep on the flight. When I landed at 6am I was ready to bring my A-game to a full day of meetings.”

AUCKLAND

“We have to be on the ground in new markets to show our commitment”

“This was our first business trip to New Zealand; a three-city speaking tour for one of our clients in the IT sector. We had also just signed some of our first clients in New Zealand and taken on a local team member. We’re seeing an enormous wave of opportunity but people want to see you and be sure that you’re genuinely committed to being in the country, which I totally understand. When we book using our American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card, the points our business earns from that flight are tripled^, plus we get two complimentary domestic Qantas Club lounge passes each year#, which are great to share with the team. If a client hasn’t arranged accommodation, I book through Qantas Hotels. We earn extra points for the business but also it’s much easier to keep track of what hotels we’ve booked – it’s all there in the Qantas app.”

your business missing out on Qantas flight discounts?

Is

Level up and unlock more flight savings

As your business earns Qantas Points from flying, you’ll move through the three levels of the program, unlocking more rewards and bigger savings at each level.* Level 3 members save up to 10% off the base fare of selected flights, including up to 5% off Red e-Deals.

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on travel within Australia or overseas

Unlock member savings on flights to over 1300 domestic and international destinations with Qantas, oneworld and partner airlines, including Emirates and American Airlines.

Accessing your savings with ease

Your member flight savings can be accessed online via your Qantas Business Rewards account, the Qantas app and qantas.com (when you’ve been saved as a stored traveller in the Qantas Business Rewards account) or through your travel agent.

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

Dan Gosse Images

A passion for excellence is what drives us.

“The devotion to excellence is how one earns a trusted reputation. Which is why I’m honoured to partner with a company that shares my passion for performance.

LSH Auto Australia is dedicated to building trust by delivering your premium motoring needs while striving to provide an exceptional customer experience, every time.”

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Li Cunxin AO Artistic Director, Queensland

Ambassador

Australia’s leading Mercedes-Benz retail group

YOU COME FIRST. ALWAYS.

Mercedes-Benz Sydney | Mercedes-Benz Melbourne | Mercedes-Benz Brisbane | AMG Sydney | Mercedes-Benz Melbourne Airport

Ballet and LSH Auto Australia

Pip Marlow

Pip Marlow is a renowned tech leader, having just finished up as CEO and EVP of Salesforce in the APAC region and running Microsoft in Australia for six years. She’s a member of Chief Executive Women and is someone who lives by the motto, “If you want to make people believe you care, you just have to care.”

David Knoff

When he went to Davis research station in the Antarctic as expedition leader in 2019, David Knoff and his colleagues had signed up for one year. The pandemic turned that into 537 days, a true test of mental strength, resilience and leadership under pressure. A former Army officer and diplomat, he has since written a book about the experience.

Margie Hartley

As the founder of Gram Consulting Group, Margie Hartley is one of Australia’s most in-demand executive coaches. She’s worked with 11 out of the top 20 ASX-listed companies, helping their leaders to realise their full potential. Her podcast, Fast Track: Career Conversations, is a masterclass in leadership.

What makes a leader truly memorable? Three innovators shared their insights at Think., Qantas magazine’s thought leadership series that combines smart conversation with great food and wine. The panel discussion, held at SK Steak & Oyster in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, was moderated by Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Galliott.

KIRSTEN GALLIOTT: Pip, you actively ask for feedback, including from junior staff who probably feel a bit daunted about sharing with their CEO. How do you drag it out of them?

PIP MARLOW: I remember, early in my career, going to meetings with execs and afterwards they’d say, “That was a great meeting.” I thought it was a disaster but no-one said so and they had no idea of the impact they’d just had on the room. So typically, at the end of a customer meeting, I’ll ask my staff, “What feedback do you have for me on the meeting? How could I have helped you and the customer more?” The first time you ask, it’s, “Thanks so much. You were fabulous.” That can feel good for five seconds but it doesn’t give me anything to build on. So I say, “Thank you for that. Next time I ask that question, I want you to give me one thing that’s constructive.” Then I start to get the nuggets that could really help them and our customers. You have to make sure you’re not just asking once in a cursory way. You’ve got to show them you want it and that you’ll do something with their feedback.

David, you also got a lot of feedback when you were in Antarctica – and not always the kind you wanted...

DAVID KNOFF: After being stuck in Antarctica for a year and a half, everyone’s an expert. By the end of it, there were 24 expert station leaders, doctors and plumbers. You have to take your ego out of it, even if you think the feedback’s a bit harsh or misdirected. As the leader, I look at their point of view. Have I explained it properly? Did they understand the priorities around why their project was ahead of or behind another project? Feedback comes with a reason and they’ve

probably rehearsed it, at least in their mind. That means it’s usually coming from the right place. As a leader, if you’re seen to listen, take it on board and work around those problems, you’ll be in a better position.

Margie, how has leadership changed in the two decades you’ve been coaching?

MARGIE HARTLEY: The fundamentals are still the same – know your strategy, set a vision, motivate, connect, get clarity, make sure expectations are clear, create a feedback culture so it’s a dynamic place to be. Leadership in good times is great but give me a bad time and everyone reveals themselves in that moment. Right now, something different is going on. There is a shift and a lot of leaders are feeling it. The expectation of leaders from employees is different. People’s community attachments are much less significant than they were years ago – I think only about 11 per cent of people go to church now – and the expectations about work and schools are massive. Teachers feel it and leaders in workplaces feel it.

Amid such high expectations, how do leaders build trust?

MH: Trust is the foundation of all relationships and leadership is a relationship business. We assume a leader has capability, a strategy and commercial and financial acumen but the thing that’ll make the difference to your ability to succeed is the relationship you have with yourself and your people. Selfevaluation – how do I evaluate who I am and what I do? – is so important. Talented leaders have clarity about who they are and how they lead and everybody wants to follow them.

David, can you tell us about the importance of trust for you?

DK: Prior to my Antarctic career, I had the joy of being a diplomat and was posted to Australia’s embassies in Iraq and Pakistan. What we were doing had strategic implications for ourselves and Australia’s other partners over there. When the foreign minister of the day trusted the team, it really stood out. The direction would come to us in the field and we’d get out there and do it. We knew that right at the top, our leader trusted us, the people on the ground who were delivering Australia’s foreign policy. When we worked with other ministers who didn’t show that same kind of trust in us, the impact on the ground was noticeable. It was, “Oh, they don’t trust us anymore so what are we going to get done over here?”

When I took over running Davis station back in 2019, I was quite new to the Australian Antarctic program but the team around me had all sorts of experience. In that case, you trust your team. I’d say, “Hey, I’m new at this. Teach me what I need to know and I’ll help you get what you want to achieve.”

Pip, you have 4500 staff. Do you feel the weight of expectation as a leader?

PM: It doesn’t feel like a weight but I do think it’s changed. If you’re the captain of the ship, the ship’s been in pretty good weather for a long time, especially in Australia. So for a lot of leaders in this country, their skills are about sailing in good times. But right now, our leaders are being challenged in more turbulent waters with more complexity. Your employees want you to think more about the stakeholders and less about the

Set boundaries

“A hallmark of the Antarctic stations are the boundaries between work and play. There’s a leadership structure but we’re all equal in the eyes of the community. If I didn’t do the dishwasher properly – bang – they’d let me know. Being away from October 2019 to April 2021 was like time travel. When I got back to Australia, one thing that really struck me was how everyone was working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I was like, ‘What the hell happened here?’ Going into a year on an Antarctic station, we know those boundaries are so important. We had clear rules. We worked from 7.30am to 6pm. After six o’clock, it was, ‘Do you mind if I ask you a work question?’

Understanding that boundary between professional and social is vital.”

— DAVID KNOFF

Progress over perfection

“I’m about progress over perfection – unless you’re doing heart surgery on me, in which case perfection is really good! Other than that: progress, progress, progress. Let’s just keep getting better. Let’s figure out what did and didn’t work. If we’re openminded and stay curious then, yes, we’ll make some mistakes but we’ll try again. Keep in mind that we’re working as a team. Have a little bit of kindness and forgiveness for each other – and assume good intent from others.”

— PIP MARLOW

shareholders. It’s not just how much profit you have. It’s the employee experience. It’s your customer outcomes. It’s your planet and sustainability. It’s our First Nations peoples. Delivering growth at all costs is not the type of leadership expected now. And so, as leaders, we have to ask what are the things in our toolkit? What’s our leadership response to that changing context? What will we do differently?

Can that feel overwhelming at times?

PM: It can feel overwhelming. I think prioritisation is so important. I always say that being busy is a decision and not an excuse. So I’ve got to make some real decisions about where I spend my time. What am I stopping doing? What’s most important right now? Am I adjusting my leadership response to the changing context? If you don’t put your head out and get above the parapet, you miss the opportunity to look.

What about the path to making decisions? You want to seek input and buy-in but sometimes leaders just have to make a call, don’t they?

DK: It comes back to leading the situation you’ve got. There’s no time for democracy in an emergency. In a situation where the market’s going to close, a competitor’s going to launch or the ship is on fire, you’ve got to be decisive. But it’s important to debrief after a decision has been made – whether it’s good or bad. There are scenarios where there’s time to get everyone’s opinion and you say, “Thanks for that. We’ll come back and give you the answer.” In my experience, the team appreciates that. Being decisive should always be respected.

MH: I want to point out that making a decision is not being a dictator. Sometimes we think about this idea of “command and control” up here and “collaborative” down here and everything in between is bad or grey. People want decisions from you. People want that strength. They want the direction and they want it explained with great clarity – why you’re doing what you’re doing – as well as looking for feedback. That is an effective culture. People are desperate for leaders to be decisive. They don’t want weak leaders who are just always collaborating.

Do leaders struggle with knowing when to support and when to challenge, Margie?

MH: People can be very supportive, coaching leaders and I believe that’s the style that can be the most effective. But being a coach doesn’t mean you don’t challenge. Being challenged is an opportunity to grow and learn. People come to work for so much more than money – they’re coming to work for the experience of satisfaction, fulfilment, growth and potential. To offer that, we can’t just support people all the time. It’s about performance peak, where there’s enough challenge and stretch for a goal and enough support in the resources, tools and education you’ve given somebody that they’re going to be worth their weight in gold to you. If you only support somebody, you get the frozen middle, the complacent, the laissez-faire. But we also don’t want so much challenge that someone is fearful to come to work or to make a mistake. So it’s a really important balance for leaders to get right.

Does that apply to leaders as well? Pip, do you need to feel a little bit uncomfortable in your own leadership to be sure you’re continually striving?

PM: Creating great teams means sometimes I have to get uncomfortable and do things that push me out of my natural preferences. Earlier in my career, a coach said to me, “Pip, you need to make it clear to your team whether you are the chef or the ingredient – some days you can be the ingredient and be part of it and on others you need to be the chef but you can’t waffle in between.” I love to work collaboratively to get to the best possible outcome but sometimes I have to make that uncomfortable call. The toughest decisions for me are around people. I care about the people on my team but sometimes they’re no longer right for the team and you have to make that decision. The discomfort is a good thing. It’s telling you that you care – but it doesn’t mean you don’t go and do it.

David, what did you learn about how to motivate your team? You had 24 people who didn’t want to be there.

DK: Summer was easy. You’re in Antarctica. There are icebergs. That motivates people. But 12 months later, it’s still another perfect day and there are emperor penguins as well as icebergs but they’ve been there for a year. I’d ask them to think about why they came down there. It’s their one chance in a lifetime – they’ve paused their family life or other career to be there. Knowing your why and knowing your team’s why is very important. We all wanted to get home but I wanted to get home and be proud of what I did – that I had made the most of those opportunities. One of the fundamental lessons

I learnt in Antarctica was that leadership won’t always be pretty, especially when you’re pushed to the limits. I felt like I was failing at times – why isn’t everyone happy? There’s no way you’re going to achieve that. But you keep trying. As a leader, you have to have a bit of blind optimism. If you give up, what chance does your team have?

So how do each of you hope that people will remember you as a leader?

PM: Helping to create the space and environment for people to do the best meaningful work of their lives.

MH: As a good deputy captain – the person who sits behind others to watch them succeed. I help people reach their potential and build the confidence to do that. Maybe they won’t remember me because I’m sitting at the back and that’ll be positive.

DK: Being a good team member. Don’t be a leader just because you’re in that position to move up to the next rung. Whatever team you’re in – at an Antarctic station or in a business, family or community – be a good member of that team first and your leadership will come out of that.

You’re invited...

Keep in touch with reality

“Leaders aren’t always in touch with what’s going on with their people. I once challenged an executive leadership team to leave their cars at home and catch public transport to work and take a different route, to open their eyes to what was going on for other people. We get very caught up in our own problems. We only see what’s before us. Leaders have to look up and out.”

— MARGIE HARTLEY

Our next Think. event will be in Melbourne on 13 November 2023. For more information about tickets, visit thinkbyqantasmagazine.eventbrite.com.au. Enquiries: rsvp@mediumrarecontent.com

Compiled by Jane Nicholls

Creating leaders with purpose

Strong, effective leadership is driving staff satisfaction and customer loyalty at Australia’s leading Mercedes-Benz retail group. LSH Auto’s managing director John Good tells us how they do it.

What role does leadership play in setting the corporate objectives and creating the conditions to meet them at LSH Auto?

“Our focus is on delivering as a pacesetter in the industry and as an unrivalled place to work. Effective leadership is establishing a clear direction for the company, defining the values and core objectives and driving them through the organisation. Central to this is building trust between your management team and staff members to ensure the commitment to delivering excellence runs across the business. The other important value is teamwork. It’s one team, one goal.”

How does LSH Auto’s focus on engaging leadership translate into delivering exceptional customer experiences?

“It’s about providing the right environment and motivation and ensuring employees have the skills to achieve both career progression and business targets. The leadership team has worked strongly to shift the

organisation into a growth mindset. We’ve positioned ourselves as the industry’s first choice to attract and retain the right talent. That involves investing in skills and leadership development programs, like our management retreats and cadet courses, and identifying, where possible, career paths for our team members. The automotive industry is renowned for high staff turnover but we have exceptionally low levels of resignations and have been awarded the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work Employer of Choice – the only automotive company that’s received that accolade to date.”

When assessing the positive impact of memorable leadership, what are the key measures?

“Customer loyalty is the ultimate indication that the team is working cooperatively across all areas of the business. Key to that is keeping staff satisfaction high. Inspirational leadership filters down from the top, through the organisation, to really drive teams to perform at a class-leading level. Our brand mission for LSH Auto is building trust and delivering excellence. We build trust not only with the customer but also with our teams so that they can always deliver excellent service.”

LSH Auto’s leaders at a management retreat

ON BOARD

Movies

Kick back and catch up on the latest releases

Joy Ride

Imagine all the frenetic energy of The Hangover and plonk it not in Las Vegas but China. Ashley Park (Beef ) is Audrey. Adopted by white Americans as a baby, she decides to use a business trip to China to find her birth mother. Joining her is best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) as translator, Lolo’s cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s old college roommate, Kat (Everything Everywhere All at Once star Stephanie Hsu). But, of course, the gang gets more than they bargained for. Produced by Seth Rogen, who never met a butt joke he didn’t like, and directed by Adele Lim (co-writer of Crazy Rich Asians). Rated MA15+

John Farnham: Finding the Voice

Anyone who remembers the 1980s in Australia remembers John Farnham (above). That blond mullet crowning his head like a halo while he belted out “We’re all someone’s daughter, We’re all someone’s son” in stadiums across the country has been seared into our retinas. This documentary, which includes interviews with the late Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes and The Voice himself, faithfully captures the mood of the nation through the later part of the 20th century. From the 1960s, when Johnny Farnham got his first big break as a sunny teenage heartthrob singing Sadie the Cleaning Lady, through the ’70s, when poor management led to his career’s demise, and up to the

apex of his fame in 1986 with the release of the album Whispering Jack. But it also manages to answer a longheld question: what made Farnsy so likeable? How did he dodge controversy and stay married to one woman? The answer may lie somewhere in his early childhood in England. His character also appears to have been shaped by years of being knocked back. Nothing produces gratitude and genuine humility like a comeback at the age of 37. And it’s this underlying narrative – that success is sweeter when it’s hard-won – that elevates Finding the Voice from a parochial nostalgia trip about Australian music to a modern parable about the power of resilience – and hope. Rated M

BlackBerry

“Are you familiar with the saying, ‘Perfect is the enemy of good’?”

It’s this question, posed by Jim Balsillie (Glen Howerton), co-CEO of the BlackBerry company, to techie and fellow CEO Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), who helped create the first smartphone in 1996, that encapsulates the tension between creatives and corporates, builders and sellers. It’s a conflict that explodes into a volcanic catastrophe drenched in 1990s nostalgia and nerdish humour in this movie about the rise and fall of BlackBerry. Rated MA15+

Words by Natalie Reilly

The Little Mermaid

When Hans Christian Andersen wrote about a mermaid who fell in love with a prince, he probably didn’t envisage that his fairytale would be fashioned into a musical cartoon some 152 years later. Or that the animated mermaid of 1989 would capture a generation’s imagination so fiercely. In the latest version, Halle Bailey plays the spirited Ariel, so in love with a man (Jonah Hauer-King, right, with Bailey), that she convinces sea-witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy in drag mode) to make her human. Andersen’s original tale depicted an agonised Ariel but this version follows the 1989 one, keeping many of the same songs, plus a handful of new tunes, producing an underwater world so rich in vibrancy and detail, you’ll wonder why Ariel ever wanted to leave. Rated PG

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

As the Marvel universe continues to expand into dozens of incarnations and spin-offs, one might be tempted to wonder if it will ever… implode? Not, it seems, if you can whip up more Spider-Men. Miles Morales (left) is one such being. Born in Brooklyn, Miles (voiced by Shameik Moore) has an extra layer of neurosis to overcome. Is he really a hero? Or does his family’s criminality run through his veins, too? It’s a conundrum that has to be shelved when he joins forces with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and a new posse of Spider-People to face off against super-villain The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), who proves more powerful than he appears. Rated PG

The best shows to binge this month

Poker Face

Russian Doll ’s Natasha Lyonne (below) brings all the nonchalance of a young Columbo to her role as Charlie Cale, a casino waitress who can’t seem to disentangle herself from trouble. Fortunately, she’s gifted with an ability to detect lies. Unfortunately, she keeps running into homicides. Rated MA15+

Lucky Hank

Bob Odenkirk (below, Better Call Saul ) stars as Hank Devereaux, a one-bookwonder author and head of a university English department, in this sardonic comedy about life and the death of the ego in academic circles. Rated M

Somebody Somewhere

The Midwest of the United States tends to get a bad rap, cast as a place full of baloney-eating hayseeds, high on their own prejudice. But this dramedy, based loosely on the life of bawdy comedian Bridget Everett (who grew up in Kansas and serves as producer), is deliberately different. Everett plays Sam, who returns home after a family tragedy. Overwhelmed with grief, she makes friends with a coworker, Joel (Jeff Hiller, above, with Everett), and their relationship feels like a gentle stroll through wheatfields, with plenty of sarcasm on the side. Rated MA15+

The Betoota Advocate Presents

The Betoota Advocate is a satirical piece of genius, lampooning current events on its website. Here, its “editors” cover the country’s most controversial stories with laconic savagery. Rated M

Mrs. Davis

Just like Black Mirror, this show imagines a world in which an AI algorithm turns omniscient. Rather than recoiling in horror, a nun named Simone (Betty Gilpin, below) learns how to fight the AI, which is called Mrs Davis. Rated MA15+

Audiobooks

Listen in to these great stories

A Human’s Guide to the Future

Overwhelmed by the lightning-fast evolution of scientific and technological advances and want to make sense of it all? In this book, Australian biomedical engineer, inventor and futurist Dr Jordan Nguyen takes us on a fascinating journey through high-tech innovations, including robotics, artificial intelligence and bionics, arguing that embracing this mind-blowing change can benefit our future rather than destroy our humanity.

Charlie and the Karaoke Cockroaches

The latest hilarious chapter of the adventures of young Charlie and his best friend, Hils, from Australian comic Alan Brough, begins with an interrupted story. Then a mysterious box that speaks and sings. Add unusually unusual teachers, incredible lurking from the Lurker, an insect orchestra and a bungling burglar and it’s up to Charlie and Hils to save three innocent bugs from the forces of evil. Suitable for kids aged seven to 12.

The Secret Runners of New York

The end of the world is rumoured to be nigh and when Skye Rogers and her twin brother, Red, arrive in Manhattan, she’s asked to join the Secret Runners of New York, a covert society with access to a time portal into the future. What she discovers is frightening. This thriller, from bestselling Australian novelist Matthew Reilly, takes you on a race against (and through) time to change the future before it’s too late.

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.

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

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.

Foot pumps (foot motion is in three stages)

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.

In the air

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.

01

Start with both heels on the floor and point feet upwards as high as you can.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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:

Age 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

Oestrogen 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

During your flight, move your legs and feet for three to four minutes per hour while seated and move about the cabin occasionally

Do 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:

Get a good night’s rest

During your flight:

Eat light meals

Wear loose, comfortable clothing and sleep when you can

Stay 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

Go 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:

Drink water and juices frequently during the flight

Drink 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. Consider 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

On our information leaflet available from Qantas or your travel agent

Smoking: Government regulations prohibit smoking on all flights operated by Australian-registered aircraft. The use and charging of all e-cigarettes and other personal vaporisers are not permitted on board an aircraft. There are smoke detectors in all toilets and penalties for regulation breaches.

Travelling with children: Please ask cabin crew for help if required. Baby food and nappies (diapers) are available on most flights, while some washrooms are fitted with baby change tables. Please dispose of nappies etc. in the waste bins.

When you land

Leaving flights: On international flights, the cabin crew will distribute the necessary Customs and Immigration forms. If you are stopping en route, you will need your boarding pass to re-board the aircraft. If you’re travelling as a domestic passenger on an international flight within Australia, retain your boarding card with the large D sticker. This will be required to clear Customs at your destination.

Transferring from Australian domestic flights numbered QF400 and above to international flights: At check-in you will be issued with your international boarding pass. Your international boarding pass and baggage will be tagged through to your final destination. There is no need to claim your baggage or attend check-in at the transfer airport. Follow the signs for international transfers passengers to the complimentary transfer bus (not necessary in Melbourne and Darwin).

Transferring from international to domestic flights numbered QF400 and above: On arrival at your Australian transfer port, go through Immigration and collect your luggage. Proceed through Customs and follow the signs to the domestic transfer area to re-check your luggage. A complimentary transfer bus (not necessary in Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin) departs at regular intervals for the domestic terminal for your connecting Qantas flight within Australia. If your connecting domestic flight is numbered QF1-QF399, there is no need to clear Customs and Immigration. These flights depart from the international terminals. Customs and Immigration clearance will be completed at your final destination.

Transferring to a Jetstar domestic flight: If your next flight is with Jetstar (JQ) or a Qantas codeshare flight operated by Jetstar (QF5400-QF5999), you will need to collect your baggage and follow the signs to the Jetstar counter to check in for your flight and re-check your baggage.

What you need to know about your onboard security, safety and health

Qantas security policy

The Qantas Group has a strict policy of denying boarding, or off-loading any passenger who makes inappropriate comments or behaves inappropriately inflight or on the ground. Qantas will not accept any inappropriate comments as “jokes”. It will also seek to recover all costs incurred, including diversions as a result of security incidents, from those involved.

Group-wide security

Security screening is subject to the laws and regulations of the country of operation. The Qantas Group ensures that its passengers, staff and aircraft are safe and secure through an outcome-focused, risk-based approach to security management. Qantas security standards apply across the business, including QantasLink and Jetstar. A dedicated operations centre monitors global security events 24 hours a day.

Security advice

Pack your own luggage

Do not carry any items for another person Carry valuables, approved medication and keys in your carry-on baggage

All knives, sharp objects or cutting implements must be in checked baggage

Security 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: Each container of LAGs in your carry-on baggage must be 100ml or less

All 100ml containers must be placed in a single transparent one-litre plastic bag

Plastic bags containing LAGs are to be screened separately from other carry-on baggage

All powders must be screened separately with restrictions on the carriage of inorganic powders over 350ml (350g)

Passengers may still carry prescription medicines or baby products sufficient for the flight

If 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

The 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

Exemptions apply for people with serious medical conditions, infants and small children, and people in wheelchairs

As per advice, the energy exposure is comparable to that from a mobile phone several metres away

There are no known safety concerns for people with pacemakers and metal implants or for pregnant women

Dangerous goods

Common items used every day may seem harmless but on an aircraft they may become dangerous. When the aircraft changes altitude, variations in temperature and pressure may cause items to leak, create fumes or catch fire.

Items that are forbidden on aircraft or have carriage restrictions include lithium batteries, other battery types, camping stoves, fuels, oils, compressed gases, aerosols, household cleaners, matches, lighters, paints, explosives (including flares, fireworks, sparklers and bonbons), emergency position-indicating radio beacons, radioactive material, biological and infectious substances and fuel-powered equipment. This list is not exhaustive so please carefully consider what items you pack for your next flight.

If you’re unsure about an item in your baggage, ask a member of our friendly cabin crew.

For further information, go to qantas.com or email dg@qantas.com.au.

Travel advice

Qantas is a partner in the Australian government’s Charter for Safe Travel. Travellers may obtain the latest travel advice for their destination by visiting smartraveller.gov.au.

Automated immigration clearance

Several countries are introducing automated immigration clearance procedures to cope with growing air-travel numbers. The goal is to provide a faster, smoother immigration experience to eligible passengers without compromising border security. Please note that some automated clearance options may not be available due to COVID. Countries providing facilities across our network:

Australia SmartGate: e-passport holders of Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and US

China e-Channel: citizens of China

Hong Kong e-Channel Residents: citizens and residents of Hong Kong

Hong Kong e-Channel Visitors: frequent visitors that are visa-exempt, including Australians

Indonesia Autogate passport gates: citizens of Indonesia

Japan Speedy Immigration: citizens and foreign nationals with re-entry and special re-entry permits

New Zealand SmartGate Plus: e-passport holders of Australia, New Zealand, UK and US

Singapore enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS): citizens, permanent residents, work permit holders and APEC cardholders

UAE eGate: UAE citizens and residents

UK ePassport gates: e-passport holders of UK, Switzerland and European Economic Area (EEA)

USA Global Entry system: US citizens and permanent residents, Dutch citizens, South Korean citizens and Mexican nationals. Canadian citizens and residents with NEXUS membership

USA Automated Passport Control: for US, Canadian and Visa Waiver Program passport holders

Fee applies

Pre-enrolment required

Enjoy one status on 13 airlines.

Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating is in accordance with the individual policy of the oneworld member airline operating the flight. First and business class check-in desks and lounges are not available at all airports. Fast track is not available at all airports. Priority baggage handling is not available on flights operated by British Airways. Extra baggage allowance benefits differ for Sapphire and Emerald tier members. oneworld benefits are available only to passengers on scheduled flights that are both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline (marketed means that there must be a oneworld member airline’s flight number on your ticket). Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines and oneworld are trademarks of their respective companies. Some limitations and exceptions may apply. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/benefits. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner which provides select alliance benefits to oneworld members. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/oneworld-connect. For detailed information on the oneworld Lounge Access policy, visit https://www.oneworld.com/airport-lounges.

Quick clues

Across

10. Primarily (6)

11. Cuban music (5)

12. Wrecked (6)

13. Political strategy (4,4)

14. Permission to proceed (5,5)

15. Average (6)

16. Touch clumsily (3)

18. Gym garments (8)

19. Barrister’s holding fee (8)

21. Pensive (10)

24. Front of head (4)

25. Toilet facilities (9)

27. Challenge (the system) (4)

28. Deadly nightshade (10)

31. Increase rapidly (8)

33. Fabled gold city (2,6)

36. Scientific principle (3)

37. Volume (6)

39. Criticise (4,2,4)

41. Validates (treaty) (8)

42. Investment dividend (6)

43. Redress (5)

44. High-pitched (6)

Cryptic clues

Across

10. In most cases, no score is recorded wrongly in fifth month (6)

11. A bit of decorum badly needed in dance (5)

12. Devastated when I enter run with chief journalist (6)

13. Bold ploy that sets out what to do to win (4,4)

14. Approval to look a shade pale (5,5)

15. One who raises people’s spirits (6)

16. Hop away using one foot (3)

18. Ballet gear at old rates, perhaps (8)

19. Servant employed to straighten teeth? (8)

21. Caring for thug hot with flu going around (10)

24. Be up against loud expert (4)

25. Laundries for ladies and gents? (9)

27. What rodeo bulls do for a dollar (4)

28. Lovely lady in Italy finds poisonous berry (10)

31. Strange case overdue to intensify (8)

33. Place of legend where real dodo wandered (2,6)

36. Rule overturned – wallet no longer allowed (3)

37. Sum of money paid for a horse (6)

39. Develop a liking for assignment issued in lecture (4,2,4)

41. Gives official endorsement if I am included in council taxes (8)

42. Turner makes a comeback (6)

43. To be in harmony you will need to make up for misdeed (5)

44. Quiet rivulet is reedy (6)

Down

01. Get along (6)

02. Coarse (10)

03. Primrose relative (8)

04. Carries (10)

05. Murky haze (4)

06. ABBA 1974 hit (8)

07. Mustang (6)

08. Alert (8)

09. Process (6)

17. Cascade (9)

20. Avoid (5)

22. Wind (3)

23. Rough (diamonds) (5)

25. Tie the knot (3)

26. Hackneyed (phrase) (10)

27. Menu (4,2,4)

29. Become less tense (6,2)

30. Pertaining to earliest infancy (8)

32. Berate (8)

34. Installed (software) (6)

35. Encircling (6)

38. Obelisk (6)

40. Timber imperfection (4)

Down

01. Cope with humans in general over a long time (6)

02. Inside imported foods shop, Ms Blanchett appears to be lacking in taste (10)

03. Cancel my order for house plant (8)

04. Conveys overwhelming feelings of rapture (10)

05. Seismograph picks up pollution (4)

06. Final defeat wore a lot out (8)

07. A wild ride? (6)

08. Watch over social worker on the lookout (8)

09. Means to put them off before party is organised (6)

17. A drop in river flow (9)

20. Ms Gabor takes heart from idea of escape (5)

22. Sink back into anaesthetic (3)

23. Uncertain about starting and finishing without censorship (5)

25. We had briefly been married (3)

26. Driven to the limit, uninitiated lover did the job (10)

27. Taxi invoice or carte du jour? (4,2,4)

29. Open soul in order to relax (6,2)

30. Everyone on a talk-show segment is related to newborn (8)

32. Is part of pure and simple reprimand (8)

34. Burdened by having great wealth? (6)

35. About a three-minute clash (6)

38. Pointed way to get you cross (6)

40. Measure of speed to reef, for example (4)

Sudoku

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.

Match-ups

– Action heroes

Work out all the missing parts to these names and find them hidden in the box of letters. The letters left over will spell out something these stars often do in their screen roles.

A C

C T

T A

I

I N

Spot the difference

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

Quiz

By Hazel Flynn

01. Mount Godwin-Austen is better known by what name?

02. What colour is the gemstone peridot?

03. What bird lays the largest egg relative to its body size?

04. What chart-topping band’s albums include 1996’s Yourself or Someone Like You and 2023’s Where the Light Goes ?

05. Which Australian scored to win the 2023 Women’s FA Cup for Chelsea?

06. Who holds the record for most Oscars won: 22 wins from 59 nominations (plus four honorary awards)?

07. And who holds the record for most acting Oscars, with four?

08. The adjective superciliary refers to what part of the human body?

09. Favela is the name used for certain parts of cities in what country?

10. Excluding the Vatican, what three European countries have eponymous capital cities?

11. In sailing, what is the opposite of windward?

12. According to Guinness World Records, what 1943 French fable has been translated into 382 languages and dialects?

13. Doosra, googly and flipper are terms used in what sport?

14. Which James Bond villain had the first name Auric?

15. The Dandy Horse was a forerunner of what form of transport?

16. San Cristóbal, Española, Isabela and Fernandina are part of which island chain?

17. In what art form would you see a paso doble?

18. Taleggio, limburger and stinking bishop are types of what?

19. Who directed the movies Vertigo, The Birds and Rope ?

20. What 1965 song topped charts again in 1990 thanks to the movie Ghost ?

A farm at sunset in McLaren Vale, South Australia

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.

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Wheel of words

Anti, Cant, Tact, Antic, Attic, Tacit, Taint, Titan, Attain, Intact, Tactic

Nine-letter word: Tactician

Quiz

01. K2 02. Green 03. The kiwi

04. Matchbox Twenty 05. Sam Kerr

06. Walt Disney 07. Katharine Hepburn 08. Eyebrows 09. Brazil 10. Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino 11. Leeward

12. The Little Prince 13. Cricket

14. Goldfinger 15. The bicycle

16. The Galapagos 17. (Ballroom) dance 18. Cheese 19. Alfred Hitchcock

20. Unchained Melody

Angelina Jolie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Clive Owen, Danny Trejo, Denzel Washington, Dolph Lundgren, Dwayne Johnson, Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, Harrison Ford, Henry Cavill, Hugh Jackman, Idris Elba, John Wayne, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Kate Beckinsale, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Mel Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Mickey Rourke, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Russell Crowe, Samuel L Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Steven Seagal, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee Jones, Val Kilmer, Vin Diesel, Wesley Snipes

Solution: They put the act in action

Spot the difference

01. Third panel added to windmill.

02. Kookaburra added to foreground tree.

03. Timber structure duplicated..

04. Water tank made taller.

05. Trim on front of shed painted.

06. Tree on left removed.

07. Triangular brace removed from windmill.

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THE PREMIÈRE WATCH

ÉDITION ORIGINALE

THE PREMIÈRE WATCH

ÉDITION ORIGINALE