TigerTales Magazine - April/May 2020

Australia | April – May 2020

FOODIE FINDS IN BRISBANE SYDNEY WITH KIDS PERTH’S ART TRAIL

EXCLUSIVE

GREAT SCOTTY!

The world’s best halfpipe snowboarder

TIGERAIRBIZ

An awesome business mag

WEEK IN THE WHITSUNDAYS $999 Holidays $999 holiday no more to pay! $999 holiday until June 2020 $999 holiday better than Bali $999 holiday up to 6 people! $999 holiday just $99 deposit

www.visit-whitsundays.com

CABIN CREW Q&A Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.

A: I’m Braydon and I’m a cabin crew member based out of Melbourne.

Q: How long do you usually spend in the air each day?

A: It depends where I’m flying to, but usually it’s about five or six hours a day.

H E L LO FROM T IGE R A I R AUST R A L I A Welcome on board and thanks for flying with us.

As we slowly head into the cooler months of the year, there’s no better time to start planning your winter getaway. We fly to some to some of Australia’s most exciting destinations, so if you’re looking to soak up the sun on one of Queensland’s famous beaches or treat yourself to Sydney’s world-class shopping, we’ve got you covered.

In this edition of tigertales, we discover the best places to eat and drink in Brisbane (flick to page 40 to whet your appetite) and also reveal the best of what Sydney has to offer when you’ve got the kids in tow (turn to page 48 for our tips).

Now is also the perfect time to get a head start on planning your upcoming snow trip, with ski season just around the corner. Jump over to page 52 as we take a look at the top things to do at Falls Creek – and just a hint, there’s more to it than just hit the slopes.

So sit back, relax, and start planning your next trip.

Happy travels from Tigerair Australia.

Explore the art of Perth! p45

Q: What’s your favourite place to fly to?

A: That’s a hard one, but I don’t think you can beat flying into sunny Cairns. It’s such an incredibly beautiful place.

Q: Alright, onto the important stuff – where’s the best spot to get an Instagram shot onboard?

A: There’s no competition with a good wing shot, so any seat with a clear view of that and the fantastic sights below is a winner.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the job?

A: The best part of my job is having the opportunity to meet and talk to so many people from all walks of life.

People always have such interesting stories and to be part of their journeys is so rewarding.

Cover image: News Corp Australia

APRIL/MAY 2020

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SAVOUR THE FRENCH WAY Indulge in waterfront luxury and French-inspired cuisine INCLUDES: BREAKFAST & $100 DAILY DINING CREDIT

Live the French way Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, 12 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000 Book at sofiteldarlingharbour.com.au PARIS – SYDNEY – LONDON – NEW YORK – BEIJING – BALI

EDITORIAL Publisher: Michelle Hespe publisher@publishingbychelle.com Editor: Tatyana Leonov tatyana@publishingbychelle.com Art Director: Jon Wolfgang Miller Assistant Editor: Sarah Hinder editorial@publishingbychelle.com Sub-Editors: Shane Cubis & Sarah Friggieri Proofreader: Claire Hey Editorial Assistants: Jillian Ramirez, Maya Franks, Kaitlyn Stork & Olivia Bornstein

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER Do you know what my six-year-old nephew likes to say if someone gets a bit over the top in their reaction to something happening?

“Calm your farm!” Urban Dictionary says it’s another way of telling someone to chill out.

I bring this up as, seriously, we all know that there is a major health issue going on in the world right now, but I do think we all need to calm down a little and not get caught up in the hysteria. For some of us, it’s been upsetting to witness the lack of thoughtfulness and kindness that so many Australians have shown recently. Yes, I am talking about the mass hoarding of toilet paper.

Australians have always prided themselves on looking out for their neighbour. We’re known across the world as people who have one another’s backs. And then as soon as something like this happens, we are ready to tear a staple grocery item from someone else’s hands.

We need to remember a simple thing called kindness. I watched with utter sadness as some of our elderly people – who come out of their homes on the one day every week or two when they can go shopping – stood in the empty aisles of my local supermarket where they usually picked up a packet of toilet paper, staring in disbelief. Many of them would not shop online and probably also don’t live online, and so might not have even known about the mad toilet paper frenzy of 2020. What do they do then? Go home without any, that’s what.

It’s time to start being positive again. We are all going to be affected by this, and we need to remember the saying: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. We also need to remember to be kind.

I am going to get all philosophical on you now and quote Sophocles, one of the most famous writers of tragedy plays: “One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a better friend than any possession.” Yes folks, that includes loo roll.

ADVERTISING Travel Brand & Communications Manager: Linda Wortel | linda@publishingbychelle.com Tigerairbiz Brand & Communications Manager: Effe Sandas | advertising@publishingbychelle.com CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn Beasley Alexis Buxton-Collins Paul Ewart Camilla Hamilford Peter Johnson Dylan Jones Steve Noakes Karl Peskett Christine Retschlag Hannah Richards

Ben Smithurst Lisa Smyth Samuel Steinberg Craig Wickham Sam Wood PRINTING Blue Star PRINT 81 Derby Street Silverwater NSW 2128

tigertales is published by Publishing ByChelle (ABN: 78 621 375 853 ACN: 621 375 853) Level 1, 3 Westleigh Street, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089 publishingbychelle.com The reproduction of any content, in whole or part, without prior written permission by the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Opinions expressed in the content are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publisher. All information in this magazine was believed to be correct at the time of publication, and all reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. Publishing ByChelle cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the publisher, they will not be returned. We apologise if we don’t get back to your email, as we do receive a large volume of communication via various online channels. Some images used in tigertales are from iStock and Getty Images, and we make every effort to credit all contributors.

The photo published on page 25 in our previous issue was by Jarrod Andres.

Michelle Hespe …and the team at tigertales APRIL/MAY 2020

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WHERE WE FLY

Tigerair has you covered

tigerair bases cairns

brisbane gold coast

perth

sydney canberra

adelaide

melbourne

tigerair bases

cairns

hobart

Brisbane

Sydney

perth

sydney canberra

adelaide

melbourne

hobart

Adelaide

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brisbane gold coast

CONTENTS Australia | April - May 2020

24 GREAT SCOTTY

thelowdown

Meet the world’s greatest halfpipe snowboarder and Olympic superstar.

07 NEWS & EVENTS News, Q&A with comedian Michelle Brasier, entertainment, office products, events across the country, plus meet Osteria il Coccia’s Nicola Coccia.

28 HIT THE ROAD Come visit the destinations affected by the recent bushfires.

36 HEAD FOR THE HILLS High above Adelaide sits the picturesque region of Adelaide Hills.

40 ROLLING ON THE RIVER Take a bite out of Brisbane with a dining scene as sassy as the Brisbane River.

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45 THE ART OF PERTH Explore this ultra-modern city built on architectural memories of the past.

48 SYDNEY WITH KIDS

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There is so much to do for the whole family in Australia’s largest city, so grab the whole clan and get exploring.

TIGERAIRBIZ 68 BRAIN FOOD The latest insights and analysis, health advice, books, podcasts and documentaries.

72 MUMS IN BUSINESS

52 GO YOUR OWN WAY

Three inspirational women share their personal stories.

Two travellers, two very different ways to explore Falls Creek.

76 THE DATING APP BOOM

58 THROUGH THE GATES

How are dating apps working for us in the search for love?

A holiday among nature with no tech devices is a recipe to bring a family closer together.

62 THE BEST LIBRARIES IN AUSTRALIA You’ll want to get shooshed in these beautiul bookeries.

80 SUSTAINABLE FASHION What does it mean and which Australian brands are leading the way?

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84 ART SPACE Lisa Michele Burns explores the issue of climate change through her art.

APRIL/MAY 2020

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Canberra

thelowdown

14 Q&A 16 ENTERTAINMENT 18 OFFICE IDEAS 20 EVENTS 22 MEET THE CHEF

Melbourne has just become home to Australia’s first surf park: URBNSURF. Visitors can learn to ride ocean-like waves in this Tullamarinebased surfing simulation.

The controlled environment is especially great for beginners learning to stand up, and there are four levels of surfing available all up: learning to surf, beginners, intermediate and advanced.

It’s also fun to kick back and watch, and grab a bite to eat at the new onsite restaurant Three Blue Ducks, opening autumn 2020. urbnsurf.com

EXPLORE ANZAC HISTORY IN PERTH BELL TOWER Perth’s iconic Bell Tower has begun offering tours of its ANZAC Centenary Bell. Rung every day at 12pm, Australia’s largest swinging bell is a memorial to Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, past and present.

The new ANZAC Bell small group tours allow guests to discover how the 6500-kilogram bell was made, its complex installation and the significance of its inscriptions… as well as hear it chime at noon. Guests will also take home an ANZAC Bell medallion, which can be engraved at the Perth Mint. Tours run from Monday to Saturday, departing at 11.30am. thebelltower.com.au APRIL/MAY 2020

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Image: Ed Sloane Photography

SU R FI NG I N TH E STR EETS

thelowdown

EXPLORE CANBERRAN HERITAGE Canberra and its surrounding regions will come alive this April 14–May 3 with the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival.

Now in its 38th year, the event raises awareness of the need to preserve local history, heritage and Aboriginal culture.

As it’s 2020, there will be 20 fantastic days of events, and this year’s theme is ‘REIMAGINE’, calling on the old saying: ‘Hindsight is 2020 vision’. The idea is that we need to look to the past and revisit significant memories and places in order to imagine a better and brighter future.

More than 100 (mostly free) events will take place across the 20 days, including local tours, open days, dances, dinners, markets and much more. environment.act.gov.au/ heritage/heritage-festival

G O BOL D OR G O HOM E Here’s some exciting news for brunch lovers. Tayim, the Middle Eastern-inspired bar and restaurant in Sydney’s oldest quarter, The Rocks, has launched a bottomless, boozy brunch on Saturdays. Guests can book a two-hour seating between 11:30am and 1:30pm and indulge in an awesome line-up of Middle Easterninspired dishes drawing inspiration from across the transcontinental region. Feast on three courses for $49, with the option to add on free-flowing cocktails (a Rose Flower Spritz, Aperol Spritz or Bloody Marys perhaps?) for an additional $39, or a bottomless selection of house beers and wines for an additional $29. For this new menu, Israeli-born head chef, Ran Kimelfeld, (formerly the head chef at Nour) takes inspiration from his mother country while delving into an exploration of traditional and contemporary cuisine from Levantine regions with Mediterranean influences. Kimelfeld’s ‘go bold or go home’ approach to cooking is a sure-fire way to start your weekend in style. For more details on Tayim’s menu. Visit tayim.com.au

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thelowdown

SOUTH SYDNEY’S NEW KOGARAH CLUBHOUSE

SI P W ITH M RS SI NGH

There’s a new lady in town and she has Melburnians talking. Welcome to the scene, Mrs Singh. This Indian-inspired wine bar launched in January, headed up by internationally acclaimed chef and restaurateur ​Jessi Singh.

Marbled blue floors, monochrome speckled terrazzo, gold and orange accents and a bar in a spectrum of brilliant hues set the scene, while classic ‘70s Bollywood films are projected onto the walls to the soundtrack of party tunes. You’ll come for the vibe but stay for the drinks. The roaming Champagne trolley will have bubblelovers all set, while the refreshing cocktails, 300-strong wine list and great beer selection will please just about everyone else. Meanwhile, the small- and full-sized Indian-inspired plates are a delight in modern cuisine. Mrs Singh is about having a good time for a long time. mrssingh.com.au

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Image: Peter Tarasiuk

Comprised of three contemporary options – The Pearl Asian Eating House, Blake Street Kitchen and Clubhouse Bar – Kogarah Clubhouse has reopened, now serving as a destination venue offering entertainment and dining for locals and visitors alike. Established in 1947, the iconic southern Sydney RSL has been proudly serving the local community for more than 60 years. Catering to contemporary tastes while retaining its status as a local favourite serving classy RSL grub, Kogarah Clubhouse has perfected the blend, offering a host of new dining options across multiple in-house venues – each with its own playful identity: • The Clubhouse Bar is the main social hub at the heart of the new redevelopment. It offers a welcoming, sophisticated space with high, exposed ceilings and curved architecture, so members and guests can grab a drink in the company of family and friends, while enjoying light snacks from the bar menu.

• Blake Street Kitchen, an all-day modern eatery serving from dawn to dusk, offers breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes with a distinctly low-key vibe. The new menu features classic club meals and gastropub fare, including an all-day breakfast menu, salads, burgers, schnitties, steaks and market fish.

• The Pearl Asian Eating House features myriad seating options, a private dining area for larger groups, live seafood tanks and a menu of authentic Asian flavours with a contemporary twist. The Pearl also offers a dedicated dim sim menu featuring creative yum cha. kogarahclubhouse.com.au

COFFS COAST HOLIDAY

WINNER

last issue we ran a competition giving one lucky reader with the most creative caption and Pic an awesome holiday to coffs harbour. here is the winning entry!

sw co ffs co as tnSou th Wal es Coff s Har bou r, New

PRIZE PACKAGE • 4 X NIGHTS AT PACIFIC BAY RESORT • BIG BANANA FAMILY FUN PASS • CHEESEMAKING WORKSHOP • SURF CLUB & RESTAURANT VOUCHER Flights courtesy of Virgin Australia. check out how you can enjoy your own holiday at coffscoast.com

Alexis Hutchinson ever is coming to an “When someone tells you the best Coffs Harbour holiday npark end!” #talesofcoffscoast #dolphinmarineconservatio APRIL/MAY 2020

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Save on the Weekends with Hertz Enjoy 15% on weekends when you rent with Hertz!* For quality service, competitive rates and a modern fleet of vehicles for any occasion; you can trust Hertz with your next journey.

Book now at hertz.com.au/rex *Terms and Conditions apply. Promotional Code (PC) number 210130 must be quoted at the time of reservation to redeem the 15% offer. Offer is available at all locations, for rentals booked between 01/04/2020 and 31/05/2020. Minimum rental period of one (1) day with a maximum of twenty-eight (28) applies. A maximum of 15% off the daily rate (time and kilometre charge) will be granted per rental. A fifty-nine (59) minute grace period is allowed for returns. Returns outside the grace period will be charged up to an extra day rental fee. Offer excludes taxes, fees, optional products and services. Offer is non-discountable and cannot be combined with any other promotion, special offer or coupon. Offer is not applicable on contract, tours, government or insurance replacement rentals. Offer is not applicable to Prepaid (Pay Now) rates. Offer applies to Prestige Collection vehicles and is subject to availability at time of vehicle collection. Hertz standard driver and credit qualifications in effect at the time and place of rental apply. Hertz standard age, driver and credit requirements apply. Vehicle models may differ and specifications may vary by location. Vehicles can be reserved by car group only and not by particular car model or colour. Fleet subject to change without notice. One way rentals are available between selected locations.

Special conditions may apply. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

COME VISIT BATHURST

Image: Warren Lloyd

A trip to the Central Tablelands, west of Sydney, wouldn’t be complete without a trip through the lovely Blue Mountains to Bathurst, Australia’s first inland European settlement where rich history fuses with a contemporary landscape.

Discover the region’s history at the Australian Fossil & Mineral Museum, National Motor Racing Museum, Chifley Home, the new Bathurst Rail Museum or Hill End’s History Hill.

Download the Bathurst – Step Beyond app and Bathurst local Grant Denyer will take you on a tour of Bathurst’s Town Square.

Explore historic buildings which have been transformed into restaurants and cafés, including the new Tremain’s Mill precinct, Church Bar and Vine & Tap. Moubar Vintage is a retro 1950s caravan with the best coffee in town and kids will love a trip to Annie’s Ice Cream Parlour. Visit Vale Creek and Renzaglia Wines and sip on award-winning cool climate drops.

Barcoos Farmstays is straight out of the pages of a children’s story book – or stay right on the track at Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst. bathurstregion.com.au

MAY 22–31

TASTE OF KAKADU Kakadu National Park NT Taste of Kakadu is back with a sensational program set to immerse Kakadu National Park visitors in a stimulating journey of the senses. The 2020 program holds an impressive lineup of new experiences, plus festival favourites to celebrate the region’s incredible Indigenous food and culture. For details and bookings, head to kakadu.com.au/taste

APRIL – SEPTEMBER

WARINGARRI ART AND CULTURE TOURS Kununurra WA Walk amongst the unique beauty of ancient Kimberley escarpments with Indigenous elders and tour guides. If you can’t make it this year, visit our SHOP and support our award winning artists! www.waringarriarts.com.au/shop APRIL/MAY 2020

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thelowdown

FROM APRIL 4

THE STORYTELLERS: STEP INTO THE STORIES OF OUR CITY Brisbane Qld Ever wondered what it would be like to spend a night in Boggo Road Gaol, what Kangaroo Point has to do with kangaroos, or what went on at your nan’s place during the Second World War? Step into the stories of Brisbane city in Museum of Brisbane’s new exhibition The Storytellers and delve into the layers of the city’s history. Listen to the authors reveal each story and discover Brisbane’s many identities and interact with the stories through historical objects, artworks, moving image and sound. The Storytellers: Step into the stories of our city opens 4 April 2020, with free entry for all. museumofbrisbane.com.au

UNTIL JUNE 13

CLARIS HIGH TEA AT SOFITEL SYDNEY DARLING HARBOUR Sydney NSW Calling all mini-fashionistas and stylish young (and young at heart) francophiles, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour will be bringing back its decadent high tea on Saturday afternoons, inspired by Australian fashion illustrator Megan Hess’ children’s book character: Claris, the Chicest Mouse in Paris. sofitelsydneydarling harbour.com.au Events were scheduled to proceed at the time of printing.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

WALKING, TALKING AND DANCING WITH KIMBERLEY ARTISTS Immersed in creative liveliness ‘This place is where community comes together to feel good. It is where our young people can learn about our culture, and where our families share stories and celebrate!’ Indigenous artist Jan Griffiths speaks with a group of visitors on a Sunset Tour at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts.

Her backdrop is a gallery displaying soft ochre-coloured paintings, sophisticated hand-printed textiles, unique hand-thrown ceramics and intricately engraved boab nuts from the iconic Kimberley boab tree.

In the heart of Miriwoong country at Kununurra, among the stunning scenery of the East Kimberley, local Indigenous guides enlighten visitors about one of the oldest community-owned Aboriginal arts centres in Australia. Originally established to represent the diaspora of Kimberley Indigenous language groups, the centre was integral to the development of revolutionary artists Rover Thomas and

Queenie McKenzie. Limited edition etchings and lithographs by these iconic artists are still available for sale for the savvy collector!

Today, the centre represents both established, award-winning artists and emerging talents who consider the centre much more than a place to create and sell art. It is a hub for the local community to come together, whether to have a cup of tea while watching family members paint or to discuss local cultural issues. Corroboree nights are held regularly, bringing families together to watch dancers flaunt their moves at events such as Corroboree Under the Stars, held annually during the Ord Valley Muster in May. For Jan, Waringarri Arts is a place where she can spend time with family, learn from her elders, develop her arts practice and teach her own children. Jan learnt ochre painting from her parents, both

highly respected and sought-after artists, Mr A. Griffiths and Peggy Griffiths, whose works are included in many prestigious collections. Following in their footsteps, Jan is a successful multi-disciplinary artist, working in painting, ceramics and couture fashion, always eager to show her latest works.

Visitors to the centre are immersed in the creative liveliness of this place, which pulses with the energy of art, community and culture. Booking a tour adds more time for a deeper connection with local Indigenous artists while also offering the unforgettable experience of visiting Country with elders, participating in traditional activities such as artefact making or damper cooking, and viewing an incredible Kimberley sunset while listening to the moving sounds of a didgeridoo. It’s an opportunity not to be missed, which affords a rich learning experience shared by all.

APRIL/MAY 2020

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Credit: Destination NSW

Discover Griffith - one of Australia’s most liveable country towns, according to the Weekend Australian Magazine. Located in the heart of the NSW Riverina, Griffith is a vibrant regional centre servicing a population of 52,000. Griffith is bursting with life and energy. The main street is dominated by Italian cafÊs serving great coffee, pizza, local wine and house-made gelato. The people are friendly, the boutique shopping is impressive and the wine is divine.

Make time to Visit Griffith - a great place to explore, a great place to live.

visitGriffith.com.au

thelowdown

ENTERTAINMENT

WATCH, LISTEN, READ

ALBUMS

SAM SMITH TO DIE FOR May 1, 2020 Sam Smith’s long-awaited third studio album promises anthems you can both dance and relate to, including hit single To Die For released earlier this year. samsmithworld.com

THEATRE THE LITTLE PRINCE April 23-26 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney After a sell-out season in Paris, The Little Prince comes to Sydney for seven performances. The show combines dance and aerial acrobatics to create a dreamlike performance based on one of the world’s most beloved stories. capitoltheatre.com.au

BOOKS

THE OCTOPUS AND I, ERIN HORTLE April 2020 Allen & Unwin, fiction Erin Hortle’s debut novel, set in small-town Tasmania, follows main character Lucy as she recovers from major surgery, coming to terms with her new body through a surprising connection with the local octopuses.

ALBUMS

ALICE IVY April 2020 This Melbourne-based electronic producer’s second album is set to release some time in April, coming two years after her massive debut album, I’m Dreaming. aliceivymusic.net

PODCAST A PLATE TO CALL HOME Seasons 1-4 available on PodcastOne Australia and iTunes For Gary Mehigan, it’s not just about the food – it’s also about where it comes from. Mehigan delivers the scoop on the passion that goes into turning those ingredients into delicious dishes. podcastoneaustralia.com.au

JOY AT WORK: ORGANISING YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE, MARIE KONDO AND SCOTT SONENSHEIN April 2020 Bluebird, lifestyle Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and organisational psychologist Scott Sonenshein team up to help readers achieve success by keeping tidy.

PODCAST LADIES, WE NEED TO TALK Seasons 1-3 available on ABC Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iTunes, and Spotify Host Yumi Stynes talks female health and sexuality… without holding back. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays. abc.net.au

GHOST SPECIES, JAMES BRADLEY April 2020 Hamish Hamilton, fiction Scientist Kate Larkin joins a secret project to re-engineer the climate by resurrecting extinct species. But when Eve, the first of a new breed of Neanderthal children, is born, Larkin decides to abduct her.

APRIL/MAY 2020

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GIFTS

WORKING IT 1. ADD SOME SPARKLE Why drink still when you can have sparkling? SodaStream allows you to sustainably and cost-effectively access sparkling water all the time.

With the push of a button, choose from three levels of carbonation and enjoy sparkling water in just seconds. $199, myer.com.au

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2. TREE OF KNOWLEDGE Looking to spruce up the office space? This realisticlooking lemon tree. If you’re wanting to add a bright pop of yellow colour to your office, while lifting the room with greenery, this little tree packs the perfect punch. No watering required. $389, templeandwebster.com.au

3. PICK ME UP One of the most innovative portable espresso machines on the market, the Nanopresso brews a high quality drop, wherever you are. All that’s required is ground coffee and boiling water; the rest is taken care of by the easy-to-use manual pumping system. $103.90, wacaco.com

4. ARTISTICALLY DRIVEN Having a beautiful workspace is important, and studies prove that having artwork on the walls can boost productivity.

Daydream about the beach from your desk with this beautiful print from Olive Et Oriel. Dimensions are 42cm by 59.4cm. $60, oliveetoriel.com

5. NEAT & TIDY Keep your files and your business cards tidy with this leather organiser from the artisans at Kundra. These products not only make wonderful additions to any office space, They’re also a great gift for hard-to-shopfor co-workers.

From $69.95, kundra.com.au

David Dare Parker P05381.037

This special exhibition honours those Australians who work tirelessly to avert tragedy and build peace.

From Bougainville to East Timor; Rwanda to Solomon Islands – explore the stories behind peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, where Australian civilians, diplomats, police and military, have shown the courage to make peace. awm.gov.au/courageforpeace

thelowdown

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thelowdown

Q&A

MICHELLE BRASIER

If you had to sum yourself up in two sentences, how would you do it?

Likes dogs. Bit much.

What is the Melbourne comedy scene like?

It’s quite a treat to be honest; during festival time it’s a nice big family reunion. The nights are late and you get pretty tired, but it’s not the Hunger Games like some people pretend it is.

It’s a great time… ask me again when I’m 40, though.

How did you get into comedy?

By accident! I wanted to perform in musicals and I am rubbish at dancing. I kept getting cast as the funny friend who doesn’t dance and realised I preferred making people laugh and being able to choose what to do.

I was obsessed with comedy from a young age. I made my 12th birthday party sit down and watch Good News Week.

I just didn’t know I could do it until I was maybe 23.

You’re also a singer, actor and radio presenter. What do you love doing the most and why?

I love it all. If I had to choose, screen acting and singing.

There is something about music that you can’t really compete with. And patting my dog, Bruce.

That’s my proper favourite.

How did it feel to win the Best Newcomer Award in 2018 at the Sydney Comedy Festival?

And now that we are in 2020, do you feel like you’re no longer the newbie?

It was so lovely! Yes, I feel like an old crone now. Past my prime, peaked, put me in the bin!

You’re performing at the Melbourne, Perth and Sydney Comedy Festivals this year.

Is festival season one of your yearly highlights?

It is exciting but also pretty stressful. It’s a really fun time of the year but it also means a lot of travelling, forgetting to pack undies, hotel rooms, whisky and late-night chippies.

It’s hard on the body.

Do people in different cities react differently?

Melbourne audiences are really varied. I find Sydney tends to be a bit younger and Adelaide is the most conservative, but still really fun. I love all the little boutique shops in Adelaide, so Fringe Festival time there is really nice.

Image: Ezra Auperlé

She’s one of the latest additions to Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, but Michelle Brasier can’t stay away from the stage. This year she’s touring the country for comedy festival season, so if you can’t get iview to work, it’s probably your best chance to see her in action.

Which city laughs the hardest?

I think Melbourne is the sweet spot. Perth is good unless you are on late; they go to sleep early and rise with the sun.

We don’t have sun in Melbourne so time is not a concept and audiences are just happy to be indoors.

Can you name some other comedians you admire who will be performing this festival season?

Oh gosh, well when a lot of your friends are comics it’s hard not to just list them all because they are all so great, but I would say I’m really excited for some new, maybe lesser-known acts. I love Hot Department. They are incredible… as sexy as they are funny, which is a bit disturbing.

We Are Nemeses and Annie and Lena are both exciting new comedy duos, too. Jess Perkins has her first-ever solo show; you might have heard her on Triple J. She’s so funny so I’m really excited for that. Cat Cohen is someone I get compared to a lot because we both sing and are women. I saw her show in Edinburgh and it was really great so I’m keen for that. My friend

AJ Holmes is another cabaret man to check out. He’s got some filthy ballads that I adore!

What else do you have coming up for the year?

I’m working on Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell which keeps me on my toes. It’s one of my favourite TV shows, so joining the cast last year was pretty huge for me.

I’m just focusing on trying not to lose that job, to be honest!

And hanging out with my partner and my dog. Finding a bit of balance. Keeping the garden alive, etc.

What is the best thing about life now?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: dogs. Rescue dogs. Bit dopey, friendly staffy-cross idiots and the gross kisses they give you on the face. Specifically Bruce, my wee son. The family life part of my world with my partner, Tim – who plays and sings in my show – and Bruce is the most important.

To find out when Michelle is performing near you (or somewhere you can travel to, like maybe on a plane), check out michellebrasier.com/tour APRIL/MAY 2020

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MEET THE CHEF

ART MEETS FOOD ON THE CENTRAL COAST Southern Italian chef Nicola Coccia’s passion for fooda was forged in the flames of family and an open fire.

WORDS BY TATYANA LEONOV

Nicola Coccia paints a dreamlike scene when he talks about his childhood growing up in Southern Italy. He reminisces about long days in Naples, playing outside in the streets until the sun came down, then coming inside and indulging in delicious meals cooked by his father. His dad’s favourite dish to cook was pasta alla marinara… and it was one of Nicola’s favourites to eat.

Summers were often spent with grandparents. “My nonno had a mussel farm in Varano Lake in Puglia, and we spent many days fishing for mussels, eels and mullets.

We also tended to the vegetable garden, harvesting the summer tomatoes and making them into conserve,” he says. “After a day on the lake we’d return and Nonna would have the fire going. She would cook the fish we caught over the fire, then grill tomatoes and potatoes over the same fire. We’d also use it to toast the bread for our bruschetta while she prepared orecchiette.”

These days it’s Nicola who does most of the cooking, and he thanks his family for helping foster the passion that drives his success.

A well-known name in the NSW culinary space, Nicola led Bowral’s twice-hatted Bistro Officina team for two years with his wife Alexandra. In January 2019, together with Alexandra and their three kids, he relocated to the Central Coast. The July opening of Osteria il Coccia in buzzy Ettalong was the logical next step.

“The restaurant is inside the market ‘Galleria’ in the heart of town, which is very typical to the Italian style and reminds me a little of home,” he says.

These days, Australia also feels very much like home to Nicola, and the family are enjoying life on the Central Coast. “It’s an easy lifestyle with our three kids and two dogs,” he says. “We have beautiful places to eat around here, like Young Barons, Pearls on the Beach, Bombini and Saddles. To relax as a family, we spend

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NICOLA SHARES A RECIPE

time on the beach… or go out to eat.”

That system works in reverse, too, with locals often coming to eat and relax under Nicola’s roof. “We opened Osteria to share the passion and love we have for both food and wine,” he explains. “We love to share the food we cook and help our guests discover great wines, particularly excellent – and often organic – wines from small wineries in France. We just hope that everyone will keep coming and liking what we do.”

Dining at Osteria on a Friday night, it’s quickly evident that people like what Nicola and Alexandra are doing.

Waiters glide around the intimate and wood-accented space, attending to customer needs in a welcoming yet unobtrusive manner. Laughter is heard all around.

The clinking of wine glasses sounds like a song. Pastas and mains are placed in front of smiling families. Couples share desserts. A woman sits in a corner relishing a plate of Moreton Bay bugs.

“The Moreton Bay bugs are a favourite – we butterflycook them on the fire,” Nicola says. “The 600g dry-aged 120-day-old ribeye, also cooked on fire, is also very popular. Our gnocchi gets rave reviews. Of course, my nonna’s tiramisu, which we make with an amazing mascarpone from Italy – it’s air-freighted in once a week – is one that is to die for.”

Regulars need not worry about not having enough choices. There are eight entrée dishes and 10 mains to choose from, and the menu changes weekly. “We do try to keep favourite staples though, and just change some of the ingredients. For example, we might chan ge the sauce we serve with the gnocchi.” Nicola pauses here as if deep in thought. “To be honest, we’re often reprinting our menus daily, as sometimes we just want to change it up. We like exciting our diners… and no artist makes the same art twice.”

H AY-I N F USE D CR È M E BRÛ L É E Ingredients 50ml milk 450ml cream 1 handful hay 4 egg yolks 60g white sugar 60g raw sugar Method Preheat oven to 120°C. In a saucepan, combine milk and cream. Using butcher’s string, tightly tie hay into a bouquet and place into pot.

Place over a very low heat and allow hay to infuse, without boiling, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and white sugar together until pale and creamy. Strain milk and cream into a jug, then slowly pour in eggs and sugar, whisking continuously. Divide mix into 4 brûlée ramekins, place into a roasting tray then fill tray with water to halfway up the ramekins. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Turn off oven, open door and rest ramekins in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and place in fridge for 2 hours to set.

Dust brûlées with raw sugar, caramelise with a blowtorch and serve on fresh hay.

APRIL/MAY 2020

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peoplepower

FAST FACTS When James was two – too small for kid’s gear – his father bought him his first board, a novelty display toy, then being used as a doorstop in a snowboard shop, for $10. (“It worked!” he says.)

Image: News Corp Australia

Created in 1965, the earliest iteration of the snowboard was the ‘snurfer’. It was invented by Michigan’s Sherman Poppen, and named by his heavily pregnant wife, Nancy – who’d sent Sherman outside with their kids to give her a break. She named it from the kitchen window.

SNOWSPORTS SUPERSTAR SCOTTY JAMES REPRESENTING AUSTRALIA AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS

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The world’s greatest halfpipe snowboarder is a lanky webseries comedian from Warrandyte. Meet Winter Olympics superstar Scotty James.

WORDS BY BEN SMITHURST

APRIL/MAY 2020

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few a screws

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“It’s been a crazy journey”

Images: Ollie Khedun

loose ”

“You almost have to have a few screws loose to be able to be good at it,” says Scotty James. He’s talking about halfpipe snowboarding, a discipline at which the charismatic, astute and deceptively lackadaisical 25-year-old dominates the world. An unconventional YouTube TV star, triple world champion and threetimes X Games gold medallist, James is Australia’s most recent Winter Olympics flag-bearer (he took bronze – more on that later).

In competition, “you have to be willing to be ready for things to be a little off; it could be snowing, it could be windy, the snow could be bad,” he says.

“It could be all those things, but you’ve got to go, regardless. It’s almost like proving yourself wrong when you didn’t think you could do it.”

If this sounds mad, a full appreciation of the Olympic halfpipe arena only deepens your respect for James’s skill… or your concern for his state of mind. Maybe both, because it is a sport for lunatics.

When the event debuted at the 1998 Winter Games, each of the halfpipe’s sides stood 3.5 metres from trough to lip. But the arena has grown.

A modern superpipe’s walls stand at 6.7 metres, the coping painted blue so riders can spot their landing, while spinning, off-axis, up to five metres in the air above it. Nearly 12 metres above its floor.

These ballooning dimensions threaten the viability of the sport. So intimidating are modern halfpipes that almost no resorts even build them anymore.

Plus-sized pipes are almost too awesome to exist: too expensive to maintain, too scary for everyday punters, too extra for their parents. Even worldclass athletes have been injured and killed; now, only a handful of full-size Olympic pipes exist worldwide. None are in Australia.

This is a problem for the 188-centimetre, 75-kilogram bloke from Warrandyte, Victoria: his fiercest rivals, like the world’s most famous snowboarder, Shaun White, have had a far greater ability to log practice hours. And so James is on the road – a lot.

Part-Entourage, part athlete showcase, James’s clever, reliably hilarious Instagram account (195K followers) is a blur of alpine action (New York! Vail! Gstaad!), private jets and exotic escapades (his girlfriend, Chloe, is the daughter of Canadian billionaire and Formula 1 team owner Lawrence Stroll). James splits his time between the US, Europe and, er, Warrandyte, Victoria, with the adaptability of a seasoned traveller. He’s been on the road a good while.

“I started officially being professional when I was 13,” he explains. “Before that I was travelling away a lot to Canada; it was always a big passion of mine, but not a career. But at that age I took off and travelled to Europe and Japan and America and all of those places. It’s been a crazy journey.”

James’s family remains close. Sister Rebecca

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WHEN HE’S NOT MAKING DARING MOVES ON THE HALFPIPE, SCOTTY’S KEEN SENSE OF HUMOUR IS ALWAYS SHINING THROUGH

works in his management, while one brother, Sean, travels full-time as Scotty’s filmer. Elder sibling Tim – a skier! – displays deft comic timing as inept athlete manager Quinton ‘Pecky’ Peck in Scotty’s genuinely hilarious mockumentary webseries All Day SJ. A self-described “passion project” that’s become one of Red Bull’s most successful webseries, All Day SJ has racked up a million views across YouTube and other platforms. Individual episodes run to eight or nine minutes; season one cameos included F1 champ Daniel Ricciardo, legendary surfer Mick Fanning and skateboarding god Tony Hawk.

“None of them really knew what they were getting themselves into – especially Daniel,” says James.

“They were just kind of like, yeah, okay, but we’ll only do it because we’re your mate.”

Season two, James hints, is about to be greenlit. “I was going to say ‘don’t quote me’, but otherwise we wouldn’t be doing an interview,” he grins. “It’s very exciting.”

When he was pipped in the Olympic final in South Korea, James said, “I came out, did it the Australian way and gave it a real hard crack.” He sat in third place on the podium, openly eyeing the gold. “I can assure you I am just getting started,” he said. And he was.

With a hit webseries and unprecedented competitive dominance, 2019 was James’s annus mirabilis. Having taken bronze in PyeongChang, James responded with an undefeated two-year march of victories. It stretched until the FIS World Cup halfpipe season finale in Calgary, where the dream run ended. James came second.

It wasn’t a bitter pill, but it was a reality check.

But then again, so was PyeongChang.

“When you come down from a height of a 22-foot wall and you fall another 22 feet down to the icy ground and crash, it’s not… it’s not a great feeling,” he says. “But you’ve just got the keep chipping away at it. I’ve crashed many, many times. But I’m pretty calculated. There’s always fear. But if I wasn’t a bit scared then I would say that I’m not quite alive enough.”

In Olympic halfpipe, you have to be a little mad.

“I’ve

crashed many, many times” APRIL/MAY 2020

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HIT THE ROAD

Image: Tourism Queensland

As Australia tracks its way along the road to recovery from the ravaging bushfires that swept over parts of the nation, so many are left picking up the pieces. The ash has settled, trees are bursting out from land still covered in smut, wildlife is returning.

Nature’s ability to jump into reset mode is beautiful to see… even though watching the flames from the sidelines was heartbreaking.

Those affected by the bushfires are also in reset mode. Homes are being rebuilt and businesses are reminding Australians they are still open. Most are welcoming visitors

with open arms. And those that can’t just yet – because there is still much to restore – hope that you will come and visit regardless, and they will be open next time round.

What can you do? It really is as simple as travelling to destinations that were affected by the fires, spending your money there and choosing locally-run businesses where possible.

In the meantime, we share some of the personal stories that will remind you about community spirit and, no doubt, entice you to visit.

GOLD COAST HINTERLAND

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Image: Destination NSW

NSW

Sapphire Coast

PAMBULA LAKE

“The beaches are as pristine as the oysters are delicious.”

On January 2, caravans were hitched, tents dismantled and units vacated. Kids were bundled into cars for the bumper-to-bumper journey, as all Merimbula’s tourists went home early. As they left, a sinister, uninvited visitor roared up from the south. Two days later, those of us who stayed understood the radical advice for tourists to leave.

In the late afternoon, the smoky air turned a terrifying red, and 10 minutes later Merimbula was enveloped in blackness. Bowling and RSL clubs, normally filled with clinking glasses, now housed thousands of evacuees from Eden and neighbouring villages, many bracing to lose everything.

When the fires were finally extinguished, the Bega Valley Shire had lost more than 400

homes and, tragically, lives. Cobargo and some smaller villages were extensively damaged.

Somehow, the main Sapphire Coast tourist towns of Merimbula, Eden, Pambula, Tathra and Bermagui remained physically unscathed.

But economically, the towns are crippled.

Despite the fires, the things tourists love about the region are still here, and Anthony Osborne, Managing Director of Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing, explains that autumn is a great time to visit. “The water is still relatively warm, and we still get those nice sunny days,” he says.

For travellers booking a trip to assist this ravaged region, there is much to look forward to. The beaches are as pristine as the oysters are delicious. Try dolphin- or whale-watching (in season) and stretch your legs on the boardwalk or hike the national parks.

CAROLYN BEASLEY Freelance writer and part-time local carolynbeasley.com APRIL/MAY 2020

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Gippsland

ABOVE: OMEO REGION TRAIL RIDING

Image: Hannah and Bob Richards

BELOW: GOLDEN AGE HOTEL OMEO

HANNAH RICHARDS Owner of Golden Age Hotel goldenageomeo.com.au

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“There’s plenty of hiking, fishing, bike riding, horse riding, motorbike riding, four-wheel-driving.”

The photo of my beloved Pa (Bob) and myself in front of the Golden Age Motel was taken in late October 2019. He passed away Christmas Eve last year, which was my most challenging situation during the fire event. Organising a funeral while most of the eastern state of Victoria was on fire was tricky, to say the least.

But we got there and he had a beautiful send-off in Omeo with around 250 people attending, many of those coming up the Great Alpine Road via a police escort or permit! He would have loved the fuss.

The fires started in November of last year and the road closures started before Christmas. Consequently tourism was at an all-time low, and for a couple of weeks you couldn’t access

the Omeo District from any direction.

For the locals, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve were non-existent.

January 4 was our worst day. One of the fires came to within six kilometres of the town before a southerly wind change pushed it back.

There have been some significant losses around the district, but luckily few infrastructures.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful and brave group of local volunteer Country Fire Authority (CFA) firefighters, and townsfolk who are all too familiar with fires.

The Omeo Region is a beautiful place to visit. There’s plenty of hiking, fishing, bike riding, horse riding, motorbike riding, four-wheeldriving or just taking in the gorgeous scenery and relaxing. There is something for everyone to enjoy, so come and visit the High Country.

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PETER JOHNSON Owner of Diamond Waters Treehouse Retreat diamondwaters.com.au “The fires have enhanced our focus on the development of eco and sustainable tourism.�

Throughout spring there was a small but controlled fire to our south in the Crowdy Bay National Park. After a week of howling southerlies, the fire erupted towards us with 20-metre-high flames on the last Friday of November.

We had intended to stay and fight, but as dark descended and the visibility through the smoke became poorer we had no choice but to evacuate, putting our home and tourism business dreams in the hands of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) firefighters.

We were fortunate the fire was stopped by these heroes. Dawn brought visions of thousands

of birds and animals drinking from the water buckets scattered throughout the property, predators and prey alike. Many have stayed.

We lost all bookings up to January 2020 and almost all international bookings through to September 2020.

The rains came in February, and together with our local business chamber we are focused on describing the most amazing bush regeneration through social media to our followers through Australia and overseas.

If anything, the fires have enhanced our focus on the development of eco and sustainable tourism and we are working on several exciting initiatives.

FROM TOP: SURFING ON OXLEY BEACH; DIAMOND WATERS TREEHOUSE RETREAT; TACKING POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Images: Remy Brand

NSW

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Gold Coast Hinterland, QLD QLD Gold Coast Hinterland

“We have some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country.”

In early September 2019, two days before the bushfire hit Binna Burra, we were at near full capacity and all guests and staff were evacuated in an orderly manner. Most importantly, no lives were lost and no one was injured, though 11 houses and the heritage-listed Binna Burra Lodge and cabins were destroyed, with many other properties in the Scenic Rim and Gold Coast Hinterland region damaged.

Despite best efforts, getting the necessary equipment for work requires time, especially given the single road that leads to the property was extensively damaged. The torrential rain that followed the fires, although welcomed, caused more delays.

We will be recommencing trade of all our remaining assets over time, in addition to the Headmaster’s Café, which was the first building to become operational, including the

Teahouse, campground, Sky Lodges, Barn, Pottery Shed, Forestry Cottage and a range of activities.

Of course, even before we are able to fully reopen Binna Burra, we hope people will come and visit the thriving Gold Coast Hinterland region. There is so much to see and do in this lush rainforest landscape.

In my biased opinion, we have some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country, with refreshing swimming holes and streams at the bottom of most and walking trails alongside for beginners through experts. Take your pick of luxurious glamping, romantic rainforest retreats and family-friendly lodges, with flying foxes, TreeTop challenges, segways, horse riding and animal encounters onsite for the kids, and a myriad of local winetastings, gin distilleries, brewing companies and fine dining for the grown-ups, all surrounded by nature.

It’s truly a magnificent region with something for everyone, and we’re so lucky to have it on our doorstep.

ABOVE: BINNA BURRA SKY LODGE LUXURY SELF-CONTAINED ACCOMMODATION THIS IMAGE: SPICERS PEAK IN THE

STEVE NOAKES Chairman of Binna Burra Lodge binnaburralodge.com.au

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Image: Tourism & Events Queensland

GOLD COAST HINTERLAND

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Blue Mountains “The blackened bush looks beautiful as it begins its regeneration.”

We used to use names like Black Saturday or Ash Wednesday to remember bushfire disasters of significance. What I experienced in recent months in the Blue Mountains was on another level, and I’m thinking of it as Black Summer.

To the north, we had the massive Gospers Mountain fire and, to the south, we had the intense Green Wattle Creek fire. Week after hot, dry, smoky, stressful week, these fires burnt their way from Kanangra to Wollemi, through the vast majority of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, with the villages of the Blue Mountains sandwiched perilously between them. It puts new meaning to the phrase ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’.

Like thousands of locals, I split my time between checking bushfire warning apps, watching the smoke and flames on the horizon, clearing out gutters, cutting back vegetation around my and friends’ houses, watering plants with buckets to keep them alive, reviewing bushfire survival plans and listening to emergency warnings on the radio. Ultimately my house was safe, but the fires burned much of the area in which I make my living by taking people canyoning, rock climbing, abseiling and bushwalking.

What wasn’t burnt was out of bounds for many weeks due to the risk of further bushfires. The tourists who are our lifeblood stopped coming. Everybody in the Blue Mountains who works in tourism has suffered financially. But now we are back in business. We can once again take people on amazing adventures in beautiful parts of the Blue Mountains that did not burn.

Following the torrential rain after the fires, the blackened bush looks beautiful as it begins its regeneration.

Come see for yourself.

DYLAN JONES Blue Mountains Adventure Company bmac.com.au

THE FILTERED LIGHT IN CANYONS GIVES NEW MEANING TO GREEN

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SA

Kangaroo Island

CRAIG WICKHAM Managing Director of Exceptional Kangaroo Island exceptionalkangarooisland.com

“Within the fire zone the natural recovery is extraordinary and is an opportunity.”

Kangaroo Island is a big place, but socially it is small and close-knit. With fewer than 5000 people, the fire response is personal, and everyone gets involved. Our team responded as part of the Country Fire Service, with farm units – and in some cases, both.

We defended our homes, our properties and those of friends and neighbours. Fire is not unusual; I attended five fires by December 20. The big ones late in the month were different… they just kept coming and burning over ground burned only days before.

All of this took place at the height of our summer season. We shut down for a few days in early January, then reopened only to shut down and evacuate again. When we can, we tote up the impact – lives, stock, homes, countless hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush.

Meanwhile nature kicks into gear – epicormic buds burst on eucalypts within seven days of fire passing, various creatures shake off the ash and start to forage. Many have been lost, but there are survivors.

Although the scale and ferocity of these fires was unprecedented, our nature is resilient and we see more evidence of this response daily. Next, welcome rains became an issue,

due to eroding soil, ironically bogging fire trucks. Too much of a good thing.

Our farming sector generates 50 per cent of our income, and they need fences replaced, grass to grow and stock to rekindle breeding programs; it will be a while before they are generating profits. Our tourism sector – which was hit hard by cancellations, loss of businesses and iconic infrastructure gone generates the other half of our economy.

Outside of the fire zone things look like they always have. We can pivot with new itineraries (we were offering a new tour within 10 days of evacuating). There are many experiences on Kangaroo Island which did not burn, such as wildlife encounters, endless beaches, wine-tasting, gin blending, lighthouses, rugged cliffs, narrow roads with trees forming an avenue overhead.

Kangaroo Island as we know it is still here.

Within the fire zone the natural recovery is extraordinary and is an opportunity. We can weave stories of our robust characters in with the resilience of nature.

The best thing you can do is come and see us. Don’t come because you feel sorry for us (although we have been humbled by the level of care, concern and support).

Come because you will have an awesome time and you will be helping us out.

CAPE WILLOUGHBY

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NSW

South Coast CAMILLA HAMILFORD Owner of Paperbark Camp paperbarkcamp.com.au

ABOVE: A PICNIC BY PAPERBARK’S CREEK BELOW: GLAMPING AT THE CAMP

“Jervis Bay continues to be such an unspoilt, nature lovers’ playground.”

Our family has owned and operated Paperbark Camp for more than 20 years, and in that time we have had a few near misses with fires. The camp is situated in the middle of a eucalypt and paperbark forest, so we agreed early that if the fire came our way, there was not much we could do.

For weeks we watched and waited, the road was open and there was no immediate threat, so we continued to welcome visitors. But eventually it was obvious we had to close the camp and prepare for the worst. Saturday, January 4, will never be forgotten. On what should have been one of the busiest days of the year, the shops were closed, the streets were empty and all was quiet as we waited to see what the weather and wind would bring.

In the end Jervis Bay was spared, but the damage was done anyway as our phone rang and our inbox filled with cancellations. We went through a range of emotions, a touch of survivor guilt, frustration that even though we were untouched and accessible everyone

was still staying away, deep sadness as the reality of what our South Coast neighbours were going through sank in, and anxiety for what the future would hold. A few days later the main Currowan fire reached our other little camp on the Shoalhaven River, which despite our preparation was burnt out, so in the end we weren’t so lucky.

The charity has been incredible, but people would prefer not to have to rely on handouts, so the best way to support us is to get out and explore our beautiful country – if ever there was a time to holiday here, this year and the next few years are it.

Jervis Bay is the jewel of the Shoalhaven and continues to be such an unspoilt, nature lovers’ playground, all within a few hours’ drive of Sydney!

With so many incredible white-sand beaches for strolling, clear waters for swimming and snorkelling, and beautiful national parks, it’s no wonder it’s such a popular weekend getaway. But don’t wait for the weekend, now is a great time to show your support by booking a midweek break. There are so many great deals on offer. Start planning now!

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LOVERS OF FINE ARTS AND CHARMING GARDENS

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Booze, chocolate, art and food – what more do you want from a destination?

WORDS BY ALEXIS BUXTON-COLLINS

High above Adelaide sits a picturesque agricultural region where winding roads pass through mist-shrouded valleys and a patchwork of mixed farmland. Artisanal food and drink producers make the most of the abundant fresh produce and artists have long flocked here for the magical light. Here are some of the best spots to visit.

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Image: South Australian Tourism Commission, Adam Bruzzone

WILL BE RIGHT AT HOME AT THE CEDARS.

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COMIDA When he ran Comida out of the Central Market, chef Brad Sappenberghs’ chicken and chorizo paella was one of Adelaide’s favourite dishes. It’s not on the menu at his new venue in Hahndorf, but there will be regular paella sessions on weekends when large groups can enjoy it as a communal meal.

During the week, coffees and cold pressed juices accompany simple breakfasts with a Spanish twist. And for lunch, Sappenberghs has upped the ante considerably in this elegant diner with an enclosed deck, richly textured walls, plenty of timber and beautiful terracottacoloured ceilings.

Elegant tapas plates are followed by mains divided into meat, seafood and a large vegetable section that includes the legendary patatas bravas. Or if you’d prefer a less formal setting, you can select a few items from the display fridge stocked with local cheeses, cured meats and olives (plus a few Spanish items). Then borrow a picnic rug and find a comfortable space in the large gardens out back.

RED CACAO Just 20 minutes from the centre of Adelaide, the charming town of Stirling is the gateway to the Adelaide Hills. The tree-lined streets are full of cute cafés and shops, and Red Cacao is the perfect place to stop in after admiring the autumn foliage. There’s always a range of gorgeous cakes and freshly made waffles available, along with the legendary Aztec hot chocolate that spices rich dark drinking chocolate with cinnamon and chilli.

Owner Marcus Booth-Remmers spent years training as a chocolatier across Australia and Europe. Now he uses the best quality European couverture with cream, fruit and even red wine from local producers. On any day of the week he’ll be pouring, filling, coating and decorating hundreds of blocks and truffles.

The single origin cacao beans are chosen for their unique flavour profiles, and the same is true of the coffee. Get the best of both worlds with the Chocolate Coffee Experience. Simply choose a single origin bean and the trained staff will recommend two handmade chocolates to draw out and complement the flavours.

APPLEWOOD This industrial former cold store, full of exposed brick and jarrah beams, is the unlikely home to some of the most inventive drinks being produced in this country.

Two things fuel the incredible creations coming out of Applewood distillery: the vibrant imaginations of Brendan and Laura Carter, and the rich library of flavours found in Australia’s native flora.

Plants like riberries, desert limes, peppermint gum and lemon myrtle find their way into distinctive, richly flavoured gins and liqueurs, but there are no limits to their creativity. You’ll also find off-kilter creations like a gin featuring shiitake mushrooms and Chinese plum, and a range of limited edition spirits.

All the botanicals are ethically and sustainably sourced and alongside tastings (don’t miss the økar amaro), there’s a seasonal cocktail menu with a section featuring only ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted.

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THE CEDARS

LONGVIEW VINEYARD The Adelaide Hills is one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine regions and picturesque cellar doors abound, but as the name suggests the views here are worth travelling for. Built around a century-old pink sandstone cottage, this rustic-chic cellar door utilises recycled timber and steel in a modern design with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside, gently undulating hills covered with row upon row of perfectly manicured vines lead to ridges lined by magnificent gums. A short walk away, the lookouts for which the winery is named afford views out over Lake Alexandrina to the sand dunes of the Coorong and the Southern Ocean beyond.

Northern Italian wines like nebbiolo and barbera are paired with a seasonal menu and if you find the views as intoxicating as the wine, the good news is you don’t have to leave. After a day spent exploring the region, you can relax in the onsite four-anda-half-star accommodation spread between a heritage homestead and a dozen chic modern suites set in the vines.

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GETTING THERE Tigerair flies to Adelaide.

Image: South Australian Tourism Commission, Adam Bruzzone

Image: Ryan Cantwell

Venturing further, the well-preserved settlement of Hahndorf was settled

by Prussian Lutherans in 1839 and still bears a strong German influence. This wasn’t what drew Hans Heysen to the area, though; the landscape painter was captivated by the quality of the region’s light.

Heysen was one of the first Europeans to eschew the conventions of his home continent and paint Australia as it is. His watercolours changed the way white Australians perceived this country by capturing the lines of

monumental gum trees and the mesmerising colours of the arid Flinders Ranges.

Fittingly, the 1870s villa just outside Hahndorf where he lived is overlooked by a collection of ancient gums, some of them 600 years old.

Himalayan cedars in the immaculately manicured gardens give the property its name, but the highlight of any visit is Australia’s oldest publicly accessible artist’s studio. This is where Heysen captured the essence of Australian light and landscapes in his famed watercolours.

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“TIGERTALES”

Shop 3, 41 Mount Barker Road, Stirling Redcacao.com.au (08) 8339 3128 OPENING HOURS: Monday: 9am – 6pm Tuesday: Closed Weds – Thurs 9am – 6pm Friday: 9am – 10pm (Dessert Bar) Sunday: 9am – 5pm

BEGIN A SUBLIME JOURNEY OF CHOCOLATE DISCOVERY WITH RED CACAO IN STIRLING Along with our exquisite flavours of high-quality chocolate, we offer a special chocolate and coffee experience – where the coffee of your choice is served with two chocolates paired by our Chocolatier. Enjoy a delectable visit today!

eatdrink

ROLLING ON THE RIVER Take a bite out of Brisbane with a dining scene as sassy as the waterway that snakes through Queensland’s capital.

WORDS BY CHRISTINE RETSCHLAG

Not so long ago, it was illegal to dine outdoors in Queensland, its tropical footpaths considered unhygienic and the very idea of alfresco reserved for those eclectic Europeans slouched along sidewalk cafés. As for wining and dining by the Brisbane River itself? Forget it.

How times have changed. Fast forward and the river is where it’s all at these days, with bustling breweries and neat nosheries perched under the shadow of the iconic Story Bridge on one side of the city, elegant rooftop bars grazing the skyline and finedining restaurants everywhere in between, all offering that essential ingredient: food and brews with a view.

The cool crowd is lapping it up, not only for its social media gravitas, but for the Brissie breezes themselves.

RIVERSIDE RENAISSANCE These days it’s the perky precinct on everyone’s lips. Since opening in 2018, Howard Smith Wharves has rapidly become a dining darling for its riverfront locale, multitude of restaurants and the buzzing Felons Brewery. This ever-evolving destination has recently added two more restaurants to its pole position. For a jaunty Japanese experience, Yoko Dining boasts a raw bar, plus a menu of vegetables, dumplings, seafood and sweets.

Stanley, an upmarket Cantonese restaurant, serves the likes of Peking duck pancakes and wok-fried Moreton Bay bugs amid swanky surrounds.

ROOFTOP REVELATIONS Attracting all the cool characters, Howard Smith Wharves is also home to trendsetter The Fantauzzo, an Art Series Hotel whose rooftop bar, Fiume, overlooks this pulsating precinct. The fabulous foyer

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is a gallery of artworks, while upstairs the chequered sun deck has a drinks menu of crafty cocktails such as the Pink Koala, made with eucalyptus vodka, Cointreau, cranberry and lemon. For a sky-high bar with a blend of attitude as well as… well, altitude, Fortitude Valley’s new Altitude has perfected cool and charm with cocktails such as the Bushfire Negroni, a blend of Mt Uncle’s bushfire smoked gin, Campari and Martini Rosso. Looking for a perspective on the Brisbane skyline that hasn’t been offered before?

The Terrace, at Emporium Hotel, is South Bank’s only rooftop bar. Among the vertical gardens, illuminated floor and a retractable roof to allow for any weather eventuality, blend in with Brisbane’s beautiful while you glance back over the river towards the CBD. Get into the spirit of things with clever cocktails such as the Rooftop Eastside or Terrace Spritz.

GO FISH For a slender blink-and-you’ll-miss-it laneway in South Brisbane, near the riverfront Performing Arts precinct, the graffiti-art dining area of Fish Lane packs a punch with 12 restaurants, 11 bars, six cafés and three dessert joints. While not a new entrant, Hello Please has shifted spots, bringing a fresh look with more seating, schmick subway tiles and a menu boasting even more Asian-inspired fare.

Share plates are all the rage here, highlights of which include the beef in betel leaf and roast pork belly with pickled cucumber and peanut hoisin. For a taste of Victoria with a Brisbane twist, Cups on Melbourne serves chic coffee among traditional timber Queensland architecture. If burgers are more your jam, the recently opened Bender’s Bar has a classic cheeseburger or even a vegan sando.

Image: David Kelly

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DESSERT AT BACCHUS; FIUME BAR SUNDECK AT THE

Image: David Kelly

FANTAUZZO ART SERIES HOTEL; DISH AT SIGNATURE RESTAURANT IN THE EMPORIUM HOTEL; THE TERRACE AT THE EMPORIUM HOTEL; INTERIOR OF STANLEY RESTAURANT.

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Image: David Kelly

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FROM LEFT: DEGUSTATION DISH AT BACCHUS; SOUTH-EAST ASIAN-INSPIRED RESTAURANT, SAME SAME.

WHAT’S HOT IN FOOD FESTIVALS

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW It would be remiss to mention dining in Brisbane without a trip to Bacchus, one of the country’s most satisfying dining experiences. What makes this something old (it’s not that old, in fact) maintain its new, is its sublime seasonal menus.

Perch in gargantuan chairs in a room redolent of a gentleman’s club and savour the new autumn menu, featuring the likes of goat cappelletti pasta filled with stracchino cheese served with goat ragout and kangaroo tartare. Also on the South Bank side of town, Emporium’s elegant Signature serves divine dining from the pages of its luscious leather menus on tables adorned by olive branches. Leaning towards local produce, Signature serves up Brisbane Valley quail, Queensland spanner crab and Darling Downs Wagyu sirloin. The sizzle of woks along the funky James Street precinct will lead you to sAme sAme, which specialises in classic South-East Asian cooking. Here, Thai-inspired dishes are paired with Queensland produce such as the half-shell Hervey

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Bay scallop, stir-fried with chilli, garlic, peppercorns and basil. The green curry dessert with coconut, lime parfait, rice puffs and lime curd, is intriguing too.

SUBURBAN BLISS You only need take a few proverbial paces back from the river to discover Brisbane’s inner-city suburbs are also undergoing a restaurant renaissance.

Charboys Burgers started as a pop-up market stall in 2015, now it’s a permanent fixture along Bulimba’s Oxford Street. For a slice of the Big Apple in Queensland’s big smoke, Reuben’s Deli at Paddington serves the rye-bread sandwich made famous in New York. A quintessential Queensland experience is on offer at Perch’d in Coorparoo, where you can enjoy quality fish ‘n’ chips on the deck of a traditional tin ‘n’ timber Queenslander home.

A similar salty experience can be had at Kangaroo Point’s One Fish Two Fish. Finally, it only seats 14, but CJ’s Secret Pasta Club at West End punches above its weight with its homemade hand-cut pasta and rustic sauces.

PANIYIRI GREEK FESTIVAL MAY 23-24 Greece is the word at Australia’s biggest Greek festival, which celebrates its 44th year in 2020.

More than 60,000 visitors attend this annual event of wining, dining and dancing all things Hellenic.

REGIONAL FLAVOURS FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL JULY 18-19 They call this the Sunshine State on a plate: Regional Flavours is Queensland’s premier food event. Head to South Bank Parklands for more than 80 stalls of producers, wine, beer and flavoursome fun.

GETTING HERE Tigerair flies to Brisbane.

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cityscape

An ultra-modern city built on the architectural memories of the past… not to mention some mighty fine beers.

WORDS BY MICHELLE HESPE

Image: Tourism Western Australia

THE ART OF PERTH

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cityscape

Images: Tourism Western Australia

Looking up from where I sit in a rustic open-air courtyard with a blazing blue sky above, a display of blood red, hot pink and cool blue Asian umbrellas float above like an impromptu artwork. Covering most of the wall is an enormous, joyous mural of a toddler called Mardi in a bunny suit by Thai graffiti artist Alex Face. I could be in a Bangkok laneway, but I am actually in Perth’s Long Chim restaurant, enjoying David Thompson’s rightfully renowned grilled pork cheek and green papaya salad for lunch.

That’s when it dawns on me: over the past decade Perth has transformed itself into a Mecca of the arts and a master of the kind of laneway-loving fixation that Melbourne always claims as its own. It’s a place where food, wine, craft beer, cafés, live entertainment, galleries, outdoor social spaces, cool hotels and even cooler street art come together to create a city as vibrant as it is welcoming and unpretentious.

With art and history in mind, I head off on an exploration with tour guide Vaughan from Two Feet & a Heartbeat Walking Tours. We kick off in the CBD, with Vaughan making sure from the outset that I look down at what I’m walking on. Hand on my shoulder, he stops me in the street and says, “Meet some of Perth’s former locals.”

I am immediately riveted. Engraved in the stone footpath are the names of some of the city’s former crims and vagabonds, once held in captivity below the city street where we stand.

I read out loud, images of these people from the past – knickerbockers, layered skirts, bonnets and hats askew – from the 19th century filling my head. Their rampant crimes, amusing misdemeanours and unruly behaviours stand out like silent rebukes from the past. Mr Callaghan was a carpenter who, on February 8, 1875,

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was declared a ‘drunkard and disorderly’.

In that same year Mr Green was slammed with being a ‘loiterer, rogue and vagabond’.

And Mrs Gregory? ‘Her taste of strong drinks is insatiable.’

Speaking of drinks, next stop at midday is dedicated to a cooling ale (all that walking, you know) and nibbles at Petition Beer Corner, tucked into the impressive five-star COMO The Treasury development.

The hotel is housed within the city’s State Buildings, built in 1878. Adrian Fini, one of the four Little Creatures team who sold Australia’s first craft beer empire for $362 million, spent 20 years lobbying to have the buildings redeveloped, and now it’s another example of how well Perth does things, architecturally and artistically.

Back to beer. Petition has 18 independent taps and an extensive bottled list, and the aim of the Cicerone Program Certified Beer Servers behind the counter is to ensure patrons enjoy a set of different flavours and styles. A bespoke beer menu adds another level to the fun, entertaining and informative experience. “I don’t really drink much beer,” I say. The beer guy claps his hands together and smiles at me and Vaughan. “Good! I am here to change that!”

We wrap up my first day in Perth on a sentimental note, visiting the thousands of love locks attached to rails at the base of The Bell Tower. The padlocks are inscribed with the names of couples to signify everlasting love, and they create a colourful, rustic sculpture bursting with stories of locals and visitors alike. As I wander into the beautiful surrounds of the Elizabeth Quay development, the stunning 29-metrehigh Spanda sculpture rising behind me like ripples of water flung eight storeys into the sky, I reckon I might add a padlock myself, with Perth’s name on it.

PREVIOUS PAGE: STREET ART IN WOLF LANE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ELIZABETH QUAY THE SPANDA; ELIZABETH QUAY PERTH; COUPLE ENJOYING COCKTAILS AT LONG CHIM PERTH; THE BELL TOWER, HOME OF THE SWAN BELLS PERTH; THE STATE BUILDING’S POSTAL HALL.

W E V ISI T T H E T HOUSA N DS OF LOV E LOCKS ATTACH E D TO R A I LS AT T H E BA SE OF T H E BE L L TOW E R .

GETTING HERE Tigerair flies to Perth daily.

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familyfun

SYDNEY: A K I D S ’- E Y E V I E W WORDS BY TATYANA LEONOV

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Having kids tagging along for the ride (apart from being one very, very long ride) opens up many new doors. Sure, some close (fine dining restaurants and young kids don’t work together… I learnt the hard way), but the ones that do open often reap wonderful rewards.

Life in kid-town dances to a different beat. Everything takes longer and requires lots of planning, but this is a blessing when it comes to exploring a city – or travelling anywhere, in fact. The best part of being out and about with children is that your eyes are opened up to wonder anew.

Everything is fresh and exciting, even if you’ve been there and done it all before.

WILD TIMES Whenever we get within 100 metres of SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and my daughter sees the images of fish on the exterior wall, she gets overexcited. We’ve been there three times in the past two years, and I’m certain we’ll be back again soon.

Last time we visited we invited my dad, my sister and her three kids along, and everyone had something they wanted to see or do. For my five-year-old nephew, it was all about the sharks. We couldn’t move fast enough for him until we were in the famous tunnel staring up at the huge and dangerous fish gliding around us all.

We were one of the many families trying to snap that memorable photo – the one with all kids in the photo smiling and a shark in the background gliding past nonchalantly.

Near impossible, by the way.

My daughter, unlike her cousin, only likes Baby Shark, however she adores penguins and remembered exactly where the Penguin Expedition Ride was. Even Dad loved the ride: six people to a raft, an adventure through the Macquarie Island-themed exhibit, with king and gentoo penguins in such close proximity.

The fake flurry of snow and whistling blizzard conditions elevated the experience – and almost had the kids believing we were, in fact, not in Australia anymore.

It does very much feel like you’re in Australia at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, which is located right next door. This is where you come to hang out with iconic native animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus, wombats, crocodiles and, of course, koalas.

Breakfast with the Koalas, held at 7.15am

each day, does require some pre-planning, but once you’re there those early-morning red eyes are all but forgotten. Indulging in a cooked breakfast surrounded by cute critters perched in gum trees is one of those special experiences that’s talked about for years to come.

Featherdale Wildlife Park, located in Western Sydney, is another great option for getting up close with Australian animals. The roving kangaroos, wallabies and pademelons make for a fun day out, with plenty of photo opportunities thanks to the creatures being so comfortable around humans.

Other great wildlife sanctuaries include Taronga Zoo Sydney in the north, the new Sydney Zoo in Bungarribee out west, and Symbio Wildlife Park down south. The new-in-2019 waterpark here adds another element of fun to a day out with the family.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: PIRATES DRESS-UP AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM; WATCHING THE SHARKS AT SEA LIFE SYDNEY AQUARIUM; MEETING THE KANGAROOS AT FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK

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familyfun

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: WALKING GIBBERAGONG TRACK NEAR BOBBIN HEAD; ART BABY QUILT LAUNCH AT THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART; ‘THE EXPERIMENTATIONS’ EXHIBITION AT THE POWERHOUE MUSEUM; 3D-CINEMA AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM.

ART & CULTURE Sydney is full of great museums and art galleries, and many of them have exhibitions and dedicated activities designed especially for kids. There’s ‘The Wiggles Exhibition’ (on until June 30, 2020) at the Powerhouse Museum; if you have toddlers go there last… or you likely won’t see anything else. And there is plenty to see, with exhibitions spanning a whole wealth of topics. ‘The Experimentations’ exhibition (also on until the end of June), which includes a Tinkering Zone, celebrates learning using sound and light play, with the interactive experiments a great way to keep kids of all ages busy for hours.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in The Rocks has an array of fantastic family programs, with ARTplay (for under-fives) an event I’ve taken my daughter to a few times. The weekly creative play session is all about letting kids touch and explore interactive artwork, and culminates with music and singing.

I’ve come to realise that almost every single toddler has a fascination with all things automobile, and the ‘On the Move’ exhibition at the Museum of Sydney (on until October 18, 2020) explores transport in all its forms. It’s the place to visit to learn about cars, trains and planes, as well as delve into Australia’s transportation history.

The Australian National Maritime Museum is another facility where little people can go

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on a voyage of discovery, with the various family programs designed to stimulate learning. Here kids can climb aboard reallife tall ships, warships and a submarine (or to the top of a lighthouse!), relax with a 3D movie, engage with interactive displays or take part in year-round hands-on activities like Mini Mariners and Kids On Deck.

FREE ACTIVITIES You’ll find us at a park most days if it’s not raining. Fields are great for kids bursting with energy, and play equipment can keep them entertained (and active) for hours on end. My daughter would choose running, climbing, swinging and jumping around outside over just about everything. In the centre of the city, the Darling Quarter precinct has everything kids ever need… until hunger calls. The playground is huge and has equipment for all ages – swings, slides, balance ropes, climbing ropes, water play and more. When hunger does call, there are plenty of cafés nearby.

Beaches and nature reserves are wonderful places to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, for that big dose of fresh air and immersion in the wild. Play is simple here – sand castles and sand illustrations, collecting sticks and leaves, naming trees, flying kites… even picking up rubbish can be a game (and a lesson). Time among nature offers a chance for parents and kids to reconnect, to learn, to simply just be.

Some of my favourite spots in Sydney include Darook Park in southern Sydney and Bobbin Head to the north. Sure, it takes time to get to either location, but that’s often the point when you’re looking for an experience in natural surrounds with minimal crowds.

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EATING & DRINKING Although fancy feasts may be out (unless you have kids who are older or mature beyond their years), Sydney is full of restaurants that are great for families.

Many eateries offer kids’ menus and most have high chairs for younger children.

Some provide activity packs to keep kids entertained and dedicated play areas are becoming more popular, especially in pubs.

My husband and I are regulars at Taren Point Hotel in southern Sydney exactly for this reason. There’s a toddler area for younger bubs and a ping-pong and basketball indoor field for the older kids.

Unsurprisingly, the fancy pub is packed out with families most nights.

In the Inner West, The Henson in Marrickville has a ball pit area for kids, conveniently located in the beer garden, while the Exchange Hotel in Balmain features a secure kids’ area with play equipment and toys. For families with kids who need space to run around, the Backyard at Briars in Concord features a massive outdoor area with a playground, and it’s very popular on sunny weekends.

Further our west, Greystanes Hotel is epic in terms of what it offers. With various play areas and a flying fox inside the complex, it’ll be the parents dragging the kids home.

STAYING HERE Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is a great choice for families and is located walking distance from key attractions, such as SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and the Darling Quarter precinct. The hotel offers interconnecting rooms and has a kids’ concierge. Kids even get their own robes, slippers and an interactive work book. See sofitelsydneydarlingharbour. com.au GETTING HERE Tigerair flies to Sydney.

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oppositesattract

MICHELLE AND JEFF LOVE FALLS CREEK, IN DIFFERENT WAYS

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GO YOUR OWN WAY IN …

FALLS CREEK Some couples don't like to do the same things while on holiday. And that's perfectly okay!

WORDS BY MICHELLE HESPE

I completely fell for Falls Creek more than a decade ago. Funnily enough, I was there in spring for the region’s famous wildflower season: bushwalking, abseiling and exploring the picture-perfect region on the 40 kilometres of awesome mountain bike tracks. I loved it so much that I returned in winter and could not believe my eyes. Coated in white, the resort looked nothing short of magical – transformed into a European-style ski resort, albeit with snowgum-lined streets. Every year my

partner Jeff and our children return to go skiing, and we’ve now become friends with the locals and know the place like the back of our hands.

Falls, as everyone calls her, sits proudly at 1600 metres above sea level in the top of the Victorian Alps.

It has a population of only 295 people at last count, but all year round it’s a busy place – and the 4500 beds are always taken in winter. It’s not like the busy ski resorts where you have to stand in endless queues; there’s plenty of space for cruising down a mountain

without the worry of crashing into someone else. The highest point you can ski at Falls is 1780 metres, and one of the best things is that it’s ski-in, skiout. Often the snow piles up on the hotel steps so people literally ski out of their lodges and down to the lifts.

Jeff and I holiday differently, but we always find plenty of middle ground. He likes to take things easy while I’m always seeking out a new thrill. That means there’s always a story to share at the end of the day over a nice meal or drinks. 

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DAY ONE

TAKING A BREAK FROM FAT BIKING

Michelle: Fat biking, riding and flying Most of us take a ski holiday to hit the main runs or to shoot in and out of the trees on the off-piste spreads, but there’s a surprisingly long list of other things you can get up to at Falls, and on my first day I was ready to try something new: fat biking.

Never heard of it? It’s a fairly new trend that combines mountain biking with snowsports.

You can rent a fat bike (with fat wheels, obviously) that’s perfect for cruising down snowy trails. You can also hire a snow bike, which has one ski at the front, a comfy saddle seat and two skis at the back. It took me a while to get my balance, but once I had the hang of it I was gliding down the mountain next to skiers and snowboarders.

It was a lot of fun and giggles as it feels weird to be on a bike but not pedalling!

And you certainly get a lot of looks.

If you’re more James Bond than Lance

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Armstrong, there are chopper flights between Falls Creek and Mt Beauty seven days a week. I love helicopters, so I jumped at the chance to spend half a day at Falls then half a day at Hotham, using the one lift ticket. The trip is only six minutes and it’s a six-seater chopper, so you can take friends with you if they’re game enough.

The view from up there, looking back at the Victorian Alps, is sensational.

I admit it, I love fine food and wine in luxurious surrounds. Paired with snow and beautiful architecture, I am in heaven.

Astra Lodge, with its high wood-panelled ceilings and walls (complete with a mounted elk’s head), enormous stone fireplace and Chesterfield couches, unites European alpine chalet-style with Rocky Mountain log cabin. I love art, too, and the range of eclectic artworks, leather, timber, stone and stylish soft furnishings complement Astra’s spectacular mountain views. The restaurant’s offerings are all based on the use of fresh local produce and are as artfully crafted as the surrounds.

They do awesome mulled wine to boot.

HELI-SKIING MEANS YOU REACH MORE FRESH POWDER

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Jeff is a complete creature of habit, so if we want to meet up for lunch or après-ski drinks, I know where to find him – on his favourite, wide, not-too-steep run: Drover’s Dream. Falls has 14 lifts, 92 runs, a beginners’ run that’s a fave for families called Wombat’s Ramble, and of the 450 hectares of skiable terrain, 23 per cent is dedicated to black runs.

There are 65 kilometres of groomed trails, and for those keen on working on their winter tricks, there’s a cool terrain park often used by pros practising their skills.

So while I hit the black runs and accumulated a few bruises from stacks, Jeff stayed upright and enjoyed the view as he boarded up and down the run that we now call Jeff’s Dream.

The great thing is that Drover’s Dream and Wombat’s Ramble join up at the most popular meeting spot on the mountain, at the top of Halley’s Comet Chairlift. Here you’ll find Cloud 9 – a trendy eatery and bar with some of the best views in Falls Creek. It has a cool mezzanine bar and lounging area (with great wine and craft beer), a zip-in, zip-out, meat pie servery, a wood-fired pizza joint, and even a gourmet waffle and ice-cream bar. Jeff, being a pizza and pie kind of guy, loves the food and easy access at this place. And he can wash down a good meal with a cool beer before hitting the mountain again.

Image: Chris Hocking

Jeff: On Drover’s Dream

BACK TOGETHER: DAY ONE

THE PIE SERVERY AT CLOUD 9 IS A POPULAR SPOT IF YOU CAN'T BEAR MUCH TIME OFF THE MOUNTAIN

For a beautiful dinner in a modern restaurant that prides itself on top-quality produce, we often meet up at Elk Restaurant in the Elk At Falls ski lodge. The centrepiece is a roaring log fire behind glass, and the rustic wood-panelled walls set off the stylish white Eames chairs. We order a perfectly cooked Australian steak and enjoy it with a big shiraz from a Rutherglen winery. Then, as any wise snow bunny knows, it’s mandatory that you wrap up a day on the mountain with a big fat marshmallow stuck on a stick — toasted until it’s all gooey inside and crispy on the outside.

Simply head to the fireplace, nod, and the staff will hand over the good stuff. After that, there’s a great little hole-in-the-wall bar next door to enjoy a nightcap. 

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DAY TWO

Michelle: Off-piste and snonutting Cross-country skiing is a huge part of what makes Falls so special – there are 65 kilometres of groomed trails. Via these trails you can gain access to corners of the Bogong High Plains rarely seen by most visitors.

I love finding fresh snow and there’s no better way to do it than to get off-piste and go back country skiing. I found it hard the first time I did it, as you have to keep up the momentum and can’t just opt for a downhill glide whenever you fancy it.

But the exercise is great and sometimes it’s just you out there, with nothing but the sound of your own skis and breath.

After burning up a week’s worth of energy on corduroy runs in the back country, I headed back down to the base of Falls to Snonuts. As the name suggests, it’s a doughnut café, and let’s just say the staff don’t believe in small servings. The Holey Moley is a cinnamon doughnut piled high with whipped cream and strawberry or chocolate topping. It’s the ultimate pick-me-up, and matched with a mulled wine from the pub across the way, well, it’s hard not to feel rather full and happy.

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CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING GETS YOU OFF THE BEATEN TRACK AND INTO BACK COUNTRY

u S om et im e s it ’s ju stthyo ou t th e re , wi th no yoinugr bu t th e so un d of ea th ow n sk is an d br

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Jeff: Night skiing and tubing

NIGHT SKIING IS POPULAR (AND A LOT OF FUN) IN FALLS CREEK

Image: Matt Hull

Jeff was happy to hang with the kids on the second day and take a break from snowboarding. It was high time for some snowtubing. Open daily from 2pm to 6pm, the purpose-built Snow Tube Park in the Village Bowl is plenty of fun. Basically, you sit in a tyre and slide around the walls, like water going down a plughole.

At the bottom you can jump on the magic carpet and be taken up to the top of the hill. It’s loads of fun and a great way to wear everyone out.

Night skiing is a popular activity at Falls and Jeff is a big fan, because (you guessed it) it only takes place on the cruisiest and longest of runs – Wombat’s Ramble. The mountain lights up like a Christmas tree.

There's lots of laughing and carryingon with kids everywhere and the stars shining bright above. There are plenty of bars and pubs at the base, where music is always playing, giving everyone some tunes to ski-boogie to. There’s also an awesome pizza place that’s great for families and groups of friends at the bottom of Wombat’s Ramble called The Last Hoot. While Jeff kicks back and enjoys dinner and drinks, the kids keep going up and down and even get into tobogganing down the last part of the slopes, laughing their heads off as they crash into one another like dodgem cars.

BACK TOGETHER: DAY TWO We love a great pub with live music and hearty food. Frying Pan Inn in the resort’s Village Bowl has been a well-loved stalwart on the Falls Creek pub and dining scene since 1965, and over the past year it has gone through an overhaul to not only polish its rustic pub look, but also to up the ante on the food, drink and entertainment options.

From recovery sessions on Sunday (with Bloody Marys and Caprioskas) to live music, DJs, ping-pong tournaments, darts and trivia, it’s the place to be to have some fun and get social. The hot chips and deliciously wicked churros are both fantastic. With a wood-fired grill, the focus is on barbecued meat, so the tacos, chargrilled burgers and slow-cooked meats for sharing are all sensational.

We tuck in and raise our glasses to good old Falls.

GETTING THERE Tigerair flies to Melbourne, then it's a four-and-a-halfhour drive north-east to Falls Creek. Alternatively, Tigerair flies into Canberra, then it's a beautiful five-hour drive down to Falls Creek.

offthegrid

THROUGH T H E G AT E S Two parents, three kids and no tech devices. Fire, horses, and gold. It’s a recipe cooked up to bring a family together through treasured memories.

WORDS BY MICHELLE HESPE

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FROM LEFT: HORSE RIDING AROUND TURON GATES’ BUSHLAND; RELAXING AT TURON GATES COTTAGE.

We hit the road, and after the usual squabble between our three tweens about who is going to sit in the middle, there’s immediate grumbling. “Why can’t we have the iPads in the car on the way? Pleeease? Then we won’t use them for three days – promise! I just want one more game of Fortnite!”

The answer is no, and the first suggestions don’t go down well: I Spy? Count some cows? Take a snooze? We all settle on a family favourite – a fruit salad memory game where you go around in circles and keep adding another type of fruit to the salad. If you can’t remember the order, you’re out. The game gets us halfway to the Blue Mountains, and then we switch to going through each letter of the alphabet and thinking of an animal that starts with that letter.

There’s some fighting but there’s also a lot of laughter, and we’ve reached the letter P by the time we drive through the front entrance of Turon Gates, where we’re staying in a homestead called The Loft. It’s perched on the side of a hill with superb views of kangaroo-packed paddocks, sandstone gorges and the sprawling,

grand mass that is the Blue Mountains.

There’s no phone reception. No internet.

FIRE STARTERS “What is kindling?” That’s the first question out of the youngest one’s mouth when we settle in and decide to light a fire in the loungeroom’s open fireplace, and a bonfire in the firepit outside. It’s autumn, so as soon as the sun sets, it’s going to be freezing.

And so the fun begins. We give the kids re-usable shopping bags and explore a nearby paddock with an abundance of sticks and twigs. Before we know it we’ve raised the bar, and Dad is showing the kids how to break logs thicker than their legs by wedging them between tree branches and all jumping and pushing their hearts out.

When the fire is lit inside and the loungeroom is toasty, we focus on our bona fide bonfire. Before darkness descends we have it roaring, and the kids are mesmerised. We make damper in an old billy can, whip up a chicken pasta and bake some salted caramel cookies. Then it’s marshmallow roasting on the fire and popping an old DVD into the DVD player.  APRIL/MAY 2020

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We watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the kids crash right after, exhausted, with cookie crumbs on their fingers. Thankfully, the word ‘iPad’ has not been uttered.

HORSING AROUND The next morning starts with a fry-up.

Afterwards the kids race about collecting more firewood, and then we all head down the road to Turon Gates camping ground.

It’s a 10-minute drive through stunning, quintessentially Aussie bushland, and we see a goanna, hundreds of kangaroos, wallabies, birds, and cows galore.

Turon Gates has a lovely history. Owners Soren and Sonya arrived in the area on a camping trip in 1972, and after four days they fell in love with the place, and decided that one day they’d retire there. They built themselves a small, cosy bush retreat by the river and gradually bought more land and established a campground. Wanting to expand the idea and build more places to stay, the couple invited others who loved the area to contribute some money, so more land could be bought and other dream eco retreats could be built. Now Soren and Sonja run the accommodation and activities such as horse riding from their original cottage.

We meet Sonja for a coffee (she’s as bubbly as everyone says, and brimming with local knowledge) and then head down the road to check out the new,

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incredibly glamorous eco glamping tents, and the enormous conference tent at their epicentre. It’s ideal for business bonding escapes, and popular as a wedding venue too.

Next up, horse riding. The excitement as the kids are introduced to their horses – Kahlua, Oscar and Midnight – is enough to have everyone grinning from ear to ear.

They’re lovely, calm, sturdy steeds, and as we set off with our riding instructor and guide Peter, the sun is shining and the river is sparkling under a bright blue sky that shows off the brilliant greens and greys of the gum trees.

We head out of the camping area and into the wilderness. There’s no one else out on the tracks, so we could be in the middle of nowhere. We brave some river crossings, but for most of the two-hour ride we’re just ambling alongside flower-filled paddocks and down sunlight-dappled trails that weave across the mountains. It’s utterly peaceful and sometimes we’re all quiet, with just the horses’ snorts punctuating the silence.

It’s like meditation – and for once there’s no bickering from the kids. They’re enchanted, and one of them later says that they felt as though they were in a movie.

HISTORY, MYSTERY & GOLD PANNING Day three of Digi Detox (as we’ve started calling it) rolls around, and it’s as though our kids belong in a different era. They’re not looking for their phones or asking if they can play ‘one game of Fortnite,’ and they’re volunteering to go wood collecting.

Over breakfast they’re keen to know what we’re doing next.

When we announce that we’re going gold panning in an old gold rush town called Hill End, there’s more unbridled excitement. In the car on the way they’re deciding how their fortune will be divvied up when we find a huge gold nugget, and eventually it’s decided that if we find one worth $500,000, we can all have $100,000 each.

We swing by the quaint town of Sofala, which can legitimately claim to be Australia’s oldest surviving gold town as it developed on the back of Australia’s first gold rush, and then head to History Hill Museum & Underground Mine, owned and operated by historian, author and gold-loving character Malcolm Drinkwater.

offthegrid

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: MEETING THE LOCAL HORSES; A BONFIRE OVERLOOKING THE VALLEY; A GROUP OF CURIOUS KANGAROOS; THE ROYAL HOTEL IN HILL END.

The museum, which is Malcolm’s life’s work, is home to more than 10,000 gold rush artefacts, and the Son of Hope Mine – which he built himself – has 175 metres of underground passageways that visitors can safely explore. It’s remarkable how much there is to see and do, and Malcolm regularly hosts school group excursions.

We learn about the German-Australian Bernard Otto Holtermann: a gold miner, businessman and politician, who in 1871 was one of a few miners who discovered rich veins of gold in Hill End. The Holtermann Nugget was the largest gold specimen ever found, at 1.5 metres long and weighing 290 kilograms, with an estimated gold content of 93 kilograms.

After a good couple of hours the kids’ heads are bursting with dreams of gold nuggets, and we head out of town to meet Malcolm’s son, Jhob Drinkwater, who runs gold panning lessons. He takes us down to a secluded river where he fossicks himself, and digs up loads of mud out of a cave-like wall in the creek. He then hands us all a gold pan piled high with clay and we wander down to the river in search of our impending riches.

Jhob takes everyone through the three main steps. One, get your hands in there and break everything up to make it nice

W E SPE N D A N HOU R I N T H E CR E E K G OI NG T H ROUGH T H E ST E PS , A N D T H E K I DS A R E H AV I NG A BA L L GETT I NG W ET A N D M U DDY.

GETTING HERE Tigerair flies to Sydney.

From Sydney Turon Gates is a pleasant two-hour drive.

and soupy. “Do it like a washing machine,” he says with a smile. “Washy washy, soupy soupy.” Step number two is shaking out anything heavier in search of gold – “Shaky shaky,” he says over and over to the kids. Then step number three: “Cleany cleany,” where you clean out the mud and other rocks and are hopefully left with a gold fortune.

We spend an hour in the creek going through the steps, and the kids are having a ball getting wet and muddy. By the end of the tour they are all owners of a speck of gold as big as a grain of sand, which they carefully pop into a tiny vial provided

by Jhob. They are worth about 10 cents, so our eldest son’s dreams a buying himself a million games and us a house disappear up the creek. He’s not that fussed – he just wants to know what’s next?

The answer is a pub lunch at the lovely Royal Hotel, which has an awesome beer garden that stretches out into a paddock where the kids can play in the sun and climb trees. The grand building dates from 1872, and is the last man standing of 28 pubs built during the gold rush to service the 8000 people who moved into town with dreams of striking it lucky.

Our final night in The Loft is another peaceful one. We cook a lamb roast, enjoy more marshmallows blackened over the fire, and pop on another classic DVD from the huge collection. This time it’s School of Rock. The kids’ heads are lolling as we reach the film’s end, and they’re asleep as the credits roll. There’s been no mention of ‘iPad’ and we’re hoping that Fortnite has been pushed aside, replaced by dreams of bonfires, gold nuggets and horses peacefully traipsing across mountains.

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bookworm

AUSTRALIA’S BEST LIBRARIES

Libraries are a great place to unwind, read a good book or magazine and enjoy the tranquility. These are the bookeries throughout the nation that you’ll want to be shooshed in.

WORDS BY SAMUEL STEINBERG

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CITY OF PERTH LIBRARY PERTH WA This building covers 3500 square metres across seven floors, making it one of the largest libraries in the country. That means there’s plenty of space for meetings, an auditorium, and even a terrace for nature lovers. Having been housed in many locations in the past, the newest iteration of the City of Perth Library is its grandest, with a 13-metre tall vertical garden and a ceiling mural based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Multiple glass façades and stone columns line the building, giving it a classical aura with a distinctly modern design. perth.wa.gov.au

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2 MARRICKVILLE LIBRARY AND PAVILION MARRICKVILLE NSW If modernism is your thing, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Marrickville’s new library, which has been described as “visually stunning.” Built on the site of the old hospital, it combines sleek new design with the architectural integrity of the original structure. Both antique and innovative at once, Marrickville Library is bound to catch your attention with its dazzling architecture and impressive collection – it is home to more than 85,000 books. There’s also a café inside the library, providing lovely ambient café noise… and good coffee that you can drink inside as you browse. innerwest.nsw.gov.au

3 MURRAY BRIDGE LIBRARY MURRAY BRIDGE SA Often considered the most beautiful library in Australia, Murray Bridge Library certainly catches the eye, with a vibrant, contemporary style that welcomes you in. In addition to the usual amenities, Murray Bridge Library has a café where visitors can meet up and chat. There are also plenty of events and exhibitions that take place here throughout the year… but don’t forget about the books and DVDs. Murray Bridge has plenty of those, too. library.murraybridge.sa.gov.au

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6 COBRAM LIBRARY AND LEARNING CENTRE COBRAM VIC In the three years since its opening, Cobram Library has been a rousing success, offering community members (mostly students) a properly curated space designed for productivity and learning. The physical space draws design elements from the nearby river, resulting in a flowing, wavy architecture you likely won’t find anywhere else. Definitely one of the most stylish libraries in the nation. gvlibraries.com.au

4 STATE LIBRARY VICTORIA MELBOURNE VIC A tourist attraction in its own right, the institution formerly known as the Melbourne Public Library recently underwent a massive renovation. There’s still plenty of history to explore, but the space has been entirely re-envisioned for the modern era. Mixing classic white pillars with sleek hardwood, the fresh design underscores the library’s heritage and importance to the city. Alongside an enviable collection, there are regular art and history exhibitions, and the building itself is a wonder to walk through. slv.vic.gov.au

5 STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND BRISBANE QLD Founded in 1896, this is the place to be for political and history buffs; it hosts a large collection of Queensland’s documentary heritage and research archives. If you’re more interested in modern offerings, the library has a digital culture centre called The Edge and a free co-working space that supports start-ups and small businesses. It’s also part of a vibrant network of more than 320 public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres. Families are well-catered for with spaces and programs for art, storytelling and interactive play. slq.qld.gov.au

7 GREEN SQUARE LIBRARY ZETLAND NSW Another new-ish library with beautiful design aesthetics that make you want to hang around, Green Square opened its first cover in late 2018. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this development is the fact it’s mostly underground.

Nothing can quite prepare you for how large it actually is on the inside, hosting numerous study spaces, desks, computers and meeting rooms. There are also plenty of other spaces for hire, including a music room with its own piano.

All this, and somehow they’ve managed to fit in a subterranean garden, open-air amphitheatre and six-storey glass tower and a cosy café too. The book collection here is just the tip of the iceberg. cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au APRIL/MAY 2020

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8 STATE LIBRARY OF NSW SYDNEY NSW The oldest library in Australia began as a small colonial institution in the 1820s, eventually expanding into one of the nation’s grandest libraries, with a rich collection of literature, art galleries, and cultural and learning programs. The State Library of NSW is dedicated to preserving materials and historical evidence so they can be easily accessed by scholars (and anyone curious) from around the world. Its vast collection encourages research, debate and learning. This isn’t a library you can easily pop into for a short read – there are so many different experiences on offer, visiting is an event. sl.nsw.gov.au

9 SURRY HILLS LIBRARY SURRY HILLS NSW Sustainability is one of the biggest trends in architecture right now, and Surry Hills Library nails it. Spanning four floors, it houses a community centre, a childcare centre and dedicated exhibition spaces. It’s also open all week, making it one of the most accessible libraries on this list. Full of great spaces for reading or studying, it boasts a dedicated children’s corner, so you don’t have to worry about the kids getting bored. cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

10 BARR SMITH LIBRARY ADELAIDE SA The University of Adelaide is one of Australia’s top learning institutions, so it only makes sense that it houses a highquality library. Regular reading rooms are okay, but if you want an authentic experience with historical archives and literature, the Barr Smith Library is the place to be.

As a university resource, it also has access to many special collections, archives and records. And it is simply grand. adelaide.edu.au

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68 BRAIN FOOD 72 MUMS IN BUSINESS 76 MODERN DATING 84 ART SPACE

Image: OutlandDenim

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TIGERAIRBIZ

BRAIN FOOD Bringing you the latest insights and analysis.

HOW TO STAY FIT WHILE TRAVELLING WORDS BY SAM WOOD One of Australia’s leading health and fitness experts, with 20 years’ experience in the industry, Sam Wood keeps things simple and is able to explain what works and, just as importantly, what doesn’t. When he’s travelling, whether for work or pleasure, he always makes sure to stay on top of his fitness. Here are some of Sam’s practical habits that keep him moving and feeling good.

GET ORGANISED I always make sure I pack my training gear: fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. Knowing I have my gear with me – to be able to head off for a quick run, do a HIIT workout in my hotel room or sneak into the hotel gym – means no excuses not to stay active, even if I’m short on time.

I always carry healthy snacks, as you just don’t know what will be on offer in transit or between meetings. What I do know is that when you aren’t organised and you get hungry, you don’t tend to make the best choices.

WALK, WALK… AND WALK SOME MORE When it’s highly likely you’ll be consuming more calories than usual – which is often the case when travelling or without a kitchen – it’s really important to increase your incidental activity to make sure plenty of calories are being burned. There is no easier or better way to do this than walking. Whether it’s an early beach walk, spending the day seeing all the sights or simply getting from one meeting to the next (where possible), I make sure to keep my daily steps up.

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FOOD, FOOD… AND MORE FOOD When we’re at home, in our normal routine, we follow structure. When we travel this is, without a doubt, much harder to maintain. Losing structure almost always means consuming more kilojoules. Now, I am all for enjoying yourself when you are on a relaxing holiday, but if you are someone who travels often, you need to set yourself some rules. I ensure that, whether home or away, I still consume three quality meals per day of real food. I aim for high-quality protein, minimise my intake of refined carbs and sugars, and try to eat as many veggies as possible. No matter where you are, drink two to three litres of water per day, and always consume alcohol in moderation.

MAKE TRAVEL WORK AROUND YOU It really boils down to understanding and accepting that we function and feel better when we move and fuel our body right. Although it can be more challenging to maintain healthy structure and habits on the go, it really is important. The key is to develop new healthy habits that work around your travel until it becomes as natural to be moving each day and eating three healthy meals when travelling as when you are at home.

As the founder of Australia’s fastest growing online training and nutrition program, 28 by Sam Wood, Sam has had a positive impact on more than 200,000 people around the world.

For more tips on how to be strong, fit and lean, visit 28bysamwood.com

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LIVING SMALL The tiny house movement currently sweeping the nation is an architectural and social philosophy that advocates living simply in smaller abodes. Tiny living principles promote financially prudent, economically safe, shared community experiences, and a shift in consumerism-driven mindsets.

Born out of a desire to discover nature and stay in comfort, Tiny Away is providing a fresh new take on the tiny house phenomenon.

They have taken things one step further by partnering with unique rural property owners, allowing them to earn up to 45 per cent of the revenue share to enable guests to enjoy spectacular rural settings, carefully selected to ensure the most enriching experience possible.

In Australia, this means farmers and other rural property owners can have a home on their property and make additional income.

Tiny Away currently has 26 ecofriendly hand-crafted tiny homes across NSW and Victoria. Each tiny home is designed from sustainable materials in Malaysia, before being shipped to Australia and constructed in under three hours by an experienced team of certified Aussie

builders, plumbers and electricians.

One Tiny Away home well worth a visit is 6Sixteen The Banks in Hawkesbury. With the Blue Mountains as a backdrop, this loftstyle tiny house is set on a stunning two-hectare property. It’s all about relaxing and getting back to nature here, meaning a glass of wine and cheese platter at sunset, followed by roasted marshmallows around the firepit in the evening. Be sure to take a trip into nearby towns to load up on fresh produce, cider, wine, artisan goods, art and more, supporting the locals in bouncing back after the fires.

Another standout is Picton’s two Paperbark Cottages. Situated on Mowbray Park Farm, these side-by-side wooden homes face out over expansive green paddocks.

Mowbray Park Farm is a real working farm, so there’s plenty to see and do, including exploring the animal nursery, feeding the animals and horseriding. Just under an hour from Sydney, the surrounding towns here had an incredibly tough trot during the bushfires, so a farmstay here makes for the perfect jumping-off point to take an ‘empty esky’ holiday. tinyaway.com

A NEW WAY TO WORK

37m²

Tiny houses are ‘dwellings of 37 square metres or less’, while the average Australian home is around 240 square metres.

2500 years Mindfulness has been around for 2500 years and has been part of psychological therapies since the 1970s.

Want to work in a space that inspires, surrounded by people with similar goals and aspirations? Sydney’s Kafnu Alexandria is a private member community of innovators and creators.

What’s that, you ask? It’s a co-working space, with both flexible and dedicated desks and plenty of common areas (including meeting rooms, a media production studio and a creative lab) that are so aesthetically pleasing you won’t want to leave. Recently Kafnu Alexandria partnered with one of the country’s most prolific creators of public art – Gillie and Marc – and their iconic artworks now adorn the walls and hallways, adding pops of colour and heaps of oomph to the space.

When the going gets tough (read: you need a break from work), the virtual fitness studio is a great space to sweat it out.

Or if you prefer to unwind with a drink in hand, there’s a gin bar, with a menu of top drops from around the country. Craft beer and award-winning wines are also available.

Finally, the space is home to a 16-room mini-hotel, ideal if you have business meetings that span a few days. The best part of staying here is access to the whole complex… and yes, that includes the coffee machine. kafnu.com/alexandria

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A HOME AT SCHOOL COME AND SEE US ACROSS RURAL NSW THROUGHOUT 2020 • Boarding Schools Expo: Dubbo - 15-16 May • Boarding Schools Expo: Griffith - 11 June • Boarding Schools Expo: Wagga - 12-13 June

• Mudgee Field Days - 10-11 July • Boarding Schools Expo: Narrabri - 24-25 July • AgQuip Field Days - 18-20 August

For more information, contact Martin Gooding, Head of Enrolments, call 02 9473 9768 or email goodingm@knox.nsw.edu.au.

A Uniting Church school for boys, K-12 – Wahroonga, Sydney www.knox.nsw.edu.au

TIGERAIRBIZ

PODCASTS

NPR TED TALKS RADIO HOUR

BOOKS

FASTER: THE ACCELERATION OF JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING JAMES GLEICK Bestselling author James Gleick discusses an issue that affects most of the modern world. If you suffer from ‘hurry sickness’, or the need to make use of and optimise every minute of every day to the point of exhaustion, this is a great tool for understanding why. From technology to evolution to architecture, no stone is left unturned.

TINY HABITS: THE SMALL CHANGES THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING BJ FOGG Forget New Year’s resolutions. For big changes, start small.

Take baby steps. That’s the philosophy that research psychologist BJ Fogg preaches in his popular book, based upon his TINY HABITS method for changing behaviour and habits for good.

SPINOZA’S OVERCOAT: TRAVELS WITH WRITERS AND POETS SUBHASH JAIRETH This collection of essays explores how writers and their work have enriched Jaireth’s life and inspired him to travel. Drawing on years of research and rich travel, Spinoza’s Overcoat covers the works of Franz Kafka, Marina Tsvetaeva, Mikhail Bulgakov, Paul Celan, Hiromi Itō and, of course, Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

DOCUMENTARIES

IRON COWBOY

Everything you love about Ted Talks, minus the video. Listen to compilations of fascinating talks based on topics that interest you each week. Host Guy Raz interviews the inspirational, intelligent individuals who give talks to contextualise and explain the complex topics discussed on the show.

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW Let presenters Josh and Chuck teach you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Champagne, Satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Niño, true crime and Rosa Parks. This wellresearched podcast truly has something for everyone.

WATCH ON: NETFLIX This documentary tells the story of one man: James Lawrence, who takes on the challenge of doing 50 Ironman races in 50 consecutive days through all 50 US states. Incredible or just plain crazy? Watch and find out.

JANE WATCH ON: NETFLIX, GOOGLE PLAY, YOUTUBE Tune in for never before seen footage of Jane Goodall in her natural habitat: researching chimpanzees in Tanzania. She is an exceptional role model to girls who want to break into an industry they are not often encouraged to join, as well as an inspiration in her field.

FREAKONOMICS RADIO Tune in each week to hear the co-author of the Freakonomics books Stephen J Dubner discuss things you never knew you needed to know! With guests ranging from Nobel laureates and intellectuals to provocateurs and entrepreneurs, this isn’t just another boring economics lesson.

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Mums in business WORDS BY TATYANA LEONOV | ILLUSTRATIONS BY JON WOLFGANG MILLER

We’ve recently celebrated International Women’s Day, and in May Mother’s Day is another deserved ode to women. In this issue we celebrate three amazing women who managed to bring up families while launching businesses.

TIFFANY DROGE JUMPLY Tiffany has always loved the outdoors, often actively exploring regions near her base Melbourne with her husband Nathan. When their first daughter Tanner was born in August 2016, Tiffany didn’t see why she and Nathan couldn’t keep up their active lifestyle.

But it wasn’t so much the newborn juggle that Tiffany found a challenge... more the lack of quality baby products around for active families. “Tanner was only a few months old when we realised that the baby products that we had purchased were not working for us,” she says.

Tiffany resigned from her full-time job as a health and physical education teacher and started working on a concept she hoped would encourage parents who had been active pre-kids, to keep living as they had before… albeit with a bit more to carry. Puggle

Baby Australia was launched in February 2017.

A Kickstarter campaign was next on the cards, and baby Chase was born while they were in the midst of the whole thing. “But the result was 100 per cent worth it,” she says.

When you look for baby or nappy bags online, hundreds of options pop up, but Tiffany set about creating a product that would have sections for laptops, swimmers, passports and an RFID-protected pocket – to help travelling families stay safe.

As awareness of the brand grew, Tiffany realised rebranding and expanding were the next steps.

“We changed the name of the company to Jumply in January 2020, as we wanted the new name to resonate with the idea of parents getting out and about with their kids,” she explains. “Then in midJanuary 2020 we launched into Japan.”

In a way, Tiffany and her family encapsulate the Jumply brand. Chase is now 16 months old and running around, while four-year-old Tanner is a proud older sister who loves moving just as much as Chase. And Tiffany and Nathan are showing no signs of slowing down, teaching their kids that an active lifestyle is – at least for them – the norm.

THE STORY 2016: Welcomed Tanner into the world.

2017: Launched Puggle Baby Australia.

2018: Chase was born. Launched a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign for the Adventure Nappy Backpack.

2019: Rebranded as Jumply.

2020: Launched Jumply into Japan.

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NAOMI KOROLEW THE POP UP WEDDING COLLECTIVE It’s a little bit ironic that Naomi Korolew decided to work in the wedding industry after choosing to leave her own marriage in January 2014. “I confess that I’m not the kind of girl who was totally into weddings,” she laughs.

As it turned out, her ex decided he didn’t want to continue living in Australia, and Naomi found herself a sole parent to a one-year-old: “This made continuing my corporate career working as a senior manager in the oil industry impossible – unless I wanted to outsource parenting – which I didn’t.”

Naomi started by assessing her likes and dislikes, taking a good hard look at the opportunities available in her local area. “This is what led me to becoming a marriage celebrant,” she says. “It ticked all my boxes and was an industry with a low barrier to entry.”

Next Naomi identified couples with kids as a demographic being underserved by the traditional wedding industry, and in July 2016 she launched a local pop-up wedding company with few different levers to create simple, beautiful and affordable

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occasions. “The average wedding spend in Australia is over $50k, but the pop-up concept can save couples 70 to 80 per cent of the average wedding budget, without sacrificing on quality,” she says.

Local interest grew quickly, then a global shift in attitude towards wedding budgets helped Naomi decide what to do next: “I rebranded, relaunched and expanded our offers in December 2019 to include even more weddings, plus pop-up elopements.”

These days Naomi is living the balanced lifestyle she craved when the idea started coming into fruition.

Now that her son, Hugo, is seven and at primary school, she works during school hours and at nights when he’s asleep. Many of her pop-up elopements are midweek, and when she has weddings he has playdates or goes to his grandparents.

Supported by her two virtual assistants, Naomi’s Collective has swelled to involve more than 20 contractors, but family always comes first. She and Hugo take a month off over winter every year to explore a different country together. But she can’t help herself: when she sees an opportunity to make life easier for couples, she takes it – and Destination Pop Up Weddings are coming soon.

THE STORY 2014: Became a sole parent and resigned from the oil industry.

2015: Identified the wedding industry as an opportunity and began studying to become a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant.

2016: Soft-launched The Peninsula Pop Up Wedding Co. 2019: Rebranded as The Pop Up Wedding Collective. Expanded popup wedding offerings and added elopements.

2020: Re-launched as The Pop Up Wedding Collective.

TIGERAIRBIZ

VANESSA WILTON MANLY SPIRITS CO The story of Manly Spirits Co came to life in late 2015, when Vanessa was holidaying with her husband David in Tasmania. “While driving through the hills of Tasmania on a foodie weekend, we had a light bulb moment,” she says. “I had reached the chapter in my life where the ability to build a scalable business had arrived. I saw the craft beer explosion and the rise of craft spirits globally and decided that we needed more Aussie spirits to grace back bars and bottle shops.”

The business planning stage took the couple six months. Then it took another six months to secure buildings, design the brewhouse, stills, bottles, packaging and cocktail tasting bar. “Our distilling philosophy is that we take the best of tradition and then innovate with the use of native Australian and marine botanicals producing complex modern spirits,” Vanessa explains. “Authenticity and passion are instilled into all our products and brand.”

Although she doesn’t have one favourite product, Vanessa can name a few that customers keep coming back to. There’s Lilly Pilly Pink Gin with its fruity notes, and the internationally awarded Australian Dry Gin made with locally foraged sea lettuce. The bespoke bottles are decorated with the company’s signature Fibonacci pattern. “It represents perfection and balance in nature,” Vanessa explains.

The kids (who ranged from ages 13 to 18 when Vanessa and David launched the distillery) have all been involved, too.

“They have all worked in the business, as cocktail bartenders, IT support staff, sales reps, event staff, bottlers and packers.

And some have been fired and rehired from the business,” Vanessa laughs. “They get some pretty good perks, too… mainly being able to have parties at the distillery and cocktail bar.”

The older two of the four, Harrison and Bella, also like to come along to yoga. “I believe in work-life, balance so I launched the Gin Yoga concept in 2018 as a bit of fun at the distillery,” says Vanessa. “There’s nothing like adding the extra challenge of perfecting your ‘crow pose’ whilst sipping your gin with your wheat straw.”

THE STORY 2015: Found soul mate and remarried. Went on a foodie holiday to Tasmania.

2016: Quit corporate job to focus on the distillery.

2017: Launched brand with gin and botanical vodkas.

Opened distillery and tasting bar to the public.

2018: Won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards. Won NSW Telstra small business of the year. Started distributing nationally.

2019: Expanded distribution with duty-free and exports to the UK and Europe.

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The dating app boom They offer the potential to meet Mr or Mrs Right without having to get off the sofa and are fuelling a business that’s estimated to reach US$12 billion this year. But how are dating apps doing working for us when it comes to the search for love?

Image: Destination NSW

WORDS BY PAUL EWART

If you’re one of the (many) newly single Australians out there gearing up to get back on the dating wagon, chances are you won’t be wrangling your besties together for a night on the tiles in the hopes of bumping into a potential partner. Nope, in today’s smartphone age, if you want to meet your match, all you need to do is swipe.

While yesteryear’s internet dating carried a raft of negative connotations – from cat ladies to catfishing – the next generation of e-dating is as cool as it gets. Fuelled by millennials, according to new research, more than 25 million people worldwide are finding love via their phones.

Locally, YouGov discovered that at least 35 per cent of Aussies have used internet and app dating services, while research from dating app Bumble showed that more than half of Australian singles (52 per cent, to be precise) aged 18 to 45 have used a dating app to make a connection, and it’s expected that more than half of all couples will have met online by 2031.

“It may once have had a stigma attached,” says couples and singles counsellor Melissa Ferrari. “But with

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more than 4.5 million Aussies using them now, it really is the new normal.”

It may feel like geolocation dating apps have always been around, but they’ve actually only been in wide use for the past decade. Though originating in the gay community with 2009’s Grindr, it was the 2012 launch of Tinder that proved to be the real game-changer. In three short years, the app was registering a billion swipes daily (left for ‘no’, right for ‘yes’), and last year it topped Apple’s highestgrossing app chart, beating Netflix to become the highest-earning non-game app in the entire world. In fact, the dating app industry as a whole is worth a staggering estimated US$12 billion.

And given its cash-cow status, an A to Z of apps launched in Tinder’s wake, hoping to emulate its meteoric success.

While each app spruiks a slightly different selling point, targeting a slightly different demographic, in reality most are owned by the same handful of conglomerates – significantly Match Group (which boasts more than 45 dating services, including Tinder, Match.com, Hinge and OKCupid) and MagicLab, which owns the female-

focused Bumble, among others.

“Since launching in 2014, Bumble has amassed over 80 million users in more than 150 countries,” says the company’s Australia Country Lead, Lucille McCart.

“This has led to over 1.4 billion womenled first moves and over four billion messages sent worldwide. On a local level, we have three million registered users in Australia, which is very impressive given the size of the market.”

Knowing there are big bucks to be made in this primal urge to connect, both industry giants have created spin-off businesses. Bumble launched Bumble BFF – a mode within the app dedicated to friendfinding – and Bumble Bizz, for professional networking.

In addition, micro-companies cater to specific demands. For example, Aussie start-up Matchsmith offers packages for time-poor

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WITH MORE THAN 4.5 MILLION AUSSIES USING THEM NOW, IT REALLY IS THE NEW NORMAL.

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swipers that include a ‘profile polish’ and ‘matching strategy assistance’.

Dating apps have undeniably changed the way we meet people forever. But as more and more of us ditch the concept of real-life encounters through friends, or meeting at a bar, to date almost solely via apps, what are the consequences?

They may be the new normal, but given apps’ relative newness, the psychological implications of long-term use are only just starting to be assessed.

“Dating at your fingertips is powerful and addictive,” says Melissa. “With every ‘match’ you can experience the ‘feel good’ hormones in your brain as oxytocin and the neurotransmitter dopamine are released. The danger is that this constant seeking of a new buzz can easily negatively

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impact the relationships that you form, as you find yourself quickly losing interest in people you meet as you are always seeking something new.”

Presented with a smorgasbord of seemingly never-ending options – at your fingertips – creates choice, and more choice is good, right? Well, not always. “The paradox is that choice can actually end up hindering our ability to make a choice,” explains relationship coach Louanne Ward.

“We end up fearing we may get it wrong, or there could be something better. There are

many scientific studies which show that more choice increases anxiety.”

Then there’s the relative anonymity that a device holds: a downside of virtual connections is the bad behaviour they can induce. Ghosting, benching, zombieing… dating apps have created a glossary of new terms, and most of them are bad.

“One of the most obvious and concerning by-products of dating apps is they have created a whole set of poor behaviours in which the user is unaccountable for their actions,”

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continues Louanne. “It has become part of the dating culture to ghost people, to date multiple people at the same time, and generally be non-committal.”

Just as we’re witnessing widespread reports of addiction to social media, the dependency on our devices is spilling over into the time we spend on dating apps. For example, the average Tinder user spends 90 minutes every day on the app – more time than we spend exercising or eating.

“We are seeing a range of negative effects with people who find themselves addicted to dating apps,” says psychotherapist and relationship counsellor Dan Auerbach. “They’re highly addictive because our minds are naturally reward-seeking. In this case that reward is a profile picture which we find exciting or stimulating, and in the online dating space, we never know when that next reward will come. That sort of random reinforcement triggers strong compulsivity. It’s a phenomenon we see in gambling addiction, too.”

While it may seem like it’s all doom and gloom, it’s not. Used correctly – and in moderation – dating apps can lead to genuine, long-term relationships.

“On the flipside, these platforms can reduce isolation,” explains Dan. “And I think we all know of great relationships that would never have happened were it not for dating apps.”

Melissa agrees: “Out of the millions of people who have met online, research is telling us that there has been vetting at the beginning, uncovering ‘deal-breakers’ early on. If you are careful, deal with one person at a time and look for a genuine connection as early as you can, online dating can work for you.”

As smartphones infiltrate even further into our day-to-day lives, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see a return to more ‘traditional’ dating – especially not when matching with a potential partner is as easy as ordering Uber Eats. But while the matching process is easy, finding actual rom-comesque love in the digital age certainly isn’t.

It’s a search filled with both positives and negatives, highs and lows. Make sure to have a game plan in place, be realistic, stay upbeat, know your boundaries and, above all, think before you swipe.

5 expert tips for dating-app newbies BITE THE BULLET If you’ve emerged from a longterm relationship and are dipping your toe into the world of dating apps, Melissa suggests limiting hesitation. “My advice is to not leave it too long. Dive back into the dating scene as quickly as you can.”

PHOTO FINISH While looks are far from everything, in the world of app dating, your initial profile photo is the hook. “Dating isn’t all about looks but there does need to be some kind of mutual attraction. So, just like the rest of your profile, make sure that your photo shows you in your best light,” Melissa says.

LIMIT EXPECTATIONS As hard as it may be, try to let go of your expectations. Instead, go on a date with a ‘what will be will be’ mentality. “Understand

the playing field in apps is equal,” explains Louanne. “When you first meet someone, don’t expect special romantic treatment, such as the man paying.”

BE HONEST When it comes to crafting your profile, honesty is always the best policy, says Melissa: “It can be tempting to embellish yourself to make you sound more attractive, but this will only work against you in the long run.”

BE UP-FRONT As honest as you are with your profile description, be equally candid with your intentions, be it something more casual or more long-term. “Be up-front about the type of relationship you want,” explains Louanne.

“The other person will respect that and you’ll save a lot of time second-guessing.”

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Is your wardrobe sustainable?

In an industry defined by what’s ‘new’ and ‘on trend’, can Australian sustainable fashion brands usher in a new age, or will we all return to our fast fashion ways?

Take a look at your newest pair of jeans, yoga pants or bikini. Do you know what fibres were used in the making? Which dyes? Do you know how much water was used during production, or whether the packaging was biodegradable?

These days nearly every designer and brand is making claims about their fashion being, to some extent, sustainable, ethical, eco-friendly, circular, slow, recycled or even vegan. Today’s fashion industry is so overwhelming it’s enough to make even the most committed eco-warrior stay at home and hide under their hemp linen sheets.

“It is confusing, but we suggest looking for brands with certifications such as B Corporation, or those participating in initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals,” explains James Bartle, founding CEO Outland Denim’s new Alchemy collection fronted by Australian of Outland Denim, an Australian actress Isabel Lucas. brand that gained international attention when Meghan Markle wore a pair of their sustainable jeans last year. well as this planet we call home.

“You should think about what is According to 2019 research from important to you,” says Bartle. “Is it social PayPal, 55 per cent of Australians shop sustainability, the environment, quality based on their values and are considered and longevity, supporting locally made, ‘conscious consumers’, and one in seven or circularity? While it is rare to find a Australians has purchased a product brand that excels in all possible areas, specifically because it was sustainably making a start by becoming educated produced or environmentally friendly. around the sustainability attributes that are “There has been a massive shift in significant to you is the best place to start.” recent years, and I think it highlights that customers want to engage more with A RISE IN CONSCIOUSNESS how their clothes contribute to social Outland Denim, along with other and ethical impact,” notes Simone Wendt, Australian brands such as Tigerlily, head of production at popular Australian Cotton On, Organic Crew, Vege Threads, resortwear brand Tigerlily.

NAGNATA and original boho brand Spell In 2015, Tigerlily was one of the first Byron Bay, use the term ‘sustainability’ brands in the world to commercially in reference to wanting to have a positive release swimwear using recycled materials, impact on the people they work with as primarily using ECONYL®, a regenerated

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Image: OutlandDenim

WORDS BY LISA SMYTH

nylon yarn made from postconsumer waste. Today sustainable fibres are made from plastic bottles, bamboo, banana and corn waste, and even milk.

“Tigerlily realigns its sustainability goals each year, and shifts when necessary to remain on track.

This could be anything from reducing carbon offset to introducing new fabric bases,” explains Wendt. “Being able to offer transparency and build consumer confidence is important, but shouldn’t be hidden under a blanket umbrella of ‘sustainable’.”

A SUSTAINABLE CHAIN “It’s not a trend, it’s a movement,” exclaims Melinda O’Rourke, founder and director of Pilates activewear brand MORE BODY, when asked about sustainable fashion. “Anyone launching a fashion label today has to consider the impact their production would have all along the entire supply chain – consumers are demanding it.”

Having only launched in July 2019, MORE BODY clothing is already stocked in David Jones and on e-commerce site THE ICONIC. “I knew I wanted to get as close to 100 per cent sustainability as I could,” says O’Rourke. “I use sustainable and upcycled fibres and work with factories in China that are globally audited for their waste and Fairtrade working practices. And the next collection will be shipped in biodegradable bags.”

How brands choose to go about making their supply chain sustainable is incredibly varied. While larger brands may use innovative fibres and global certifications to monitor their impact, smaller brands such as Arnsdorf,

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Image: Tigerlily

Tigerlily pre-fall sustainable campaign.

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Image: Tigerlily

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FAST FACTS Biodegradable fashion refers to non-synthetic fabrics such as organic cotton, silk and hemp that can break down naturally without any negative effects on the environment.

Circular fashion refers to the entire life cycle of a product, and focuses on a circle of create-userecycle rather than create-use-dispose.

Eco-friendly fashion is an all-encompassing term that refers to minimising anything that could negatively impact the balance of the natural environment.

Tigerlily pre-fall sustainable campaign.

Image: Faid

SHARING IS CARING

Faid boutique in Sydney stocks more than 20 Australian designers.

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Hills & West and HunterMade take a more intimate and local approach.

“All our clothes are made in Australia – we know all our makers, they are like family,” says Jessica Speers, one half of design duo Cedar & Onyx. Jessica, along with co-designer Kathryn Cowle, launched their label as a pop-up in 2017, using primarily ‘dead stock’ and fabric offcuts from other brands to make their ‘luxurious investment pieces’.

“We don’t produce large quantities of anything; the biggest run of any piece would be 20 or so. And we even donate our own off-cuts, so nothing ends up in a landfill,” says Speers.

The pop-up proved so successful that the duo turned into a trio when Tessa Boehm joined the team to open a permanent store in The Rocks, Sydney, called FAID (Fashion Alliance of Independent Designers). The store stocks 24 emerging Australian designers, who must align with the sustainable values established by Cedar & Onyx.

Of course, one of the most sustainable fashion choices you can make is to ‘shop your wardrobe’ or buy secondhand or vintage clothes rather than something new. Another option, if you must have the latest designs for your next event or work meeting, is joining the fast-moving rental market.

“On average, one of our garments is worn 15 to 20 times before it has to be ‘retired’,” says Audrey Khaing-Jones, co-founder and COO of clothes rental service GlamCorner. “We currently process more than 50 tonnes of clothes a month and we take every chance we get to educate our customers about conscious consumerism.”

GlamCorner gained B Corporation certification in 2018, which means it has to ensure all the labels on its platform, such as Country Road, Witchery and Zimmermann, can prove their sustainability credentials along their supply chain.

“Everyone in the industry is on the impact journey, but it’s no longer taboo to discuss the issues,” says KhaingJones. “We are all trying to fix the ‘fast fashion’ hangover from the last century and we want the fashion industry to work together to solve the problem they helped create.”

Image: GlamCorner

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Vege Threads clothing uses organic and ecofriendly materials and dyes in limited numbers.

Image: MORE BODY

Image: VegeThreads

GlamCorner headquarters with founders Audrey and Dean.

MORE BODY activewear uses ECONYL®, which is 100% regenerated nylon fibre.

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BELOW: Lisa Michele Burns at work.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: The Lion; A Glacial Blur; Nature’s Palette; Kangerlua.

Art Space Climate change is on everyone’s mind these days, and sometimes the best way to explore an issue that impacts us all is through art. Australian travel and landscape photographer Lisa Michele Burns has launched a 49-piece collection titled The Photographic Forecast, capturing the features of atrisk landscapes around the world. We caught up with her for a chat about technique, inspiration, and how artists can help save the world.

In a nutshell, explain what your art is all about.

In my work I aim to highlight the patterns, textures and tones within a landscape, focusing mainly on places of extreme climatic conditions like the Arctic, tropics or desert regions.

Tell us a bit about the creative process.

It typically begins by researching potential locations, scouring Google Earth satellite imagery and reading about the impact of natural elements in each region. Once I’ve decided where and what I want to photograph, it’s a matter of working out logistics, then finally getting on the ground and spending time exploring the landscapes in varied weather conditions and light. I primarily work with patterns and soft light, so a big part of the creative process can be hours spent hiking to find the right scene or angle, crossing my fingers the shot I’m after can become a reality.

Patience plays a large role in the creative process due to unpredictable weather!

What influences have inspired your art?

I’ve always been inspired by

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how a scene can change based on the elements such as wind, rain and water. Visiting locations that are so heavily impacted by environmental factors influences what I photograph, but also how I photograph them, depending on logistics.

I love working with light pastel tones around dusk and dawn; these colours pair well with arid desert landscapes and frozen wonders.

Is there something that particularly drew you to depicting climate change?

Since I was young I’ve always loved watching summer storms and learning about tides and weather patterns. Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to visit places that have such extreme climates like the driest place on Earth and the hottest. I’ve spent time in the Arctic mid-winter to experience and photograph in temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius.

It’s these insights and seeing how people, wildlife and the landscape adapt to a changing climate that led me to study more about climate change and develop The Photographic Forecast to focus on the way landscapes are carved by environmental factors, and what the potential impacts are if global warming were to continue on the same track.

What are you aiming to do with your art?

In 2020 I’m aiming to exhibit a collection of images from The Photographic Forecast and sell fine-art prints, then use the profits to fund various environmental projects and initiatives focused on climate change and conservation.

Using my images to highlight

regions of fragile beauty is my way of giving back to the destinations that have provided photogenic opportunities in my career. I find it’s often the case that the most beautiful places are those that are at most risk of environmental impacts, so it’s a huge part of my creative process to work with locals and support their environmental strategies.

Tell us about your Decorate + Donate initiative.

I love the idea of someone purchasing a print of mine and knowing their money is going somewhere worthy, not just my pocket. I’ll be donating to WWF, CARE Australia’s Climate Change programs and scientific research projects that are studying the Antarctic and Arctic regions, which will contribute greatly to our overall weather patterns as climate change develops. The Photographic Forecast print collection was taken throughout 2019 in places like Chile’s Atacama Desert,

the driest place on earth; Greenland’s Ilulissat region, home to Sermeq Kujalleq, the fastest-moving glacier, and also South Africa where I spent time photographing wildlife at various conservation projects near Hoedspruit.

What’s next for you?

I’ll be exhibiting the project, hosting creative workshops focused on landscape photography, and also continuing to photograph destinations impacted by our changing climate around the world. The Photographic Forecast is a project I’m going to continue for a few years to come as it ties in really well with my work as editor of The Wandering Lens, the leading publisher of travel and creative guides for photographers.

You can check out Lisa’s round-the-globe work at lisamicheleburns.com or on Instagram, where she’s @the_wanderinglens

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