BNE Magazine Issue 36

FR EE YO M UR AG AZ IN E

ISSUE #36 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

HOT PICKS FOOD GETAWAYS TO DO IN 2020

Jason Alexander

Life after Seinfeld ELSA PATAKY’S 10 NEW YEAR HEALTH TIPS WHAT TO PACK FOR A HIGH SUMMER HOLIDAY

45

WAYS TO SEE SAN FRANCISCO

Welcome to your free BNE magazine, brought to you by Brisbane Airport

A 16

CONTENTS 4 6 8 10

Brisbane Airport News

28

Brisbane Insider

42

Record funds raised in charity auction; new dining in Domestic Terminal, and more

Creatives in the spotlight

Circus arts flying high

Brisbane shows its skills on a global stage

Jason Alexander Life after Seinfeld

Trees saving the reef

A special nursery off the coast of Queensland is regenerating coral to help save the reef

Rattling around Mary Valley

Take the train to discover the hidden foodie gems on the Sunshine Coast

TASTE 31 Gin is the new brew in town

Craft distillers are challenging beer as the coolest bevvy in the bar

STYLE 12 Elsa Pataky’s new year health tips

The actor and mother-of-three reveals how she stays strong

16

ctor Blake Lively says she takes a cooking class everywhere she travels because she finds it’s the best way to get to know a culture, and she’s not alone. Food is helping to drive the surge in tourism as people look for more authentic ways to connect with locals. It’s a trend that has seen the skyrocketing success of start-up Cookly which matches travellers with classes all over the world and Airbnb recently launched a specific ‘Cooking’ category on its experiences platform which extends across more than 75 countries.

Adventure travel companies, too, have seen the potential for further growth and Intrepid Travel Group is one that is adding new itineraries to meet demand.

In this issue we take our own foodie tour, from a seafood odyssey near Hobart (p22) to country Victoria’s own newly appointed City of Gastronomy (p24) and a tasting plate on a train on the Sunshine Coast (p42). Bon appétit!

What to pack for a high summer holiday

Easy co-ordinates for carefree style

WHAT’S ON 32 Australian Ballet world premiere

Graeme Murphy’s new production will be seen here first; plus other holiday entertainment

34

ESCAPE 18 45 ways to see San Francisco As Qantas launches a new direct route from BNE here’s what not to miss

22

Wild about Tassie seafood

24

More food getaways to take in 2020

The tiny isle is the place for a tasty getaway

From cooking with critters to Australia’s new city of gastronomy, there’s plenty to tempt the tastebuds

Free lunchtime concerts and more

Highlight February in your calendar for freebies and some of the funniest shows of the year

35

Events calendar What’s on in the city

GALLERY 37 Day in the Life

People in transit at Brisbane Airport

NEED TO KNOW 38 Helpful information for

visitors to Brisbane Airport

29

40 43

Destination map Brisbane region map

24 BNE magazine is published bi-monthly

by Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Head of Media and Corporate Communications: Leonie Vandeven Managing Editor: Heather McWhinnie (editor@bnemagazine.com.au) Advertising sales: advertising@bnemagazine.com.au Designers: Leanne Thompson and Mhari Hughes, PrintPublish Cover: Jason Alexander photographed by Smallz and Raskind/Contour/Getty Images ©2020 Brisbane Airport Corporation The contents of this publication are not for reproduction, redistribution or reuse by any means whatsoever or in any form whatsoever without express permission of the publisher. Advertising: all advertisements in BNE magazine are the responsibility of advertisers. Advertising is accepted on the understanding that it does not contravene the Trade Practices Act. Responsibility is not accepted by BNE magazine for statements made or the failure of any product or service to give satisfaction. The publication of any material or editorial does not necessarily constitute endorsement of views or opinions expressed. While every effort is made to avoid errors, some information contained in the publication may be superceded.

BNE January/February 2020 | 3

BRISBANE AIRPORT NEWS

BNE new runway

FAST FACTS

$1.1bn Cost of project

8

YEARS

to build

3.3

KM

of runway

360ha

site area

JULY

2020 opening

50 MILLION

passengers

by 2040

5

projected

KM

pre-opening fun run, register at bne.com.au/takeoff

4 | BNE January/February 2020

Aaron Pond Aviation Safety Manager and Darcy Savage, Project Engineer – Utilities at the new runway with the safety crosses

BNE

best in Asia Pacific Brisbane Airport (BNE) has been named Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year in CAPA’s Aviation Awards for Excellence, regarded as the pre-eminent awards for strategic excellence in the aviation industry. Brisbane Airport won the top honour in the category for 10 to 30 million annual passengers, singled out by judges for its success in boosting its share of the Asia market (weekly frequencies increased almost 60 per cent in the last three years), as a model for airport business development and non-aeronautical businesses such as the BNE Auto Mall, and for being one of the leading airports in the world for on-time performance.

CAPA chairman emeritus Peter Harbison praised Brisbane Airport for its collaboration with Queensland and Brisbane tourism and economic development bodies to help achieve the significant growth in international services to the airport and the economic benefits that brought to the city and the region.

CAPA – Centre for Aviation is the leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services, covering worldwide developments. Winners for the awards are nominated by the CAPA global team of analysts for performance over the past 12 months and vetted by a panel of independent industry experts.

FOOD

COLLECTIVE opens

Not this way

… yet

With only seven months to go before the new runway is ready for operation, work is in the final stages for completion at Brisbane Airport. If you have been flying in or out of BNE recently and looked down to check on the progress of the new runway you might have noticed giant crosses painted on the tarmac, and fivemetre high crosses standing at each end.

They are a dramatic sight from the air and they are there for a good reason. As the new runway nears completion, parallel to the current runway, the crosses on the tarmac are clearly visible from the air as a safety measure to alert pilots that the new runway is still closed to aircraft. The vertical crosses at each end of the runway approach do the same for aircraft flying in from the east or west and have flashing lights operating 24/7.

As the countdown begins to the opening of the runway in July, you can find out more at Benny, Brisbane Airport’s mobile multimedia information centre, as it visits suburbs around the city (for dates and locations see www.bne.com.au/benny) or for latest news and to register for events such as the 5km fun run to celebrate the opening see www.bne.com.au/takeoff

If you haven’t travelled through Brisbane Airport for a while you will notice some changes to Level 2 Domestic Terminal where a new international food precinct is now open. It’s part of a $40 million redevelopment of the terminal and marks the halfway point of the massive makeover, due for completion later this year. But for now the Food Collective, which takes its inspiration from outdoor hawker street dining and local farmers markets around the world, aims to whet your appetite for world food with a taste of culinary favourites, from Asian and Mexican to Western.

First to open in the precinct include Ze Pickle for burgers, shakes and fries; Nippon Ramen for noodles and dumplings; Mi Casa for Mexican burritos, tacos and nachos; Yo! Sushi which also serves sashimi and hot street-style food; Upper West Side Deli for sandwiches, bagels and deli staples; and Mediterranean flavours at Zataar. You don’t even have to line up to order, just jump on to the self-order kiosks on site.

Also new to the terminal are Coffee Royal and New Farm Confectionery for handcrafted chocolates. Find the new eateries on Level 2, Domestic Terminal.

$25,529.30 That’s the record amount Brisbane Airport raised from its Lost Property Auction just before Christmas which has been donated to the Courier Mail Children’s Fund.

The timing of the auction just before the holidays brought fast bidding for cameras which were in hot demand among the goodies on sale, from loads of jewellery, watches, skateboards, scooters, rice cookers and so, so many laptops and headphones. Each year goods left behind at the airport that are not claimed by their owners are auctioned and all proceeds donated to charity.

Brisbane Airport also raises funds through its Giving Globes located around International Terminal where passengers can drop in their spare change in all currencies and, with the help of Travelex, the money is converted and invested back into the community. Last year $40,000 was raised for Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale, helping farmers in need, and this year funds raised will help Youngcare to continue its program of building high standard, age appropriate housing for young people with high care needs.

Find the Giving Globes at International Terminal on Level 2 in the arrivals hall near Travelex and on the arrivals concourse before going through duty free and passport control, on Level 3 departures near the Village Green, after security and passport control, and on Level 4 near Travelex.

QantasLink takes off to Tamworth

QantasLink will launch a new direct service between BNE and Tamworth from 29 March giving holidaymakers and business travellers more flight options between the two cities.

The new service will operate six times weekly making it easier for Queenslanders to visit the New England region in NSW and enjoy its year-round calendar of events, including the Taste Tamworth Festival which will be on 17-26 April this year. The region has earned a reputation for its world class produce, and boasts a range of accommodation including the recently restored Goonoo Goonoo Station (pictured above).

For flights see www.qantas.com and for more information about the festival see www.destinationtamworth.com.au

CONNECT WITH BNE BNE January/February 2020 | 5

BRISBANE INSIDER

SHOP TO LOVE

FOOD E

but not as you know it

lizabeth Willing is an artist with food but not in the way most people would assume. Her works are not often created in the kitchen and the point is rarely about taste as you might expect from, perhaps, a chef. No, Willing is a very different type of artist and has spent the last 10 years creating edible installations, food sculptures, paintings and dining experiences that challenge audiences through smell, taste, sight and touch. Willing will share more about her work while creating special projects as artist-in-residence at Museum of Brisbane, City Hall, in February. Here’s a little taste of what her work is about …

How did you initially become interested in food as the focus for your art?

Baking is a hobby of mine, a stress relief, and at university I was encouraged to bring these interests into the studio. I quickly realised that food was a highly dynamic, performative and seductive material to make artwork with. This encouraged me to pursue further experimentation and research which has led to a decade-long obsession with exploring food as both material and idea.

What are some of the ways you are able to use food in your installations – do you use real food in all your work or is it represented in other ways?

I use food in all its forms; images of food from cookbooks, I use food as a stamping tool, I photograph food, I recreate tools for cooking and, of course, I use the real thing which is most exciting for its multi-sensory potential.

Is there a food you go back to over and over again?

Sweets and snack foods are endlessly fascinating as material, they have extraordinarily long lifespans which is both impressive and scary. I have many times over the past decade returned to puffed corn and rice snacks as a material, they embody the innovation and mechanisation of the food industry, and, in my opinion, are also verging on being a non-food.

Are there foods that make good subjects and others that you have found do not?

I generally avoid foods which will quickly rot or decay in the gallery, I don’t always want my work to have such an immediate relationship to decay.

Does your work affect what, or how, you cook?

I cook less when I am very involved in the studio, I guess because I am creatively satisfied (and exhausted), whereas in down time I find myself in the kitchen often.

Elizabeth Willing, (pictured above) with her work Untitled (toasted marshmallows) 2017, will be working in The Studio at Museum of Brisbane, 3-27 February. Free event. See www.museumofbrisbane.com.au Photography by David Kelly 6 | BNE January/February 2020

The creative brains behind Local Maker's Collective, Boxvintage clothing and Blaklash Indigenous projects have banded together to establish a showcase and retail outlet for artists, makers and curators at Open House, West End and, just months away from celebrating its first birthday, it is already a great success.

The focus is on slow fashion, hand-made and ethically sourced products and features the work of more than 50 artists and makers at any given time, including the work of some of Queensland’s most in-demand contemporary Indigenous artists.

Highlights include work by Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, who is based at Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and designs across categories from home decoration to jewellery, Grace Lillian Lee, based in Cairns, whose work includes unique woven adornments based on Torres Strait Islander weaving, and the explosively colourful prints and products designed

by Rachael Sarra under her label Sar.ra.

Open House is at 73 Vulture Street, West End, open six days

AIR PLAY FOR STUDENT FILMS

son William Rob

Some of Brisbane’s most talented emerging filmmakers are about to find a whole new audience for their work as their short films are screened alongside big-name Hollywood movies and TV hits as part of Virgin Australia’s inflight entertainment program.

The airline has partnered with QUT’s faculty of Creative Industries to show a roster of 10 of the best student films on flights each quarter and the selection includes dramas, documentaries, comedies and animations such as William Robson’s award-winning comic short Twin Beaks (above).

The exposure on Virgin Australia’s inflight screens could be a boost for Robson’s career as it opens up an audience of millions to his talent but he’s not waiting for any lucky breaks. When he made Twin Beaks he was jack of all trades – writer, producer, editor and animator – and since graduating he has already added some impressive studio names to his resumé, most recently working in Canada on a Disney Junior series called The Rocketeer which had its broadcast premiere in November.

But Robson hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be a student filmmaker and he returned to QUT as producer and mentor on another animated short that has made the cut to screen on the Virgin infight program: Sarah Rackemann’s One Small Step, a hand-drawn, whimsical take on astronaut Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moonwalk.

As part of its collaboration with QUT Virgin Australia is also helping to support student grants and festival entries. Next time you travel with Virgin Australia look for the ‘QUT Student Films’ screening next to the main program during the flight.

MIGRANTS AND MILK BARS Banana splits and fish ‘n’ chips are on the menu at State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane, until 15 March with a free exhibition that explores the history of Greek cafés. Meet me at the Paragon uncovers the stories of Greek migrants who established cafés and milk bars in the early 20th century, carving out a new life for their families in Queensland.

Establishments like Dalby’s famous Paragon Café became the social hubs of their communities; the McDonald’s of their day. They were open all day, food was cheap, and they traded in most towns across the state. Ipswich, for example, had a dozen Greek cafés in the CBD in the 1940s. Highlights of the exhibition include a replica booth, heritage items, rare photos and stories of Queensland’s most prominent Greek families.

During January and February join a special Brisbane Greeters walking tour ‘The Greek cafés of our past’ and join a curator’s tour of the exhibition on 12 and 26 February to discover the influence Greek migrants had on Queensland’s early café culture.

BNE January/February 2020 | 7

arts

IN

I

’d never seen anything like it. The year was 1999, I was at university and I’d scored a casual job as an usher for a new circus that was coming to Brisbane for the very first time. If I close my eyes I can still remember my uniform with its snazzy waistcoat but most of all, I remember the electric atmosphere in the tent as

8 | BNE January/February 2020

I guided people to their seats then stood back to witness alongside them the death-defying acts, other-worldly costumes, theatrical wonders and immersive live music of Cirque du Soleil’s first show in Australia, Saltimbanco.

Since then, the Canadian-based contemporary circus company has toured Australia with its big top and arena shows 11 more times and this year returns for its lucky 13th tour with Kurios.

Ipswich acrobat Nathan Dennis, 33, performs in the show’s Acro Net act, bouncing, pirouetting and rebounding on a giant net covering the entire stage. He can remember the day that sealed his fate.

“I saw my first Cirque show with my mum when I was 13. I remember saying to her ‘I’m going to do that’,” he says. Before long he enrolled in gymnastics and trampoline classes and, although he preferred creativity to competition, he did what he had to do to reach the nationals to be able to audition for the company.

At the age of 19, he finally got the call he’d been waiting for and was asked to join the troupe. “I was so happy that it had happened and my dream came true,” he says. “It’s a really great way to grow up. My whole 20s I was travelling and I got to see and learn so much from seeing different cultures and countries.”

Dennis spends 40-48 weeks of the year on tour and has so far visited more than 50 countries, squeezing in a trip home to visit family once a year. His partner in the act is also from South East Queensland – 24-year-old Gold Coast acrobat Fletcher Donahue who trained at the same Brisbane centre, Robertson Gymnastics, as Dennis and has been with Cirque du Soleil for four years.

Kurios is Cirque du Soleil’s 35th production since it first began in 1984 on the streets of Quebec. The world’s most famous contemporary circus company moved away from traditional shows that featured animal acts and instead focussed on creating a more theatrical experience for audiences like no other.

It currently has 19 shows on tour or in residence around the world and has toured 400 cities in 60 countries on six continents performing to 160 million spectators.

Kurios first opened in 2014 and arrives in Brisbane via Japan and North America.

It takes the audience inside a cabinet full of unusual objects – a steampunk, retro-future inspired by the industrial revolution of the 19th century complete with a giant mechanical hand, remarkable costumes, inventive props, a live gypsy jazz soundtrack and acts including jugglers, contortionists, a strongman, an aerial

Photography, this page: Clare Hawley.

Opposite page, top: Geoff Lawrence; bottom, Cirque du Soleil

H Cirque du Soleil was a game changer for the theatre of circus and that has helped put Brisbane’s own talented troupes on the international stage, writes Tonya Turner

GH

Circus

F LY

IG

FEATURE

bicycle, human pyramids, chair-balancing, aerial straps, a yo-yo master and more.

When Cirque du Soleil first came to Brisbane 21 years ago it was very much at the forefront of looking at a very traditional art form in a new and different way but Brisbane’s own contemporary circus scene was already alive and well, even if not reaching as big an audience as its international counterpart.

At the same time Cirque du Soleil was just beginning in the early 1980s, Brisbane’s Rock n Roll Circus was enlivening the city streets and community centres with acts responding to the oppressive Bjelke-Peterson government of the time.

Yaron Lifschitz joined the company as artistic director in 1999 and was there in 2004 when it changed its name to Circa. Today the internationally-acclaimed contemporary circus troupe creates about five new shows each year and has become one of Brisbane’s most successful arts companies.

Its full-time ensemble of 20 acrobats performs around 450 shows in 15 countries each year – since 2004 it has performed in 39 countries to more than a million people. In January, it has five shows on around the world at the same time, including two at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre – Peepshow (14-25 January) and Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus (7-18 January) which stars husband and wife team Paul and Kathryn O’Keeffe (pictured opposite with Gareth Chin on accordion).

“We’re the little company that could,” Lifschitz laughs. “We see our work based very much on humans in the body. It’s often quite stripped back, it has a great level of emotional and cognitive force, it reaches people deeply and moves them

We Live Here, a Flipside Circus production

DIY

CIRCUS ARTS Circus Arts, at Skygate near Brisbane Airport, is an outdoor training centre providing flying trapeze for all ages and circus workshops for kids.

The organisation, which also has centres in Byron Bay and Sydney, was founded by former trapeze artist Belinda Hulgren in 2006, and the Brisbane site opened in 2012. “Circus boosted my confidence and showed me just how much I could achieve,” she says.

Circus Arts activities include juggling, pyramids, low aerials, hula hoops, tight-wire and more. For school holiday programs and weekend classes see www.circusarts.com. au/brisbane/ Find classes too for ages 3 and up at Flipside Circus (www.flipsidecircus.org.au) and for ages 5 and up at Vulcana (www.vulcana.org.au) where kids and teens workshops are open to all genders. and it connects with audiences powerfully.

Obviously we’re a lot smaller and less spectacular in terms of production elements than Cirque du Soleil, who we’re very good friends with – what we are, though, is a company that is able to bring luminous and compelling artists on stage not just because of their skills but how they perform and move and think and inhabit the stage.”

Circa is only the second circus company alongside Melbourne’s Circus Oz to be made a member of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group. “Brisbane’s circus scene has grown massively. People move here and it’s acknowledged now as being an equal second circus city with Melbourne, and Circa is proud to have played a role in that,” Lifschitz says.

Vulcana, Flipside and Cluster Arts add their own box of tricks to Brisbane’s circus mix.

Vulcana formed in 1995 in West End and is the state’s oldest women’s arts organisation. A move from its longterm premises at Brisbane Powerhouse to its new home in Colmslie at the end of last year marks a new chapter in Vulcana’s life.

Angela Willock, business development manager at Vulcana, says it will continue to create a safe and non-competitive space where women, trans and non-binary people feel free to explore their physical potential.

“Our two main points of difference are that we are a women’s circus and that we are a community circus,” Willock says.

Nathan Dennis

“We believe in the power of circus not just as an art form but as a tool to transform communities. We are extremely passionate about making space for under-represented voices to be heard… we want to tell stories on the stage that aren’t being told elsewhere.”

To that end, it is presenting two shows at the WOW Festival at Brisbane Powerhouse in April – As If No-One Is Watching and Seen But Not Her. Since first holding circus workshops under a tree in West End’s Orleigh Park, Flipside Circus has grown into the state’s largest youth arts company working with 30,000 children and young people each year and reaching audiences of more than one million. It too will be moving from its long-term headquarters in Alderley into a new space nearby soon to continue offering training, performances and community programs. CEO Robert Kronk says circus is a great vehicle to empower young people to tell their own stories.

“We have a wide range of programs and a huge number of artists and participants, but our commitment to child-centred circus programs and access has remained unchanged,” he says. One of their latest shows, We Live Here, developed with guests and families from children’s hospice Hummingbird House, was part of Brisbane Festival last year. It received rave reviews and is set to tour the state this year.

Cluster Arts, too, is helping to produce high quality shows by independent Brisbane companies including Casus Circus and Company 2 both locally and overseas.

In Brisbane, there may never have been a better time to run away and join the circus.

Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios is at Northshore Hamilton from 10 January to 23 February. For details see www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios BNE January/February 2020 | 9

Photography by Smallz & Raskind/Getty Images

COVER STORY

Jason

Alexander

Life after Seinfeld

He might be best known for his role as George Costanza in the hit TV series but Jason Alexander has a few more tricks up his sleeve

J

ason Alexander has had a long and varied career, even if most of his fans can’t break out of the Seinfeld bubble that lasted for 180 episodes televised over nine seasons 30 years ago. Well, actually 179 for Alexander’s character George as he was written out of one episode early on in a sliding doors moment that could have changed the course of his life.

Alexander was not happy about the cut and in a confrontation he has since said he is not particularly proud of, he told the show’s co-creator Larry David that if he wrote him out again he should do it permanently. “OK, I was a little bit of a jerk,” he has said in hindsight. There was no problem with the show but at the time Alexander had something to lose – he had already been carving out a successful career on the stage in New York and had won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical just before his confrontation with David. He had uprooted his family from New York to move to Los Angeles to do the show and even by seasons three and four the show’s future was in the balance – it had yet to become one of the greatest television shows of all time in the ratings or in the eyes of the studio executives.

George went on to be in every episode until the last and Alexander has not been able to leave him behind for the last 20 years. He has, of course, had many other roles, appearing in hit films such as Pretty Woman and Shallow Hal, he has directed television episodes, films and video clips (once winning the Music Video of the Year category at the Country Music Awards). He was the only cast member in Seinfeld to direct an episode of the series and has a long list of more television appearances on his CV. In February he will be in Australia for the fourth time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the hit series that made him a household name around the world. Called ‘Master of his Domain’ the show is billed as an evening of comedy, music and conversation. In it the audience will get to see some more of Alexander’s musical talent and, perhaps most tantalising of all, it’s a chance to ask him questions about his life and career.

According to Alexander this is what makes every show different.

“Once the ice is broken, people start asking the craziest things,” he told one interviewer when the tour was announced. “It’s not preplanned, there’s no pat answers – and it’s very, very interactive.”

And questions can cover the gamut of topics. Of course, there are going to be Seinfeld questions and Alexander graciously answers them, again and again, but there’s more to find out about his many talents, post Seinfeld, so here we suggest a few different questions that could be asked …

When is he going to do another musical?

When a pretty young girl asked a teenage Alexander if he could sing, it seems that was the moment his fate was sealed and his first forays in community and children’s theatre soon segued into his Broadway debut at the age of 20. He appeared in a string of musicals in the decade before joining the cast of Seinfeld, winning his Tony Award just as the first series began.

Is he working on a new magic trick?

Alexander loves magic but is self-deprecating about his skill, admitting that he switched to acting as a career when he realised

that he wasn’t good enough to compete professionally as a magician.

“When I realised as a teenager that the theatre is a giant illusion, I thought, that’s an illusion I think I can invest in,” he says.

Nevertheless, a week-long engagement at LA’s exclusive Magic Castle earned him the Parlor Magician of the Year award and he says his style of magic suits the more intimate audience.

What’s the best poker tip that changed your game?

Alexander has been playing poker since he was 17 and has competed on TV poker shows and in the World Series of Poker. In showbiz, apparently it’s a common way to kill long hours during setups and whatnot, but it’s the craft of the game that hooked Alexander.

“Like in acting when I realised there were techniques and tools to this game, I got really jazzed about it. I know I’m never gonna master them, but employing the techniques and understanding them is great.”

When is he going to write his next book?

Many but not all parents were thrilled with Alexander’s children’s book Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy? written for children aged 4 to 8 and based on an actual conversation he had with his eldest son, Gabriel when he was young (he is now 28).

In the book, when Gaby hears in the school playground that the tooth fairy is make-believe he goes to his dad to get the answer.

Alexander spins a magical tale to explain why parents are the ones who remove baby teeth from under the pillow and says the story is an example of the magic that can happen when parents are able to communicate positively with their children, however some parents were horrified he should demystify the fairy tale.

Now that both his sons are in their 20s it’s not likely there will be another children’s book any time soon but there is another story we’re all waiting for … in an interview last year he said he had learned a lot about comedy from working on Seinfeld and, after explaining yet again that it was not a show about ‘nothing’ he said: “One day, I’m going to write a book about the life lessons I learned from the Seinfeld show…”

Will you be back?

And finally, as Alexander has shown that he loves Australia almost as much as we love George, our last question would go back to a comment he made to a US newspaper calling Australia his second home when quizzed about his multiple visits here.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of Parliament or a guy sweeping up the bathroom, there’s the sense you’re all in it together.

You’re all each other’s mate. It’s a beautiful spirit. If America ever really tanks, I’m booking Qantas the next day.”

That was nine years ago in the Las Vegas Review Journal, and much has changed since then so we’d like to know ‘more recently, have you thought any more about booking that ticket, Mr Alexander?’ You know you’re always welcome.

Jason Alexander appears live in Master of his Domain, at Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $109 plus fees, see www.qpac.com.au BNE January/February 2020 | 11

HEALTH

BE STRONG WITH ELSA PATAKY

12 | BNE January/February 2020

E

lsa Pataky, actor (Fast & Furious and, more recently, starring in Australian original Netflix series Tidelands) and mother-of three with husband Chris Hemsworth, shares her manifesto for good health in her new book Strong, relating the impact her personal experiences with exercise and nutrition have had on her own life. Along with the tips that have helped her, she shares her favourite exercise programs and more than 40 recipes to help others chart their course for a strong body and mind. Here are 10 of Pataky’s top tips to help kick bad habits and embrace a healthy lifestyle …

1. Take care of yourself, inside and out I was talking with a friend recently about the times in our lives we were proudest of and those when things weren’t so positive. We realised that there was a huge correlation between those positive and negative moments and our level of health and fitness.

The best moments seemed to come when we had a strong commitment to training and nutrition; however, the periods when we felt stuck or lost were when we weren’t so focussed on those things.

For example, there was a particular time when things were not going my way. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing or if it was even worth pursuing my acting career anymore. It was then that I met a friend who practised kickboxing and I remember admiring her for how much she enjoyed and benefitted from the sport. I decided to try training with her and I soon became obsessed with kickboxing too.

I started feeling really strong, not only physically but also mentally. I started eating and sleeping better and my mind felt so much clearer and more focussed. I felt like I was going to rule the world! I began going to my auditions with a completely different energy and so much more confidence.

This was a real turning point in my life and good things started happening for me. I’m not saying that being healthy and fit will automatically make your dreams come true, but I can assure you that you will feel better equipped to deal with the challenges that life throws at you and you will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities when they arrive.

My husband Chris and I are always looking for opportunities to keep active together doing things we enjoy. Sometimes I go surfing with him, and sometimes he goes horse riding with me. Having three kids makes it a bit more complicated but we always find a way. It enriches all of our lives.

3. Focus on quality not quantity My friends have often asked me for advice on how to get in shape or they’ll ask me to share my training program with them. Many of them tell me they’ve been eating healthy food and doing regular exercise for months but they are still feeling tired and haven’t lost any weight. This is a frustrating path that leads many people to abandon the gym and their exercise routine. Why does it happen? Most of the time, the answer is because they are not exercising with enough intensity. They are focusing on quantity rather than quality.

4. The power of HIIT In my experience, the best way to improve both your body and your fitness is through high-intensity interval training (HIIT). I first started HIIT in 2013 and I have never looked back. I try to do HIIT for 30 minutes at least three times a week. There are so many health benefits: reduced blood pressure; lower resting heart rate; weight loss; more energy; increase in muscle tone; less stress and anxiety; improved sleep and increased self-esteem. You can exercise with intensity whatever your fitness level.

2. Do something you love with someone you love I could not imagine my life without exercise. For me it is the glue that holds everything together: my health, my happiness, my relationship. The best way to stick to training is to do something you love and, if you can, do it with someone you love.

I could not imagine my life without exercise. For me it is the glue that holds everything together: my health, my happiness, my relationship

BNE January/February 2020 | 13

HEALTH

I always tell my friends: ‘If you want to get in shape, you also have to exercise when circumstances aren’t so easy’ 5. Get ready to leave your comfort zone Some of the best moments in my life have been when I’ve overcome a challenge that pushed me to my limits and beyond my comfort zone. It’s an intense feeling of elation mixed with relief and pride that I was able to do it and knowing that my effort was worthwhile.

I’ll never forget when I learned to surf in Los Angeles. Living in that city and not surfing is considered a sin! It’s a great sport that keeps you fit while being easy on the body. This is why my husband Chris, a surfing fanatic, always encouraged me to try it.

After a few classes I was already standing up on the board and catching waves. I was so proud of myself that I called my instructor after a solo surf to boast about my progress. ‘Awesome!’ he said. ‘I’m so happy for you. But call me again in December.’ I didn’t understand what he meant, until December came. It was really cold and, obviously, the beaches were deserted. Where had all the other surfers gone? It was a penny-drop moment. Now I always tell my friends: ‘If you want to get in shape, you also have to exercise when circumstances aren’t so easy.’

You will know you are stuck in your fitness comfort zone if ...

• You’re not sweating during your exercise • Your body is the same after many months of training • Your routines have become easier but you haven’t changed them to challenge yourself • You’ve been lifting the same weights for months • You don’t feel stronger or more agile than when you started.

You will know you are stuck in your fitness comfort zone if 7. The benefits of yoga I have been practising yoga for a long time as a supplement to my weight training. The deep stretches and focus on breathing not only help me to achieve the body shape I want but also help me to relax – a perfect end to training. The main appeal of yoga for me is that my muscles and my entire body get a workout. I love Vinyasa, as it is a sequence of postures linked together to create a really nice flow. This type of yoga also helps to work all the different muscle groups.

8. Why I love green smoothies I started taking smoothies seriously when I was pregnant with my daughter. I wanted to increase my intake of vegetables so every morning I would drink a smoothie made from whatever fruits or vegetables I had in the fridge: apples, bananas, strawberries, carrots, lettuce, capsicums, cucumber. After just a couple of weeks, I noticed a great improvement in my skin and hair. And this may not be related, but my daughter India loves vegetables.

9. Keep a food diary To help you understand your food habits and determine whether you are an emotional eater, it’s a good idea to keep a food diary. The more detail you put in, the more useful it will be. This way, you can see which situations may make it harder for you to choose healthy foods – not so that you avoid them, just so that you can be prepared next time.

6. Be patient and recognise progress, no matter how small

10. Plan meals ahead

There is a plant analogy that I love by life coach Lynn Robinson. Imagine you want flowers in your garden. You plant some seeds, water them a few times and then the following week a few little sprouts appear. Would you be frustrated because they aren’t flowers yet? No, because you know this is just the start. The sprouts are proof that you are on the right path and should encourage you to keep watering the plants, keep fertilising and caring for them as you did on day one. In the same way, it’s absurd to be upset if you don’t get overnight results from diet or exercise. Change takes time.

Extract from Strong by Elsa Pataky (Plum), out now. Photography by Georges Antoni.

14 | BNE January/February 2020

It’s also useful to plan what you’d like to eat the next day and to make sure you have the ingredients in the fridge or pantry. One of the main reasons people make poor food choices is that they do not plan their meals – they come home hungry and tired and either eat unhealthy processed food or grab a takeaway.

“Imagine being the last person to know a language spoken for thousands of years.”

FREE EXHIBITION | UNTIL 19 APRIL STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND SLQ.QLD.GOV.AU

Photo by Phil Schouteten.

STYLE

$139.95 Retro floral dress 5 Sunglasses $49.9 5 9.9 $6 Mini beaded tote

Gingham midi dres s $139.95 Earrings $19.95 Stripe buckle belt $39.95 Canvas tote $69.9 5 Leather slide $12 9.95

Holiday Mode

PACK LIGHT FOR A HIGH SUMMER GETAWAY

Fray-trim fedora $49.95 Linen bow slide $59.95

The new summer collection by Seed Heritage makes it easy to pair citrus brights and a palette of earthy neutrals for a pack-light wardrobe of relaxed resort wear that can travel from Queensland’s sparkling coast to far-flung tropical islands. Escape the confines of an urban wardrobe with freeform dresses, mix and match separates, double duty co-ordinates that work day and night, and swap heels for flatform sandals paired with canvas and raffia accessories.

Fashion available from Seed Heritage, Domestic Terminal Level 2, Brisbane Airport. For more stores and to buy online see www.seedheritage.com 16 | BNE January/February 2020

$99.95 Tie -front blouse $69.95 $ t or sh Shirred Earrings $19.95 Sunhat $69.95

Maxi dress $149.95 Linen bow slide $59.95

Ribbed two-piece $79.95

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Swimsuit $89.95 Sunhat $49.95

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Top $1 19.9 5 Trouser $1 29.95

ESCAPE

45

ways

to see San Francisco

As Qantas launches new direct flights between Brisbane and San Francisco from February, we thought we’d start planning an itinerary. Here’s a few of the things we’d put on it ...

INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS

Lombard Street is San Francisco’s own red brick road, claimed 1 to be the crookedest street in the world for its eight hairpin bends in one block. It’s already busy with more than two million visitors a year, so getting a great shot without the tourist hordes is a challenge, but there’s been talk recently that soon there may be a fee charged to travel down it to help curb congestion.

he Painted Ladies are also a favourite as they stand in a 2 Tregal row on Steiner Street, facing the Alamo Square Park. The Victorian mansions are now part of an historical district that includes the park.

Baker Beach and Pier 39, there are literally thousands 3 Bofetween street art installations, (the Mission area alone has almost 500 murals), a Banksy hidden among them. The Haight and Clarion Alley are just a couple of streets to wander. A guided Wild SF Tour (www.wildsftours.com) will get you started in the right direction.

ikewise, there are lots of stairs in this hilly city and plenty of 4 Lcolourful ones from the Lincoln Park steps and 16th Avenue tiled stairs to the wooden Filbert steps surrounded by greenery from top to bottom.

Images: Shutterstock.com

irby Cove for a picture perfect view of the Bay and the Golden 5 KGate Bridge.

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ISLANDS

Angel Island is often called the ‘Jewel of San 6 Francisco Bay’, designated state park and only

accessible by ferry (or private boat) it is a great vantage point for panoramic views in all directions.

This is a spot for nature lovers with pretty coves and beaches, hiking trails, biking (or walking) on the paved perimeter road, or take a Segway, scooter or tram tour to historic military sites and the old Immigration Station (‘the Ellis Island of the West’).

For more information see www.angelisland.com

Treasure Island is man-made, originally for a 7 World Fair in 1939, and still has some public art

relics from that time, although it’s now a quick getaway to urban wineries, an annual music festival and monthly flea market. Accessible by car and bus via the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge (‘Bay Bridge’).

NATURE

Start with Golden Gate Park, more than 400 hectares of green 11 Besides the beaches and hiking trails on Alameda Island, you’ll 8 space that includes special gardens, nine lakes, 4000 species of trees, also find a Pinball Museum with 90 playable machines and a games arcade with more than 400 games for all levels of gamers, or board the HSS Hornet aircraft carrier (which was part of the Apollo 11 recovery mission) and museum for a sleepover and be one of the ‘crew’ in simulation activities. Wander the streets to see beautiful Victorian homes, browse vintage and antiques shops and discover Hawaiian-style eateries and tiki bars.

museums and the Conservatory of Flowers.

sea lions at Pier 39 are quite a spectacle so close to the city but 12 Tlesshethan 100km south, near Pescadero, mammoth elephant seals,

sea lions, and other marine mammals come ashore at Año Nuevo State Reserve to rest, battle for mates, and give birth in the sand dunes or on the beaches. To join a guided walk, search seal viewing seasons at www.parks.ca.gov

Alcatraz was once a fort, a military prison and a maximum security 9 Reyes National Seashore (about 40km miles northwest federal prison housing notorious convicts such as Al Capone and 13 Pofoint the city), stretched along 50km of coastline, boasts more George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly but now it is part of a National Park and home to colonies of nesting seabirds. It’s one of San Francisco’s most popular attractions for visitors to wander among the ruins (the old buildings have not been restored), through the gardens, past tidal pools and to enjoy the sweeping views across the bay to the city skyline, but evening and behind-the-scenes tours are a way to escape the peak crowds.

rooks Island is a nature reserve and a sanctuary for birds, 10 Baccessible to people only as part of a naturalist kayak tour

pre-arranged through the East Bay Regional Park District (www.ebparks.org). There are wildflowers in the spring and a walk to the island’s highest point reveals a rare view.

than 200km of trails, majestic vistas, herds of tule elk, masses of wildflowers, and is a haven for rare birds – paradise for birdwatchers. Look out for the Cypress Tree tunnel, forming a natural arch over the road, on the way to the lighthouse.

bout 20km north of the city is Muir Woods, a more than 14 A100-year-old-growth redwood forest with close to 50km of trails. ust across the Golden Gate Bridge is the Marin Headlands — 15 Jcoastal bluffs, rugged hiking trails, vast wetlands, protected valleys

and historic landmarks. Travel on to Mount Tamalpais, the highest peak in the Marin Hills, for hiking, horse riding, mountain biking and hang gliding.

ADVENTURE

oin the locals at Yoga in the Cathedral at Grace 16 JCathedral, Nob Hill, where hundreds of people meet on the labyrinth every Tuesday night. For details see www.gracecathedral.org

Drive to the top of Twin Peaks to enjoy panoramic 17 views of the city or, if you’re feeling particularly hardy, you can hike to the top instead.

18 Take a bike tour of the Mission District and must-see neighbourhoods including Haight-Ashbury, SoMa, Alamo Square, The Castro and more on a five-hour mega cycle (only one small hill) with the experts at Dandyhorse. See www.dandysftours.com

olden Gate Bridge San Francisco City Guides lead 19 Grichly informative and free bridge walks. For details see www.sfcityguides.org

t’s an everyday form of transport for the locals but a 20 Icable car ride on one of the steeper streets is quite an adventure for visitors.

From opposite page: Golden Gate Bridge. Above: Lombard Street. Left: Yoga inside Grace Cathedral; and the 16th Avenue stairs BNE January/February 2020 | 19

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BARS

The Riddler (528 Laguna Street), is a Champagne 28 Bar that boasts an impressive selection of more

than 200 bottles to choose from and dozens more sparkling wines by the glass, bottle (or magnum) because “Champagne shouldn’t only be for celebrations,” says founder and celebrated restaurateur Jen Pelka. Her patrons agree and The Riddler has been so successful in its home town, where it has been named Wine Bar of the Year, that Pelka recently opened a second one in NYC. See www.theriddlerbar.com

CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS

Chef Nichole Accettola had great success selling her rye 21 bread and smørrebrød – that is, open sandwiches with fillings

like pickled herring and paté – at the farmers market before opening her Scandinavian style Kantine (1906 Market Street, Central Market), a minimalist café and bakery where her sandwiches, artisan breads and Danish pastries are offered on the menu along with build-your-own brunch boards.

orget avo on toast, brunch is a whole other world of 22 Fpancakes, crispy potatoes, shrimp and grits, and crawfish

beignets – these last two on the menu at Brenda’s French Soul Food (625 Polk Street). Arrive with a big appetite.

afé International (508 Haight Street) ticks a lot of boxes 23 Cwhile you’re on the tourist trail checking out Haight Ashbury, with its own street art mural out back, live music and open mic nights.

vital Food Tours go behind-the-scenes in the Mission 24 ADistrict, Haight Ashbury, North Beach and craft cocktails in Union Square. See www.avitaltours.com

25 Miette Patisserie is not a café, it’s an adorable pastry shop

and chef/owner Meg Ryan admits she eats cake every morning with her coffee so you can too, although choosing what to have in this sweet treat of a store will be the dilemma. Find it at the Ferry Building Marketplace and several other locations.

plurge at Spruce (3640 Sacramento Street) for white 26 Stablecloths, leather chairs, a marble bar and a taste of California cuisine. See www.sprucesf.com

27 Taquerias – burritos, tacos and other Mexican staples – are everywehere in the Mission area and La Taqueria (2889 Mission Street) serves them every which way, including vegetarian. The El Dorada burrito, pressed flat and grilled until golden is a specialty people keep coming back for.

Clockwise from top: The Riddler Champagne Bar; inside the Gregangelo Museum; Staypineapple in Union Square

20 | BNE January/February 2020

rick Dog (3010 20th Street), is a favourite with the locals, and 29 T‘best of lists’, not just for the laid back vibe in this converted

warehouse but also for its changing menu of cocktails determined by random creative inspirations rather than anything as mundane as seasons. Food gets the thumbs up too. See www.trickdogbar.com

oongate Lounge (28 Waverly Place) is another that takes a 30 Mdifferent approach to creating its cocktails, guided by the Chinese lunar calendar, the wine selection is all natural, and the Michelinstarred Mister Jiu’s is downstairs for dinner. Find out more at www.moongatelounge.com

For drinks with a rooftop view (there aren’t many) try Everdene 31 above the Virgin Hotel (250 4th Street) in SoMa or Charmaine’s at the Proper Hotel (entrance at 45 McAllister Street) in MidMarket. See www.virginhotels.com and www.properhotel.com

even Stills Brewery & Distillery (100 Hooper Street) makes 32 Sbeer, distills whiskey, and distills beer (their own and from other

breweries) into whiskey and, in addition to the taproom, has a cocktail bar, a restaurant and hosts tours so this is the place to try it all. See www.sevenstillsofsf.com

CULTURE

ach month, neighbourhood galleries stay open after hours (until 33 Eabout 7.30pm) to host people taking part in the ‘First Thursday

Art Walks’. View the maps at www.sfada.com/map/ browse the website for participating artists and galleries and plot a course in a particular area. The Castro Art Walk also takes place every first Thursday of the month from 6-9pm. See www.castroartwalk.com

he Palace of Fine Arts (Baker Street) is the only remaining 34 Tstructure from a World’s Fair-type expo in 1915 and its ancient

Greek-style colonnades are said to have inspired George Lucas’s vision for Queen Amidala’s royal residence in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

quiet respite inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern 35 FArtind(SFMOMA) (151 Third Street) which has seven floors of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts on display.

OFFBEAT

regangelo Museum (225 San Leandro Way) isn’t a 36 Gtraditional museum, it’s more like a fun house with hidden doors, circus paintings and spinning time capsules.

Visitors enter 13 or of the 27 rooms, each with a theme: Arabian nights, a spaceship, a bathroom under the sea, a pink stuffed animal cave, to name just a few. Be prepared for crawling, bright lights, some complete darkness and cramped spaces. See www.gregangelomuseum.com Peephole Cinema (280 Orange Alley) plays continuous short silent films for anyone making the effort to find and look into this hole in the wall, where only a small sign hanging above gives any indication where it is. See www.peepholecinema.com Winchester Mystery House (525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose) is about an hour south of the city but worth the journey to wander the sprawling mansion with 160 rooms that took nearly 30 years to build – a long way from the eight-room farmhouse renovation it started out to be. Work only stopped when owner Sarah Winchester (heiress to the rifle empire) died in 1922 and since then many have thought the house to be haunted. See www. winchestermysteryhouse.com Cartoon Art Museum (781 Beach Street) houses nearly 7000 original pieces of cartoon art, including comic books, graphic novels, anime, political cartoons and more for browsing. See www.cartoonart.org At Exploratorium (Pier 15) you can levitate, touch a tornado, mix colours and break light apart, stop time, start a conversation, capture a wave, view curious contraptions and more in the ultimate brain teaser break from touring. See www.exploratorium.edu

37 38

39 40

HOTELS

Staypineapple (580 Geary Street), pictured above, looks more 41 elegant than its name might suggest – all golden yellow accent

pieces in a very smart interior, big bouncy beds, and it’s right slap bang in the middle of everything at Union Square. Get the camera out for the free afternoon snacks – yes there will be pineapple-flavoured treats! Otherwise there are free bikes for exploring, and fast WiFi for searching before you go. Find out more at www.staypineapple.com

Phoenix Hotel is in the burgeoning Tenderloin district (601 42 Eddy Street) and boasts a rock ‘n’ roll history, rooms with floorto-ceiling windows facing the courtyard and a landmark pool sporting its own work of art. From a Caravan Motor Lodge in the 1950s to hipster bunkhouse for 2020, this mid-century beauty has had quite the makeover. See www.phoenixsf.com

YOTEL San Francisco (1095 Market Street) opened last year 43 and is only 20 minutes ride from the airport and not much

further from popular tourist sites including Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. The building may have been standing for more than 100 years (it’s survived two earthquakes), and many of its heritage features have been retained in its recent conversion from office accommodation, but the detail is tech savvy, with self check-in kiosks, super-fast WiFi and ergonomicallydesigned ‘cabins’ in different sizes for solo travellers up to Queen suites. Search San Francisco at www.yotel.com

Families love the Argonaut (495 Jefferson Street) for its 44 convenience to key attractions and views of the Bay, Alcatraz

and Golden Gate Bridge from its Fisherman’s Wharf location.

Walking tours led by a National Park Ranger also leave direct from the lobby. See www.argonauthotel.com

Luxury is the Huntington Hotel in swanky Nob Hill (1075 45 California Street) with huge rooms, soaking tubs, indoor pool and spa. See www.huntingtonhotel.com

Photography by Hiromi Yoshida

Qantas will launch a new direct service between Brisbane and San Francisco, operating three times weekly, from 9 February. See www.qantas.com BNE January/February 2020 | 21

ESCAPE

Wild about

Tassie seafood

Tasmanian seafood commands a high price on the global market but visitors to the tiny isle can enjoy it fresh from the source in a variety of ways on a self-guided taste tour of Hobart, as Kerry Heaney discovers

S

hane Wilson emerges from the water like an overgrown slick black seal shaking off the sea and boarding the boat to show off his haul. Clad in a thick black wetsuit, only moments earlier he had dived from the deck of Cuttlefish, Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures’ 55’ luxury catamaran, into the depths of Bull Bay. When he resurfaced, the bag was full of spiky sea urchins and hand-sized periwinkle shells, all destined for the dining table.

Filleting fresh salmon on board 22 | BNE January/February 2020

Wilson is both the skipper and diver on this cruise which offers true deep-to-dish dining delight. Leaving from Hobart’s Elizabeth Street Pier the catamaran cruises swiftly down the Derwent River to the towering cliffs of Taroona and Blackman’s Bay on morning and afternoon cruises.

This is Wilson’s fourth summer skippering Cuttlefish (above), but he has been diving in these waters for 13 years and is passionate about Tasmania’s seafood industry. “I want to show off the best fisheries on the coast,” he says, and what better way to demonstrate the quality of Tasmania’s fisheries than by serving up seafood just plucked from the ocean?

Tasmania may be Australia’s smallest state but it is surrounded by pristine and bountiful waters, supplying more seafood by value than any other state in the country and contributing more than $1.5 billion to the Australian economy. It also supplies about 25 per cent of the world’s wild-caught abalone which is a delicacy in high demand. According to Wilson, 99 per cent of Tasmania’s haul is exported, with retail prices as high as $150 per kilo in China.

Closer to home, it may be unusual to see fresh abalone on the menu except in premium eateries but our feast aboard Cuttlefish

Just caught sea urchins

started with blacklip abalone and continued with crayfish, oysters, salmon, mussels and sea urchins.

“You can find abalone anywhere from half a metre to 30 metres deep. When you dive, the deeper you go, the less time you can spend there, so it’s a bit of a profit and loss calculation that you have to run through in your head,” says Wilson.

Within a few minutes, the abalone is sliced and quickly fried with a little garlic and herb butter in a very hot wok over the burner.

When it curls at the edges, it’s cooked, and it goes back into the shell for serving.

While Wilson wanders around the ocean floor on our tour, fellow skipper Ben Dawe demonstrates oyster shucking with some of the three million dozen oysters that are harvested annually in Tasmania. Some are served natural, others broiled and topped with bacon fried with a blow torch.

At our next stop, the boat pulls up outside a salmon farm and Wilson walks towards the filleting block with a large whole Atlantic salmon. It doesn’t stay whole for long.

Small slices soon lie curing on a thick bed of pink rock salt ready for the table while a hungry seal cases the waters surrounding the salmon farm.

As the sun descends towards the water, about four hours after we began our tour, Cuttlefish heads back to Hobart.

Tours run twice daily from 8.30am and 1.30pm departing from Hobart Wharf and cruising south to the northern tip of Bruny Island and back.

For more information about tours see www.tasmanianwildseafoodadventures.com.au

HOT OFF THE GRILL It’s no surprise that local seafood is a feature in many Hobart restaurants, with each offering its own creative take on the flavours, including Kin Japanese BBQ, a hole-in-the-wall gem that seats only 13 at any one time. So narrow is the street frontage for this restaurant in the city’s busy Macquarie Street that I walked past the front door twice. The menu is just as compact, but flavour packed.

Chef and owner Casey Burns mixes his passion for Japanese barbecue cooking on a traditional yakitori grill with the freshest Tasmanian produce he can source from local markets, and that includes Bruny Island oysters brimming with salty juices, roe-on Tasmanian scallops to dip into egg yolk and roll in wakame, octopus with charred lemon and a bite-size kingfish sashimi foldover.

“I cook over a little concrete box filled with clean-burning charcoal made from recycled wood that burns for up to seven hours,” says Burns.

Kin is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Thursday to Saturday. Find it at 71 Macquarie Street, Hobart. See www.kinjapanesebbq.com

Above and right: fresh octopus in the dumplings at Kin Japanese BBQ. Far right: Maylands Lodge; and centre, mulloway loin with greens at Deodara

A WAY WITH WEEDS At Faro, one of several food and drink venues inside Hobart’s quirky MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), executive chef Vince Trim (above) serves seafood in a selection of tantalising little to large plates.

Trim says that Faro is a discovery point for MONA, the first natural light as you walk through the museum with food that is bright and vibrant, and the wine bar as a resting ground to invigorate you for the rest of the journey through the darkened gallery spaces.

The menu, too, is a discovery with some unusual tidbits turning up on the menu such as plants commonly thought of as weeds (puréed nettle, for example) and crickets as accompaniments to the fine fare.

“It is all about normalising these ingredients and bringing them back into our consciousness,” says Trim, who served up an even more unusual menu during the recent Eat the Problem exhibition at MONA, featuring cane toads and sea urchins in a colour-coded feast of degustation plates.

Trim’s latest menu at Faro includes a scallop ceviche (above) with the unusual inclusions of smoked tomatillo (Mexican husk tomato) and chickweed kimchi, along with a turnip top taco. It shows that weeds like chickweed and vegetable parts usually consigned to the rubbish (turnip tops) can be tasty fare.

GARDEN VARIETY Maylands Lodge in Hobart’s New Town, just a few minutes from the city’s heart, was built in 1887 and designed by Tasmanian colonial architect Henry Hunter. After several reincarnations from gracious home to a girl’s school and hostel, it is now a luxury boutique hotel with 22 rooms commanding views of the western suburbs and Mount Wellington in one direction and the River Derwent in the other.

It also has one of the largest kitchen gardens in the city which is a key source for the hyperseasonal menu created by head chef Andrew Russell for its restaurant, Deodara.

Examples of dinner plates include local raw kingfish with crème fraiche, baby fennel, tomato jelly, chardonnay vinaigrette and red veined sorrel, and seared fish with cauliflower and buttermilk purée, wilted and fresh garden greens and puffed buckwheat.

Maylands Lodge is at 40 Swanston Street, New Town. See www.maylandslodge.com.au

Faro is at MONA, 655 Main Road, Berriedale, or about 25 minutes by ferry from Brooke Street Pier at Hobart Wharf. See www.mona.net.au

Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly between Brisbane and Hobart daily BNE January/February 2020 | 23

ESCAPE

2020

to take in

There’s no doubt food is driving travel growth. According to the World Food Travel Association’s Food Travel Monitor 80 per cent of leisure travellers had been motivated to visit a particular destination because of a ‘culinary activity or attraction’ while recent research carried out for Tourism Australia shows that ‘great food, wine and local cuisine’ is ranked third (at 38%), ahead of world class beauty and natural environments, as a deciding factor to choose a destination. Here are our top picks for great foodie getaways to do this year …

COOKING WITH CRITTERS, LOS ANGELES, USA So you think you have an adventurous palate? If yet another food and wine excursion doesn’t quite tempt your taste buds then a Cooking with Critters class might just pique your jaded palate. Host Aly Moore (pictured rigtht) studied public health at Yale University which sparked her interest in finding new ways to address the challenges of sustainably and nutritiously feeding a growing population and that led to her starting website Bugible.com to support the expanding insect agriculture industry. It wasn’t long before Bugible had a cult following on Instagram and Aly went on to launch Eat Bugs Events such as Bug & Wine Pairings, Bug Dinners and Bug Cooking Classes.

Now, through Airbnb’s cooking experiences, Aly provides an introduction to cooking with bugs and demonstrating how easy it is to fit insects into an everyday diet with recipes like Cricket Powder Pancakes, Mealworm Mini-Pizzas, Termite-Stuffed Tomatoes and more. The kids, too, will love this one. Search Cooking with Critters at www.airbnb.com.au/experiences/ Qantas and Virgin Australia fly direct between Brisbane and Los Angeles, California several times weekly 24 | BNE January/February 2020

TASTE CULTURAL FOOD TOURS, SYDNEY NSW Lesley Unsworth founded social enterprise Taste Cultural Food Tours in Sydney nearly five years ago to build connections across cultures, she says, and in the process refugees are trained as tour guides to develop new skills while visitors are treated to authentic flavours and stories from diverse communities. “You can take a trip around the world in the western suburbs of Sydney,” says Unsworth, who co-ordinates tours from Chinatown in the city to suburbs including Bankstown, Cabramatta and Merrylands.

Parastoo Bahrami, 23, (pictured right) arrived in Australia more than six years ago escaping from war in Afghanistan and is a guide on the newest tour on the program, the Taste of Afghanistan, Syria and Persia (Iran) in Merrylands.

The tour begins with a Syrian breakfast and over the course of three to four hours includes specialties such as grilled meat kebabs, kiymali pide, ‘mantu’ (dumplings) and sweets, all introduced by local business owners who are recreating traditional recipes from their homelands.

Bahrami admits she was once afraid to tell people she was an asylum seeker but as a tour guide has found confidence to share her story. Patrick Young guides tours in Cabramatta and says he leads the tour as if he was taking his family to dinner.

“We may look to the world like a food tour company,” says Unsworth, “but at the heart of what we are doing is trying to tell a story about ourselves as a multicultural nation.”

The Merrylands tour starts in Railway Terrace across the road from the station. The train journey to Merrylands from Town Hall in the city is about 45 minutes. For tour details see www.tastetours.com.au Jetstar, Qantas, Tigerair and Virgin Australia fly between Brisbane and Sydney several times daily

Above: Asal Sweets in Merrylands

TALI WIRU, ULURU, NORTHERN TERRITORY Tali Wiru means ‘beautiful dune’ in the local Anangu language and encapsulates the magic of dining under the desert sky. Set in the open air, diners are assured of magnificent views of Uluru and the distant domes of Kata Tjuta as the sun goes down.

Tali Wiru is an annual event providing four-course dinners for only 20 guests at a time from April to October, each dish infused with native herbs and spices and showcasing local produce. Previous menus have included treats such as yabbie caviar on a cuttlefish crumpet, kangaroo and quandong pie, pressed wallaby and Davidson plum, toothfish with bush grains and more as part of Ayers Rock Resort’s Bush Tucker Journeys program.

Alternatively, Sounds of Silence dinners operate year-round from a viewing platform offering a different vantage point of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and expert commentary on the Milky Way visible in the clear night sky. Dinner is a bush-tucker inspired buffet likely to include kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi with desserts flavoured with desert lime, lemon myrtle and wattleseed.

Now that the Field of Light will remain indefinitely a visit to the installation created with 50,000 lights can be combined with a Sounds of Silence dinner from Ayers Rock Resort. For details see www.ayersrockresort.com.au Jetstar flies direct between Brisbane and Uluru six days weekly

VEGAN FOOD ADVENTURE, INDIA The Golden Triangle of India is considered to be one of the hottest attractions in the world for vegan travellers but this is a feast of flavours for anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of spice in their diet. Over eight days this journey travels through Delhi, Jaipur and Agra with stops to see iconic sights such as the Amber Fort and Taj Mahal, as well as taste and create some authentic local vegan cuisine, while learning from the locals.

Highlights include a Rajasthani feast while staying in the heritage hotel Castle Kanota, touring through historic Old Delhi (on a rickshaw) to taste vegan cuisine in hidden backstreets and learning how to make authentic Indian meals in a cooking class led by local experts. This is one of Intrepid Travel’s newest tours so it’s hands-on and immersive, using local transport and connecting with the local community in group sizes up to 12. Departures from 3 April 2020. Find the details under themes/food at www.intrepidtravel.com/au Etihad, Singapore and Thai Airways fly between Brisbane and Delhi, India, via direct connections from their home cities

Above: Sounds of Silence dinner with views to Uluru

BNE January/February 2020 | 25

ESCAPE

TURALLA TRUFFLE HUNT, BUNGENDORE, NSW Six-year-old Jack Russell terrier Frizbee (pictured below) is a secondgeneration truffle hunter and visitors are not disappointed when they follow him into the orchard with owner Damian Robinson in the middle of winter to sniff out the prized delicacy, which can command prices up to $3 a gram.

Robinson is passionate about their flavour (a lot of truffle dishes fail, he says, because people use too little) and he cooks up a storm on his Hunt and Cook Adventures. On these tours guests can linger longer over lunch, tuck into a dish such as Robinson’s personal favourite, a truffle gnocchi, or a Truffle Scallop Nest (pictured below right) and share stories on all things truffle. He even has the antidote to the chill winter air serving shots of his own truffle-infused vodka. For tour details see www.turallatruffles.com.au The season is short, from June to August, but there’s an abundance of truffle tasting, chef’s dinners, cooking classes and more during the annual Truffle Festival in Canberra and the surrounding district. Events book out fast so look out for the program at www.trufflefestival.com.au Qantas/QantasLink and Virgin Australia fly between Brisbane and Canberra several times daily

MIDNIGHT FOOD TOUR BY TUK TUK, BANGKOK, THAILAND New York may be known as the city that never sleeps but in Bangkok it seems the locals never stop eating with street food still firing up late into the night. Actually, the last tour of the night on this program hosted by Bangkok Food Tours ends at midnight, but even an early departure from 6pm is full of night-time buzz.

The tour takes off with a guide and a mini convoy of chauffeured tuk tuks around Bangkok’s Old City stopping at backstreet restaurants to taste traditional dishes such as spicy raw papaya salad, deep-fried crispy catfish meat with spicy sauce, a local favourite – chicken with crispy noodle and runny egg (and get a sneak peek at it being cooked over a charcoal burner and woks in the alley behind the restaurant) – and pad thai as it’s been made for 40 years and still as popular as ever (skipping the queue to get in).

There are a couple of stops along the way to pick up some street food snacks like dried squid and grilled pork marinated in sweetened condensed milk, to pause between courses for a peaceful wander around the grounds of Wat Pho, and for a drink break at a rooftop bar for a cool local beer while enjoying views of Wat Arun and the river sparkling with night lights.

For details see www.bangkokfoodtours.com AirAsia and Thai Airways fly direct between Brisbane and Bangkok several times weekly 26 | BNE January/February 2020

BENDIGO, VICTORIA Melbourne isn’t the only city in Victoria with trams, laneways and good food. The historic city of Bendigo may not be on your radar as a foodie destination but just months ago it became the first Australian city to be declared a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, joining a list that includes Hyderabad in India and Parma in Italy.

The rich concentration of food and wine in the region, the connection to heritage and culture, a flair for creativity and a commitment to sustainability were all factors in its addition to the list, ensuring the road to Bendigo, less than two hours drive north of Melbourne, will become more travelled.

The city’s heritage dates back to Gold Rush days, reflected now in impressive architecture, public sculptures, fountains and gardens, but the gold flowing in town today is more likely to come from the local craft brews which can be sampled in a concentrated dose at the Bendigo Craft Beer and Cider Festival in March and the city-wide pub crawl Bendigo on the Hop in August.

In town, heritage halls, banks and factories have been re-invented as restaurants and wine bars, while laneways are home to a thriving café culture and creative street art. A walking tour of the city will uncover both.

Plot a course that includes stops at Ghosty Toasty, hidden inside a camera shop, and boasting concoctions with names like Bruce Brie, Richard Gruyere, Salami L. Jackson, Vin Cheezel and more; Indulge Fine Belgian Chocolates, hand-made using ingredients including a local shiraz; the cake trolley at the Basement (in the restored Masonic Hall that dates back to 1874); and dinner at Masons (which also serves Indigenous teas sourced from the local Dja Dja Wurrung clan).

But while there’s plenty to whet an appetite in Bendigo it’s not just about the destination, it’s also about the journey and a drive from Melbourne should allow for stops at Daylesford, Trentham and Kyneton for more foodie gems, and to visit any of more than 60 cellar doors open in the Greater Bendigo region. Contact the Visitor Information Centre in Bendigo for maps and guides (such as cycle trails around the wineries) and see www.bendigoregion.com.au Jetstar, Qantas, Tigerair and Virgin Australia fly between Brisbane and Melbourne several times daily

Bendigo images: Visit Victoria

MAKE TAKOYAKI, TOKYO, JAPAN

Above: Chancery Lane in Bendigo.Top right: Indulge Fine Belgian Chocolates and sweet treats at GPO Café, Bendigo

Young mum Yumi (pictured above) backpacked all over the world as a student and says she’s never forgotten the amazing food she had during her travels but she wished she had learned how to make those dishes so she could make them herself when she got home. That experience inspired her to create her own Japanese cooking class for travellers visiting Japan, available on Airbnb Experiences, making ‘takoyaki’ a popular ball-shaped snack often seen at festivals and as street food in Japan. Called ‘Making Japanese Street Food with Mom’ Yumi’s class is one of hundreds that are now part of Cooking, a special category on Airbnb Experiences, hosted by families, farmers, pastry cooks and more, teaching traditional recipes and sharing stories in intimate settings across 75 countries. And look out for the Airbnb cookbook, planned for publication later this year.

Virgin Australia launches flights direct between Brisbane and Tokyo (Haneda) in March BNE January/February 2020 | 27

ESCAPE

THE TREES saving the reef Fitzroy Island is an idyllic family holiday destination but below the surface its pristine waters are a breeding ground for new coral in an ambitious project to help regenerate the Great Barrier Reef, as Kerry Heaney discovers

B

ouncing with tidal surges in the deep blue water off the tip of Fitzroy Island, 45 minutes offshore from Cairns, is a small forest of ‘Christmas trees’ that keep on giving. The specially-shaped structures are made with fibreglass rods and have been designed by scientists to create a home for resilient corals harvested from broken pieces which survived coral bleaching and Cyclone Debbie a few years ago.

The process is similar to taking cuttings from mature plants to grow new plants and fingersized corals dangle from the trees’ ‘branches’ while growing underwater until they are ready for replanting.

While the project is a first for the Great Barrier Reef, it has been done successfully in Singapore and Florida and the local version has already shown good results. The 20 trees suspended in Welcome Bay’s waters about 100 metres from shore are safe from sediment and predators such as crown-of-thorns starfish and the nursery has more than doubled in size since it was established in December 2017.

So far about 2000 corals have been planted on the reef around Fitzroy Island and, thanks to the recent boost of a $60,000 grant from green energy company Powershop, the Reef Restoration Foundation aims to establish two to three more nursery sites at nearby reefs during the next 12 months with an additional 40 to 70 trees.

Guests and visitors to Fitzroy Island can learn more about the project from Master Reef Guide and marine biologist Azri Saparwan who conducts the island’s nature-based tours and has been a volunteer assisting the coral regeneration project since its planning phase.

“I have volunteered on similar projects in the Maldives and Singapore so I am keen to see coral successfully grown here on the Great Barrier Reef,” he says.

28 | BNE January/February 2020

NEED TO KNOW • Fitzroy Island is 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns.

• Visit for the day or stay overnight at Fitzroy Island Resort (there’s also a beachside campground for about 20 BYO tents).

• Snorkel straight from the beach to see marine life and coral in the shallows just metres from shore.

• Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkel and dive equipment are available for resort guests.

• The island’s Nudey Beach is not a nude beach (any more) but it has been named one of Australia’s best beaches for its white coral sand and surrounding rainforest. The beach is accessed from the resort via a winding 1.2-kilometre walking track which will have you scrambling up and down hills and between oversized boulders.

• A longer hike to the summit of the island reveals panoramic views and an insight to the island’s history.

• Would-be coral crusaders can contribute to the Reef Restoration project by adopting a coral. See www.reefrestorationfoundation.org

Above: Fitzroy Island Resort. Right: the coral ‘trees’ in the underwater nursery

“This island is my home, as I have been working at Fitzroy island Resort for three years, so I wanted to do something to help the reef here.”

Saparwan says he’s keen to give visitors a similar sense of understanding and belonging to the reef so they will help preserve its future.

Each week he goes out to the coral nursery with a team of volunteers to check on its progress and collect data. Many of the volunteers come from the local dive community but some travel from as far afield as Perth to offer their help while on holiday.

Saparwan’s reef talk follows a tour of the island’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre where more than 300 turtles have been nursed back to health and released, and a handful remain in the centre’s tanks, also monitored by a team of volunteers to help them on the road to recovery.

Saparwan’s favourite, Julz, is a juvenile Green Sea Turtle that was a victim of illegal hunting off Green Island, near Cairns. She arrived at the centre 18 months ago, weighing only 12kg but is now a healthy 34kg and is due to be released soon when all her wounds have healed.

“The hardest thing is letting them go,” he says.

“The coral, too, is growing well and it is really exciting to see them planted out in new colonies.

It’s like waiting for your children to grow up and go out into the world.”

Find out more at www.fitzroyisland.com and www.reefrestorationfoundation.org

TECH TO GO Don’t leave home without these cool gadgets for happy travelling Apple iPhone 11 from $1090 at Lotte Duty Free

Boost your photo skills even on multi lens phone cameras and tablets by adding a Black Eye clip-on lens.

The Black Eye Travel Kit comes with Portrait, Wide (used to take the shot above) and Macro lenses in a compact case with carabiner hook. Compatible with iPhone and android devices.

RRP $219.95. Individual lenses such as a 175-degree view Fisheye and accessories including a filming handle or tripod can also be bought separately. For details and to buy see www.blackeyelens.com

Apple Watch Series 5 from $590 at Lotte Duty Free

BOSE Frames audio sunglasses with built-in speakers at the temples from $299 at Tech2Go

Apple AirPods $225 at Lotte Duty Free

GoPro Hero8 Black camera from $538 at Lotte Duty Free

Mavic Mini ultra-light foldable drone films from about 12 metres up to 36 metres (40’-120’) high, from $599. For details and to buy see www.dji.com/mavic-mini

Samsonite EVOA Tech case with fingerprint locking, USB port, tracking and built-in weight scale from $679 (55cm) at Samsonite store

Skyroam Solis mobile hotspot and power bank $229 at Tech2Go

Sennheiser PXC 550-ll premium wireless headset $549 at Tech2Go

Stockists at Brisbane Airport: Lotte Duty Free, International Terminal, Level 3 Departures; Samsonite and Tech2Go, Domestic Terminal, Level 2 near Gates 22-24

BNE January/February 2020 | 29

TASTE

COOK Cantonese with Diana Chan

WHITE-CUT CHICKEN

Pak Cham Kai

Malaysian-born and Australian raised Diana Chan learned to cook by watching her parents prepare Peranakan and Cantonese food but it wasn’t until she entered and won MasterChef Australia two years ago that her passion took centre stage. Since then she has become an advocate for food tourism to Malaysia and is currently host of her own program on the SBS Food network, Asia Unplated with Diana Chan. Here she shares one of the recipes from the new series

Serves: 4 | Preparation time: 15 min | Cooking time: 30 min Standing time: 35 min | Level of difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS • 1 whole chicken, about 900g (preferably free-range)

• S mall handful coriander, finely chopped, plus extra to serve

chicken gently poach in the stock for about 20 minutes.

• 1 /2 tsp salt

4. Meanwhile, for the spring onion sauce, combine the ginger, spring onions, coriander and salt in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until nearly smoking, then carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger and spring onion.

It should sizzle. Stir to combine, then add the soy sauce to taste.

• Sea salt, for rubbing

• 6 0 ml (1/4 cup) peanut or vegetable oil

• 4cm piece ginger, cut into 4-5 slices

• 2 tsp light soy sauce, or to taste

• 4 spring onions • 1 tsp sesame oil • Spring onion sauce • 6 cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated • 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to serve

METHOD 1. Place 5 litres of water in a stock pot or large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat.

2. Cut off the excess fat around the neck of the chicken. Rub the chicken all over with a little salt, then rinse the skin under cold running water. This removes all the impurities from the skin. Rinse out the cavity, then drain well. Stuff the chicken cavity with the ginger and spring onions.

3. O nce the water boils, carefully lower the chicken into the boiling water (it should be fully submerged), reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. The water should bubble only very gently. Turn off the heat and let the

30 | BNE January/February 2020

5. When the poaching time is up, use a sharp knife and poke it into the thickest part of the chicken. If the liquid coming out is clear, the chicken is done. If not, poach for a few more minutes. Alternatively, insert the probe of a digital thermometer into the leg – it should read 75°C. 6. Carefully remove the chicken from the pan, making sure you drain the cavity.

Place in an ice-bath and stand for 10-15 minutes or until cool. Drain again and pat dry. Slice off the breasts and add the remaining chicken back to the cooking liquid to make a stock if you wish.

7. Thickly slice the chicken breast, place on a serving plate and drizzle with the sesame oil. Spoon over the spring onion sauce, then scatter with the extra spring onions and coriander.

Unplated with Diana Chan airs on SBS Food at 8pm Thursdays until 20 February, or catch up on SBS On Demand.

GIN

is the

cool new brew I

f Two Pencils seems a strange name for a gin, it soon starts to make sense on a distillery tour and tasting at Granddad Jacks where owner David Ridden tells a story about his grandfather, the man whose legend lives on in the latest family business. It appears the young Jack had quite the entrepreneurial spirit back in his day. During the war Jack (real name David Goulding) got his trotting license and owned a racehorse named Sack Cloth but it never did any good on the track so instead, as the story goes, Jack bought some full-size pencils, broke them in half, sharpened both ends and sold them individually for a penny each, more than doubling his money!

“Our Two Pencils Gin pays homage to that … a perfectly balanced, juniper-infused dry gin,” says Ridden Ridden and his son Luke are honouring old Jack’s legacy by producing their own collection of small batch gins from their repurposed warehouse a block from the beach at Miami on the Gold Coast, joining a quickly growing community of artisan distillers.

According to the Gin-ventory 2019 survey commissioned last year by online retailer The Gin Boutique there are now well over 100 commercialgrade gin distilleries in Australia, up from fewer than a dozen in 2013, and there are almost another

WHAT DOES BRISBANE

100 distillers producing unique small-batch gins like Granddad Jack’s.

According to Glenn McPhee, co-founder of The Gin Boutique our taste for gin is on the rise with consumption up 15 per cent in the four years to 2017 and then up another 17 per cent in just 12 months after that. There’s more good news for producers such as David and Luke Ridden (pictured above) with the Gin-ventory 2019 survey showing that 40 per cent of respondents were seeking out ‘new world’ or contemporary gins.

For visitors to Granddad Jack’s that means you can not only taste and buy a uniquely flavoured gin, you can even make your own.

During a four-hour Distilling Experience the master distiller guides the group through choosing their botanicals and the gin-making process using a small custom-made copper still, and they leave with a bespoke 500ml bottle of their very own crafted (not just blended) gin.

Granddad Jack’s Craft Distillery is at 45 Lemana Lane, Miami. See www.granddadjacks.com

taste like?

If you were to describe the flavour of Brisbane what would it be?

Well, according to expert distillers Michael Hickinbotham and Dr Graham Jones hints of local finger lime, kaffir lime and fresh ginger capture the essence of the city and flavour their new brew, Brisbane Gin. Hickinbotham, a second-generation distiller, and master distiller Jones worked together for almost a year to fine tune the recipe which is made less than an hour from Brisbane’s CBD at Flinders Peak Winery in the Scenic Rim. “[We think] the flavours in Brisbane Gin reflect the city and the people that make it what it is – bright and bold thanks to the kaffir lime and finger lime, warm and welcoming with the hints of fresh ginger,” says Hickinbotham. “We developed, tasted and discarded more than 40 recipes until we found the one that ticked every box.”

Brisbane Gin is now being served in more than 20 of the city’s best bars and restaurants including Dutch Courage, The Gresham, Covent Garden, Hellenika at the Calile, Proud Henry’s, Blackbird Bar and Grill and Boom Boom Room. It is also available at retailers such as Malt Traders, Sense of Taste and more, or online at www.brisbanegin.com.au

BNE January/February 2020 | 31

WHAT’S ON

Murphy’s magic

world premiere

TEENS SHOW TALENT

MUSIC

Australia’s oldest classical ballet company is also home to some of the youngest talent in South East Queensland and dancers aged 11-17 will show their skills in Ballet Theatre Queensland’s double bill of Swan Lake Act ll and Graduation Ball. Before every matinee performance a storyteller will read the classic tale of Swan Lake to children one hour prior to the performances starting. From 22-25 January, at Playhouse, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $46 plus fees at www.qpac.com.au

ways

32 | BNE January/February 2020

A punk Swallow on a skateboard is just the beginning of the surprises in store in Graeme Murphy’s new ballet The Happy Prince which will have its world premiere in Brisbane.

Murphy, who has had a stellar career in dance for more than 50 years, brings his signature sense of humour, sensuality, invention and bravery to the classic Oscar Wilde story in a family-friendly production that is full of vivid colour thanks to Kim Carpenter’s design and supported by a specially commissioned musical score by Christopher Gordon (composer of film scores including Mao’s Last Dancer and Master and Commander).

The story of friendship and sacrifice is a poignant one for all ages and a host of sly references give the story contemporary relevance and added impact particularly for the adults in the audience.

From 25-29 February at Lyric Theatre QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $46 plus fees. See www.australianballet.com.au/TheHappyPrince

Songs of Desire

The Trumpet Unleashed

Since winning a prestigious opera grant that took her to Germany and leading roles on the international stage, Toowoomba-raised mezzo-soprano Hayley Sugars has returned to perform with Opera Queensland, most recently as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

In this more intimate recital she sings about love in all its guises. On 14 and 15 February at Opera Queensland Studio, 140 Grey Street, South Brisbane. Tickets from $63. See www.oq.com.au

Miroslav Petkov played his first trumpet solo at 14 and is in demand as a guest artist with orchestras throughout Europe. In this concert he will play several classics including Vivaldi’s Trumpet Concerto, Rachmaninov’s Romances and Stravinsky’s ballet masterpiece Petrushka, considered one of the instrument’s most challenging works of all time. On 23 February, Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $70 plus fees. See www.qpac.com.au

A CLOSER LOOK

at language

Thanks to a record in Captain James Cook’s Endeavour Journal (1768-1771) it appears we have been misusing the word kangaroo for 250 years. According to academic and Bulgun Warra man Harold Ludwick the real meaning of ‘kangaroo’ has been lost in translation as the word first recorded by Cook as ‘kanguru’ in his journal, and now commonly used to refer to the largest of Australia’s hopping marsupials, was taken from the local word ‘gangurru’ which specifically refers to the Eastern Grey in the Indigenous language and is not a universal term that includes the Big Red, Western Grey, or even some wallabies, as we may have incorrectly thought.

This insight from Ludwick is just one of many stories that shed light on the history of language in Queensland, from a rare glimpse at historical documents such as Cook’s journal to the work of several communities preserving their traditional languages through art, song and spoken word, in the new exhibition Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages at the State Library.

To find out more about the survival and revival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages join curator’s tours, song workshops and other activities from 18 January until April at State Library Queensland, South Brisbane. For details see www.slq.qld.gov.au

Movies in the

moonlight

OUTDOOR CINEMA IN THE SUBURBS brings family-friendly films to parks around Brisbane throughout the school holidays and beyond for free, including recent favourites such as the boxoffice blockbuster Toy Story 4 (above) screening at Williams Park, Runcorn on 22 February. Look out for more films screening from 10 January at parks from bayside Brighton to Chermside north of the city, Heathwood to the south and more. BYO picnic blanket.

For dates and locations search Outdoor Cinema in the Suburbs at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/whats-on-and-events MOONLIGHT CINEMA too has some of last year’s favourites screening, from The Joker to Knives Out and Cats in January as well as advance screenings of new releases Bombshell, on 11 January, starring Australian A-listers Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie and Like a Boss on 22 January starring Rose Byrne. Moonlight Cinema is showing at the Amphitheatre, Roma Street Parkland until 29 March. Tickets from $15 each or relax on a bean bag with waiter service prior to the film from $32 plus booking fees. See www.moonlightcinema.com.au

Amipuru 1967 Ephraim Bani, 1791 Margaret Lawrie Collection, State Library

Pentatonix

QSO Star Wars

So Frenchy So Chic

Three-time Grammy Award-winning fivepiece pop a cappella group Pentatonix have sold almost 10 million albums and their YouTube channel has more than 17 million subscribers and 4 billion views so it’s no surprise this concert is a hot ticket, On 17 February at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane. Only tickets available are the Hot Seat Package, $264.75 plus fees, at www.premier.ticketek.com.au

Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s cinematic concerts are becoming as legendary as the films they feature in special events each year. As Star Wars: Return of the Jedi shows on the big screen conductor Nicholas Buc leads the orchestra playing John Williams’ iconic soundtrack live. Two performances on 15 February at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane. Tickets from $59 plus fees. See www.qso.com.au

French contemporary band Nouvelle Vague celebrate their 15th anniversary with a return visit to Brisbane to share more of their innovative reworkings of a diverse range of songs – fans will already be familiar with their renditions of new wave classics such as ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (Joy Division) and ‘Guns of Brixton’ (The Clash).

On 21 January at Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm. Tickets from $62 plus fees. See www.brisbanepowerhouse.org.au BNE January/February 2020 | 33

WHAT’S ON

Weaving life story into dance W

hen Taree Sansbury graduated from NAISDA, the Indigenous dance college on the NSW Central Coast, she didn’t have to look far for inspiration for her first independent project. The fluid movements of her nana’s weaving was enough to spark the idea for mi:wi, her first work as both choreographer and dancer which comes to Brisbane in February.

Now based in the arts hub of the Gold Coast, home to such innovative companies as dance and theatre collective The Farm, Sansbury spent more than two years developing mi:wi which included spending time with her nana Phyllis Williams, a Ngarrindjeri elder, not only to watch her weaving but also joining her in the process.

In fact all of Sansbury’s creative team spent some time weaving together to get a feel for the movements that would eventually be interpreted in dance.

However it wasn’t just the synergy of movement that influenced Sansbury’s work; mi:wi tells a much more personal story about the invisible ties between past and future, people and land, the impact of climate change on traditional ways of life, and the importance of passing on culture to future generations. For Sansbury that also included learning her native language from her nana which has been incorporated into the soundtrack for the performance.

The work is supported by a strong team of women, including performers Sansbury (a Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman), Katina Olsen (Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri) and Keia McGrady (Mununjali and Gamilaraay), lighting by Cheryn Frost (Yuwaalaraay), costumes by Peta Strachan (Darug) and sound design by Alyx Dennison. mi:wi is on 5-8 February at Playhouse Studio, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $35 plus fees at www.qpac.com.au

FREE lunchtime concerts

4

Brisbane artists perform a free concert at City Hall every Tuesday in February for one hour from midday

11

18 25

That’ll Be The Day Kris Knight and his band perform the legendary hits of Buddy Holly that changed the sound of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s.

Souled Out This 10-piece takes its repertoire from an eclectic mix of Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire and more.

Life of a Composer Christian and Caroline Heim bring to life in music the tumultuous relationship between 19th century composer Chopin and the writer George Sand.

Asleep at the Reel Imagine the sound of a lively Irish pub with flying fiddles and rich voices; this is Celtic music with an Australian accent.

34 | BNE January/February 2020

Souled Out

Funniest

month of the year

With a bumper program of 85 acts playing in 14 performance spaces it’s going to be hard to choose who to see during the month-long Brisbane Comedy Festival that begins on 21 February. While Brisbane Powerhouse continues to be comedy central, the Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall, Newstead Brewing Co. (Milton) and City Hall will all open their doors to the fun and laughter as comedians from home and away bring on their best new shows.

Mark Lombard (below) is back with the next instalment of what has become his successful Brisburned sketch series – following the original, then last year’s sold out Brisburned at Work, Lombard has suburbia in his sights with his latest show Brisburned at Home (from 29 February), performed with fellow comedians Elizabeth Tuckett, Liz Talbot, James Tinniswood and Michael Griffin. Queenslanders Mel Buttle and Matt Okine (a defector to the south) lead the comic charge from 25 February followed by more of Australia’s best – Hughesy, Helliar, Woodley among them – and international favourites Stephen K. Amos, Jimeoin and news reporter-at-large Jonathan Pie. For the full program and tickets see www.brisbanecomedyfestival.com

WHEN WHAT

WHERE

JANUARY 4

FOMO music festival with Lizzo and more

Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills

10

Queensland Youth Band concert, free Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha

11

High Rotation, Insider’s Tour

11

Queensland SKA and Reggae Festival The Triffid, Newstead

Museum of Brisbane, City Hall

13

An evening with David Sedaris, author, humourist, in conversation

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

15

Mac DeMarco

Fortitude Music Hall, Fortitude Valley

16

Elton John

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

18

Louis Theroux

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

18

Tom Segura, comedy

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

18 + 25

Walking with Vida, artist walking tour From Museum of Brisbane, City Hall

21

Walk off the Earth, concert

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

22-26

Priceless Treasure by Yin Lu

William Jolly Bridge, South Brisbane

25

Fatboy Slim

Riverstage, City Botanic Gardens

From 25 The Twits (children’s theatre)

Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace, city

30

Perspectives on a Century, exhibition tour

Museum of Brisbane, City Hall

30

Twilight Jazz by the River, free event

Queensland Maritime Museum, South Bank

31

Billy Idol

Riverstage, City Botanic Gardens

From 31 David Suchet in conversation

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

From 31 A Streetcar Named Desire

Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace, city

FEBRUARY

A word, after a word, after a word, is power.

Margaret Atwood At 80 author Margaret Atwood doesn’t shy away from questions about politics or religion, climate change or feminism as she embraces the spotlight that shines on her more brightly since her book The Handmaid’s Tale, written in 1985, became an Emmy Award-winning television series and unleashed a global cultural phenomenon as a symbol of women’s rights, standing against misogyny and oppression, in the #MeToo generation.

The sequel, The Testaments, published last year, is her second Booker Prize winner but beyond the accolades and more than 50 books of fiction, poetry and critical essays she is also a tech inventor and has worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, librettist, playwright and puppeteer. There’s plenty still to learn about Margaret Atwood when she appears in conversation at Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane on 22 February.

Tickets from $69 plus fees at www.qpac.com.au

1

Valley Fiesta Summer Program

Brunswick Mall, Fortitude Valley

1-2

Lunar New Year

Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley

From 1

Grace Lilian Lee, artist, Open Studio QAGOMA, South Brisbane

4+5

Michael Bublé

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

5-6

Vika and Linda Bull

Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm

6-8

Star Wars, A Burlesque Parody

Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

7

Randy Newman

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

8+9

The Guilty Feminist, Deborah Francis White, comedian

Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm

8-29

Emerald City, Queensland Theatre Playhouse, QPAC, South Brisbane

9

BrisAsia Dance Showcase, free

Queen Street Mall, city

11

Gladys Knight

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

12

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

14

The Beautiful Girls and special guests The Triffid, Newstead

15

Mountain Goat Valley Crawl, music festival

Various venues, Fortitude Valley

15

Protest Poetry, creative workshop

Museum of Brisbane, City Hall

15

A New World, music from Final Fantasy Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm

15

Mad Maestros with David Scheel

Redland Performing Arts Centre, Cleveland

15

Rare Voices concert

Sunnybank Performing Arts Centre

16

Gene Kelly, The Legacy with Patricia Ward Kelly

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

18

Alice Cooper

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

19

Kate Tempest, spoken word performer Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

20

Tool

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

20

Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye)

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

From 21 Brisbane Comedy Festival 22

Five venues, City to Newstead

Summer Party, youth dance party, free Reddacliff Place, city

From 22 Marianna Simnett, Creature, exhibition Institute of Modern Art, Fortitude Valley 29

BrisAsia Sound

BEMAC, Kangaroo Point BNE January/February 2020 | 35

BOOKS

IMAGINE A Couple of Things Before the End

by Sean O’Beirne Bookseller and critic O’Beirne’s fiction debut takes the reader on a tour of old and new Australia, with a glimpse into the future, in an inventive collection of stories, from a female passenger’s encounter with a wild Barry Humphries on board a cruise ship in the 1950s to the Royals, refugees, ramblings of a demagogue and more (available from 4 February, Black Inc).

Love Letters from Montmartre

by Nicolas Barreau

Secrets AND lies Kirsten Alexander’s debut novel Half Moon Lake was inspired by a real-life case of a missing child and the two women who claim him to be theirs, and her latest novel, Riptides, once again dives deep into deception when siblings Charlie and Abby leave a pregnant woman to die following a car accident, rather than face the truth. Like a riptide they are pulled further and further into an abyss of their own creation.

The novel is set in the 1970s in Queensland where Alexander (above) was raised. “So many important things happened in Australia at that time – a string of natural disasters, social movements, the overthrow of a government that radically altered our health, education and cultural institutions.

It seemed like an era that was experienced differently in Australia than elsewhere and I wanted to look at how these huge changes both did and didn’t change the daily lives of everyday people,” she says.

Author Matthew Condon calls the book “an absolute tour de force, a tempest of a novel that examines the fragility and strength of family, the impacts of our decisions, truth and lies, loyalty and betrayal … I found Riptides simply unputdownable.”

Published 4 February (Bantam).

The story starts at the famous cemetery in Paris where our narrator Julien Azoulay, a writer of romance novels, has given up on love. He has lost his wife Helen but before she died she made him promise to write her 33 letters – one for every year of her life. These are those letters, an ode to love and Paris and full of charm for the true romantic (Hachette).

CHANGE Tiny Habits The Small Changes That Change Everything

by BJ Hogg Forget the latest exhausting fitness fad and resolutions that last only for a few weeks, according to research psychologist and founder of the Behaviour Design Lab BJ Hogg the answer to lasting change is to start small and focus on what is easy change and what you want to do, not what you should do. His Tiny Habits method shows how in this guidebook (Virgin).

Money School

by Lacey Filipich Lacey Filipich has been teaching strategies for financial independence for a decade through her education company Money School and she shares her lessons for building a passive income, from cutting costs without big sacrifice to property, shares and retirement funds, in her new book (available from 18 February, Penguin Life).

LEARN Bob Hawke

by Blanche d’Alpuget No matter what side of politics you are on Bob Hawke stands out in the electoral landscape.

He was the nation’s longest serving Labor Prime Minister and considered by many to be the greatest. The once wild drinking champion of workers, environmentalist and passionate leader became a folk hero. This is the complete biography by the woman who knew him most intimately, his second wife Blanche (Simon and Schuster).

Riding with Giants

by Peter Holmes à Court Nine years ago the international businessman and showbiz entrepreneur left the executive world behind to live in rural France with his seven-year-old twin girls and soon became immersed in preparing to ride L’Etape du Tour, the challenging amateur leg of the Tour de France. In the process he learned to slow down and understand the beauty and calm of a smallscale existence (from 21 January, Viking).

LAUGH Nothing to See Here

by Kevin Wilson How do you care for kids that spontaneously combust when they get agitated? Yep, flames actually ignite from their skin.

That’s the intriguing key to this hilarious novel that blends weird characters with the real emotions of caring for children, “marrying the fantastic with the domestic” wrote one reviewer. Prepare to laugh out loud (Text).

Maggie’s Going Nowhere

by Rose Hartley Actor and film-maker Miranda Tapsell called this debut novel “whip-smart and heartwarming” and it’s hard not to like Maggie Cotton even if she is a hot mess, dumped by her boyfriend, disinherited by her mum, and kicked off the three-year degree she’d stretched to a decade. And that was before she received the letter saying she owed the government $70,000 (Michael Joseph).

Find more books at news@bne, Aero and News Travels, Domestic Terminal Level 2; express@bne at Domestic Terminal Level 1; and News Travels at International Terminal Levels 2,3,4.

36 | BNE January/February 2020

DAY IN THE LIFE Jessica Chee departing for Singapore

UQ student Sandy Zhang on her way home to China for a holiday

Sara Garcia on her way home with her parents to Colombia after a holiday

Every year almost 24 MILLION travellers pass through BRISBANE AIRPORT terminals on their way to 85 CITIES accessible direct from BNE, and that is expected to grow when the NEW RUNWAY opens LATER THIS YEAR

Nick Bruce ready to depart for the US Steve Iuliano on his way to Melbourne for business

Sabina Buskens from Townsville in transit to Melbourne Zach Watts and Indiana Knight, from WA, arriving for a holiday

Lachlan Ward and Holly Lyons on their way to Hamilton Island

Photography by Mark Turner

Shane Bishop returning to Moura, Central Qld, following a cattle buying trip to Texas, USA

Wine consultant Leanne Wagner

BNE January/February 2020 | 37

BNE NEED TO KNOW

Enviro-friendly BUSES

A new fleet of electric buses transports passengers between Brisbane Airport terminals and Skygate retail precinct or the long-stay AIRPARK. The buses are quieter and better for the environment, reducing carbon emissions equivalent to taking 100 cars off the road each year. Interiors, too, have been designed with travellers in mind, with plenty of luggage racks, three fullsized double doors for easy entry and exit and GPS next-stop announcements.

Brisbane Airport is the first Australian airport to introduce a fleet of 11 electric buses for passengers and services operating between the Domestic and International Terminals from 4am to 11pm daily; between the terminals and Skygate from 6.30am (weekdays, and from 8.30am weekends) to 6pm; and 24/7 between terminals and AIRPARK. Terminal Transfer Bus services are free. For timetables see www.bne.com.au/passenger/to-and-from/terminal-transfers

TRANSPORT OPTIONS AT BRISBANE AIRPORT PASSENGER PICK-UP ZONES

TERMINAL TRANSFERS Passengers transferring between the terminals can travel via the free Transfer Bus which departs at regular intervals from Level 2 International Terminal and Level 1 Domestic Terminal. See www.bne.com.au 38 | BNE January/February 2020

BNE PARKING Convenient, secure and undercover short and long-term parking is available within walking distance to both terminals. For more information about special offers and full product offering including valet, car washing, AIRPARK and more see www.bne.com.au

RIDE SHARE PICK-UP ZONES Look for the signs indicating Pre-Booked Express and Ride Booking (Ride Share) zones outside each terminal.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT TransLink is the local bus, ferry and train public transport network stretching north to Gympie, south to Coolangatta and west to Helidon. For information and timetables see www.translink.com.au or call 13 12 30.

TRANSPORT BOOKINGS Image: Uber

Domestic Terminal: A dedicated pick-up waiting area provides free parking for the first 30 minutes for drivers arriving to collect passengers from Domestic Terminal, located beside the P2 long term car park and accessed from Dryandra Road. Passengers can contact the driver when they are ready for collection and the driver can proceed to the pick-up location. For easy how to use instructions see www.bne.com.au International Terminal: The dedicated passenger pick-up area for international arrivals is located at ground level at the northern end of the International Terminal. It is accessible only to drivers collecting passengers who are ready and waiting at the kerb.

Alternatively, waiting areas with longer parking options can be found at the pick-up waiting area accessible from Dryandra Road (up to 30 minutes), Skygate shopping and dining precinct or Kingsford Smith Memorial (both up to two hours), all just minutes from International Terminal.

Drivers collecting passengers with a disability or mobility limitation from International Terminal can stop in accessible waiting bays on the Level 4 ‘Departures’ Road.

Domestic Terminal: On the central road between the taxi pick-up and passenger drop-off on either side of the Skywalk.

International Terminal: Outside the terminal at the southern end on ground level.

A Brisbane Airport access fee of $4 applies to all pick-ups from the Ride Booking zones, which will be added to your booking by your ride sharing service. For location maps see www.bne.com.au/to-from-brisbane-airport/ transport-options

Coach, rail, limousine and corporate car bookings can be made at the Visitor Information Centre, Level 2 International Terminal or Level 1 Domestic Terminal.

TAXIS AND AIRTRAIN Taxi ranks International Terminal Level 2, kerbside Domestic Terminal Level 1, kerbside Airtrain provides regular rail links between Brisbane Airport, Brisbane city, Gold Coast and TransLink network as well as terminal transfers. Tickets available in the terminal or at the station.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRES For information about accommodation, tours, transfer tickets and general enquiries, Visitor Information Centres are located on Level 2 International Terminal and Level 1 Domestic Terminal Central Area.

LOCAL AMENITIES

CURRENCY EXCHANGE Travelex currency exchange and transfer facilities are on Levels 2, 3 and 4 International Terminal.

Skygate is Brisbane Airport’s retail and dining precinct, a short free ride on the Transfer Bus from the terminals. There are more than 160 stores, including brand-name factory outlets, a 24/7 supermarket, hairdresser, gym, restaurants, chemist, medical clinic, hotel, beauty services, barber, tavern and golf leisure centre.

BAGGAGE LOCKERS

AIRPORT ambassadors Welcoming volunteers are available to answer questions and offer directions to visitors within Brisbane Airport’s Domestic and International Terminals. Look for ambassadors wearing bright blue shirts if you need assistance and our team of Chinese-speaking ambassadors wear red shirts.

TAX REFUND SCHEME (TRS) The TRS enables international travellers to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) that you pay on goods bought in Australia. For details see passenger information at www.bne.com.au If your purchase is part of your carry-on luggage: The TRS office is located past security and passport control, just to the right of the Lotte Duty Free entrance.

If your purchase is packed in luggage you intend to check: Before you check-in your luggage make your way to the Australian Border Force Client Services Office, located on Level 1 International Terminal. For further information call 1300 363 263 or see www.customs.gov.au

TOUR BRISBANE AIRPORT Do you have a question about the new runway?

Would you like to go ‘behind-the-scenes’ of airport operations? Brisbane Airport hosts free tours for community groups. Find out more at www.bne.com.au/tours

ROTARY CLUB OF BRISBANE AIRPORT The club is a vibrant group of professionals with a shared passion to support the local community who meet weekly and new members are always welcome.

For details see www.bneairportrotary.com

Find small, medium and large lockers for short and long-term hire at the terminal entrance to the public car park at International Terminal, at either end of Domestic Terminal, or next to the bus stop at Skygate.

DISABILITY ACCESS Airlines are responsible for assisting passengers with disabilities within terminals.

Passengers should refer to their airline’s policies prior to booking their ticket.

Dedicated Changing Places bathroom facilities for the use of travellers with special needs are located on the central ground floor area of Domestic Terminal (near Qantas baggage carousel 3) and on Level 4, International Terminal, near Flight Centre.

Facilities for assistance animals are available at International Terminal Level 3 Departures and Domestic Terminal Level 2 Central Area.

POLICE For assistance at Brisbane Airport telephone 13 12 37.

LOST PROPERTY International Terminal Visitor Information Centre, Level 2; call (07) 3406 3190 or email international@sqt.com.au

Domestic Terminal Enquiries first to airlines –

Qantas (gates 1-25) call +61 7 3867 3264 Virgin Australia (gates 38-50) call +61 7 3114 8150 Jetstar (gates 26-36) call + 61 7 3336 1752 Tigerair email ttbne.ops@aerocare.com.au before contacting Visitor Information Centre, Level 1; call (07) 3068 6698 or email domestic@sqt.com.au

Car parks and buses

Contact Visitor Information Centre as above.

WiFi access

Brisbane Airport has the fastest uncapped free WiFi in Australia available at International and Domestic Terminals.

BNE IT ALL BEGINS HERE

Seoul

CHINA

South Korea

Tokyo (Narita) and Tokyo (Haneda)* Japan

Shanghai (Pudong)

Guangzhou

China

China

Shenzhen China

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Hong Kong

Abu Dhabi

Bangkok

United Arab Emirates

Taipei Taiwan

China

Manila

Thailand

Philippines

Kuala Lumpur

Bandar Seri Begawan

Malaysia

Singapore

Brunei

Nauru Nauru

Singapore

Port Moresby

Munda Honiara

Papua New Guinea

Denpasar

Solomon Islands

Indonesia

5 8

Espiritu Sa Vanuatu

Port Vila Vanuatu

Noumea

BRISBANE

New Caledonia

Auckland

New Zealand

Wellington

New Zealand

Christchurch

New Zealand

Queenstown New Zealand

Dunedin

New Zealand

Destinations DIRECT FROM BRISBANE

AirAsia

Air Canada

Aircalin

40 | BNE January/February 2020

Air Niugini

Air New Zealand

Alliance Airlines

Air Vanuatu

China Airlines

Cathay Pacific

China Southern Airlines China Eastern Airlines

Etihad

Emirates

Fiji Airlines

Eva Air

Fly Corporate

Australia’s largest domestic network

CANADA

Domestic destinations

Vancouver

Canada

San Francisco* USA

Chicago* USA

Los Angeles USA

Honolulu

USA

USA

Darwin

Apia

Cairns

Samoa

Cloncurry

anto

Mt Isa

Port Hedland

Longreach

Nadi Fiji

Uluru

Perth

Moranbah Barcaldine

Blackall

Alice Springs

Townsville

Emerald

Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) Hamilton Island Mackay Rockhampton Gladstone

Biloela Bundaberg Windorah Charleville Fraser Coast (Hervey Bay) Birdsville Roma Miles Quilpie BRISBANE St George Toowoomba Thargomindah Cunnamulla Norfolk Island Moree Inverell Narrabri Coffs Harbour Tamworth Armidale Dubbo Port Macquarie

Adelaide

Newcastle Orange Sydney Lord Howe Island Wollongong Canberra Melbourne

Launceston Hobart

* Coming in February (San Francisco), March (Tokyo, Haneda) and April (Chicago) 2020. Map not to scale. Airlines and destinations current at time of print.

Hainan Airlines

Jetstar

Hawaiian Airlines

Malaysia Airlines Korean Air

Nauru Airlines Malindo Air

Qantas/ QantasLink Philippine Airlines

Royal Brunei Airlines Rex

Singapore Airlines Samoa Airways

Thai Airways Solomon Airlines

Virgin Australia Tigerair

BNE January/February 2020 | 41

ESCAPE EXTRA

A day in the Mary Valley More than 152 years after the gold rush put Gympie on the map, the quiet Mary Valley is being rediscovered by visitors and the new attraction is the richness of its local produce, writes Kerry Heaney Steaming towards Gympie

Two hours drive north of Brisbane and 40 minutes inland from the Sunshine Coast’s famous beaches it’s a patchwork of rolling green hills, curious cows, free-range pigs and pastured chickens.

Country roads are dotted with farm gate stalls and charming cafés serving home-made dishes made with fresh produce from their neighbours. Here’s a sample itinerary for a delicious day out …

9.30am Breakfast at Kandanga Kitchen Bec Edmonds and Trent Kirkwood serve up a seasonal menu at Kandanga Kitchen which uses chemical-free produce sourced from Kandanga Farm and farmers within a 10-kilometre radius of the café who practise ethical farming. You can taste the difference in their truffled mushrooms, crisp bacon, heirloom tomatoes and sweet potato bread. Open Thursday to Sunday, 8.30am-2.30pm.

See www.kandangakitchen.com.au

10.30am Browsing at Kandanga Farm Store Right next door to the café farmers Amber and Tim Scott provide an eclectic selection of goods from farm-to-fork, from a perfect mixing bowl to the fruits of their harvest including fresh vegetables, tempeh, ferments, local meat and more. It’s just a seven-minute drive from Kandanga to Amamoor Station. See www.kandangafarmstore.com.au

11am Board the Mary Valley Rattler From Amamoor Station the heritage train follows the original route taken by early settlers, farmers and gold miners and although much of the original track has been replaced, some still dates from 1914.

12noon Lunch at Number 1 Station Café Bec Edmonds at Kandanga Kitchen

The café at historic Gympie Station is a perfect place for lunch while the train turns around for the return journey to Amamoor at 1.30pm.

3.00pm Bunya Grove Produce Mick and Kylie Carr’s chooks live in converted caravans which are regularly moved to new pasture where the hens roam free protected by their own Maremma guard dog. The Carrs produce ethically raised food including chicken and pork, duck eggs and sweet persimmons (coming in to season from late February to April), as well as jam, chutney and paste, and honey. Call Kylie ahead (Tel: 0400 778 160) to arrange a time to buy direct from their farm shed (bring an esky) or find their products at Noosa Farmers Market. See www.bunyagroveproduce.com.au

4pm Amamoor Lodge Christine and Malcolm Buckley made their tree change to Mary Valley six years ago and welcome guests along with Chester, the DOG (Director of Greetings). Renovated workmen’s barracks and newer extensions in the heritage style make up the B&B homestead and self-catering studios on the property today and Malcolm rustles up an impressive country breakfast from locally sourced products that can be eaten on the veranda with views of the valley beyond.

Bunya Grove persimmons

Mary Valley Rattler trains run Tuesday to Sunday. For details see www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au

All aboard the Tasting Train

Tasting Train to buffet lunch

Local celebrity chef Matt Golinski is a champion of the community’s producers and has created a tasting menu that is now a feature on a special journey on the Red Rocket, one of the historic trains that has been restored and clickety-clacks its way along the track from Gympie to Amamoor each week.

“This is one of the most fertile farm areas in Australia – you can grow just about everything from meat and dairy to exotic fruits, vegetables and herbs, and it is a wonderful way to experience an actual taste of the Mary Valley,” he says.

The Tasting Train departs from the restored Gympie Station every Tuesday at 11am and the journey takes about an hour to travel 20km each way in The Red Rocket. It was this railmotor model dating back to the 1920s that first became known as the ‘Mary Valley Rattlers’ which is now applied to all the services operating on the line.

On board a tasting plate is served to savour on the way with bite size samples of the seasonal produce – including macadamia nuts, Matt’s take on a Scotch egg and relish from local Petersen’s Farm, home of the popular CC’s Kitchen gourmet products.

At Amamoor Station lunch is served buffet style with salads, bread, cold meats, frittata and fruits from the free-range farms in the region before the return journey to Gympie, arriving back at the station at 2pm.

Heather McWhinnie

BRISBANE REGION MAP

We respectfully acknowledge the Turrbal people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which Brisbane Airport stands, and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. *The general locations of larger Indigenous language groups of South East Queensland on this map are indicative only, based on the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia published by Aboriginal Studies Press.

Map illustration by Eun-Young Lim. Map is not to scale or exact and an indication only.

BNE January/February 2020 | 43

SPOILT FOR CHOICE AT B R I S B A N E A I R P O R T

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