BNE Magazine - Issue 20

FR EE YO M UR AG AZ IN E

ISSUE #20 MAY/JUNE 2017

GIRLS GETAWAY IN

KUALA LUMPUR

ROAD tripping in the RED centre

6

NEW SEASON STYLE TRENDS

FOODIE ADVENTURES OUT OF TOWN

Elizabeth Debicki

Goddess of the Galaxy

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

CONTENTS Q

ueensland may be known as the Sunshine State but in winter we do get snow. In the Granite Belt , just a few hours drive south west of Brisbane, it’s that very cold climate that produces some of Australia’s best wine (see page 30) and an excuse to sit in front of a log fire or to enjoy brisk walks in the country and the hearty fare being served up by a new generation of cafépreneurs in the west (page 24). Now is also the time to plan a trip to the Red Centre before the lights go out on Bruce Munro’s Field of Light installation near Uluru, a display extended only until March 2018. There are good reasons to get out closer to home, too, and discover a different side to the city as the Anywhere Theatre Festival takes over spaces from espresso bars to scout halls and substations for some indie entertainment (see page 7). Read on and plan...

24 18 22 28

CONTENTS 5

Brisbane Airport News

BNE best in Australia and Pacific; new non-stop flights to Hong Kong and more

7

Brisbane Insider

Indigenous youth explore the arts; Anywhere Theatre Festival; and who to watch at Brisbane Racing Carnival

8

Goddess of the Galaxy

FOOD & DRINK 28 Get outta town

Foodies should hit the road to savour some of Queensland’s best festivals

30 Gourmet treasures to go

Tasty treats that make great gifts

Stars of tomorrow dance in Wonderland while the world’s best perform exclusively in Brisbane

10

Let’s make a difference

Chris Rock, Alan Cumming and the superheroes of anime are in the spotlight

Three entrepreneurs who already are

STYLE 12 New season trends

The pieces that should be in your wardrobe this winter

ESCAPE 14 Kuala Lumpur

New flights make it a fun new girls getaway

18

Light shines on Red Centre

There’s more than Uluru to discover on a road trip in Australia’s Red Centre

24

Why the west is cool

Temperatures may plummet west of Brisbane but the region is a hot winter break

34

WHAT’S ON 32 Music and dance

Aussie star Elizabeth Debicki rules in her latest movie role and she’s on a fast track

to the top of the A-list in Hollywood

20

34

35

Comedy, cabaret and cosplay

Events calendar Find out what’s happening around the city here

MY BRISBANE 36 Sam Strong

Queensland Theatre artistic director

GALLERY 39 Day in the life

People in transit at Brisbane Airport

NEED TO KNOW 38 Helpful information for

visitors to Brisbane Airport

40 43

Destination map Brisbane metro map

BNE magazine is published bi-monthly

by Brisbane Airport Corporation Brisbane Airport Corporation Media and Corporate Communications Manager: Leonie Vandeven Managing Editor: Heather McWhinnie email: editor@bnemagazine.com.au Designer: Stephen Bryett Advertising sales: Chris May, call 0401 312 312 or email: advertising@bnemagazine.com.au ©2017 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.

BRISBANE AIRPORT NEWS

Helping hand from currency collection

Brisbane Airport’s foreign currency collection globes, located within the International Terminal, have raised funds to help Brisbane man Johaan Kaa be fitted with new limbs after he contracted a meningococcal infection more than two years ago. Brisbane Airport Corporation has donated $40,000 to Kaa which will contribute to the cost of a new ‘bionic’ arm.

While he is still some way from being able to meet the cost of the high tech arm, which can be as high as $90,000, Kaa has a temporary prosthetic and the keen golfer has been able to swing a club again for the first time in more than two years thanks to a local firm that has made him a special club attachment. Paul Hodgkinson from Coorparoo-based Model Consultants International is also working on a prototype hand (pictured below) for Kaa to trial.

Kaa travels throughout south east Queensland as a public speaker – and helps others raise funds for their own causes. In September he plans to walk 10km alongside Bill Tindall who will be running solo from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast to raise funds for the Morcombe Foundation and already hundreds of students have pledged to join him.

Qantas opens new lounge Qantas has opened its new Domestic Business Lounge and Premium Lounge Entry at Brisbane Airport as part of the airline’s multi-million dollar upgrade across both terminals.

It opened its new lounge at the International Terminal in October last year and the final stage of the upgrade program will be complete when a refurbished Qantas Club and new Chairman’s Lounge opens at the Domestic Terminal later this year. Valet facilities will also be revamped to provide direct access to the terminal and Premium Lounge Entry.

The new Premium Lounge Entry is a first for Qantas and offers top tier Frequent Flyers an exclusive check-in area, bag drop, security screening and escalator with direct access to the new Lounge Precinct. The Domestic Business Lounge is bigger than before with a seating capacity of more than 350 and dining options include a ‘cantina’ serving fresh Mexican dishes.

Barista coffee is served all day, a wine bar is open from midday and a new ‘Quench hydration station’ offers non-alcoholic drinks such as a signature tisane blend and infused water.

Of course, there’s a work zone with wireless printing, power and data outlets throughout, Wi-Fi, TVs with Foxtel and even shower suites.

Top team at BNE Travellers have voted Brisbane Airport (BNE) a winner in the 2017 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

The airport won Best Airport in Australia/Pacific Region and Best Airport Staff Service in Australia/ Pacific Region at the global awards announced in Amsterdam. Brisbane Airport also rose higher in the ranks of World’s Top 100 Airports, to #16 in the world and to #5 in the category of 20-30 million passengers. It is the second time Brisbane Airport has won each award and in his congratulations Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, said: “It underlines how much Brisbane Airport continues to improve standards of customer service to be recognised with these awards.” The results were calculated from almost 14 million survey responses received between July 2016 and February 2017 from more than 100 different nationalities about their experiences with airport check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

Non-stop to Hong Kong this summer

In response to growing demand for business and leisure travel to Queensland, Cathay Pacific will increase capacity and add more non-stop services between Hong Kong and Brisbane next summer. From late October to March the airline will operate 11 non-stop flights between the two cities. The new flights will also provide even better connectivity to onward destinations such as London. The new services will operate from 29 October 2017 to 24 March 2018. For details see www.cathaypacific.com.au BNE May/June 2017 | 5

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BRISBANE INSIDER

RACING to a RECORD When the Brisbane Racing Carnival kicks off on 13 May our bets will be on Jeff Lloyd, the Queensland jockey who is on a winning streak to break all records for riding the most winners in a season. He has already surpassed the previous record for metropolitan race wins and is on track for state and national titles as well, just as Carnival fever hits its stride in Brisbane. It’s a dream come true for the 55-year-old, and nothing short of a brilliant comeback, after Lloyd suffered a stroke following a fall at Doomben five years ago. Already his kids have taken to calling him ‘the GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time). But Lloyd is not the only thing to watch during Brisbane Racing Carnival – there will be seven Group 1 races over the Carnival, fashion competitions at every major race day over five Saturdays, a masquerade ball at Eagle Farm, a high tea in the city at Sofitel Brisbane and more. For details see www.brc.com.au

Ready for Anywhere If you were a candy what would you be? A Skittle, a Starburst, an Everlasting Gobstopper?

And what does that say about your personality?

When writer/producer/director/choreographer/ performer (and part-time pilates instructor) Jenny Usher was writing a new show for her merry band of players (known as the Candy Shop Show) those were just the questions she tried to answer in creating ‘characters’ for Sugar, Sugar!, a show which celebrates everything sweet and will be performed as part of Anywhere Theatre Festival in May. Usher’s troupe of part-time players, Sheree Fitzgerald, Maureen Bowra, Ella Heijnen, Natalie Renouf (pictured above with Usher), will sing, dance and joke their way through a tribute to the sweet songs from the ’50s to the ’80s on board the paddlewheeler Kookaburra Queen on Brisbane River and at the Imperial Hotel in Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast – just two of more than 100 locations where

festival events will be staged.

The venues are key to the Anywhere Theatre Festival as a condition to participate is that artists perform or exhibit their work anywhere but inside a theatre or a gallery.

“We believe you don’t need a theatre to present theatre,” says festival founder Paul Osuch. “Storytelling began as something we did around camp fires and over time it has been ghettoed inside traditional theatre venues. We believe we need to stop creating theatres where people “go” for live performance. Storytelling and performance needs to happen anywhere.”

The result of that vision is that more than 700 pop-up performances will take place across some unusual venues, from ‘Songs from a Midwife’ in a hospital to comedy in a sausage factory and music sessions in a laundromat in Brisbane, and more in centres across the state.

Anywhere Theatre Festival is on 4-21 May. View the program at www.anywherefest.com

YOUTH UNSETTLED Queensland Museum’s Digi Youth Arts program is off to a flying start with its first project completed and two street art murals, created for Brisbane’s Street Art Festival earlier this year, are now displayed in the Whale Mall.

Next up, a new band of Indigenous and Torres Strait Island students, based in Brisbane, will stage a new original play called Anthro Apology as part of Anywhere Theatre Festival in May. Digi Youth Arts director Alethea Beetson and a team of mentors work with the students to develop their projects which all respond to Indigenous

issues and how they are represented in some way.

With the universal theme ‘unsettle’ Digi Youth Arts is also working with regional communities in Far North Queensland to produce a film that will be screened in June, followed by dance and music projects to be performed during the course of the group’s residency at Queensland Museum until April 2018. Digi Youth Arts is also working with La Boite Theatre Company to participate in its HWY program this year.

Anthro Apology is on at Queensland Museum 20 May. See www.anywherefest.com

BNE May/June 2017 | 7

COVER STORY

GODDESS There is no one like her. She has an incredible generosity of spirit. I love her to pieces and have infinite respect for her as an artist.

Photography, this page and cover: Michael Rowe/Getty Images

– Cate Blanchett

10 8 || BNE BNEMay/June September/October 2016 2016

OF THE GALAXY Elizabeth Debicki’s star is on a meteoric rise, a trajectory that began even before she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe

T

he flawless alabaster skin, chiselled cheekbones, regal stature, cool demeanour. It’s not hard to imagine Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki as a goddess, or high priestess as she is officially called, in the latest Marvel comic adaptation Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in cinemas now. Gold from head to toe, standing on platform shoes (even though she stands 188cm tall in bare feet) and surrounded by golden subjects, she is a magnificent Ayesha, ruler of the Sovereign planet.

Not surprisingly, canny film reviewers have already drawn Oscar connotations and the film’s writer and director James Gunn has joked that the look is “a subliminal message to the Oscar voters out there”. But while comic-book heroes, or villains, are yet to win such lofty awards Debicki is on a meteoric rise to the upper echelons of the A-list and has been marked as a name to watch.

Born in Paris and raised in Melbourne, Debicki was exposed to a lot of different kinds of theatre from an early age but she was barely out of drama school with just one small part in a local rom-com behind her when Baz Luhrmann was on the phone asking her to audition for The Great Gatsby. She joined the cast alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton as Jordan Baker in Gatsby’s inner circle. She admits it was the first real training in acting for the camera she had as her school, the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts, was very traditional and theatre-based. Immediately she won an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

It’s perhaps too obvious that she should be compared to Cate Blanchett and Debicki says that although she is flattered by such comments she dislikes the media’s need to attach labels to her. Nevertheless, Blanchett was a role model for her growing up and she confesses to feeling starstruck when she eventually got to work with her on stage in Sydney and on Broadway in The Maids, which also starred Isabelle Huppert. It was another great learning opportunity for Debicki who often turned up to rehearsal times when she wasn’t needed, just to watch her two co-stars in action. That role earned her a Helpmann award nomination.

Meanwhile Blanchett herself is full of praise for Debicki and has said, “There is no-one like her. She has an incredible generosity of spirit and an utterly unique combination of goofiness and self-possession. I love her to pieces and have infinite respect for her as an artist.”

Since then Debicki has become a sought-after actor with an international pedigree. She has appeared on stage in London (in The Red Baron), in films including Guy Ritchie’s Man from U.N.C.L.E, in Macbeth alongside Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and in Everest, which also starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin. On television she has earned equally high praise, and a Best Actress AACTA Award, for her lead role in Foxtel’s drama series The Kettering Incident, filmed in Tasmania, and received a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for her role in The Night Manager, the latest mini-series to captivate audiences on SBS. Debicki has been called “the most memorable performer in the piece”, a bold call when her co-stars in the John le Carré spy thriller are Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.

It’s not surprising, then, to anyone except Debicki, that a blockbuster franchise would soon come calling. “I completely didn’t expect it,” she says and, of course, she was thrilled. “I loved the first movie. I thought it was hilarious, clever and heartwarming and I loved the characters. I was just so happy to be involved.”

It’s also been one of the most successful movies from the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. The first instalment earned more than $700 million worldwide at the box office and a 91 per cent approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

Director James Gunn certainly wasted no time in casting her for Vol.2.

Like Baz Luhrmann he cast Debicki immediately after her audition, even though he already had someone in mind for the part (and he looked at hundreds of people before he cast Chris Pratt as Peter Quill). He wasn’t disappointed. He’s on record saying “she’s one of the greatest actors I’ve ever worked with”.

Beyond her work, you’re not likely to find out a lot about Debicki’s life. She is a very private person and she is not on social media, initially, she admits, because she didn’t really understand it and then because she didn’t think she was that interesting. But if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is anywhere near as successful as the first instalment and her star continues to rise along with the list of top notch roles on her resume, then that will surely change.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is on now. Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe is on at GOMA from 27 May to 3 September

BNE May/June 2017 | 9

FEATURE

let’s make a

difference Far from basking in their own success these entrepreneurs are determined to help others

When Pixie Weyand opened Lost Boys café in the heart of Fortitude Valley less than three years ago she had no backing and no industry experience and she says now that she feels pretty lucky the landlord had the confidence in her to lease her the space. However, it wasn’t long before the café, with its PeterPan look, its organic vegetarian menu and its carbon-neutral ethic, became a popular haunt and less than a year after she opened Weyand was already finding a way to help others. She did it by offering struggling touring musicians free food and coffee at the café.

Her initiative paid dividends in ways she didn’t anticipate and, as word of mouth spread, not only emerging artists were dropping in to her café but also indie 10 | BNE May/June 2017

musicians who were already on the rise – the likes of Rufus, Gang of Youths, Jarryd James and Meg Mac – as well as some of the biggest bands in the world, eager to support her cause.

For Weyand it’s just the start. Although she has since sold Lost Boys to focus on her latest business – rejuvenating The Zoo, an iconic live music venue almost across the road – Feed Music is still important to her and she has found other cafés, in Brisbane and interstate, who will take up the cause.

“My goal is to have cafés and restaurants across Australia participating so that, basically, artists can travel across the country and eat and drink for free,” she says, but she admits more needs to be done and she’s now

teamed up with friend, musician and start-up CEO Adrian Osman to take it further.

“We realised the problem goes far deeper than just providing food to musos. There are so many hurdles a muso faces before they make it. The cost of equipment, recording and touring is huge and the only way to make it is by sticking at it for years, if you can. No one makes money from record sales anymore, so artists rely mostly on live shows to stay afloat.”

For now Weyand and Osman are creating an app to help musicians connect with each other to help each other out while also providing exclusive offers from leading brands so they can save their hard-earned dollars and keep their focus on making great music.

Images: Pixie Weyand and Tamara Trentain by Eric Wang

Pixie Weyand

Tamara Trentain There’s no doubt that Tamara Trentain has made a difference to Brisbane-based meal plan company 5.4 which has soared to success delivering pre-packaged nutrient-specific meals to health conscious millennials. Since Trentain took a stake in the company turnover has skyrocketed more than 20-fold to $10 million annually, the delivery network has expanded beyond Queensland to Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne, and the number of employees has increased from four to more than 100 including contractors – achievements that have not gone unnoticed in the international business community. Hot on the heels of winning a Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Business Award for small business growth last year, 5.4 also won a gold Stevie Award (the equivalent of an Oscar in the business world) for fastest growing company of the year.

However, Trentain isn’t coasting on such success. There’s another important goal she’s yet to reach. After meeting Richard Branson as a member of the international Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (she is now president of the Brisbane chapter), she was inspired by his ethic to give back and encourages companies she’s

involved with to adopt the Buy One Give One principle. It’s more than a feel good hand out once the companies are making a profit. For 5.4 it’s been a commitment since Trentain joined the business that for every meal sold another is given to feed children in poverty through their support of the Hunger Project. Her goal is to reach 10 million meals – annually! So far they have reached three million and still counting.

It’s an ambitious goal and Trentain is determined to reach it but she acknowledges it’s a team effort and so she has two more critical goals she brings to every business she works with – there should be accessible pathways to leadership and each member of the team writes a bucket list every year and they help each other to fulfil it.

Such principles have seen Trentain’s staff achieve their own goals, whether it’s been to take a trip, meet a role model, or rise to their own business success. Her next challenge is to increase the female membership of the Entrepreneurs Organisation and she has initiated an accelerator program to give selected applicants access to a world of successful business leaders as their mentors.

Jock Fairweather

We have had a zero per cent fail rate.

We have never had a business start with us and fold

Even before Jock Fairweather opened co-working space Little Tokyo Two in 2014 he had already run a successful fashion business in Europe with the cream of couture, including Valentino and the now head of marketing of conglomerate LVMH on his board, and before that he had played representative sport before he left high school. So you could say he’s a high achiever.

When he returned to Brisbane it was a plan to help his mates achieve their own unfulfilled goals that finally took shape in the building that had housed the Little Tokyo restaurant in Spring Hill for 50 years. Serendipity played a hand.

When the opportunity to take over the building came up, Fairweather didn’t hesitate and for eight weeks he was on site with a mate working around the clock to complete the refurb. It opened with 10 of his friends and 10 more ‘members’ who shared Fairweather’s vision for a co-working space that offered more than just a desk to work from.

Now Fairweather’s Two Group runs four spaces from Springfield on the city fringe to the CBD which have become incubators for successful start-ups – and he’s got Big Enterprise knocking on the door wanting to be involved.

“In less than three years we’ve had a zero fail rate.

We’ve never had a business start with us and fold.

We’ve had 38 groups outgrow us which means

they have reached more than eight staff so we can’t host them any more and we’ve facilitated $50 million worth of projects. In all, we’ve supported more than 600 businesses across the four sites,” Fairweather says.

They maintain around a 95 per cent capacity across their permanent spaces in addition to the floating ‘hot desks’ on regular rotation for more flexible members. The Two Group vets members on personality and passion and staff stay in touch to ask them what they want to achieve, how they are going and what they need “and we help make it happen,” says Fairweather. “That sort of personal approach doesn’t happen anywhere else.

In one case we facilitated more than $400,000 worth of business for a member in the first week and over six months they paid probably about $600 to be here.”

The range of members is diverse, from tech start-ups to product developers, accountants, lawyers and artists, and the success stories growing, prompting the Two Group to ramp up the services it offers to small businesses with global aspirations. Its Thunder Lizards program has been created to provide more structured support, from mentoring high school students through business ideas to achieving specific outcomes for small businesses in return for a percentage of equity.

BNE May/June 2017 | 11

STYLE

new season trends TO WEAR NOW

WIDE LEGS Jac +Jack ‘Harvard’ blazer $749, ‘Claude’ pant $299.

Vince ‘Nadette’ pointed-toe flat $429.

All fashion from David Jones QueensPlaza, city and see www.davidjones.com.au/aw17

12 | BNE May/June 2017

As weather patterns become increasingly UNseasonable fashion is learning to adapt, showing a versatility that can transition through warm and balmy to chilly and wind-whipped – in just one day if necessary. The hit picks to meet such dynamic shifts, as seen in the new collections at David Jones, include BIG FLORALS, splashed on black but still soft in fabrication and shape; LEATHER with a more luxe look teamed with very feminine dresses; BLAZERS, double-breasted and brass-buttoned for a city-prep style; FLARED SLEEVES that loosen up the look of tops and tailored shifts; BOMBERS that drop their athletic look for a street-style edge – quilted, embroidered and embellished, reshaped and refreshed, subtle in jacquard and cotton, stand-out in silk and satin; and WIDE LEG PANTS that cut a soft silhouette, smartest in monotone from top to toe.

LUXE LEATHER Left: KITX by Kit Willow jacket $1299, dress $699, Stuart Weitzman boots $1550; Right: Manning Cartell jacket $799, dress $799, Camilla & Marc boots $699.

3 1 4 BIG FLORALS Thurley ‘Snapdragon’ print wrap dress $399.

BLAZERS REBORN Witchery doublebreasted blazer $279.95, lace-back knit tank $129.95, belted tailored pant $149.95.

Accessories from Mimco.

2

BOMBERS French Connection bomber jacket $149.95, flippy skirt $79.95, fur sneaker accessory $24.95, leather sneaker $129.95, clutch $79.95.

5

FLARED SLEEVES Seed ‘Flare’ sleeve dress in ink blue $169.95, ‘Pixie’ block heel mule $179.95.

BNE May/June 2017 | 13

ESCAPE

GIRLS GETAWAY IN

KUAL A LU M PU R Kuala Lumpur is a city of contrasts – from its multicultural temples to its multi-level shopping malls and sky-high cocktail bars – and new daily flights from Brisbane make it an easy getaway for girls who wanna have fun, writes Theodora Sutcliffe

14 | BNE May/June 2017

K

uala Lumpur is perhaps the most diverse city in South East Asia. It is far from short on monuments, from brightly coloured temples and towering golden Gods to the sprawling Jamek Mosque, and its mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures means it is a great city for anyone who enjoys good food – which is plentiful. For a girls getaway it has all the right ingredients of delicious food, great value shopping and a selection of bars that serve seriously good cocktails.

N IG HT ON E Now that new flights have been launched by Malindo Air it’s possible to depart Brisbane on a Wednesday morning and land in Kuala Lumpur just in time to drop the luggage and refresh before heading out to enjoy some sightseeing and cocktail sampling at the same time. The Petronas Towers are Kuala Lumpur’s most famous landmark, dominating the skyline at a soaring 88 storeys, and SkyBar, on the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel, offers a great view – along with free selected cocktails for ladies from 6pm-11pm every Wednesday night. Sip by the pool and plan the days ahead.

DAY ON E

The food in KL is a melting pot of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences

Exploring KL’s diverse culinary heritage is one of the city’s great adventures and we start with breakfast. It’s hard not to smile at the brilliantly-painted archways that greet us the second we arrive in Little India where Chat Masala (259 Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields) is highly recommended.

The soft and flaky roti canai or a classic masala dhosa feast of bread and spicy sauces fire us up for some serious bargain hunting (and the Indian sweets are good here too).

Next door Mangala Theebam is the Indian superstore to end all Indian superstores. I could spend hours browsing their spectacular sari collection which spans the gamut from richly jewelled affairs in shades of emerald and turquoise to simpler, lighter hues. From here, it’s an easy amble across Little India shopping for kohl, perfume, costume jewellery – whatever takes your fancy! – ending at Jalan Scott.

The Wei-Ling Gallery (8 Jalan Scott, Brickfields), with its antique-filled ground floor and modern art above, makes a fab quick culture stop while the vast and colourful Sri Kandaswamy Kovil temple down the road (3 Lorong Scott, Brickfields) is a must for the Instagram feed. By this time, we’re craving lunch and a local classic is Vishal Food & Catering (22 Jalan Scott), an unfussy street-style eatery that serves up Chettinad Tamil curries, from gentle dhal to fiery lamb and tangy tamarind-okra, dolloped around a mound of steaming rice on a banana leaf.

Staying with the Indian theme, we jump an Uber to the Batu Caves, less than 30 minutes out of town at Selangor, probably KL’s BNE May/June 2017 | 15

ESCAPE

Previous page, top: colourful arches in Little India; SkyBar on level 33 of the Traders Hotel serves up free cocktails on ladies night and a spectacular view of the landmark Petronas Towers. This page, from top: Sri Mahamariamman in Chinatown is Kuala Lumpur’s oldest Hindu temple; street food is everywhere and plentiful; Petaling Street Night Market is full of bargains – and fabulous fakes

contemporary takes on Chinese-Malaysian classics, in the city’s rapidly gentrifying Chinatown. Sri Mahamariamman (Jalan Tun H S Lee, Chinatown), KL’s oldest Hindu temple, and the colourful Taoist Guan Di Temple are an easy stroll, with stops in between at local boutiques. From here, it’s a nice walk to Coffee Amo (First floor, 54 Jalan Sultan, Chinatown), where cappuccinos and lattes come complete with 3D coffee art (and more Instagram snaps).

The Petaling Street Night Market doesn’t really get going until later, so there’s time to take a taxi back to Bukit Bintang for some bargain hunting, followed by lunch. Nagasari (Jalan Nagasari) is a great little Mamak – Malaysian-Indian – eatery serving classics such as sardine roti or nasi lemak, arguably Malaysia’s national dish, and traditional curries. Around the corner Jersey Jack Gelato (49 Jalan Berangan) has gloriously tropical ice-cream.

There’s upscale shopping in Bukit Bintang as well, but the great tech bargains are at Low Yat Plaza (7 Jalan Bintang), a six-storey electronics mall that’s the largest in Malaysia. High street brands are super-cheap at the Lot 10 shopping mall (50 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang), particularly for smaller-sized girls, and the Lot 10 Hutong food court is an amazing spot to try some of Malaysia’s favourite street-food vendors all in one place.

I avoid the touristy Central Market but the Petaling Street Night Market (Petaling Street, Chinatown) is in full flow by early evening where fabulous fakes, particularly sunglasses, draw cabin crew from around the world. There are bags and watches too and you shouldn’t need to haggle much to get a bargain.

Again, there are snacks aplenty here. The tangy fish-noodle soup served at the grungy No 1 Assam Laksa inside the market is another Malaysian classic, while Kim Lian Kee’s Hokkien Chinese noodles (56 Jalan Petaling) are famous and the beers are cold – a great spot to watch the world go by.

For me, a highlight of KL is its street food, but this thoroughly modern city has its sophisticated side too and we end the break as we started, on a high note, admiring the skyline views from Coppersmith (Level 23, The Troika, 19 Persiaran KLCC), a slick, contemporary craft cocktail bar and just above it there are four restaurants to choose from at Troika Sky Dining, where the likes of David Beckham have been spotted.

TOP 3 TRAVEL TIPS

most spectacular sight. The golden statues and brilliant temples at this limestone complex are magnificent in scale and worthy of more Instagram snaps before heading back to base to get ready for the night ahead.

In the central Ampang district we find more upscale Indian Chettinad cooking at Betel Leaf (77 Leboh Ampang, Ampang) where we feast on quail and crab before hitting one of Asia’s very best bars. At the well-hidden speakeasy Omakase & Appreciate (Ampang Bangunan Ming Annexe, Jalan Ampang, Ampang) the door says “no entry” in five languages! As well as their own creations they serve up favourites such as the Jungle Bird, a tropical cocktail created in KL in the 1970s.

It’s easy to spend the night in this little place but the strip of buzzing bars and clubs that line hectic, friendly Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang offers a change of pace. For night owls the Teochew Chinese restaurants at the top of Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah serve until 4 or 5am; Fong Wah Teochew Porridge (61 Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, Pudu) is one that dishes up delicious roast duck and razor clams into the wee hours.

DAY TWO Today’s the day to explore Kuala Lumpur’s Chinese side, starting with breakfast at Chocha Foodstore (156 Jalan Petaling), which serves 16 | BNE May/June 2017

TAKE TAXIS: While public transport isn’t bad, KL’s red taxis are cheap and reliable – check the driver will use the meter before you get in. Uber has great coverage, as does its South East Asian rival, Grab.

STAY IN AN APARTMENT: Airbnb and clones such as Roomorama have good coverage in Kuala Lumpur and are generally great value compared to multiple hotel rooms when you’re travelling with a gang. Look for locations in the centre of town rather than Petaling Jaya; Bukit Bintang is central and popular.

BUY A DATA PACKAGE: Don’t get saddled with killer roaming charges. You can pick up a MyMaxis SIM for just 10 MYR ($3). And data comes cheap too, you can buy 600MB of data for a week at 10 MYR ($3), or 2GB for a month at 30 MYR ($9).

Malindo Air flies daily between Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur via Denpasar (Bali). For service details see www.malindoair.com./au

ESCAPE

LIGHT SHINES ON

R ED CENTR E Belinda Jackson is lured back to Australia’s red heart and sees its beauty in a new light

The Olgas, Kata Tjuta National Park

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D

espite its remoteness, central Australia is the perfect location for a baby road trip for those who have their outback training wheels still on. It’s just a three-hour drive on sealed roads from Uluru and Kata Tjuta to Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park, and around four hours up to Alice Springs. In all, it makes for a cruisy week-long outback adventure along what’s known as the Red Centre Way. The game, while staying near Uluru, is to see it at sunrise and sunset from as many locations as possible, which means rising before dawn and a 20-minute drive out to ‘the Rock’. Yet, I discover one of the easiest views is on a small hill in the centre of Ayers Rock Resort, at the Imalung Lookout. We look one way to see the sun roasting Uluru blood red, then turn 180 degrees to see its often overlooked sister, Kata Tjuta, hiding in the shadows.

Kata Tjuta has always played the lesserknown sister to her more famous sibling but while Uluru is a single piece of stone, sprawling Kata Tjuta’s 36 domes are a more arresting sight, even if she’s harder to fit in the frame.

While you can jog the 10.6km Base Walk around the circumference of Uluru, it’s the quiet, secretive Valley of the Winds walk amidst Kata Tjuta’s inspiring domes that has me lacing my walking shoes. It’s possible to do the walk in stages, taking an hour, two hours or the full four-hour circuit. I take the middle option and the path to Karu, the first lookout, is a slow, low, easy climb and I’m cruising along in good time, with plenty of walking companions. But on the second leg to Karingana Lookout, all the walkers disappear and suddenly I’m alone with no sound but the wailing wind and wittering wrens. Suddenly all those Dreamtime stories I heard from the local Anangu people, back in the

security of the resort, come flooding back. The wind really is the breath of a vengeful snake, Wanambi, and it’s getting stronger, so I pick up the pace until I’m trotting the rough path back to my car like some crazy desert runner.

There’s no rest for overworked thighs on this trip – the next afternoon I’m up and astride a camel in a short chain. Hot-breathed Murphy, the last camel bringing up the rear, occasionally leans his great head in my lap, breathing heavily.

Once, he was one of the estimated half-million wild camels running amok in the centre of the country. Now, he’s a thorough gentleman and takes even the most fearful tourists out into the dunes.

Tonight, we’re aiming for the most unlikely of settings, the Field of Light, an art installation by British artist Bruce Munro which will remain in place until March 2018. About 50,000 light bulbs are planted into the red earth and glow unearthly shades as the sun drops below the horizon. Murphy and his friends deposit me atop a dune where a charming girl waits with a tray filled with glasses of sparkling wine, a prelude to the Night at the Field of Light dinner and a walk between the bulbs, beneath the stars and the black night.

On the road toward Kings Canyon the next day, there are no towns and few people, but there’s plenty to see: I find myself shopping for kitchy packets of bull dust and (more usefully) petrol at Curtain Springs Station, while getting a history lesson about the grit and determination required to start a cattle station from scratch.

Curtain Springs’ lands are home to another

The wind really is a vengeful snake and it’s getting stronger so I pick up the pace until I’m trotting back to my car

Bruce Munro’s Field of Light installation near Uluru

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ESCAPE newly renovated motel-style room. Its little veranda faces onto bushland sparkling with flowering shrubs, filled with trills of native birdsong.

The resort is the closest accommodation to the canyon and the next morning, in the cool of the desert dawn, I start the 6km Rim Walk around the canyon. The track starts with a steep climb up a rock staircase and later spirals back down, down, down into the Garden of Eden, a waterhole amidst the ancient rock – a rich, green oasis hemmed in by high walls of orange stone.

The canyon is capped with beehive-like rock formations known as the Lost City – they resemble an ancient civilisation, abandoned and slowly sinking back into the ground from which they were born. The geologists put the canyon at 440 million years old and the local Luritja people have lived at its fringe for 20,000 years, as Luritja woman Christine, at the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience, told me while skilfully toasting a witchetty grub. (“Buttery, nutty, these are the best,” she

Discover Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a self-drive road trip between Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs; a camel trek from Ayers Rock Resort to a sunset viewing of the Field of Light; bush tucker sampled from Ayers Rock Resort and a spectacular view of Kings Canyon

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dramatic rock formation, Mt Conner or ‘Atila’, to use its name in the local Pitjantjatjara language. But its nickname is ‘Fooleru’, because its similar height tricks first-timers into thinking they’ve seen its famous cousin, 100km down the road. Driving east of Uluru, we pull into Curtain Springs Lookout to admire the audacity of Atila’s deception, then climb a red sand hill across the road to discover a series of shimmering salt lakes stretching to the horizon.

There has been plenty of rain in central Australia before my visit (and more good downpours are forecast this year) so the roadside has been transformed into fields of multi-coloured wildflowers and impromptu rock pools of fresh rainwater that catch the sky, reflecting it like a mirror.

Turning north off Lasseter’s Highway, it’s only a couple of hours on to our next digs at Kings Canyon Resort and we pass just a handful of cars. Scarcity brings camaraderie and we exchange cheery, open-handed waves through windscreens.

The tourist scene around Watarrka, or Kings Canyon, is as unstructured as Ayers Rock Resort is organised, with a handful of accommodation scattered on the fringe of the George Gill Range, of which the canyon is part. At Kings Creek Station I spy basic camping spots and pop in to pat a baby camel at the working cattle and camel station. There’s a special coo of admiration at the station’s new glamping (‘glamorous camping’) tents, complete with a pool made with outback innovation and an old shipping container.

Twenty minutes away, at Kings Canyon Resort, we throw our bags in a comfortable,

Impromptu rock pools of fresh rainwater catch the sky, reflecting it like a mirror

DON’T MISS

1

The Red Centre Way is the driving route between Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs.

You can download stories about the region at www.nt.gov.au/westmacs

2

British artist Bruce Munro’s strange, beautiful, curious Field of Light installation of 50,000 LED bulbs glows at the foot of Uluru, in situ until March 2018. See www.ayersrockresort.com.au/ uluru/fieldoflight

3

Start the conversation of life beneath the stars on a fun astronomy tour at the sustainable technology and renewable energy Earth Sanctuary just outside Alice Springs.

See www.earth-sanctuary.com.au

4 5

Alice Springs’ Parrtjima Festival of Light celebrates Indigenous art and the landscape from which it was born, from 22 September to 1 October 2017. For more information see www.parrtjimaaustralia.com.au The Rim Walk around Kings Canyon takes about two to three hours to complete, with plenty of steps. However, the gentler flat Creek Walk is an easy hour-long stroll at the canyon’s base.

See www.kingscanyonresort.com.au

Parrtjima festival lights up the MacDonnell Ranges

promises. And they are.)

After a hot climb back down the canyon’s ridge, heaven is found in the resort’s freshwater pool and the slow swimmer shares the water with bright, tiny birds that dive for insects on the pool’s cusp. The best viewing spot for sunset over the George Gill Range is also the easiest to find – we just look for the drinks trolley set on a wooden platform at the resort. With a chilled glass in hand, we join the crowds to watch the range roll through the colour wheel from bright orange to dark purples and into a soft dove grey as night closes in.

Back on the road, Central Australia’s most famous outpost is the town of Alice Springs, a four-hour drive – give or take how much you like to stickybeak. The day we hit town, all the talk is about Parrtjima, the town’s first ever Indigenous art festival (back this year from 22 September to 1 October), which projects light shows along 2.5km of the beautiful West MacDonnell Ranges. Most exciting for me, visitors to the festival can design their own light show and see it displayed on this 300 millionyear-old canvas.

The mountain range was made famous by Australia’s most beloved Indigenous painter, Albert Namatjira, who lived and painted their beautiful faces. His descendants, of which there are many, all seem to have been born with a paintbrush in hand to form what’s now called

the Hermannsburg School, and we meet them at work in their Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Arts Centre. The artists painted a series of massive ‘skirts’, canvases wrapped like a beach umbrella or 1950s skirts, while a fat, giant, illuminated caterpillar was designed by local children.

Alice has grown up in the years since I last visited, with a healthy café culture on its central strip, Todd Mall. Fancy a spiced chai latte? Or perhaps an avocado smash? The cafés oblige. They’re interspersed with shops selling Indigenous art from the surrounding regions.

After nearly a week in central Australia, I can appreciate that those seemingly empty stretches of desert are the source of inspiration for the beauty found in Alice’s galleries. The carvings, weavings and canvases are drawn from remote Indigenous artist centres scattered across four states, unhindered by such bureaucratic constructs as borders.

Red earth, blue sky, a sea of golden wildflowers and the rich orange cliffs that the sun uses as its canvas. It’s an ancient story, but one I’ll never tire of hearing.

QantasLink flies direct between Brisbane and Alice Springs twice a week. For details see www.qantas.com BNE May/June 2017 | 21

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ESCAPE

WHY THE

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Ground Up Espresso

Bis mi, quatatium cullam eum et que nat qui niametur? Qui cus acit, culpa quiam a parunti Toowoomba is the gateway to Queensland’s fertile southern country farmland, but a community with a creative spirit is also flourishing

Street art by Adnate 24 | BNE May/June 2017

T

The 3rd Monkey

oowoomba has long been known as Queensland’s Garden City, home to the annual Carnival of Flowers that announces spring every year with a festival of flora, food and entertainment that lasts for 10 days and draws visitors from across the state.

It’s also one of the state’s coolest cities – and not just because temperatures can plummet to below 10°C in winter (record lows have seen that drop below -4°C). The city is now the largest outdoor ‘art gallery’ in Queensland, displaying 57 murals which have rejuvenated laneways and streetscapes into thriving social hubs.

Local artists Ian McCallum and Grace Dewar, co-directors of local creative space Kontraband Studios, have been instrumental in the change, organising Queensland’s first street art festival ‘First Coat’ three years ago in conjunction with Toowoomba Regional Council. So far the festival has attracted some of Australia’s leading graffiti artists such as Sofles, Fintan Magee, Matt Adnate and Vans the Omega as well as others from the US, Netherlands, UK, New Zealand and Italy, and more will feature in this year’s festival from 19 to 21 May. While the city has not lost any of its country charm, it has found a new lease on life as businesses utilise previously overlooked spaces in the heart of the city, providing a colourful backdrop to a flourishing café and bar culture.

First Coat’s map of murals (see online at www.firstcoat.com.au) provides an ideal guide for a walking tour of Toowoomba’s inner city, turning up hidden gems such as Ground Up Espresso on the colourful Searles Walk (just off Ruthven Street). What started as a storeroom espresso bar is now a favourite local haunt for all-day breakfast and delicious pastries washed down with a Toby’s Estate brew.

Lindra and Josh Budeman also started small, with a food stall at a local festival which was so successful they decided to take the leap to open a permanent diner in Club Lane (off Margaret Street). The pair, who moved to Toowoomba from Melbourne, transformed a nondescript warehouse into Skewers where they serve up their signature Indonesian street food accompanied by local wines, craft beers and cider.

Words: Nathan Hall and Heather McWhinnie

Brews of the Granite Belt

The city has not lost any of its country charm but it has found a new lease on life The taste for Asian food is booming in Toowoomba and Club Lane in particular has become quite an eat street with Skewers flanked by Royal Asian and Thai Majestic, adding to popular Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants in the city.

But the newest neighbour in Club Lane has become an instant hit – The 3rd Monkey is a sweet treat open every day until late and it has been recently voted Toowoomba’s best dessert bar.

Also open late is Muller Bros (25 Bell Street), a café, restaurant and rooftop bar in a rejuvenated Federation building that was once home to a gun shop and hardware store, motorcycle workshop, secondhand retail and a book store. Its food specialty is another surprise – Brazilian barbecue – perhaps a subtle reference to the explorer who ‘discovered’ Toowoomba, English botanist Allan Cunningham who arrived in the area after an expedition to Brazil and named the rich farming land bordered by the Great Dividing Range ‘Darling Downs’.

Cafés like Little Seed by Firefly (100 Russell Street), established in a converted workshop with exposed brick walls, a mural (naturally), eclectic furniture and trailing plants (and there’s a herb garden out the back), are champions of the local farming community, choosing locally sourced, ethical and sustainable produce and, as advocates of ‘conscious eating’, Little Seed owners Jess and Asher Andrews have recently taken a big leap to focus on a menu of vegan dishes.

Meanwhile, Fiona May has been a driving force behind bringing the farm experience closer to the city, establishing the Toowoomba Farmers Market (twice a month) and opening up her farm for the Paddock to Potager experience where visitors can collect eggs, harvest fresh food, have close encounters with farm animals, attend workshops and learn about farm life, about 30 minutes drive from Toowoomba (176 Merritts Creek Road, Pechey).

Jondaryan Woolshed, the largest operating woolshed in the world, also about 30 minutes drive from Toowoomba, has been preserved by the local community to offer a glimpse into farming life the way it was in the pioneering days of the 1840s. In its heyday it was a massive pastoral station where 250,000 sheep were sheared each season. Today the Woolshed plays host to old time dances and special events and visitors can take self-guided tours of buildings, see demonstrations, eat damper and ride carts.

Travelling south from Toowoomba towards Warwick, Rudd’s Pub in Nobby serves up steaks as big as the plate and a good bit of memorabilia with a few schooners. This is the pub where village local and writer Steele Rudd (real name Arthur Hoey Davis) came up with the characters ‘Dad and Dave’, writing comic tales of shenanigans of the Rudd family in On Our Selection with the help of a few pints!

The stories have since been adapted for radio, television and film and today there’s an impressive collection of Steve Rudd memorabilia lining the walls – photographs, posters, newsletter clippings, paintings and the author’s books from floor to ceiling.

Find out more at www.southernqueenslandcountry.com.au and view sample drive itineraries at http://tcof.com.au/visitorinformation/drive-itineraries/

Rex Airlines flies direct between Brisbane and Toowoomba. Flight time 40 minutes. Drive time from Brisbane is one hour 45 minutes.

See www.rex.com.au

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Hotel Jen Brisbane, 159 Roma Street, Brisbane, 4000 hjbb@hoteljen.com | www.hoteljen.com | 3238 2222 BNE May/June 2017 | 25

ESCAPE DAY ONE

QUICK GETAWAY

GRANITE BELT WINE TRAIL

A road trip that meanders through Queensland’s southern country combines history, great food and wine and outdoor adventure in one journey

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From Brisbane, head west towards Warwick. On the way, take a detour through Ipswich, Queensland’s oldest provincial city. Allow time for a heritage walking tour to see graceful colonial homes, historic churches and sandstone buildings or browse antique shops and craft cottages along the heritage trails in the surrounding area.

Quarry and Gray Streets and the Denmark Hill Conservation Park are a good place to start (for maps see www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/ about_ipswich/heritage/heritage_trails) Continue on from Ipswich to Aratula on the Cunningham Highway and stop for the best home-made scones fresh from the oven at the roadside café before continuing over the range to Warwick. On the way allow for another stop at the top of the range at Cunningham’s Gap for a short rainforest walk.

Arrive in Warwick in time to check in to the ‘Downton Abbey’ of South East Queensland, Abbey of the Roses (8 Locke Street, Warwick), built as a convent in 1891 and lovingly restored by its current owners as bed and breakfast accommodation in the style of a stately manor house. Arrive early evening on a Friday or Saturday (or by lunchtime Wednesday to Sunday) and try to get a table at Bluebird Kitchen (130 Palmerin Street, Warwick) where Jim Osborn runs the kitchen with a creative hand.

DAY TWO After breakfast at Abbey of the Roses head south to Stanthorpe in the heart of the Granite Belt, Queensland’s premier wine region, boasting more than 45 wineries. It’s also prime fruit

growing country for grapes, stone fruit such as peaches, apricots and nectarines, as well as apples and berries.

Drive on to Golden Grove Estate at Ballandean, one of a handful of wineries in the region that have been given a five star rating by wine aficionado James Halliday and, after an afternoon of cellar door discovery, retreat to Diamondvale Cottages for some country hospitality.

Devonshire teas are the local specialty

DAY THREE Start the day with an energising walk through the Girraween National Park and see dramatic granite boulders amidst the forest. There are 30km of walking trails so it’s easy to spend a whole day here but a couple of hours will be enough to work up an appetite for a hearty lunch, a good excuse to head back to Ballandean Estate winery, where the Puglisi family has been making wines since the 1930s.

Chefs Travis Crane and Arabella Chambers have joined the team from Brisbane and now run the award-winning Barrelroom restaurant serving lunch and dinner Thursday to Monday and a seven-course degustation (and à la carte) menu with wine matches.

Plot a wine trail that includes Symphony Hill Wines (Ballandean), and Summit Estate at Thulimbah, north of Stanthorpe. To get a taste of other brews in these parts, Ernie Butler’s Brass Monkey Brewhouse (south of Stanthorpe at Severnlea) and Suttons apple farm and café (also at Thulimbah) should be added to an itinerary. Allow time for a leisurely drive back to the city via Killarney, the Falls Drive, lunch and a stunning view over the ranges at Spring Creek Café and Cottages before hitting the main roads back to Brisbane.

Ballandean cottage

Queen Mary Falls

There are 30km of walking trails in Girraween National Park that reveal dramatic granite boulders amidst the forest

BNE May/June 2017 | 27

TASTE

OUT OF TOWN FRASER COAST Dan and Stephany Mulheron have come a long way since entering – and winning – My Kitchen Rules four years ago. They now run one of Hervey Bay’s favourite cafés, EAT at Dan & Steph’s, on The Esplanade, and serve up an all-day menu that ranges from superfood and Asianinspired salads to slow-cooked beef cheeks, barbecued pulled pork and, of course, Dan’s beloved sausages. Dan confessed his passion “for snags” on MKR and loves to make his own which are on the menu, but he’s also got a new passion – his smokehouse, which he loves to use on locally-caught fish. Meanwhile Steph’s baked goods are also made fresh every day.

Dan and Steph will be joining other restaurants such as Coast, The Vinyard and Muddy Waters to provide the food for the Long Lunch special event which is part of RELISH, the Fraser Coast’s food festival showcasing local talent and produce at Portside, Maryborough on 3 June.

Other special sessions at the festival include beer and food matching, bush tucker tastings and cheesemaking.

See www.relishfrasercoast.com.au

SCENIC RIM Like other regions close to Brisbane, a visit to the Scenic Rim in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, about an hour’s drive south of the city, is an opportunity to get to the source of some of the best produce that makes its way into Queensland kitchens – and to the people who grow or rear it.

EAT LOCAL WEEK celebrates those producers and throws open the farm gates for visitors to enjoy unique experiences from a picnic in the paddock (on 28 June at Winsome Valley Produce) to a tour and taste at Paul Martin’s Harrisville camel farm (29 June). It’s also an opportunity to see how all sorts of produce is grown in the region from organic mushrooms and garlic to coffee and carrots.

The region is also dotted with vineyards and Boonah born-andbred Doogan O’Hanlon and his wife Verity are growing a wide and interesting variety of grapes at their Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm (pictured above) at Mt Alford in the Fassifern Valley, including Verdelho Marsanne, Viognier and Vermintino. The wines are only available from the cellar door or by order from the winery but during Eat Local Week Kooromba’s restaurant chef Ray Boyer will serve a seven-course degustation menu (30 June) to match selected wines.

But even before then there’s a Feast in the Field (21 May) at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, Kerry, a banquet of share plates showcasing the farm’s own milk-fed heritage breed pork alongside dishes created with myriad local vegetables. And Brisbane chef Javier Codina, from Moda Restaurant, will host Moda on the Mountain (28 May), a multi-course lunch at the spectacular Lime Caviar Company finger lime farm at Running Creek, featuring their native finger limes. Find out more at www.eatlocalweek.com.au

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Pictured above: the waterfront Portside precinct of Maryborough will be the centre of activity for the Fraser Coast food festival, Relish

Photography by Eric Wang

GOLD COAST The Gold Coast may be known more as a place for fun than good food but that’s changing, and just how much is revealed at the GOLD COAST FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL from 2 to 4 June. What started as a ‘taster’ event at just one venue last year has now spread across the Coast with events from Beenleigh to Currumbin Valley and from Surfers Paradise to Tamborine Mountain.

In keeping with the spirit of the Gold Coast there’s an element of fun and entertainment about much of the program – which is as much about doing as it is about just eating – from the progressive dinner at stops along the tram line or dinner on a gondola, to oyster shucking and crab fishing before eating the spoils.

There are practical tips too, from Oz Harvest’s demonstration on how to make delicious one-pan meals from leftovers (and cut excessive food waste) to masterclasses in wood-fired barbecue cooking.

Of course, there are plenty of wine, beer and spirit tastings, picnics in the park or between the vines in the hinterland and a long table lunch, organic markets and food trucks. See www.gcfoodandwine.com.au

SUNSHINE COAST NOOSA FOOD AND WINE is legendary by now, not only as an excuse to be seen at marquee events such as the cocktail parties on the beach and the Long Table lunch on Hastings Street, but to gorge on some of the best food Queensland has to offer, created by some of the best chefs in Australia, in a location that is arguably one of the most picturesque in the country.

One of the best ways to appreciate that is through a new experience added to the program this year – glamping at Maravista Farm, a working macadamia farm and organic kitchen garden at Boreen Point, less than 30 minutes from Noosa.

The new package includes three nights accommodation glamping dinner under the stars and tickets to six premium events – some already sold out – at Noosa Food and Wine. Day trippers, too, can get a glimpse of Maravista Farm, not usually open to the public, at a long table lunch (on 21 May) amidst the macadamia groves with a menu designed by local celebrity chef Matt Golinski. Noosa Food and Wine is on 18-21 May. see www.noosafoodandwine.com.au Pictured above: A Crab and Oyster Adventure on the rivers of the Gold Coast, hosted by Birds Bay Oyster Farm, is on the expanded program of the second Gold Coast Food and Wine Festival

Pictured above: A new accommodation option is available at Maravista Farm during Noosa Food and Wine, while Hastings Street restaurant Locale will host a seafood feast served up by a trio of Australia’s top chefs

BNE May/June 2017 | 29

TASTE

GOURMET TREASURES TO GO Kerry Heaney discovers some highlyprized foodie treasures from around Australia at Brisbane Airport

I

t’s hard to believe that it snows in Queensland but temperatures often drop below freezing during winter in the Granite Belt, just over 200km south west of Brisbane, and it’s precisely that chilled climate that produces the award-winning Symphony Hill Reserve Shiraz, from grapes grown at the highest – and coolest – point in the region.

According to vineyard owner Ewen Macpherson the high altitude produces a wine that is quite different to shiraz grown at lower altitudes, making it unique in Australia and so highly regarded that it has been served to royalty – Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge during their last visit to Brisbane – and world leaders, including former US President Barack Obama during the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane.

In contrast, Bundaberg’s award-winning Solera Rum is made amidst the sugar cane plantations of Queensland’s sub-tropical central coast. Solera, from Bundaberg Rum’s Master Distiller’s Collection, has just been named Best Dark Rum in the World at the World Drinks Awards, judged by a panel of international experts and scored for taste, aroma, character and quality. Described as a rich, bold rum with notes of vanilla, fruitcake and butterscotch, it is made using a special process that begins in barrels used to age sherry, bourbon and port.

Blended with a 12-year-old rum as a base, it has a deep and rich flavour.

Like Symphony Hill’s Reserve Shiraz, Artesian Salt Bundaberg’s Solera Rum is in limited supply – even its own cellar door has sold out – and is currently only available at Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal until a new Pepper Leaf

batch can be made.

These are just two local treasures found at the airport’s International Terminal that make great gourmet gifts or souvenirs.

Macadamia flower honey flavoured chocolates are another. The flowers are a magnet for bees and honey scented with a hint of macadamia from hives scattered amongst plantations in the Sunshine Coast hinterland adds a unique taste to Macadamia Flower Honey Chocolates made by third generation chocolatiers the Verstreken family. The chocolate is made from scratch at their Belgian Delights base on the Gold Coast using traditional methods learned from their Belgian heritage and the chocolates are a special collection only available at the airport or direct from Belgian Delights.

Like macadamias, rosella fruit and flowers grow well in the Queensland sub-tropical climate and jam made from the fruit, with it’s tart flavour like raspberry Wattle Seed and rhubarb, is a local delicacy but it can be tricky to make. So it’s a welcome find to discover Rosella Jam made from fruit hand-picked at farms in Redlands, south of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast by Brisbane-based Stott’s Delicacies using a Lemon Myrtle 30-year-old recipe.

And there’s plenty to make a creative chef from Bush Tomato even the humblest cook with buys such as Golden Truffle Oil, infused with 23 carat edible gold leaf; bush tucker spices such as bush tomato, wattle seed, artesian salt, pepper leaf and lemon myrtle; sun-dried mullet harvested from the waters off Stradbroke and Bribie Islands or raw honeycomb from Tasmania. s p i ce

Oz Tukk

a’s Australian s

Bundaberg Solera Rum available at JR/Duty Free and other gourmet finds at Australian Produce Store, Level 3, International Terminal, Brisbane Airport. Follow foodie blogger Kerry Heaney at www.eatdrinkandbekerry.com.au 30 | BNE May/June 2017

Photography by Eric Wang

WHAT’S ON

KATIE NOONAN ON SONG Multi-awarding winning Katie Noonan thrives on a musical challenge and, in addition to her own performances, programs a widely inclusive Queensland Music Festival

LISTEN UP LIVE

These musicians bare their souls and reveal their passions in live performances that range from indie pop to legendary rock and more that defies definition.

Take a seat and be captivated in the listening

32 | BNE May/June 2017

festival’s artistic director, she will make only occasional “surprise” appearances at selected events, including flash mob choirs planned for pop-up performances, ‘You’re the Voice’, a mass choral event planned for South Bank Parklands to sing for change and at one of the world premiere concerts.

“I deliberately didn’t program myself because it’s not about me. It’s about Queensland and I’ve been lucky enough to benefit from Queensland Music Festival myself (Noonan has appeared as a guest at past festivals) and now it’s time for others to have that opportunity,” she says.

Indeed, Noonan believes that anyone who can talk can sing and this is at the heart of her vision for this year’s festival.

“We can all use our voices as a vehicle for good and as a vehicle for change so we will have a very large scale community choral event inspiring people to sing out about the domestic violence crisis in our cities and sing together for change. Women are also often under-represented at a lot of music festivals so I have tried to address the inequity and make sure there are lots of women on the bill. We also have initiated a big education and mentoring campaign to inform and empower women to help them find their voice as singer/songwriters.”

Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp perform Songs of the Latin Skies on 20 May at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, South Brisbane. Tickets $49.90 each plus fees at www.qtix.com.au.

Queensland Music Festival is on 7-30 July.

See www.qmf.org.au

Image: Cybele Malinowski

K

atie Noonan is one of Queensland’s most versatile and prolific performers.

Already this year she has appeared alongside the Queensland Ballet as part of their contemporary dance production Bespoke, released a new album, Songs of the Latin Skies, with long-time friend and worldclass guitarist Karin Schaupp which they are performing live across the country until June and, in between, she has been travelling the state engaging communities to find their voice for the Queensland Music Festival which stages events year round but kicks off an official program from 7 July.

Fortunately Noonan relishes a challenge and exploring new and different genres of music has taken her from the success of indie pop band George, which she formed with her brother Tyrone 20 years ago, to collaborations with jazz musicians, orchestras, contemporary songwriters and with Schaupp for a series of hits that include an EP of British folk songs, an album of mixed genre Australian and New Zealand songs and now Songs of the Latin Skies that once again is a mix of musical styles, from classical, ancient opera and jazz. Noonan has described the latest album as their best work together yet and critics have agreed, one calling it a “meltingly laid-back album that would soothe the most furrowed brow”.

While Noonan is well and truly in the spotlight alongside Schaupp on their current tour, she says she will be taking a less starring role in Queensland Music Festival.

While she has played an active role behind the scenes for the last 18 months as the

AIRLING

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

The Brisbane-based artist also known as Hannah Shepherd has just released her first album Hard to Sleep, Easy to Dream, in collaboration with muso besties Tom Iansek (Pieater) and Emma Louise. With singles ‘Not A Fighter’ and ‘Move Me’ already on-air favourites, she hits the road to play them live, stopping at Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley on 27 May. Tickets from $20.95 plus fees, see www.airling.net

Led Zeppelin may have lasted only 12 years as one of the world’s greatest rock bands but their music has been a 30-year career for the Adelaide-based Zep Boys who bring classics such as ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Kashmir’ to life in their live performance, accompanied by more than 30 musicians and singers. On 9 June at Lyric Theatre, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $109 plus fees, see www.qpac.com.au

Royal exclusive

The full company of Britain’s Royal Ballet will perform two works in Brisbane for the first time outside their home base in London’s Covent Garden. Brisbane will be the only city to host the Australian premieres of The Winter’s Tale and Woolf Works as part of QPAC’s International Series. The Winter’s Tale is an adaptation of the Shakespeare play while the Olivier award-winning Woolf Works is inspired by three of Virginia Woolf’s landmark novels – Mrs Dalloway, Orlando and The Waves – as well as her autobiographical writings. The Royal Ballet performs at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, South Brisbane from 29 June to 9 July 2017. Tickets from $99 plus fees at www.qpac.com.au

Whymsical wonderland Artist Max Hurley weaves his whimsical magic yet again in the design for Brisbane City Youth Ballet’s production of Alice in Wonderland, creating a superb fantasy world for the 70 young dancers who bring the Lewis Carroll tale to life. The not-for-profit company has become an incubator for ballet stars of tomorrow, past students – and performers – are now at some of the world’s best schools and companies across Europe, America and Australia, from Queensland Ballet to the Royal Ballet, London. Alice in Wonderland is at Brisbane Powerhouse 28-30 June. Tickets $40 each plus fees, see www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

DANCE

PEEP THROUGH THE KEYHOLE Choreographer Natalie Weir’s latest work for Expressions Dance Company gives the audience a glimpse through the keyhole of a hotel, exposing the shenanigans that go on ‘Behind Closed Doors’. The original new work stars award-winning dancer and emerging choreographer Elise May with Richard Causer (pictured above) and the Expressions Dance Company who take on the roles of late-night guests and hotel staff interpreted through Weir’s dynamic direction of modern and athletic dance. Brisbane band Trichotomy and vocalist Kristin Berardi help set the mood with their accompanying performance of live jazz. Behind Closed Doors, 19-27 May at Playhouse, QPAC, South Brisbane. Tickets from $29 plus fees, see www. qpac.com.au

KILLING HEIDI

SARAH BLASKO

THE AMITY AFFLICTION

It’s been 20 years since Triple J radio unearthed Hooper siblings, Ella and Jesse, who were at the top of their game in the early naughties, and 10 years since the duo went on the road for a national tour, so their appearance in Brisbane will be a long overdue trip down memory lane for fans who will hear songs old and new at The Tivoli on 10 June. Tickets from $49.90 plus fees, details at www.thetivoli.com.au

Singer/songwriter Sarah Blasko is not afraid to try something new – since she released her first album she has also composed music for theatre, film and dance – but throughout a successful solo career she has never actually performed solo, without a band, until now. Blasko brings her Soloist Tour to Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm on 22 June. Tickets from $64 plus fees. For details see www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Vocalist Joel Birch describes the band’s latest album, This Could Be Heartbreak, as the “darkest” release of their career and that’s no exaggeration. Loyal followers will be aware of Birch’s personal struggle with alcoholism and depression and the album features his most brutally honest lyrics to date, laid bare in a live performance on 24 June at Brisbane Riverstage, City Botanic Gardens, Tickets from $79.96 plus fees at www.ticketmaster.com.au BNE May/June 2017 | 33

WHAT’S ON

Master of the ANIME UNIVERSE It’s not hard to see why Chris (aka Orochi X, pictured right), an operations manager from Melbourne, is in high demand to be a special guest at anime festivals – he is a master of his own universe in the art of costume creation, fashioned after his favourite characters, particularly from the Final Fantasy game series.

Orochi X, as he likes to be known, is an avid anime cosplayer in his own time and spends weeks and occasionally months making costumes (his Bahamut from FFXV is an extravaganza three metres wide and two metres high equal to any Marvel creation) for appearances at festivals and competitions he attends with his cosplay team, Endiru.

Orochi is just one of the cosplay stars appearing at the Madman Anime Festival where a preliminary round of the national cosplay championships will be held. The Brisbane winner will go on to compete in championship finals in November.

Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online and a One Punch Man experience will be special features of the festival. At Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, 10 and 11 June. Tickets from $40 plus fees, for more information see www.animefestival.com.au

ABSOLUTELY MARVEL-OUS

GREAT SCOT!

It’s hard to know what to call Scottish performer Alan Cumming. At times he has been described as a renaissance man, style icon, social activist, bon viveur and mischief-maker but he describes himself as a storyteller and provocateur for hire. He has won Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe awards for performances in the stage musical Cabaret and the TV series The Good Wife, written several books and articles for The New York Times and magazines, directed and starred in a musical condom commercial and recorded an award-winning album of songs (plus a dance remix) among other things. He has also won more than 30 awards for humanitarianism and social activism. Cumming makes his first appearance at the Queensland Cabaret Festival on 15 June at Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm. Tickets from $79.90 plus fees. To book and to see the full festival program see www.brisbanepowerhouse.org 34 | BNE May/June 2017

We’re in the age of the comic book blockbuster and films of the superhero characters created decades ago are not only reaping billions of dollars at the box office they are making superstars of actors including our own Chris Hemsworth.

It will be October before we see Hemsworth on screen again as the mighty Thor (and can try to identify which scenes were shot on the streets of Brisbane) but before that fans can pour over artifacts ranging from Thor’s hammer to Iron Man’s armour and Tony Stark’s race car (from Iron Man 2) in the exhibition Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA).

The exhibition is the first major Marvel exhibition in Australia and the largest ever presented in an art museum worldwide, featuring more than 500 pieces, including costumes, props – some from the yet-to-be-released Thor: Ragnarok – posters and art works that profile legendary characters such as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and the Avengers, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe at GOMA from 27 May to 3 September. Tickets from $25 (adult) at the door or online, see www.qagoma.qld.gov.au

WHEN WHAT

WHERE

MAY

PATH TO NIRVANA Prince Siddhartha is the world’s first musical on the life of the Buddha, adapted from the bestseller, The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha. It tells the story of a young prince born 2560 years ago who renounces his royal status and luxurious life to seek enlightenment, performed for the first time in Australia by more than 50 artists from the Fo Guang Shan Academy of Art in the Philippines. On 16 and 17 June, at Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane.

Tickets from $50 plus fees. See www.qpac.com.au

2-27

Rick Amor, exhibition

Philip Bacon Galleries, Fortitude Valley

5-13

Swan Lake, Queensland Ballet

Lyric Theatre, QPAC, South Brisbane

5

Retirement, Lifestyle and Travel Expo

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

6

Hans Zimmer

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

From 6

Avenue Q, musical theatre

Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace

From 6

Céline Condorelli, exhibition

IMA, Fortitude Valley

From 6

Material Politics, exhibition

IMA, Fortitude Valley

8

Green Day

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

9

Alexis and Murat Sanal, from Istanbul-based SANALarc, UQ Architecture lecture series, free

State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane

13

Robert Andrew, artist studio visit, free

Register prior at www.museumofbrisbane.com.au

13

Peking Duk

The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

15-19

The Village, La Boite Theatre Company

Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove

16

Brandenburg Orchestra with Circa

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

17

Politics in the Pub, free

Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm

19

Harrison Craig

The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

20

Gluten Free Food Expo

Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills

23

Author Ian Rankin in conversation with Michael Robotham

Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm

From 25

The Pearlfishers, OperaQ

Lyric Theatre, QPAC, South Brisbane

From 25

Lady Beatle, Naomi Price

La Boite Theatre, Kelvin Grove

26

Bliss n Eso

Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill

27

Pool and Spa Show

Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills

27

Travelplan International Ski Expo

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

1

Elvis Wonder of You, concert

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

2

Careers and Employment Expo

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

2

Scott Redford, Learning from Surfers Paradise, art exhibition

Fireworks Gallery, Newstead

2

Thundamentals

The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

3

Hot Rod Show

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane

3

Noises Off, Queensland Theatre

Playhouse, QPAC

4

Julia Morris

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

From 7

Steve Lopes, Island of Misfits, exhibition

Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Fortitude Valley

8

Laura Marling

TheTriffid, Newstead

17

The Best of The Eagles

The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

22

Young at Heart: the Hits of Frank Sinatra and Doris Day with Tom Burlinson and Melinda Schneider

Concert Hall, QPAC, South Brisbane

24

Andromeda Inner City Electronica Festival

The Triffid, Newstead

24

Rice, Queensland Theatre

Bille Brown Studio, South Brisbane

From 29

Frozen, Disney on Ice

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall

JUNE

CHRIS ROCK SAYS HELLO BRISBANE

Chris Rock will make his first appearance in Brisbane as part of his Total Blackout Tour, his first live tour in nine years. When the comic last toured Australia he didn’t make it beyond Melbourne and Sydney and he’s packed so much more into his CV since then – writing, producing, directing and starring in projects from TV series, documentaries and comedy specials to feature films. But just in case over-eager fans have any ideas of snapping a keepsake of such a momentous occasion there’s a reason it’s called the Total Blackout Tour – phones (and smart watches or any cameras and recording devices) will be secured in special pouches which will be locked throughout the performance and released on departure. Chris Rock performs on 24 June at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall.

Tickets from $71.20 plus fees. See https://premier.ticketek.com.au

BNE May/June 2017 | 35

Sam Strong image by Joseph Byford

MY BRISBANE

Sam Strong left his first career as a lawyer to pursue his passion for theatre and hasn’t looked back. Now, as the new creative head of Queensland Theatre in Brisbane, audiences will see first-hand his talent as a director in the current production of Once in Royal David’s City, and then in the completely different Noises Off. Meanwhile, he’s found plenty to like about his new home town…

SAM STRONG A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R , Q U E E N S L A N D T H E AT R E

36 | BNE May/June 2017

Where are you from?

Most recently from Melbourne and before that Sydney, but I grew up all over the place: Sydney, Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory, Canberra and Melbourne.

When did you come to Brisbane?

I came here to take up the position of artistic director of Queensland Theatre in November 2015 but I had spent time here before as chair of circus company Circa and through my grandparents who lived in Esk. Where do you live now?

New Farm, 6km from the city centre and about 15 minutes from the theatre headquarters in South Brisbane.

What do you like most about your neighbourhood?

As the parent of a toddler, it’s hard to go past New Farm Park.

What’s the biggest difference you notice between Brisbane and the southern capitals?

The generosity and warmth of the people here. Brisbane audiences are genuinely up for experiences and Brisbane artists are genuinely supportive of each other.

What has been your best discovery about the city since moving to Brisbane?

Newstead Brewery is currently rating pretty high.

Where do you take visitors when they come to Brisbane?

It’s obvious but I often take people to the city beach at South Bank, especially on a warm evening.

What’s your favourite thing to do on the weekend in Brisbane?

I love taking my son on the CityCat to GOMA and wandering around the exhibitions, especially the child-friendly ones. It’s pretty amazing to have an interactive LEGO installation by one of my favourite Danish artists, Olafur Eliasson.

What’s your greatest indulgence?

A long anniversary lunch with my wife at one of the tables by the river at Stokehouse Q, South Bank.

Favourite place for coffee?

Ripe café on Merivale Street in South Brisbane because it’s around the corner from Queensland Theatre, and because the barista Brett is a great bloke and knows I like double strength coffees.

Favourite meal out?

I had a very decadent lunch at Bacchus (at Rydges, South Bank) the other day. Beautiful food served with a sense of theatre.

What is your favourite activity away from the theatre?

Being from Melbourne I’m an AFL guy (North Melbourne is my team) but I love watching any code of football, on TV or live. I’ve started wandering across the river from our HQ to watch rugby league games at Suncorp. I love the atmosphere of football games and how passionate people are.

What’s an entertainment you enjoy in addition to theatre?

I enjoy watching movies at the cinema, especially New Farm Cinema because of its neighbourhood feel.

our own company interests. We are passionate about the health and quality of theatre in our whole state. Our new name is who we are, what we make and what we care about.

How will Queensland Theatre be different under your direction?

I want to build on the strong foundations of the company’s past to create a future in which we lead the country from Queensland. My first season, on stage this year, is the start of this. In 2017 we are engaging with the rest of Queensland more than ever before (for example, by staging a world premiere – My Name is Jimi – in Cairns before it opens in Brisbane), we are taking the work of Queensland artists around the country more than ever before (with multiple shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Perth), and we are bringing people the highest quality theatre (best plays such as Once in Royal David’s City and the best people in them such as Marta Dusseldorp who will appear in Scenes from a Marriage in November).

You have collaborated with playwright Michael Gow, a former artistic director of Where and when do you feel most inspired? Queensland Theatre Company, on Once in Royal David’s City. What has been a highlight I love Jacaranda season. I love how trees you of working with him? don’t realise are Jacarandas suddenly burst into life and how you can turn a corner and suddenly Michael has one of the most amazing brains I be amongst a sea of purple. It fills you with hope have ever encountered. Working on or seeing one of his plays lets you spend time inside his mind. and possibility and then it’s all gone.

He is uniquely able to blend the personal with Why did you drop the word ‘company’ from the political, the serious with the silly, and the Queensland Theatre? natural with the theatrical.

To reflect the fact that we think bigger than just How do you like to travel around Brisbane and what’s your favourite journey?

It’s rarer than it should be but I’m enjoying jogging around New Farm and especially across the Story Bridge at night. I enjoy the trip into Queensland Theatre because I have the best job in the world.

What is a favourite short break outside Brisbane?

As Queensland Theatre gets more involved in far north Queensland, I’ve been enjoying spending more time in Cairns. I like how laid back it feels.

Once in Royal David’s City is on until 14 May and Noises Off is on 3-25 June, both at Playhouse, QPAC, South Brisbane. See www.queenslandtheatre.com.au BNE May/June 2017 | 37

NEED TO KNOW 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 Chinesespeaking ambassadors wear red shirts.

BNE PARKING

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

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 and travels via Skygate.

TRANSPORT BOOKINGS Coach, rail, limousine and corporate car bookings can be made at the Visitor Information Centre, Level 2 International Terminal or Level 1 Domestic 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. See www.translink.com.au or call 13 12 30.

TAXIS AND AIRTRAIN

Taxi ranks are located kerbside Level 2 International Terminal and Level 1 Domestic Terminal. 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.

BNE Maps + More Download the Brisbane Airport app to access important flight information, terminal maps and parking, shopping and dining options at the airport. Add your itinerary and more. Available free for iPhone and Android at Google play and App Store.

38 | BNE May/June 2017 38 July/August 2016

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

BRISBANE AIRPORT is continuing

Currency exchange Travelex currency exchange and transfer facilities are on Levels 2, 3 and 4 International Terminal and Level 2 Domestic Terminal near Gate 23.

to shape the future of travel with a voluntary trial of new Smart Path facial recognition technology at checkin at the International Terminal. The new technology aims to streamline the process of travelling through the airport to make it easier, more efficient and more secure. Flight and passport details are linked to a picture taken at the Smart Path kiosk in a process that takes less than 30 seconds at check-in, then picture and details are automatically checked at the boarding gate. Personal information is not stored after departure.

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

should refer to their airline’s policies prior to booking their ticket. There is no porter service or any form of direct assistance provided at Brisbane Airport other than any assistance that may be provided by the passenger’s airline.

Visitor Information Centres For information about accommodation, tours, transfer tickets and general enquiries, Visitor Information Centres are on Level 2 International Terminal and Level 1 Domestic Terminal (Central Area).

Tax Refund Scheme (TRS) The TRS enables you 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. Call 1300 363 263 or see www.customs.gov.au Lost property International: enquiries to Visitor Information Centre, Level 2; call (07) 3406 3190 or email international@sqt. com.au. Domestic: enquiries first to your airline. Qantas call (07) 3867 3264, Virgin Australia (07) 3114 8150, Jetstar (07) 3336 1752 or email Tigerair at ttbne.ops@ aerocare.com.au before contacting the Visitor Information Centre on Level 1; call (07) 3068 6698 or send emails to domestic@sqt.com.au Disability access Lifts, travelators, ramps, aerobridges, rest points, accessible parking spaces and toilet facilities are in place for passengers with limited mobility or disabilities. Airlines are responsible for assisting passengers with disabilities within terminals. Passengers

WiFi access Brisbane Airport has the fastest uncapped free WiFi in Australia available at International Terminal and central area Domestic Terminal.

Local amenities Skygate is Brisbane Airport’s retail and dining precinct, a short free ride on the Transfer Bus from the terminals. There are more than 130 stores, including brandname factory outlets, a 24/7 supermarket, hairdresser, gym, restaurants, chemist, medical clinic, hotel, beauty services, barber, tavern and golf leisure centre.

Prayer Room A multi-denominational prayer room is located at International Terminal Level 4.

Police For assistance at Brisbane Airport telephone 13 12 37.

Acknowledgement In keeping with the spirit of reconciliation, we respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which Brisbane Airport stands, and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

DAY IN THE LIFE

Rienna Jackson and son Oliver on their way home to Hervey Bay from Dubbo, NSW

Ceramic designer Marloe and Kathleen Morgan from Coolangatta on a business trip to Bali

Lindelle Banks, from Launceston, Tasmania, on her way to the Sunshine Coast

BRISBANE AIRPORT is the gateway to 79 CITIES across AUSTRALIA and overseas, opening up a WORLD of adventure for almost 23 MILLION passengers every year

Danica Pahl, from Melbourne, departing Brisbane after a family visit

Dustin and Peter Hancock on their way home to Adelaide, SA, after mustering cattle near Roma

Rhett Sudweeks and Amanda Johnson, from Melbourne, arrive in Brisbane for a concert

Photography by Marc Grimwade

Lauren Dionysius, from the Gold Coast, gives her friend Tiffany Barnette, from North Carolina, USA, an Aussie welcome

Lauren Ellison farewells friend and fashion designer Cat Henesy-Smith on her way to Bali Courtney Mackenzie returning to the Gold Coast after a family visit in Mackay

Jetstar flight attendant Charissa Rehu, from Auckland, NZ, arriving in Brisbane for a holiday

BNE May/June 2017 | 39

BRISBANE TO THE WORLD

Seoul

South Korea

Tokyo (Narita) Japan

Shanghai (Pudong)

Guangzhou

China

China

Hong Kong

Dubai

China

United Arab Emirates

Taipei

Taiwan

Bangkok

Abu Dhabi

Thailand

United Arab Emirates

Manila

Philippines

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Singapore

Singapore

Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Denpasar Indonesia

BRISBANE

BRISBANE

to the world

To 79 destinations direct from Brisbane and beyond

Alliance Airlines Aircalin

40 | BNE May/June 2017

Air Canada

Air New Zealand

Air Niugini

Cathay Pacific

China Airlines

China Eastern Airlines

China Southern Airlines Fly Corporate

Emirates

Etihad

Eva Air

Fiji Airlines

Solomon Airlines Hawaiian Airlines

Vancouver

Canada

Los Angeles USA

Honolulu USA

Darwin

Nauru Nauru

Cairns

Apia Honiara

Solomon Islands

Port Hedland

Espiritu Santo Vanuatu

Port Vila Vanuatu

Nadi

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

Fiji

Noumea

New Caledonia

Perth

Auckland

New Zealand

Queenstown New Zealand

Townsville

Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) Hamilton Island Moranbah Mackay Mt Isa Barcaldine Rockhampton Longreach Gladstone Emerald Blackall Alice Springs Biloela Bundaberg Windorah Cloncurry

Samoa

Orange

Adelaide

Wellington

Newcastle Sydney

Wagga Wagga

New Zealand

Christchurch

Albury

New Zealand

Lord Howe Island Canberra

Melbourne

Dunedin

New Zealand

Launceston Hobart Map not to scale. Please note airlines and destinations are current at time of print.

Jetstar

Jetgo

Korean Air

Malindo Air

Philippine Airlines Nauru Airlines

Rex

Qantas QantasLink

Tigerair

Singapore Airlines

Air Vanuatu

Thai Airways

Virgin Australia

BNE May/June 2017 | 41

GETTING TO THE CITY M4

Route Number

25

Exit Number Train Line

TO SUNSHINE COAST

Main Road AirportlinkM7 & Clem Jones Tunnels Brisbane CBD Service Centre

Nudgee

A3

Banyo

BRISBANE AIRPORT

W ay

M3

Nundah

Boggy Creek

DOMESTIC TERMINAL

So ut he rn Cr os s

Gympie Road

Sandgate Road

A3

Airp ort Driv e

Chermside

26

Stafford

TO CITY

e

Rd

Albion

Lytton way otor yM ewa Gat

ra ge og En

ross Way rn C

Lutwyche

th S ou

Clayfield

M7

INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL

terial Road t Ar Ea s t -Wes

M7

A3

Mo tor way

Stafford Ro ad

Breakfast Creek

Hamilton Eagle Farm

77 Enoggera Creek

Bowen Hills

31

M1 Aquarium Passage

30

RI V E R

M4

Bulimba

s

Newstead

ty

By pa s

Kelvin Grove Inn e r C i

Wynnum West

Spring Hill

Paddington

Morningside 15 33

BRISBANE y wa tor Mo ific Pac

West End

Main Street

Milton Co ro na tio nD riv e

BRIS BANE

25

Por tO fB risb ane

26

Windsor

M1

Road nnum Wy

New Farm 23

23

Manly R oad

Norman Park TO GOLD COAST

* Map not to scale.

BNE May/June 2017 | 43

MEET MEET Available Available from from $75pp* $75pp*

@ novotel brisbane airport

07 3175 3100 | www.novotelbrisbaneairport .com. au

• Six meeting rooms • State of the art audio visual equipment • Capacity for 2 to 120 delegates • All rooms feature natural light • Ideally located close to Brisbane Airport with unbeatable access

Six meeting rooms • • Six meeting rooms State of the art audio visual equipment • • State of the art audio visual equipment Capacity for 2 to 120 delegates • • Capacity for 2 to 120 delegates All rooms feature natural light • • All rooms feature natural light Ideally located close to Brisbane Airport • • Ideally located close to Brisbane Airport with unbeatable access with unbeatable access Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

from $75pp*

Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

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07 3 1 75 3 1 0 0 | w w w. n o v o t e l b r i s b a n e a i r p o r t . c o m . a u

07 3 1 75 3 1 0 0 | w w w. n o v o t e l b r i s b a n e a i r p o r t . c o m . a u