Tigertales June - July 2019 by Citrus Media

tigertales

TAKE ME AWAY

Australia | June – July 2019

AIR PLAY

➔ Sydney producer Sippy creates a track for us at 35,000 feet

WEIRD WORLD OF SPORTS

W E E K E N D WAR R IOR S

THE BIG CHILL

Why not try your hand at bike polo this winter?

Two different travellers take on Hobart

Snowshoes and dog sleds at Victoria’s Mt Buller

DISCOVER

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WELCOME ONBOARD

Tigerair is constantly changing Over the past 12 months the airline has identified its strengths and invested in making your trip better

elcome onboard and thank you for choosing to fly Tigerair Australia today. I recently celebrated my first anniversary as the CEO of Tigerair Australia and I took the opportunity to reflect on what an exciting and rewarding year it has been leading such a passionate and committed team at Tigerair. I often tell people how fortunate I am to have been welcomed into the Tigerair family with such warmth and enthusiasm, and I do hope that is how you felt when you boarded your Tigerair flight today. Over the past year we have taken the airline on a journey of transformation, identifying and enhancing those things we do well and investing in areas where we can improve. Our goal is to deliver you a safe, reliable and affordable service and to delight you with great customer service and innovative travel solutions. We know you want your travel experience to be stress-free and seamless, which is why our web check-in opens 72 hours before you fly, enabling you to skip the queues when you arrive at the airport. We have also streamlined the inflight retail experience by introducing a cashless cabin service and a new Tigerbites menu offering some of our most popular snacks and drinks. There are many other exciting initiatives

“Don’t let winter stop you – get some winter sun in Queensland or go skiing in Victoria’s alpine region" underway to improve your in-flight experience and I look forward to sharing these with you soon. Now the winter chill may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but don’t let this stop you from getting out and about, exploring some of our country’s most picturesque sights or connecting with your loved ones. As we say at Tigerair – just go for it! We fly to 12 exciting destinations across Australia, so whether you’re seeking some winter sun in Queensland or

looking to hit the skiing slopes in Victoria’s Alpine region, there is a destination on offer for everybody. To keep up to date with all the latest Tigerair news, deals and photos, remember to like us on Facebook (Tigerair Australia), Twitter (@TigerairAU), and Instagram (@tigerairaustralia).

From our family to yours, Happy travels! Merren McArthur Tigerair Australia CEO

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CONTENTS

Destination directory Inside this issue… wherever you’re going, we’ve got you covered

F E AT U R E

F L IGH T DE C K S

Sydney producer Sippy makes a song at 35,000 feet

T H E S P LU R G E

S Y DNE Y

Spend a night at the Harbour Rocks Hotel

WHY I LIVE IN

P ER T H

ENCOUNTER

Ernie Dingo tells us why he loves the west

A DEL A IDE

Have a night out with rockers West Thebarton

34 18

31 21

56 Meet the meerkats at Jamala Lodge

Editorial & Art Editor Paul Chai Designer Cynthia Lau, Millie Jia Creative Director Stephanie Goh Sub Editor Adam Scroggy Production Manager Ian Scott

Advertising National Advertising Manager Carla D’Agrosa (02) 8188 3668 carla@citrusmedia.com.au Printed by Bluestar Web

Cover photo Sippy, photographed by Samara Clifford

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Management Financial Controller Phung Vuong Director Jim Flynn Tiger Tales is published on behalf of Tigerair by Citrus Media, PO Box 20154, World Square NSW 2002 Tel. (02) 9186 9186 citrusmedia.com.au

Our Weekend Warriors take on Hobart

© 2019 All rights reserved. Reproduction or distribution in any form, in whole or in part, is prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holder. Citrus Media is not responsible for the views and opinions of contributing journalists. Although the advice and information in this book are believed to be accurate and true at the time of going to press, neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

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Vinyl countdown

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THE POINTY END

T HE R OUND-UP W HAT E V E R YO U ' R E I N T O, T H E R E ' S P LE N T Y T O S E E A N D D O

ARTS

F OOD

G R O U N DWAT E R C O U N T R Y F E S T I VAL Country music is about life, passion and realism. Groundwater Country Music Festival invites visitors to the Gold Coast for three rocking days of world-class country music. The festival has grown so much over the past five years and the organisers look forward to welcoming everyone to Broadbeach in 2019. Gold Coast; July 26-28 groundwatercmf.com

BAIA DI VINO Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Sandringham has a new Mediterranean restaurant, bar and wine store: Baia Di Vino. The second venue from the team behind Riserva, Baia Di Vino translates to “wine bay” and is a contemporary expression of European coastal life. Melbourne baiadivino.com.au

OU T DOOR S

O P E R A AU S T R AL I A Opera Australia will be the first opera company in the world to present a fully digital repertory season. Three new productions – Madama Butterfly, Anna Bolena and Whiteley – will utilise 14 seven-metre-high suspended LED screens. Sydney; June 28 opera.org.au

AF L Perth’s Optus Stadium, which opened last year, is one of the best places in the country to catch a game of AFL. The stadium has the largest screens in the Southern Hemisphere, an on-site brewhouse, and a list of upcoming concerts including Queen. Perth optusstadium.com.au

F E S T I VA L S S Y DN E Y RUNN I NG F E S T I VAL Register now for the Harbour City’s premier running festival. There are a variety of options from the run across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (10km) to the marathon that ends at the Sydney Opera House. Sydney; September 15 sydneyrunningfestival. com.au

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WINTER NIGHT M AR K E T Melbourne proves it isn’t afraid of the cold as it fires up its annual winter night market. Bound by Peel, Franklin, Victoria and Elizabeth Streets in Melbourne’s CBD, head to the Queen Victoria Market on Wednesdays for music, soul food and hot toddies. Melbourne; until August 28 thenightmarket.com.au

DARW I N F E S T I VAL Proudly celebrating 40 years in 2019, Darwin Festival returns this August. Get ready to escape the Australian winter and spend 18 hot August nights in the tropical NT with a program rich in cabaret, theatre, comedy, dance, visual arts, music and family fun. Darwin; August 8-25 darwinfestival.org.au

W HALE WAT CH I NG Whale watching season is in full swing with hundreds of whales passing Sydney every day. Don’t miss out on this amazing experience – jump on board one of Whale Watching Sydney’s cruises, which depart daily from Darling Harbour or Circular Quay. Sydney; June and July whalewatchingsydney. com.au

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THE POINTY END

Chase bunyips in the Grampians

WORDS LINDY ALEXANDER

ake Goodes is not happy. The Adnyamathanha-Narungga man is squatting, staring at a cluster of small brown pebbles. At least, I think they are pebbles, until Goodes – a rock art cultural heritage protection specialist with Parks Victoria – calls me over. “This is not good,” he says. “This is goat scat.” Goodes has led me here, to a secluded cave above the plains of the Wimmera, to see the remnants of a mythological beast. For thousands

of years, Indigenous Australians have told stories of an amphibious spirit with characteristics of a bird and crocodile that prowled inland waterways: the bunyip. The first lieutenant-governor of Victoria, Charles Joseph La Trobe, wrote in the late 1840s that he had been “long convinced” of the bunyip's existence and was one of the first people to investigate bunyip sightings. As a boy growing up in western Victoria, Goodes was warned not ê

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THE POINTY END

THE GRAMPIANS IS HOME TO SOME IMPORTANT ARTWORKS

to take a dip in waterholes or rivers at night. “I was told to watch out for the bunyips,” he says. It’s now my turn to watch for bunyips as I follow Goodes past thorny acacia bushes and straggly tea trees along the Mount Difficult Range in the Grampians National Park, or “Gariwerd” as it’s known to the traditional

owners. But even metres from the sacred shelter housing bunyip remains, I see no hint of their presence. Goodes leads me to a squat cave – a mosaic of craggy sandstone with flushes of moss and lichen dotting its surface. Beneath the overhanging shelter the walls are smooth, curvaceous and pale, except for faint, rust-coloured lines. Here be bunyips. He uses his finger to outline the shape of the biggest beast, drawn in red ochre with a head, a long body and flippers. A small figure next to the bunyip is believed to be a human with a ceremonial piece on his head. “They thought the bunyip was massive,” Goodes says. “It’s the size of a whale. No wonder we were warned to keep away from waterholes.”

Rock art threats While I crouch on the sandy floor and look at the ancient drawings, Goodes is preoccupied with the goat scat. “A mother with two kids,” he says, staring at small indentations in the ground. “Threats to the rock art are all around.”

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“They thought the bunyip was the size of a whale. We were warned to keep away from waterholes”

Feral goats, with their coarse, oily coats, seek shelter in caves like this. They rub against the sandstone, and in doing so begin to erase tens of thousands of years of rock art. But it’s not only goats. The echoes of a bushfire that swept through here in 2014 can still be seen among the charred tree trunks and blackened logs strewn on the ground. “Fire is such a risk to rock art,” Goodes says. “The rock expands with the heat and then starts to pop like popcorn.” While some rock art has survived for thousands of years, it can be destroyed in a flash. In the past seven years approximately 40 rock art sites have been rediscovered in the Grampians, and this ancient, rugged landscape is home to about 90 per cent of all the known sites in Victoria. But much of the art, including the bunyips, is kept lowkey to protect it from graffiti. “We’ve had so many cases of art panels and motifs being vandalised,” Goodes says. “It only takes one person, and then others follow.” ê

THE GRAMPIANS BUNYIP DRAWN IN RED WITH FLIPPERS

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THE POINTY END

“Gariwerd has been shaped by the traditional owners and sacred sites like the bunyip rock art help us to understand traditional stories”

THERE ARE MORE THAN BUNYIPS AROUND HERE

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The bunyip cave was recently rediscovered by a ranger who was marking out a path that will form part of the Grampian Peaks Trail, a landmark 160-kilometre walking trail from Dunkeld to Mount Zero due to open in September. The trail is set to pass just metres from the bunyip cave. Goodes is circumspect about the path nudging so close to such significant Indigenous artwork. “We’re not sure about the protection measures yet,” Goodes says. “It’ll be up to the traditional owners to decide.” Later that day I speak to Simon Talbot, the chief operating officer from Parks Victoria.

“We have tangible evidence that people have lived in the area for over 20,000 years,” he says. “Gariwerd has been shaped by the traditional owners and sacred sites like the bunyip rock art help us to understand traditional stories. The Grampians Peaks Trail is going to offer people deep immersion into Aboriginal culture and history, but we also have to protect the art and the stories.” As we walk away from the cave, Goodes is thoughtful about how best to preserve the rock art and protect it from threats. “We’ve already lost so much,” he says. “I don’t want to lose the bunyips too.” Despite its fearsome reputation, it appears the bunyip still has some powerful allies.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne from nine destinations; tigerair.com.au

THE POINTY END

THE SPLURGE

HARBOUR ROCKS HOTEL The Rocks, Sydney

hy it’s worth it: The Rocks is Sydney’s historic precinct with pubs from the convict era; modern, upmarket restaurants; killer views; and tiny laneways like nowhere else in the city. Squint and you could be just off the boats of the First Fleet. On weekends, it’s a party place with more drinking than the Rum Rebellion, and it has some of the best paths to explore along the famous harbour. The Harbour Rocks Hotel brings a modern boutique stay that honours the past of this historic sandstone building, giving you the best of both worlds.

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Bang for your buck: The industrial-chic vibe of the hotel modernises the sandstone bones but keeps the secret alcoves and nooks of the 19th century build. The lobby looks more like a library with a huge wall of books and a warm and welcoming vibe with a small coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night. Explore downstairs and you’ll find the covered deck that overlooks The Rocks shops. The digs: My streetside room is a funky rectangular design with a corner spot that

looks over to the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. The room is painted in muted greys to match the metallic fittings throughout the hotel, and the art is a mix of black-and-white photos of the building’s former life and extracts and maps from the early writings of the First Fleet. The mini-bar keeps things local with Karma Cola and Three Sheets beer from the nearby Lord Nelson Hotel, the grandfather of all craft breweries.

rocking on Harbour Rocks Hotel is a blend of old and new

Must-do experience: The Middle Eastern delights of in-house restaurant Tayim raise this often-overlooked cuisine to the level of fine diner. Upon being seated I’m told that the hummus is the best in Sydney, and it’s hard to argue when it arrives at the table warm, nutty, offset by tart pickled vegetables and silkier than a CBD tie collection. It will ruin you for all other dips. The Yamba prawn skewers with harissa and smoked tahini and the sumac-cured kingfish with watermelon and green chilli round out a great sharing menu. It’s a concise menu, but plan for more than one meal here – or bring your friends. The damage: Doubles from $319 per night; harbourrocks.com.au

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Sydney from eight destinations; tigerair.com.au

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Photographer: Adrian Kelson

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THE POINTY END

Meet the meerkats at Jamala Wildlife Lodge

WORDS PAUL CHAI

s there a child on this earth who wouldn’t want to be locked inside a zoo for 24 hours? That’s the simple premise for an overnight stay at Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra. But there’s also plenty to make the adults happy, with top-drawer bubbles at sunset, an amazing dinner inside what was once a shark tank, and a luxurious base in uShaka Lodge – the starting point of your

journey and the former home of National Zoo and Aquarium owner Richard Tindale. This abode is full of African ephemera collected from Richard’s many trips to the continent to help save its animals. There’s also a habitat for some colobus monkeys adjoining the lodge, and when you pay them a visit you’re never quite sure who’s watching whom. ê

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THE POINTY END

But this original stay also brings out the big kid in you – especially when the keepers bring down a young cheetah cub for a visit just after we check in and have afternoon tea at the lodge. The guests head outside to see the young cub – named Solo, as she was a rare single birth – and her canine companion, Zama. We’re lucky enough to be asked to stay behind for a pat. I’m dead keen. My wife is less so, but we step up cautiously to Solo and follow the keeper’s instructions as Solo chews playfully on her hand. I reach out and touch the big cat’s steely coat, but am not prepared for the steely glare I get from the cheetah “cub”; she’s young, but the size of a full-grown dog. It’s a chilling look that puts me right in my place, and it’s very clear why the kids are not allowed to join us for the meet and greet.

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“This original stay brings out the big kid in you – especially when the keepers bring a young cheetah cub for a visit”

Full-grown humans are still a bit daunting to Solo when it comes to dining out, but the kids are well and truly in the Goldilocks Zone of “just right”. Families with younger kids cannot stay with any of the large carnivores for that very reason, but the kids are plenty happy with our digs, the palatial Wild Encounter Suite with two separate bedrooms and an adjoining bathroom. What’s more, we have Jamala’s newest neighbours, a family of meerkats, right outside our door. “Meerkats are one of those animals that everyone seems to love,” says Russell Jackson of Jamala. “We run encounters through the zoo where you have meerkats jumping and climbing all over you and they are immensely popular. “So the fact that you get to have your own private meerkat enclosure right outside your room if you book the Wild Encounter Suite or Wild Encounter

IT'S NOT OFTEN YOU GET PHOTO BOMBED BY A BIG CAT

Room 1 means those rooms have now become two of our most popular.” The enclosure is home to dad Sergei and his four boys Saka, Sudi, Surabi and Semush. A chance afternoon encounter with a keeper means that my two boys, Dash and Raff, get to help feed the meerkat family. It’s a messy affair of meal worms and live cockroaches, but my kids love it and start wondering aloud about how to become a zoo keeper. THE NEW MEERK AT ENCLOSURE IS A BIG HIT

A night in the zoo One of the highlights of the stay is when the zoo officially closes but guests get to roam around after hours. At this time the animals are more relaxed and interactive – including the sun bears, who start walking backwards to show off, and a pair of cheeky monkeys who we’ve been warned about. ê

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Where to stay

THE POINTY END

GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SERGEI AND THE BOYS

S T AY I N G AT J A M A L A Jamala Wildlife Lodge offers a range of different rooms from shark encounters to staying with the rescued sun bears. Couples are best suited for the big cats, and rooms vary in price according to which encounter you receive. For more information visit jamalawildlifelodge.com.au

They’ve made special “trading holes” in their cage to offer you sticks and fruit, but don’t be fooled – if you attempt a trade, they’ll hold on to your hand and not let go unless said trade includes your mobile phone. We pat some of the free-range wallabies and the resident emu and tour the enclosures until it starts to get dark. At Jamala Wildlife Lodge you can celebrate the arrival of evening with some champagne on the back deck as the sun sets over the private zoo. This cocktail hour is a chance for guests to mingle, and there’s a lot or interest in how far up the food chain your room is. Spoiler alert: lions are the apex predator here too. Dinner follows, and the kids are taken off for a night tour of the zoo. They return with

“Cocktail hour is a chance to mingle and see how far up the food chain your room is” my phone packed full of photos of them holding a wide variety of reptiles, including a python I would baulk at. The food is Africanthemed, the wine is free-flowing and everyone is throwing around the words “bucket list”. Then it’s off to bed. We peek out at the meerkats, but they’ve beaten us to it. They’re there the following morning, however, with a lookout perched on top of a rock as we head off for a morning tour that includes feeding antelopes and patting a rhinoceros. Staying the night at Jamala Wildlife Lodge is a wild ride with VIP access to a working zoo and the kind of proximity to wildlife that no other zoo accommodation can offer. You just need to decide which animal you want to share a room with.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Canberra from Melbourne and the Gold Coast; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

THE PASSENGER

TRAVEL & WINTER

1 0F 2

A round-table chat with three different travellers. This issue’s topic: winter escapes

Paul Chai, snowbound The colder weather is about one thing: snow. I’m really not that big a fan of winter, aside from a few fireside dark ales, so it needs to have some benefits – and a trip to the ski fields is what gets me through the freeze. My go-to ski spot is Mt Buller (see our feature on page 72). It’s close, has a wide variety of runs, and the village

offers you everything from the graband-go perfection of jaffles from T’s High Country Cafe or citified fine dining and killer cocktails of Black Cockatoo restaurant at the Mt Buller Chalet hotel. What do I love about skiing? I love travelling with family or a group of close friends where you can get together every night over log fires and a game of Monopoly then head off to the slopes

together in the morning. But, once on the runs, skiing is a pretty solo – even meditative – pursuit, as you pick the best path down and try to shake the cobwebs off your skills. That means adapting to the changing conditions of skiing, from a dump of fresh powder to keeping your wits about you on the icy patches. As hippie as it sounds, you’re always engaged and present, because if you ê

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THE POINTY END TRAVEL & WINTER

2 0F 2

aren’t present then you fall over. But it’s fun at the same time. The beauty of the alpine region is a key reason I love a ski trip. When you hop off the top of the ski lift on the summit of Mt Buller, or any mountain, there’s nothing like the view from the top. If I’m honest, I do get a rush out of the speed of downhill skiing. There’s a freedom to skiing, and finding that balance between a speed thrill and being able to turn if anything goes wrong is a great way to spend the day. Overall, it’s good fun. And everyone on the mountain is there to have a good time. There’s a great vibe to an alpine town in a good winter season – it’s like a party to which everyone is invited; healthy, leg-burning runs by day, and a bit of après-ski indulgence by night. It really is the best way to fight the cold.

Connor McLeod, coastal retreat Call it counter-programming, but my favourite place to hang out when the temperature drops is down by the beach or anywhere along the coast. I love the coast, but I’m not that big a fan of swimming – particularly with the hoards of summer travellers. Give me that salty air, amazing views and a long stroll along a deserted beach and you have the perfect getaway. I don’t really care whether it’s hot or not. The seaside towns of Gippsland or the Great Ocean Road, the NSW south coast or south of Perth – these places hit the reset button in winter, returning to quiet rural towns instead of places bulging with beach lovers. And I use the term beach

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"THERE’S A GREAT VIBE TO AN ALPINE TOWN IN A GOOD WINTER SEASON. IT’S LIKE A PARTY TO WHICH EVERYONE IS INVITED; HEALTHY, LEG-BURNING RUNS BY DAY, A BIT OF APRÈS-SKI INDULGENCE BY NIGHT"

lovers generously – if you only love the coast in the warmer weather, that is the literal meaning of a “fair-weather friend”. Winter is whale-watching season along the NSW and Victorian coastline, so you can grab a coat and take a walk along the cliffs of the Royal National Park and listen to the explosion of air from the lungs of a humpback whale swimming just a few hundred metres away. It might seem a tad obvious, but it’s simply not as hot. You get the sun, the sand and the sea air, but you’re not sweating or wet or covered in sand, and the beach is just as beautiful as it is in the warmer months. If anything, I think the winter skies are bluer, the frigid air more invigorating. I actually think winter is the very best time to go on a beach holiday.

Sarah Mitchell, staycation It can be a hard thing for a traveller to admit, but I do love a good staycation; heading out to a hotel stay or even a weekend away in the city that I live in. Or the staycation’s little brother, which to me is going to a friend’s city and staying with them – a different location but a well-known place to crash.

These mini-breaks seem particularly suited to winter. As comfy as my home is, heading to a hotel where you have all the heating mod-cons, a fridge and a cupboard full of top-drawer tipples and a bath you could only dream of owning is a great thing to do when it gets cold. Also, a staycation helps you focus your mind, free of the distractions of the housework you can see needs doing. Staying out of your home but in your hometown can also help you break up your routine, and let you get away from your everyday problems. On a mate-cation (coined it!), it’s the opposite appeal: you’ve jumped on a plane and escaped your city comfort zone, but you land at a mate’s place, drop your stuff and don’t have worry about checking in, credit cards, or leaving anything behind. A weekend at a friend’s in a foreign city is also perfect winter fare as you head out to drink mulled wine and cosy up to any pub with an open fire. In the colder weather, I still like to travel and explore, but it’s either close to home or in the company of people I love – the travel version of winter comfort food.

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THE POINTY END

Rock out in Adelaide with West Thebarton

LIVE PHOTOS NICK ASTANEI AND PAT O'HARA

hen you catch West Thebarton live they pour onto the stage like a spilt beer. The seven members drumming frenetically, prowling around in front of the crowd or climbing to the top of Marshall stacks, as lead singer Ray Dalfsen, aka Reverend Ray, preaches to the converted with one foot firmly planted on a foldback speaker. The Adelaide-based party-rock band have a new single out called “Tops” and are touring nationally with A Swayze & the Ghosts. So, who better to show us around the City of Churches by night than the good Reverend and his mates?

5-6pm

Record shopping Clarity Records on Pulteney Street is the heartbeat of the Adelaide music scene. With an emphasis on independent and punk music, books and magazines, the store also has new releases and genres that are as diverse as those who come through its doors. When you pop in, say hello to Laura and Footy, the powerhouse couple who run this wonderful establishment. Tell ‘em West Theb sent you. Clarity Records, 60 Pulteney Street, Adelaide

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THE POINTY END do it. It’s a restaurant, after all. The menu is Italian (duh), and it’s tops. Can recommend everything. There’s also a set of vinyl turntables in the corner, and groovy tunes just made to eat and drink to. Midnight Spaghetti, 196 Grenfell Street, Adelaide (upstairs)

9-10pm

See some live music

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Time to hit the pub

WEST THEBARTON TAKE TO THE STAGE

After Clarity, walk east down Rundle Street till you come to the Exeter Hotel. There’s two of these in South Australia that go by the same name, but for our purposes, this is the one you want. Our first ever gig was in the historic front bandroom. Anyway, make sure you try for a seat outside – it’s peoplewatching heaven as the sun gets lower in the sky. The golden glow of Rundle Street is unmissable. If you can’t manage an outside seat, which is entirely likely, pop inside and plonk down on the worn timber tables of the beer garden with a red or a beer. The kitchen cranks out pub food, and curries on certain nights, while the front room plugs in for bands and solo artists. Great stuff. Exeter Hotel, 246 Rundle Street, Adelaide

8-9pm

Drinks and dinner If you turn down Union Street, walk along it and pop up to Midnight Spaghetti, above the Crown & Anchor Hotel. Follow the signs – most in chalk and some in neon – for a pre-dinner drink and dinner. Sit at the bar, in a cosy booth, on the balcony or in the secluded dining room. We’ve shared many band family dinners around these tables. The whole place is cosy, intimate and comfortable. And order dinner. Just

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HIT THE TOWN IN ADEL AIDE FOR SOME LIVE MUSIC

When you’ve had your fill of food and vinyl, the good news is that downstairs is the hallowed Cranker Bandroom. Inside the Crown & Anchor (Crown + Anchor = Cranker, see?) is one of the greatest bandrooms in Adelaide for rock and roll bands, indie bands, pop bands, heavy bands – just for music in general. It’s a smallish room; about 200 people can fit here, and most weeks there are bands playing there every single night. Some of our very favourite shows to play, and to attend, have taken place in this room over the years. The place has an authentic energy that comes from years and years and years of staying true to the ethos of live music. Cranker Bandroom, 196 Grenfell Street, Adelaide (downstairs)

REVEREND R AY (SECOND FROM LEFT) AND WEST THEB GO RECORD SHOPPING

See West Thebarton West Thebarton are touring nationally with gigs throughout June at places like the the Triffid in Brisbane (June 21) and Miami Shark Bar on the Gold Coast (June 22). For more information visit westthebarton.com

10-11pm

Late-night meal

“The Crown & Anchor is one of the greatest bandrooms in Adelaide for rock and roll bands, indie bands, pop bands – just for music in general”

When the gig wraps up, you have a bunch of options, and funnily enough, the best option is to go west. We recommend getting a quick bite as you head down Hindley Street at Soju Bar for Korean fried chicken. At last check it was $55 for a plate of chook, five beers and a special soju shot. This stop-off should give you the energy you’ll need for the rest of your night. Juroheunghal Korean Soju Bar, 15 Hindley Street, Adelaide

11-late

Late-night venue Now that you’re in the west, you must get yourself to Adelaide’s finest rock and roll dive bar, Cry Baby. In an unassuming alleyway, and named after Janis Joplin’s seminal 1970s version of the hit of the same name, this place has a pool table, a jukebox playing Creedence Clearwater Revival (and everything else), intimate booths, whisky, good times aplenty, and one of the top blokes in the Adelaide hospo scene at the helm: Jon Di Pinto. Tell him we sent you – he’ll probably hug you. It’s busy, to be sure, but that’s “cos it’s like no other place in Adelaide”. Cry Baby, 11 Solomon Street, Adelaide

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Adelaide from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

Why I live in

P ER T H

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Ernie Dingo is the presenter of Going Places with Ernie Dingo, a travel show that captures secret spots and beautiful places “that people don’t know about”.

capture them from my point of view, the cameraman’s point of view, the sound guys’ point of view and then from the editor’s point of view at the end.

Hey Ernie – tell us about Going Places! The main reason I love Going Places is because of the people we meet in these little places. They make the places even more special. These places we visit could be like black-and-white drawings, and then as you look around you’ll start seeing soft pastel colours, and then as the locals start sharing their knowledge these incredible colours will appear – and you’ll leave with this beautiful painting in your head. The series is truly a team effort to showcase these locations and

What makes Perth a great place to live? The east coasters come to Perth and think our coffee isn’t as good, however I just think they’re too used to the water in Sydney and not used to our pure water in Perth! Perth is so much fun – we may be two hours behind in the winter and three hours behind in the summer, but it’s those hours behind that we take to blend the harmony that we have in the west. Where do you go for a good foodie fix? I go to Freo and visit the Cappuccino Strip.

west is best Ernie Dingo finds plenty to love about living in Perth.

I like going to the Italian and Mediterranean restaurants. I visit my mate down there, Nunzio – aka Mr Pizza, Mr Fremantle. I love going down to Freo to his restaurant, Nunzios (20 Essex Street, Fremantle; nunzios.net.au); just sitting down there catching up on good times. I love the food that he makes! Fremantle is a great place to go to for food – there are lots of boutique cafes and restaurants around the place. There are so many different places you can go around Perth to get a good feed. If you venture south, towards the wine country, Margaret River way, that’s another place you’re spoilt for good food. I also love finding good Asian food. Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai – there’s a lot around Northbridge or North Perth. Do you have a favourite or secret spot you like to relax? The Murchison River, where I’m from, and its surrounds, such as the Galena Bridge, the waterholes, the salt flats, the lakes and the desolate country. Wooleen Station (Twin Peaks-Wooleen Road, Murchison; wooleen.com.au) is a must-see for a lot of people in this region too. In the spring, it’s heaven on a stick.

I’m not a beach person myself, so it’s really a matter of taste. I really love the river. I go to the river outside of the casino – there’s so much activity that goes on there.

What is Perth’s best beach? Perth’s best beach is determined by which side of the table you sit on. Some would say Leighton Beach is the best because you can kitesurf, but others would say Cottesloe is the beach where everyone should go.

What’s your late night go-to spot? Bed! I’ve done my dash – 40 years ago! But if I did head out, I’d go to Northbridge in Perth, as there are a couple of good restaurants and it’s out of the way of everyone, as the masses have left after work hours. Otherwise, I'd head to Mandurah, which is down the coast. Everything is there but nothing is there, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a visitation place, and it’s getting a reputation for good food. Tell us something only a local would know. The numbat, the black swan and the kangaroo paw are very significant to Perth – and the majority of Perth people would know that, as they are the state emblems. Our animal is the numbat, our bird is the black swan, and our flower is the kangaroo paw.

SEE ERNIE DINGO Going Places with Ernie Dingo airs on SBS from Wednesday, June 12 at 7:30pm and on NITV from Sunday, June 16 at 7:30pm. For more information, visit sbs.com.au

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THE POINTY END

Chase ghosts on Cockatoo Island

WORDS SANGEETA KOCHAREKAR

t starts as these types of tours usually do: we pass around laminated photos of ghosts. There is a photo of a girl in front of a building that, if I’m being perfectly honest, looks more like a watercolour painting than anything else. There is a blurry blob at the bottom of a staircase. And there is a shadow lurking in a window. “These were all taken by guests on our tour,” our guide Carol tells us. “People are often surprised by what they see.” I know what you’re thinking. And that’s how ridiculous the concept of a ghost tour is. Traipse around a “haunted” building or site with a loud, flashlight-yielding group and hope to see a notoriously shy spirit? You’d want to keep that expectation under wraps. But, if you’re going to do a ghost tour, you might as well do it on an island

with as colourful a past as that of Cockatoo Island. For a small scrap of land in Sydney Harbour, it sure has a lot of stories to tell. The 1.5-hour tour – which kicked off fittingly on Halloween last year and runs every Saturday night, year-round – starts at 9:30pm. My friend and I meet Carol and the group of eight others at the visitor centre before we all walk over to the edge of the island’s campgrounds. Someone asks Carol what she herself had seen on the island. “You can’t always guarantee it’s going to be visual – sometimes it’s your other senses. Sometimes you feel really cold and that someone is watching you,” she says. “And it makes sense. If you had convicts brought overseas from Britain locked away here in fear, they wouldn’t really understand why we were coming here to try to find them.” ê

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THE POINTY END

The convict era – “our version of Alcatraz”, Carol calls it, explaining that butchers from Balmain used to throw meat into the water, resulting in sharks surrounding the prisoners – was the island’s second reinvention of many. In fact, the island may have even had more makeovers than Madonna. And that’s saying a lot. Its earliest recorded history was as a ladies-only site for the Eora people (Indigenous people of Sydney’s coastal region). They would arrive in flat-bottom canoes and bathe in peace. To them, Cockatoo Island was “Wareamah”. In the late 1800s, the island became a reform school for girls. And then, in the 1900s, it underwent yet another transformation – this time re-emerging as a naval yard. We walk to the Convict Precinct and hear gruesome stories about murders and suicides in the commanding officer’s building – a big, dilapidated house. Carol leads us over to the jail cells, and we duck our heads in for a closer look. But it’s a site in the Historic Residence Precinct we see next that, for me, has the most impact. Biloela House, a beautiful home in Old Colonial Georgian style, was originally built as a residence

“If you’re going to do a ghost tour, you may as well do it on an island with as colourful a past as Cockatoo Island”

THERE ARE GHOSTS OF INDUSTRY TOO ON COCK ATOO ISL AND

for the superintendent at the reform school. We shuffle around inside it, shining our flashlights on its wallpapered rooms. The Harbour Bridge can be seen in the distance from a large window. I imagine the superintendent’s daughter Minnie – said to now haunt the house – looking at the same view in the late 1800s. Hers without the bridge, of course. It feels chilling. And then the tour is over. The others are catching a ferry home, so my friend and I say our goodbyes and walk back to our tent. Am I disappointed we didn’t see a ghost? A little. The tiny, non-sceptic side of me had secretly hoped I might see something unusual. Instead, though, I got some fascinating insight into a place I’d known little about. Funny, then, that stories from this new era of Cockatoo Island – ghostyard tours and camping – might be told on history tours down the track. And by then, who knows how many times the island will have reinvented itself yet again? Suffice to say, even Madge would be impressed.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Sydney from eight destinations; tigerair.com.au

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LEGENDARY TEX-MEX $2 TACO TUESDAYS*

*AVAILABLE ON WEDNESDAYS AT BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS

10¢ WING WEDNESDAYS* *AVAILABLE ON TUESDAYS AT BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS

½ PRICE FAJITA THURSDAYS* $7.50 GIANT RITAS & BEERS* FREE SOMBREROS & CHIPS

SYDNEY THE ROCKS – MANLY WHARF – BYRON BAY – BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS COMING THIS WINTER FITZROY, MELBOURNE – ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, SYDNEY SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS: ELCAMINOCANTINA.COM.AU

*CONDITIONS APPLY

THE POINTY END

THE FEAST 1 0F 2

WINTER WARMERS A mojito and a fresh seafood platter in the summer; a mulled wine and a hearty roast in the winter. Some foods and drinks just fit their seasons. But why?

ILLUSTRATION JESSICA HU

emperature is the obvious answer to our question above, and it’s indeed a major contributing factor. We all want things that will cool us down when we’re hot and warm us up when we’re cold. But while eating and drinking hot things does increase body temperature, it’s not in the way you think. Our body temperature jumps when we consume things that are served hot, but the effect is short-lived. If we want the warmth to last, we need to increase the calories, not the temperature. Certain food increases our metabolism. The

higher our metabolism, the more heat our body generates, and the warmer we get. It’s what scientists call diet-induced thermogenesis, or the “thermic effect” – the amount of energy our bodies use above our normal metabolic rate due to the “cost” of processing food for use and storage. As you’ve probably guessed, plenty of the food we associate with winter has a high thermic effect. Protein has the highest thermic effect (30 per cent), followed by carbohydrates (six per cent), then fat (four per cent). Root vegetables

such as cabbage, kale, sweet potatoes, carrots and potatoes are particularly effective. Sunday roast, check. Chicken and vegetable soup, check. That explains food. But what about alcohol? Unfortunately, alcohol ê

THE CIT Y L A NE Paul Kristoff is the editor-in-chief of food, travel and culture online magazine The City Lane, and he is one third of the craft-beer podcast team Brunswick Beer Collective. Visit thecitylane.com and brunswickbeercollective.com to find out more.

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THE POINTY END THE FEAST 2 0F 2

"WINTER CAN FEEL A BIT MISERABLE AT TIMES, SO MANY OF US COMFORT EAT, AND ALL OF THOSE SWEET, FATTY GOODIES CAN GIVE US A SHORT-TERM BURST OF JOY" only has a thermic effect of four per cent. Alcohol does, however, act as a “vasodilator”. That is, a substance that increases blood flow to the skin. The more blood we have flowing near our skin, the warmer we feel. Finally, there’s the psychological element to consider. Lack of sunlight, less people out and about, colds, and less smiles on faces all combine to make winter feel a bit miserable at times. There’s even a term for it: seasonal affective disorder (“SAD”, quite suitably). When we’re feeling a bit down, many of us comfort eat, and all of those sweet, fatty and calorie-dense goodies can give us a short-term burst of joy. Armed with science and with your winter destination almost reached, you’re probably in the mood for some winter-appropriate food and drink in a warming atmosphere. So, here are five charming, old-school spots to visit for some hearty food and warming drinks.

The Union Club Hotel (Fitzroy, VIC) There are more than a few charming old pubs in the backstreets of Fitzroy, and the Union Club Hotel is one of the best. During winter, there’s a fireplace that gets put to good use. Along with the worn-in couches, wood panelling, carpet, and vintage paintings, it creates just the kind of space that makes you want to stay put on a cold winter’s night.

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It’s a cosy spot that draws a diverse crowd attracted by the welcoming, non-pretentious atmosphere.

The Hero of Waterloo (Millers Point, NSW) “The Hero” is a Heritage Listed pub that has been continually trading since 1845. It’s the second-oldest surviving hotel in Sydney, and one of the oldest in the country. Traditional pubs have a certain something about them that just works during the winter. The old stone building is full of character and very cosy, the fireplace is put to good use, and the modern Australian pub menu’s heartier options hit the spot well.

Ettie’s (Hobart, TAS) Ettie’s isn’t an old venue, but has all the charm of a venue that has been around for a lot longer – in part because it’s housed in one of Hobart’s oldest buildings, a 1930s hotel and stables. It’s a wine bar with a bit of Parisian hole-inthe-wall feel about it, and it champions the local produce of Tasmania across its traditional European-focused menu. Indeed, the seasonal menu features a lot to like during winter. For a truly cosy winter-appropriate vibe, head downstairs to the secret cellar bar. Yes, that wrought-iron stairwell to the side actually does lead somewhere: a small, stone-walled, candlelit bar.

The Old Canberra Inn (Lyneham, ACT) The Old Canberra Inn is so old it predates Canberra itself. The original slab hut was built in 1857 and licensed as an inn in 1876. It was a coach stop for travellers until 1887 when it was sold to a Mr. John Read, who used it as his family home. It was used as such until it was relicensed in 1976. Featuring multiple fireplaces, this charming, family-friendly venue is a great winter spot for those from all walks of life. The traditional, well-sized pub meals are hearty and affordable, while eight rotating craft beer taps mean you’ll also find some of Canberra’s best winter-appropriate stouts.

Varnish on King (Perth, WA) There’s something about a basement bar that screams winter. During the summer we all head to the beer gardens and rooftops, but during the winter it’s the warmth and cosiness of a basement that appeals. Varnish gets the cosy basement bar vibes right. It’s small and intimate, there’s dark brick and timber furnishings, low lighting, and vintage photography on the walls. One of Perth’s best whisky bars, there’s also great beer and wine, and some delicious, hearty food. And if you need any more convincing, they offer matched bacon and whisky tasting flights. Bacon is full of protein so, you know... thermogenesis and all that.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Canberra and Perth; tigerair.com.au

A D V E R T O R I A L

DINING SPECIALS The very best specials at your favourite local restaurants for every day of the week! The Bavarian

El Camino Cantina

Fratelli Fresh

The Bavarian

NSW 11 Bridge Street, Sydney | Level 5 Westfield, Sydney |

he Bavarian has stepped things up with The Royal Snack Hour available from 4pm to 6pm daily. Guests who purchase a drink* can choose from complimentary premium snacks: mini sausage rolls, Texan sloppy fries and Cajun popcorn chicken. Let’s step that out: Gourmet sausage rolls: These house-made numbers feature a mix of The Bavarian’s famous beef bratwurst and pork sausages and German mustard, wrapped in golden puff pastry and scattered with caraway and mustard seeds. Texan sloppy fries: These are no regular fries. They’re tricked up with pickled onions and jalapeños and doused with ranch dressing. They come with a capital “F” for Flavour and a capital “V” for Vego! Cajun popcorn chicken: What’s better – Cajun-spiced chicken or buttery popcorn? The Bavarian’s culinary team couldn’t decide, so they tossed them both together. And guess what: it works! thebavarians.com

Shop 8, 16 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay | Entertainment Quarter,

Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane |

Moore Park | 52 Mitchell Road, Alexandria | 118 Willoughby Road,

Canberra | Adelaide

Crows Nest | Tenancy 2, 14 Darling Drive, Darling Harbour

*T&Cs apply

Fratelli Fresh

ratelli Fresh is Sydney’s favourite local Italian, inviting you to come together with your friends and family to share an authentic Italian feast. Fratelli prides itself on being an extension of the Italian family table, where great conversation together with delicious food and wine creates gioie della tavola (“joys of the table”). Fratelli offers the best specials in Sydney daily, and there’s something for everyone. Kids eat free all day, every day, and there’s all-you-can-eat antipasti on Tuesdays and meal combination specials for lunch and dinner. The menu also features items that are vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free friendly. Head along for Fratelli’s famous happy hour on Monday to Friday from 3pm to 6pm. There’s a selection of menu items from only $3 to $6 including Aperol Spritz, Espresso Martinis, beer, wine and popular items from the antipasti menu. Or enjoy two hours of free-flowing Aperol Spritz, Espresso Martinis, Fratelli Fresh wines and craft beer for just $29pp when you dine on the three-course, share-style Festa Italiana menu, which is $50pp and available Friday to Sunday, lunch and dinner. See you at your local Fratelli soon! fratellifresh.com.au

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l Camino Cantina is a large and loud Tex-Mex restaurant and bar filled with MASSIVE margaritas, LEGENDARY Tex-Mex, colourful sombreros and awesome rockin’ music! Take advantage of unmissable weekly deals including 10-cent chicken wings, $2 tacos, half-price fajitas and a burrito and beer lunch special! Happy hour is from 4pm-6pm weekdays with rock star $7.50 margaritas, house beer, wine and tequila, and there’s a $19 brunch on offer every weekend!* Enjoy complimentary, unlimited tortilla chips and salsa all day with an all-round menu including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. With soon-to-be six stellar locations, it doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for drinks, lunch, dinner, a party or group event – El Camino Cantina offers an authentic Tex-Mex experience you’ll never forget. elcaminocantina.com.au NSW 18 Argyle Street, The Rocks | Manly Ferry Wharf, Belgrave Street and W Esplanade, Manly | 108-114 Jonson Street, Byron Bay | Entertainment Quarter (coming July) QLD Shop 2, 45 King Street, Bowen Hills VIC 222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (coming June) *Conditions apply, see website for more details!

El Camino Cantina

THE POINTY END

HEAD INTO THE DARK T he ol Barsto

s the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, I tend to like my beer to get darker. Dark ales, or a robust stout, use darker malts when they are brewed to give them that broodier, sometimes black, look. These malts are stronger and mean that a dark beer is maltier with a hoppier hit and flavours like chocolate, caramel and coffee – just the ticket for a fireside chat with friends. They’re the opposite of a session ale, or the winter version as you can still put a few away. Dark ales come in as many flavours as you can think of, but a general rule is the darker it is, the heavier it will be, and it will come with a thumping hit of malt. These are not shy beers, so if you’re pairing them with food you’ll need something hearty like a big roast

The cold nights of winter call for an open fire and a dark beer or grilled steak. They also work with casseroles. In short, all the stuff you want to be eating at this time of year. Here are some of the best dark beers right now and where to drink them.

4 Pines Brewing This craft brewer from Sydney’s Northern Beaches makes this cracking stout in the traditional Irish style of a Guinness. That means coffee and caramel on the nose with a hint of bitterness and with a colour as dark as Cersei Lannister’s heart. Head into the Manly brewery for a taste. 4pinesbeer.com.au

Two Birds Brewing This west Melbourne brewery currently has a winter stout that uses seven different malts to achieve its midnight hue. The British Fuggles hops even have a hint of berry so you get a winter berry and chocolate pudding in a glass. The industrial-chic brewery has it on tap. twobirdsbrewing.com.au

"THESE ARE NOT SHY BEERS, SO IF YOU’RE PAIRING THEM WITH FOOD YOU’LL NEED SOMETHING HEARTY LIKE A BIG ROAST OR GRILLED STEAK ... ALL THE STUFF YOU WANT TO BE EATING AT THIS TIME OF YEAR”

Balter The boys at Queensland’s Balter Brewing Company have come up with Handsome Elvis to croon you through the winter. This creamy milk stout has some added pizzazz too with a few drops of liquid nitrogen added to each can so that bubbles rise up into the air when it is poured. It’s a touch of alchemy that took the brewers ages to perfect, but is a nice whimsical touch. Look for the Jailhouse Rock-inspired striped can. balter.com.au

Brewhouse With a handsome cellar door overlooking the rolling hills of Margaret River, Brewhouse has its Undies oatmeal stout on offer this season. The beer uses special hops from the UK, home of cold-weather drinking, and goes down like black velvet. brewhousemargaretriver.com.au

MEET THE AUTHOR Conner McLeod is travel writer, amateur beer lover and reviewer. When he is not in a pub he is usually on a plane, flying to a pub.

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SCIENTIFIC ORGANIC BEAUTY™

™

Blessing

Anti-Pollution Light Face Serum

SCIENTIFICALLY SHOWN* TO INHIBIT

OXIDATIVE STRESS IN-VITRO BY UP TO

NEW ZEALAND DISCOVER YOURS AT: David Jones and Priceline. * Trinity Bioactives: In-vitro investigation into the antioxidant effects (production of superoxide) of test products at 0.10% by activated macrophage cells, after one hour exposure (2018)

THE POINTY END

Celebrate whales on Phillip Island

WORDS KIRSTEN KRAUTH

ou never forget the first time you see a whale in its natural habitat. I was at a cafe on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and in the middle of my sunny meal on the verandah, two humpback whales rose from the calm water and started to play just offshore. For half an hour, they breached and slapped their tails. I walked down to the empty beach and sat alone, watching, awestruck. This ecstatic experience has been echoed by many who’ve been on whale-watching cruises or lucky enough to catch a glimpse from the shore. Rebecca Giggs, author of Fathoms: The World in

the Whale, believes this perspective comes from a strong desire to connect; that we like to imagine “whales orientating themselves to humans: seeking out our mystery.” That we hope they are as curious about us as we are of them. One of the many appealing ideas about whales is that they migrate; that there’s only a limited time to glimpse them before they move on. “In a shrinking world, we are most captivated by those things that stay out of touch,” Griggs writes. “What the whales bring with them is the message that there are earthly territories we have restrained ourselves from encroaching on.” ê

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THE POINTY END Festival of the whale Phillip Island in Victoria has seen an increase in the number of migrating humpback and southern right whales from June to August, and the three-day Phillip Island Whale Festival was established to help visitors learn more about whales and encounter them in their natural environment. The festival was created by local organisations Phillip Island Nature Parks, Wildlife Coast Cruises and the Dolphin Research Institute, along with the recording project, Two Bays. Kim Storey, from Destination Phillip Island Regional Tourism Board, who manages the festival, agrees it’s the secret life of whales that invites reflection. “The mystery of where they come from and where they go, the water and the incredible size of whales makes them so intriguing to us all,” Kim says. Even after many sightings, “I still get goosebumps each time I see one.” BEING THIS CLOSE TO WHALES IS SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

T H E F E S T I V A L’ S T A L K S TEACH YOU MORE ABOUT WHALES

Storey has had a love of whales since her 20s, when she scuba-dived, and sees Phillip Island as one of the best places to see them. “We’re the only Victorian destination that has a regular Whale Watching Cruise following the southern coastline of Phillip Island,” she says. “The island has also established a land-based Bass Coast Whale Discovery Trail, which marks key positions along the coast of Bass Coast and Phillip Island, where you may be able to view the whales.”

Whale watching 2.0 Changes in technology have also meant the chances of spotting a whale are better than ever. Whale sightings are often posted on the Two Bays Whale Project and Phillip Island Whale Watchers Facebook pages so visitors can check in real-time and head out with binoculars to local lookouts. Along with the celebration of whales, Storey also emphasises that the festival aims to encourage

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“Did you know humpback whales have lungs the size of a small car? Or that male humpbacks can sing for an hour?”

visitors to consider “the impact we have on the marine environment, which affects the whales and all our sea life.” Many sessions are created especially for kids, and key festival highlights include the “Whale out of Water” presentation by Dolphin Research Institute, where visitors walk through a 19-metre blow-up whale to learn about whales and their life cycle. Meanwhile, the “Spot a Whale” sessions, held at Pyramid Rock and Cape Woolamai with trained scientists, are also very popular. Did you know humpback whales have lungs the size of a small car? That male humpbacks can sing for an hour? That they travel up to 10,000 kilometres on their return journey? Head along to find out all this and a whale-sized portion more. The Island Whale Festival takes place July 5-7, welcoming the annual migrating whales. Visit islandwhales.com.au for more information on the festival, including an intercultural celebration of whales through song, music, dance and stories.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne from nine destinations; tigerair.com.au

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THE PACK

T HE P L AY L I S T

THE POINTY END

Pack these on your next trip away 1

STUFF TO BUY BEFORE YOU GO 2

Ü 1 SUNWARRIOR CL ASSIC PLUS ORGANIC PROTEIN

A sprouted whole-grain superfood that combines the amino acid balancing effects of peas, chia seeds, quinoa, and amaranth. This plant-based protein will take your workouts to new levels. 750g, $53.95; sunwarrior.com.au

H AY D E N J A M E S BETWEEN US

Hayden James has been turning heads on the local dance scene for years, his slick, precise house music also making inroads in Europe and the US. “Nowhere to Go” has exceptional Naations vocals and Boy Matthews features on “Hold Me Back”. A terrific listen. Ideal for… hitting the clubs on Chapel Street

2 SEBAMED MOISTURISING CREAM Supports and protects the natural barrier function of the skin's acid mantle with a healthy pH value of 5.5. Meanwhile, 2% Vitamin E neutralises free radicals. 75ml, $14.99; sebamed.com.au

3 DUX COLLECTION PREMIUM CANDLES Environmentally friendly, handpoured premium candles beautifully presented in hand-cut glass. DUX candles are made to the highest quality with beeswax sourced from Australian hives. From $31.82; duxcollection.com

2 T IM S HIE L

GLOWING PAINS: DEEP CUTS Producer, frequent Gotye collaborator and Double J announcer Tim Shiel has made a happy habit of releasing gentle and often elegiac electronic music. Shiel’s best work so far is 2018’s Glowing Pains and this second collection of cuts from the same project is almost as good. Ideal for… your Tasmanian winter getaway

4 OAKLEY FLIGHT DECK PRIZM The Flight Deck Snow Goggle is built with a medium, rimless frame for style and comfort. $269.95; oakley.com.au

Waterproof to 10 metres without a housing, the HERO7 Black is always good to go. $499.95; teds.com.au

6 ANTIPODES BLESSING ANTI-POLLUTION LIGHT FACE SERUM

A true blessing for urban life, Antipodes Blessing Anti-Pollution Light Face Serum offers protection from city pollution. 30ml, $54; antipodesnature.com

3 HOMEWARD BOUND

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T PANIC

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If you ever wondered what happened to Adelaide rapper-producer Jimblah, he’s back and ready to talk about it. And he has a little help from partner in music and life, singer Georgia B. Together they sift through the psychological funk that enveloped Jimblah after his brilliant 2013 album Phoenix. Ideal for… checking out Adelaide’s thriving food and drinks scene

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THE POINTY END

Get spicy on the Coffs Coast

WORDS CONNOR MCLEOD

urryfest does what it says on the tin: celebrates one of the world’s most beloved dishes in a festival of colour, music and flavours that brings the winter streets of Woolgoolga, on the Coffs Coast, to life. But Curryfest is more than just a celebration of food; it’s a reflection of this area’s multiculturalism. Earlier this year a huge new Sikh temple was built in the town on the site of the first-ever Sikh temple and the festival was born out of a celebration of the local community. Fourteen years on, and with a brand-new temple to celebrate, this year’s edition should have a little added spice.

“The new Sikh temple is a showcase for Punjabi culture,” says Curryfest organiser Carl Mower. “Sikhs first came to town as plantation farmers in the early 1950s, first farming bananas and now turning to blueberries.” The beachside town of Woolgoolga now has the biggest Sikh community outside of the capital cities with four generations helping to shape the local area. This civic pride spilled over into a curry festival 14 years ago that continues to change and grow. “We are proud of the Indian history but we are now diversifying into other curries,” Carl says. ê

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THE POINTY END “This year we will have over 30 stalls offering curries from Thailand, Morocco, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.” Punjabi culture will also be celebrated in other ways such as traditional dance troupes, yoga and meditation, as well as curry cooking and turban-tying demonstrations. “Everyone that comes to town is keen to try all the curries, but they also love learning more about the Indian culture,” Carls says. The festival will also have a guest chef in ex-MasterChef contestant Justine Schofield, who will providing a series of masterclasses and talks.

All aboard A fun new addition this year is the Bollywood Express, a special Indian-themed train trip that will have Bhangra folk dance groups, Dholi drummers and loads of samosas. There will even be live cooking demonstrations on the train.

E X- M A S T E R C H E F CONTESTANT JUSTINE SCHOFIELD IS A GUEST

For those heading straight to the festival, the beachside town will be showing outdoor Bollywood movies on the sand and local cafes and restaurants will be getting involved with a variety of “Taste of Woolgoolga” dinners showcasing the region’s produce. Woolgoolga is a unique spot to visit with many of the locals dressed in colourful saris and turbans. It’s an atmosphere not easy to emulate anywhere else in Australia. In a very crowded market for food festivals, it’s great to see a celebration not only of food, but also of an entrenched multiculturalism that has been successful for over half a century. If that isn’t a good enough reason to have a beachside curry and raise a glass to Australia’s diverse regions, I don’t know what is. Curryfest takes place in Woolgoolga on September 28. Visit curryfest.com.au for more information. If you’re travelling to the Coffs Coast near this date, keep an eye out for a series of lead-in or follow-up events too.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Coffs Harbour from Sydney and Melbourne; tigerair.com.au

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FLIGHT TRACK

Flight decks Sydney producer Laura Patterson, aka Sippy, is a travelling musician who often mixes tracks on the move. We asked her to make a song for us as she flew from Sydney to Melbourne, one of the world’s busiest air routes. She talks to Matt Shea.

PHOTOS SAMARA CLIFFORD

aura Patterson doesn’t sleep on planes. “I wish I could,” she laughs. “I don’t know what it is. I’m a good napper. If I’m in the back seat of a car I fall asleep straight away. I wish I could on a plane – it would be a great opportunity catch up.” A great opportunity because Patterson flies anywhere between one and three times a week – and often between Melbourne and Sydney, catching one of the 54,519 flights a year that make it the world’s second busiest air route. Patterson’s reasons for flying to Melbourne? To visit her sister, and also to DJ under her stage name, Sippy. Over the past half-decade, Sippy has become a phenomenon on Australia’s bass music scene. The Sydney-based producer has held residencies at the enormously popular Chinese Laundry

and The World Bar nightclubs, remixed for the Chainsmokers, had a single included on the latest We Are Deadbeats compilation released via Zeds Dead’s Deadbeats imprint, and embarked on an extensive tour of Australia and New Zealand. Her dubstep and riddim cuts mix the instinctive with the intellectual – songs such as “Lithos” and “Guardian” build lush soundscapes and ticking percussion into vertiginous bass drops – and her shows overflow with a riotous energy. So Patterson is flying a lot more than she used to. And if she can’t sleep, there’s only one thing to do: work. It’s a common enough refrain from musicians these days. The old write-record-tour model is broken. In 2019, you make very little money from selling music. Instead, artists such as Patterson ê

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FLIGHT TRACK

“I find some of my best ideas happen on flights. I can sit in the air and focus on what I’m doing right now”

Sydney Patterson lives in Lindfield, in Sydney’s north, but when it comes to getting out and about with friends she tends to zip back and forth across the city. The Grounds of Alexandria (7a/2 Huntley Street; thegrounds.com.au) is a favourite for breakfast, or Flower Child in Chatswood (391/1 Anderson Street; flowerchildcafe.com.au) if she’s keeping it closer to home. During the day, Patterson will often combine meetings in Surry Hills with lunch at Mama’s Buoi (116 Devonshire Street; mamasbuoi.com.au) or Mamak in the CBD (15 Goulburn Street; mamak.com.au). If she’s back north of the harbour she hits up her favourite Japanese spot, Manpuku (226 Victoria Avenue; ramenmanpuku.com), in Chatswood. “They do an incredible bowl of ramen,” she says. At night, Surry Hills is again the place to be. Patterson often kicks off with izakaya-style

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SIPPY IS CONS TANTLY ON THE ROAD dining at Japanese restaurant Toko (490 Crown Street; toko-sydney.com). Afterwards, she likes to bar hop in Paddington. “I kinda go around everywhere. The London (85 Underwood Street; hotellondon.com.au) is really cool. There’s also The Grand National (161 Underwood Street; thegrandnationalhotel.com.au) and The Paddington (384 Oxford Street; merivale.com) too. Later in the night Patterson will hit up Oxford Art Factory (38-46 Oxford Street; oxfordartfactory.com) for a band or head to a bigger show at The Enmore (118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown; enmoretheatre.com.au) or The Hordern Pavilion (1 Driver Avenue; playbillvenues.com.au). And if things go really late? “I’ll want to go listen to heavier music,” she says. “So I’ll often end up somewhere like Chinese Laundry (111 Sussex Street, Sydney; chineselaundry.club).”

earn their money on the road. It means a lot of travel. And a lot of creation while travelling. Tigerair wanted to dig into Patterson’s creative process when she’s on the move, so we flew with her from Sydney to Melbourne while she got to work producing a song inspired by the trip. “I find some of my best ideas happen on flights,” she says. “You’re so isolated and you can just go. No one can reach me. I can sit in the air and not be focused on anything other than what I’m doing right now. “For a producer, you are DJing a lot of shows. That’s a big revenue stream. So if you’re constantly playing and touring, it’s so important to be able to write when you’re on the road.” Patterson’s set-up is simple: a MacBook pro, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones, Ableton software, and an external hard drive. “All you need is a laptop,” she says. “There are so many producers who admit they’ve written their best work on their laptops with their headphones.” On this flight, Patterson has one more killer app: a ROLI Songmaker Kit. Getting comfortable in a window seat, she unfolds her laptop. Across its chin she then lays the kit’s Seaboard Block. ê

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The track “I find the best ideas come fast, and then working on the execution comes later,” Patterson says of the song she created for Tigerair. Over the course of her flight from Sydney to Melbourne she recorded a heap of samples, and used the rest of the time to sketch out ideas and melodies. Afterwards, back in the studio, she worked on sound design, mixing and mastering, and other details. The result is a heady three-and-a-half minutes of rolling bass music that feels about as propulsive as the Airbus A320 on which it was written. “When I’m writing on the Sydney to Melbourne flight I have a very short amount of time,” she says. “There’s a sense of urgency to get things down. You don’t really get stuck in a loop and you start to really just follow the flow.” Check out the track at bit.ly/2JR9YSW, and hear more of Sippy’s work at soundcloud.com/sippyau

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FLIGHT TRACK

“Ninety minutes after she departed Sydney, Sippy is landing in Melbourne and already has a song coalescing”

It may look like a stylised keyboard but the Seaboard, with its context-sensitive keys, is much more than that. “Pressing down harder on a key will open up a filter,” she says. “Sliding it up will make it glide up to the first note rather than just going from one to the other. It was game-changing [for me] because I hate detail. I hate sitting there and drawing all these little expressive details. I just want to play and create and keep going. It made everything a lot quicker and easier.” The Seaboard also started getting Patterson back into playing live. “I loved it,” she says. “I’d been DJing for a long time and had never thought about going into live [performance], but after trying it I loved it. It’s so much fun.” Ninety minutes after she departed Sydney, Sippy is landing in Melbourne and already has a song coalescing around a few different ideas, samples and cues. The speed with which she creates is intimidating, but such is the nature of working on such a short flight.

Melbourne Laura Patterson thinks of Melbourne almost as a second home. “I love Melbourne,” she says. “The vibe is so awesome. My sister lives there and I have family there too. It’s a city that makes you want to be out and about.” When in the Victorian capital she invariably stays with her sister in East Melbourne – “literally opposite the MCG, it’s about as Melbourne as you can get” – but usually kicks off her day a suburb over with breakfast at The Kettle Black (50 Albert Road, South Melbourne; thekettleblack.com.au). “They do great food,” Patterson says. “Every time I go I think I’ll have the same as last time but then I get something different and it’s even better.” Later in the day she likes to hit Chapel Street to shop, or otherwise heads for the CBD to explore its many record stores and skate shops. “I love walking through the city on my own and getting lost,” she says.

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“Melbourne was one of the first cities where I felt comfortable doing that.” After the sun goes down she hits up Garden State (101 Flinders Lane; gardenstatehotel.com.au) for drinks, before staying in the CBD for dinner at Chin Chin (125 Flinders Lane; chinchinrestaurant.com.au) or heading back south-east for share plates at Hawker Hall (98 Chapel Street, Windsor; hawkerhall.com.au). “I love the vibe at Hawker Hall and the food is obviously great,” she says. “It’s not a break-the-bank spot so you can take a bunch of people there.” After making a quick pit stop at Gelato Messina (171 Chapel Street, Windsor; gelatomessina.com), Patterson often dances the night away at Revolver (229 Chapel Street, Prahran; revolverupstairs.com.au). “People are there at whatever time you go,” she says. “And the music is hypnotic. I’ll dance for hours and not know a single song, and I love that.”

“You have to work fast and working fast as a producer is a blessing,” Patterson says. “Because when it comes to decision making you’re not holding on to anything.” Working fast – and working fast on the road in particular – is a skill Patterson learned in 2016, when she balanced a year studying online at Los Angeles’ Icon Collective music school with running the Your Shot program for young DJs in Australia. She remembers one occasion when, at an event, she locked herself in a storeroom to record vocals for 20 minutes in order to finish a music assignment. Sometimes she was reduced to getting sleep in three- or four-hour blocks as she jetted about the country, tutoring young DJs while filing assignments to her own tutors in America.

FLIGHT TRACK

SIPPY’S TOOLS OF THE TRADE

“I learned a lot,” she says. “Especially how to keep working when you’re on the run… [And] the teaching really made me such a better DJ. You’re teaching for three hours at a time, showing beginners how to do things over and over. Some of those things are second nature to me now.” What’s more precious to Patterson? The production or the performance? “I’ve always been a performer from a young age, so I love DJing. I love shows. But at the end of the day the most important thing is to create music,” she says. “There are DJs everywhere but why I got into it was so I could write and create music. So for me, that’s the most important part.”

t ig e r a ir f l ie s between Sydney and Melbourne every day of the year; tigerair.com.au

3 TO 6

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DESTINATION HOBART

DE S T IN AT ION HOB A R T A L IC E

is a blogger at Tailored Tasmania (tailoredtasmania. com) with a passion for exploring her island home

weekend warriors ONE

DESTINATION, TWO DIFFERENT BIG SIS VS LITTLE SIS

ADVENTURES

C L A IR E

is Aliceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little sister who has a more adventurous take on how to travel around Tassie

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

COUR T YA RD E AT S A weekend warrior needs nourishment. I head straight to Elias and Abby at Pollen Tea Room (56 Hampden Road, Battery Point) for a fig crostini with almond feta, walnuts and watercress enjoyed in the back courtyard with a nanna rug for warmth.

HIS TORIC S TEPPING Fuelled with local produce, I take steps into Hobart’s past. Kelly’s Steps, that is. From Pollen I go via Arthur Circus. Here, wrapped by former officer cottages, there’s a village green where marble comps once played out. Kelly’s Steps are named after James Kelly, an adventurous fellow who circumnavigated Tassie in an open five-oared whaling boat back in 1816. The 1840-built steps lead down into Salamanca Place.

UMBREL L A TA S TES The sandstone warehouses of Salamanca spill out before me. Today, they’re lined with wine bars, cafes and galleries. I take a seat beneath the umbrellas of The Den (theden.com.au) for a tasting board of cured meats, local seafood, house-made pâté and more.

A L IC E

gets some history, dives into the art scene and ends up with a lofty dinner

f r id ay

10:00

12:00

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NONESUCH A ND B A NGOR

GROUNDSM A N FUEL Every adventure must begin with a fuel stop. That’s human fuel, of course, at Groundsman Espresso (facebook.com/ GroundsmanEspresso) on Hobart’s Eastern Shore. Tucked away discreetly, Luka and I pull up a stool at the communal table and natter over 16-hour pulled-pork pides. We’re surrounded by locals here, and for good reason. It seems the owners know everyone by name.

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We head for the Tasman Peninsula, having made an appointment to drop into Nonesuch Distillery (nonesuchdistillery.com.au). We meet the owner, Rex, who handcrafts small-batch spirits and takes us through the process to sealed bottle. We tuck one under our arm. Afterwards, we pop into Bangor Wine Shed for lunch with a view.

PIR ATES B AY L OOKOUT The outlook is spectacular – and so is the service – at Cubed Espresso (facebook.com/cubedespresso). We soak up the scene before venturing to the Tessellated Pavement, a crazy-amazing rock formation created through movement in the earth’s crust 60 to 160 million years ago.

DESTINATION HOBART A R T Y FINDS I find a cafe tucked in the back of Salamanca Square: Parklane Espresso (facebook.com/3SalamancaSquare), where Joe whips me up the best flat white. Just the hit required to explore the Salamanca arts scene, where I discover the likes of FIND Contemporary Jewellery Collective (findcollective.com.au) and Handmark Gallery (handmark.com.au).

15:00

L OF T Y DINING RIV ER DER WENT SIPS The Glass House (theglass.house), with its glassy goodness, offers the best River Derwent views at cocktail hour. I head up the ramp of Brooke Street Pier and down to the far end, swallowed into the style of Glass House and its merriment of drink options. It’s actually a floating pier, so one doesn’t need a strong drink to feel “moved”.

17:00

Up above The Glass House is Aloft Restaurant (aloftrestaurant.com). At $80 a head, the banquet menu seems the logical choice as I sit at the bar and watch the chefs. Head chef Christian Ryan delivers kingfish sashimi to wood ear mushroom dumplings and Cape Grim beef. By the time the fresh mint ice cream arrives, I somehow find room. I then snuggle down at The Bae, a micro-luxe beauty on the top floor of a ’70s Sandy Bay apartment building.

19:00

C L A IR E

and friend, Luka, head to the peninsula and visit a wild beach

ROA RING TIMES We continue down to Nubeena and out to Roaring Beach. This wild beach is untamed and quite the surfer’s mecca. As it happens, we’ve brought our boards and catch some clean breaks with a few locals. We follow this up with some beach time before heading back to blast the car heater.

DINNER TIME

POR T A R THUR SPOOK S Luka has never experienced the Port Arthur Ghost Tour (portarthur.org.au/tours), so I figure it’s time. When I was a youngster I was frightened out of my wits in lantern light and wonder if this Croatian can brave the convict tales. As we’re led through the historic site, the air is as chilling as the stories.

It’s too late to head back for dinner, so we dine at Port Arthur’s 1830 Restaurant and Bar. Spring Bay mussels and chargrilled Bass Strait porterhouse steak with big chips are just the ticket before we leave. No ticket of leave for those early convicts!

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

CURIOUS MON A

TO M A RK E T TO M A RK E T An early rise to catch the colours and sounds of Salamanca Market. Like a stallholder, I bite into a freshly prepared egg-and-bacon roll. With over 300 stalls to explore, though, there’s no time to sit down. I pick up a print from Elliott My Dear (elliottmydear.bigcartel.com). Buskers already have feet tapping and there are distillers, timber craftsmen, vinyl record sellers, artists and potters to meet.

RIV ER CRUISING I head back to the Brooke Street Pier, but this time to the lower level to hop aboard the Mona Ferry (mona.net.au/ visit/ferry-to-mona) bound for Mona (mona.net.au). One can’t go to Hobart without a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art – a subversive wonderland. As luck would have it, there’s a sheep seat free at the back of the boat in “Cattle Class”. I throw a leg over and get comfy, making a note to next time try the Posh Pit!

I’m well underground, and if Mona’s art isn’t blowing my mind at every dimly lit turn, the building architecture certainly is. This place is something else. I could spend days trying to make sense of a library where all the pages are blank, or the quiet whispers of some little-known Eastern European artist explaining his works.

A L IC E

goes to market, heads off on a river cruise and visits Mona

S AT UR D AY

08:00

10:30

12:00

L UNCH AT THE OL D B A NK

A PPL E SHEDDING

PIGEON HOL E C A FE We start the morning in West Hobart at Pigeon Hole Cafe (facebook.com/pigeonholecafe), where the goodness of Weston Farm heads straight for the plate. Bubble and squeak, mushroom fricassee, baked eggs and gentlewoman’s relish hits the spot. We’re road trip ready!

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What could be more Tasmanian than stopping at an apple shed? Willie Smith’s Apple Shed (williesmiths.com.au) is home to some very fine cider, but it seems it is morning so we go for apple pie. It’s never too early for pie served with a generous dollop of cream. We catch up on all manner of apple names at the apple museum and head on down the valley, noting a mustreturn for the Midwinter Festival (July 12-14), where they, um, sing to the apple trees to ensure a bumper crop.

We’d heard that lots of the ABC hit series Rosehaven was filmed in Geeveston, so we spend a good amount of time wandering the small township recognising show locales. The visitor centre lady is happy to help point us in the right direction! We then settle in for lunch at The Old Bank of Geeveston (facebook.com/ theoldbankofgeeveston) where much of the produce is foraged for and home-grown. Talk about rustic deliciousness.

DESTINATION HOBART FIRESIDE DINING

GR A SS Y PONDERING I surface to the Mona grass, where outdoor concerts frequent, and pull up a pink bean bag in the afternoon sun. To help distil the varied oddities my mind is processing, I opt for a drink and bite from the wine bar nearby. I remain in this position for some time.

BRE W TIME Delivered back to the waterfront by the Mona Ferry, it’s ideal timing for a pre-dinner wander. I find myself at the Hobart Brewing Co. (hobartbrewingco.com.au), tucked away at Macquarie Point in the Red Shed. The taproom has plenty of independent brews and the live tunes deliver a great late-arvo vibe.

14:00

Tonight, the suspended fireplace at Peacock and Jones (peacockandjones.com.au) takes my fancy. I ask to sit as close as possible on this chilly Hobart eve. I go with the beef tartare with classic garnishes and white anchovies. It doesn’t disappoint. After dinner, it’s over to the storytelling hotel, MACq01 (macq01.com.au), for a night cap at its latest locale, Evolve Spirits Bar.

17:30

20:00

C L A IR E

starts the day out west, lunches at a bank and takes a drive

END OF THE ROA D The drive from Geeveston to Cockle Creek takes about an hour and a quarter. It just happens to be the farthest south you can drive in Australia. We get out, stretch our legs and begin walking. Destination? South Cape Bay.

THE VIE W SOUTH It’s about four hours’ return, so we jog parts after such a late start to conquer in three. There’s nothing between us and Antarctica when we reach the coast. There are no roads that lead to this unspoilt destination in Southwest National Park. We breathe in deeply before heading back to Hobart.

PUB HOPPING We get back into town with just enough energy for a mini pub expedition, hopping between Shambles Brewery (shamblesbrewery.com.au) where a serious game of table tennis ensues, the brew pub T-bone (tbonebrewing.com.au) and finishing at The Winston Bar (thewinstonbar.com) in North Hobart.

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

FA RMG ATE GOODNESS The bell has sounded. The Farm Gate Market (farmgatemarket.com.au) is open for business! When I arrive at 9am it’s already packed with locals collecting their heirloom veggies and crusty sourdough loaves. I end up slipping into Bury Me Standing (facebook.com/ BuryMeStandingHobartTown), also on Bathurst Street, for a warm coffee and American-style jalapeño + cheddar bagel.

S WEE T TRE AT S

CBD E XPL ORING I continue exploring the CBD streets nearby and come across Red Parka (redparka.com.au) in Criterion Street. Owner Jen has just released a new book, The Ultimate Animal Counting Book, which I get my mitts on at once for my nephew.

Having heard about their bread, I somehow stumble into Imago Bakery & Patisserie (facebook.com/ imagobakeryandpatisserie) and accidentally eat not one but two golden hazelnut tarts. I challenge you to stop at one – a heavenly blend of golden chocolate, salted caramel, dark chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts. I sit for some time recovering and learning how to count animals.

A L IC E

explores the CBD, buys some handmade treasures and climbs a mountain

S UND AY

09:00

11:00

12:00

S WEE T PUNT Back down at ground level we take a walk by the working fishing boats of the waterfront, stopping at Van Diemens Land Creamery (vdlcreamery.com.au) punt in Constitution Dock for a sweet treat on the water. It’s the ideal pitstop to review all those aerial snaps of Hobart.

FLYING HIGH Is there a better way to wake up your Sunday than by motoring along on the River Derwent beneath wings? That’s right: we start the day by taking flight aboard the Above and Beyond seaplane (aboveandbeyond.flights) for a city scenic sojourn. It’s an epic way to take in the city on a clear blue-sky morning.

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MEG A SCHNIT ZEL We venture up into the city streets, grabbing a hot drink at Shotgun Coffee (facebook.com/ shotguncoffeehobart) to the tunes of New Orleans before finding some enormous wallaby schnitzels at the Brunswick Hotel. There’s some live music to boot!

DESTINATION HOBART

WEEK END SUMMIT

H A NDM A DE TRE A SURES Further up Elizabeth Street in what they call Midtown, I find a divine little store known as Lily & Dot (lilyanddot.com.au). The store is packed with handmade goodness for little tots. The sweetest little knitted booties find their way into my bag. At Ally + Me (allyandme.com.au), I find a Tasmanian-designed Fred and Mojo bag and fall in love with Homeroom Design down Bidencopes Lane (homeroomdesign.com.au).

MOUNTAIN TIME There’s still time to head up Mount Wellington/ kunanyi to farewell Hobart from the summit after a quick trip to Cascades Female Factory Historic Site (femalefactory.org.au) and ale at Cascade Brewery (cascadebreweryco.com.au). It’s Australia’s oldest operating brewery, tucked in the foothills of the mountain and built back in 1824.

14:00

Next, it’s time to ascend. At The Springs I drop into Lost Freight (facebook.com/ lostfreight), a beaut little shipping container packed with light bites and a hot chocolate I take on a walk out to Sphinx Rock. It’s then onto the summit – a lofty goodbye to a city nestled between mountain and sea.

16:00

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C L A IR E

TA PPING OUT

SPIRITED MOMENT S

HOB A R T ENTR A PMENT We head for Evolo Escape Room (evoloroomescape.com). Basically, we’re stuck in a room and have to figure our way out via curated challenges and puzzles. We opt for the International Fugitive Room and thankfully find our way back out into the Hobart daylight. Mysteries solved.

Back down at the waterfront we stumble across the Gold Bar (facebook.com/goldbar.au), hidden away at the back of an old flour mill. It’s cosy, and the stack of board games beg us to partake. We then wander across to Lark Distillery (larkdistillery.com), home to the Godfather of Australian whisky, Bill Lark.

Our final dinner is tapas at the Black Footed Pig (theblackfootedpig.com.au), a moving feast of whatever is seasonal. With its exposed brick walls and industrial lighting, the interior is a fine fit with the modern menu. We end with a Süd Polaire Antarctic Dry Martini.

takes to the skies, heads to the waterfront and visits one of the country’s first distilleries

FANCY AN ADVENTURE? If you want to be one of our Weekend Warriors, get in touch.

tigertales@citrusmedia.com.au

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The big chill Snowshoeing, pristine runs and a wild dog sled ride are all part of a family trip to Mt Buller in the Victorian Alps. Paul Chai heads to the ski slopes and waits for that inevitable moment when the kids out-ski him. PHOTOS MT BULLER

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WINTER SKI TRIP

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sually, if I find myself lying in the snow on a trip to Mt Buller, it’s because of a fail on the slopes. But on a frosty morning in the village, the whole family is rolling around in the white stuff for a photo shoot with Tony Harrington (harroart.com), the snow town’s very own snapper. “Harro” tells us that a lot of families are keen on a ski portrait because it documents an annual tradition; a time that everyone gets together for some fun and family time in the alpine region. Looking back on our own happy snaps from our first few years on the slopes, I can see what Harro means. The yearly snow trip can be a time to take stock, so to speak. Just a couple of years ago, it was about making snowmen; now my tweenies are all about “the fresh pow-pow”, to quote their cartoon heroes on Regular Show (which they do, a lot). They’re still beginners, but I can already see a time when they’ll be waiting for me at the bottom of the runs, instead of the other way round.

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“Like the annual photo on Santa’s knee, recording each year in the snow can be a fun way to measure the passage of time”

WINTER SKI TRIP

Skiing Mt Buller Just over a three-hour drive from Melbourne, Mt Buller is one of the country’s most accessible ski fields and is a great place to start a family tradition, or to head off for some serious skiing sans kids. If you want to organise a snow-shoe tour or other activities, you can contact Mt Buller or head down to find out more at Alpine Central in the village. For a full list of online events and information about ski passes, head to mtbuller.com.au. Australian Sleddog Tours are also very popular and need to be booked well in advance – visit sleddogtours.com.au.

Like the annual photo on Santa’s knee, recording each year in the snow can be a fun way to measure the passage of time; time away from the craziness of science projects, homework and swimming lessons. We check in to our digs at Black Forest Apartments, but it’s such a bumper snow year that the windows are almost completely covered with the white stuff. All the better to make snowpeeps with, so our kids take off into the freezing drifts while my wife and I turn on the heater in our sunken living room. We know from previous years there’s a wonderful alpine view beyond the banks of snow, but for skiers, seeing this much snow is a pretty great sight in itself. We make it down to the village square for a fireworks display set to music, grab some stores from the supermarket, make a quick dinner and turn in early for a big day on the slopes.

THE AUTHOR AND FAMILY HAM IT UP IN THE SNOW

Slip and slide Previous years have taught me that a private skiing lesson is an investment every parent should make. The one-on-one teaching sees the kids improve far beyond anything I could achieve, and the better they ski, the further we can go. They’re competent and confident, but we haven’t yet left Bourke Street, so when they come back and tell me they’re ready for other ê

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What’s new this season? V IC T OR I A

NE W S OU T H W A L E S

The Kooroora Hotel is back. After being completely levelled to make way for new apartments, Mt Buller’s most famous après-ski attraction is back and brand new, though the apartments aren’t quite ready yet. The whole Kooroora side of the village has been rebuilt with more modern shops and the new hotel – an exciting addition to the new season. Mt Buller has also been added to the Ikon Pass for the 2019 winter season. The pass is a global season pass that continues to add new destinations and now sits at 39 skiing hot spots throughout the Americas, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. ikonpass.com

For families willing to take a gamble on the beginning and end of the season, Thredbo offers a Kids Ski Free deal for June and September. When you buy a 3- or 5-day adult pass you’ll receive an under-18s pass for the same number of days. The deal is only available for the periods June 8 to June 26 and September 2 to October 7, 2019 when you purchase online seven days in advance. thredbo.com.au

MT BULLER

MT HOTHAM Free skiing is a relatively new discipline that takes in terrain like half-pipes, slopestyle and ski cross. It’s similar to “freestyle skiing” and both these sports, which feature in the Winter Olympics, are taught on the Hotham slopes. mthotham.com.au

THREDBO

PERISHER Perisher will welcome its new $4.2 million redevelopment of the Leichhardt Quad Chairlift, which was built over the summer. The redo will deliver a 75 per cent increase in lifting capacity and allow the area to be accessed by children and beginners. perisher.com.au

“If you’re skiing right, the scenery is a blur. Snowshoes bring it back into focus with a leisurely traipse in the snow”

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP AT MT BULLER

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runs it’s like watching my tiny little shell-suited babies fly out of the nest. This calls for a hot chocolate, so we drop into Tirol – the Austrian-themed bar just above the village that, this year, is nearly completely buried – and then it’s off to the appropriately named Shaky Knees run. Appropriate because it can still be a daunting prospect letting your children slide off down the side of some pretty impressive alpine terrain. I love watching them become skiers, but I can never decide whether I should go first to act as a road block if they gain too much speed, or wait behind where I can sweep up lost skis and gloves. I opt for The Sweeper position, and it proves to be a good choice. They’re much improved, but not without the odd, often spectacular, skiing mishap. We ski ê

WINTER SKI TRIP

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WINTER SKI TRIP

until the last lifts, also taking on the adjoining Fox run; Wombat run, see you next year. Dinner is at Kaptans Restaurant in Hotel Pension Grimus where you can’t go past the Wiener schnitzel with creamy potato salad, sweet cranberry and a tangy hit of lemon pickle. For a couple of boys that like a chat, the day of skiing has done what few other things can: left the pair of them lost for words. More tired than I’ve ever seen them, it’s home to Black Forest for a well-earned sleep.

“For boys that like a chat, the day of skiing has done what few other things can: left the pair of them lost for words”

Beyond the slopes The following morning we give snowshoeing a go as we circumnavigate the village in our oversized footwear. If you’re skiing right, the scenery should be a blur, so it’s nice to bring it back into focus with a more leisurely traipse through the snow gums that appear to be covered in a layer of icing – all the better for scooping off the low branches and throwing at your brother/mother/father. We head down Stirling Road then back along a service road, seeing all the white-capped sister mountains that form the alpine region and ê

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WINTER SKI TRIP

HITTING THE SLOPES WITH A TEAM OF HUSKIES

noticing more details than we normally would, like gang-gangs quarrelling in the trees and the dark bark of yesteryear’s bushfires. In the afternoon we get the opportunity to visit the dogs of Australian Sleddog Tours, most of which are purebred huskies with the addition of an Australian Kelpie by the name of Dusty, who has had a screenwriter in residence at the tour company to capture his unique journey from rescue dog to alpine racing dog. After the snowshoeing, I’m looking forward to being towed along by someone else, but that shows just how little I know about this alpine sport. While my kids get a nice ride sitting in the sled doing

ENJOYING THE APRÉS-SKI IN MT BULLER

nothing, I’m helping our guide by pushing the sled along with my leg. It’s much the same way that you start off on a skateboard, only faster and with the skateboard controlled by a team of enthusiastic working dogs. It’s really hard work, but a unique way to experience the snow country, and the kids love it – even when I get a turn to lead and flip them out onto the snow. Back in the hands of our capable guide, we head back to base camp where the kids climb into an enclosure with the husky puppies. As they play with the rambunctious young huskies, my kids have found their voice again, swapping stories of skiing heroism so exaggerated they would make a politician blush. I snap a quick photo of the two of them deep in conversation – another to add to the collection.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne and Canberra from a variety of destinations; tigerair.com.au

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NATALIE BASSINGTHWAIGHTE

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Weird world of sports It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take much to get Australians excited about sport. Especially when the game is quirky, eccentric or downright weird. Lindy Alexander leaves the AFL and NRL to the big leagues and goes in search of the underdogs of the sporting world.

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WEIRD SPORTS

hen Rolf Peterson turned 40, reality hit. He had a mortgage, a stable job and kids. Despite living the Australian dream, he was gloomy. Sporting success had been elusive. His friend Malcolm Donnellon felt the same. “We decided we wanted to represent Australia in a sport so we googled until we found one where Australia didn’t have national representation,” Rolf says. The two friends stumbled across Fistball, which despite its somewhat unsavoury name, was first written about in 240 AD by Roman emperor Gordian III. The original rules were recorded in

Italy in the 1500s; in 1913, the first German men’s championships were held. “It’s a really ancient sport,” Rolf says. “That’s what I love about it. It’s not some made-up university game.” Played on a large grass sports field (50 metres by 20 metres), two teams of five players use only their arm or closed fist to hit a ball over a two-metre-high central net. The ball is allowed to bounce before each contact and can be touched up to three times before it is hit over the net. The first team to get 11 points wins the set, and between three and seven sets are played depending on the competition. ê

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WEIRD SPORTS

FISTBALL: LIKE VOLLEYBALL, BUT WITH FIS T S ONLY

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What started as a lark five years ago has helped Rolf achieve his dream of representing Australia. “Over 50 countries now play fistball and we are going through Olympic accreditation at the moment,” he says. “It’s a sport that tries to do the right thing. There’s a big emphasis on inclusion – there are refugee teams and twice as many women’s events as men’s.” But despite the high ambitions and achievements, Aussie fistballers don’t take themselves too seriously. “We love puns and double entendres,” Rolf says. “We have a ‘Fistivus’ event once a month where it’s boozy, loose and social. The events all have a theme like ‘The Breakfist Club’ or ‘Twisted Fister’. Even the Kiwis and Belgians are holding Fistivus events now.” And it wouldn’t be an Aussie sport if players didn’t get nicknames. “They call me Rolf ‘Godfister’ Peterson,” Rolf laughs.

WEIRD SPORTS

Bike polo

BIKE POLO: FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T RIDE HORSES

Thought you had to be a rich, royal horse-owner to play polo? Not any more. Bicycle polo is for us commoners; where push power is more important than posh pedigree. It’s been described as a cross between horse polo, water polo and street hockey, and a grass version of the sport has been around since the late 1890s. “Bike polo is not new,” says Dave Corrin, the president of the Melbourne Bicycle Polo Club. “But the hardcourt version we play is relatively recent. It rose to popularity in Seattle in the 1990s when a group of bike messengers would play on basketball courts during their breaks.” The rules are relatively simple – three players on each team use lightweight mallets (an aluminium ski shaft with a hollow plastic head) to hit a plastic ball into the net to score a goal. Players must keep their feet off the ground at all times. If their feet touch the ground (which is known as a “dab”), riders have to exit the play and “tap out” by riding to the centre of the court before they can resume. Any bike can be used, but it’s fair to say you probably don’t want to rock up on your pastel vintage wheels with the basket on the front. “There are companies who make polo-specific bike frames,” Dave says. “These are bikes that turn sharply at low speed, can manoeuvre easily and have a short wheel base.” When people find out that Dave plays bike polo, the first question he gets is usually about whether the sport is dangerous. “Clashes do occur, but there aren’t too many injuries,” he says. “You’d be surprised by how much control people have over their bikes.” But if blue-blooded polo is more your thing, legend has it that at one time or another Princes Philip, William and Harry have all ditched the horse in favour of the bike. ê

“There are companies who make polo-specific bike frames. These are bikes that turn sharply at low speed, can manoeuvre easily and have a short wheel base” ti g e ra ir.co m . a u

WEIRD SPORTS

Quidditch Hold onto your broomsticks: Quidditch is here. The fictional flying broom sport from Harry Potter has been played in the real world since 2005 and has been adapted so that “muggles” (non-magical people) can play. Watching a match is slightly bewildering as you try to translate the theory of the game made famous by JK Rowling’s books into the mad-cap, fast-paced, mixed-gender full contact sport where players grip PVC “broomsticks” (and the odd hockey stick) between their legs and run about the pitch. For the uninitiated, it’s not always an easy game to follow. Quidditch is played on a field about half the size of a soccer pitch with two sides of 21 athletes, five balls and six goal hoops. Each team has a keeper, three chasers and two beaters. The keepers and chaser aim to score goals by throwing the quaffle (a slightly deflated volleyball) into one

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of the three opposing hoops, while the beaters lob volleyballs at opposition players in order to knock them out of the play temporarily. After 18 minutes, the golden snitch (a neutral player wearing a yellow uniform with a Velcro tag attached to the back of their shorts) is released and each team gains a seeker. When a seeker catches the snitch the game is over, and the team with the most points wins. It may sound like some kind of backyard hocuspocus, but the sport is growing rapidly across the world (there are active teams throughout Europe, the Americas, Vietnam, Uganda and China to name just a few) and is regulated by the International Quidditch Association. Australia’s national team (the Dropbears) has also been a fierce contender at the Quidditch World Cup. Who knows what magical folk would think of a bunch of muggles playing Quidditch, but it sure looks fun. ê

GET YOUR HARRY POTTER ON WITH A BIT OF QUIDDITCH

WEIRD SPORTS

Renegade Pub Football Pubs and footy go together like a pie and sauce, so it was really only a matter of time before the Renegade Pub Footy League was born. 2019 marks the 11th year of the league, which started with a small bunch of Melbourne musicians watching footy at their local pub and yearning for a kick. “They got together enough people to play some games and it grew from there,” says Katie Cullen, the general manager of the league. Katie says the grassroots initiative is unique due to its inclusivity. “We want everyone to feel welcome regardless of gender, race, religion or skill level,” she says. “We get lots of people who have never played footy before and some people feel as if they don’t belong anywhere, but the league gives them the opportunity to play and have fun. We don’t have a ladder or finals – it’s more about having a kick together.” There are nine mixed-gender teams in the league and each is affiliated with an iconic live music pub in Melbourne’s inner north, such as The Tote in Collingwood and The Workers Club in Fitzroy. Going to the pub “definitely plays a big part,” Katie says. “I play for the Workers Club Lions and our team always has a table on Tuesdays for trivia and we watch Friday night footy there. So drinking is part of it, but so is just having dinner.”

NOT YOUR AVER AGE GAME OF AFL

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Most players live and work in Melbourne’s inner city and are passionate about supporting local community groups. Each round the league partners with different charities to raise money through a game day BBQ. “In round one we had around 450 people attend and raised $1,800 for Royal Melbourne Hospital’s mobile stroke unit,” Katie says. “We love that we can raise awareness and funds for groups like this.” As a self-professed unfit and not-so-sporty woman, Katie says she was warmly welcomed into the league. “I was scared and wary when I first went to training,” she says, “but one of the senior men taught me how to handball and kick. Now I do that when new people join. There’s no hierarchy, it’s very community based. You have to remember that footy isn’t the main skill of most of the players!” ê

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WEIRD SPORTS

Find out more FISTBALL Visit the Fistball Federation of Australia at fistball.com.au

BIKE POLO Check out the Sydney Bike Polo league at sydneybikepolo.org

QUIDDITCH See it all over Australia with Quidditch Australia – visit quidditch.org.au

RENEGADE PUB FOOTBALL LEAGUE Catch a Melbourne game at rpfl.com.au.

UNDERWATER HOCKEY For the Victorian Underwater Hockey Commission, visit vuhc.org.au.

“Underwater hockey is non-contact, so players have to use skills and speed”

Underwater hockey I T ’ S H O C K E Y, BUT YOU JUST ADD WATER

Underwater hockey, also known as Octopush, is said to have been invented by the British Navy in the 1950s to keep their scuba divers fit and increase mobility underwater. It wasn’t long before it caught on in Australia, and now the sport is played in more than 20 countries. It’s mesmerising to watch the 12 players glide through the water, helped by large flippers, diving mask and snorkel. In their hand they have a small bat, similar to a small shuffleboard stick that they use to hit the small plastic-coated lead puck, called a ”squid“. There are two 15-minute halves with a three-minute break at half-time, and the team with the most goals wins. While some water sports, such as water polo, are known for their tendency towards aggression, underwater hockey is a non-contact sport, which means players have to use their skills and speed (not to mention their ability to hold their breath) in order to best their opponents. Given that most of the action happens up to three metres below the surface, underwater hockey is not the most riveting spectator sport. So with that in mind, it’s probably best to take a deep breath and dive right in.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to 12 destinations around Australia; tigerair.com.au

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#GOLIKEALOCAL

GO LIKE A LOCAL CANBERRA Canberra is a destination that flies under the radar for most travellers, but locals know thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far more happening in this city than politics. From hidden speakeasies to little-known lookouts, the ACT is chock-full of hidden treasures. Discover them all with Megan Sparkeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside guide to Canberra and go like a local with us today.

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C A N B E R R A

L OC A L A C T I V I T IE S Discover Lake Burley Griffin on a GoBoat

Get back to nature at the National Arboretum

See world-famous art at the National Gallery

Located smack dab in the middle of the city, Lake Burley Griffin isn’t exactly a local secret – but there’s more than one way to explore Canberra’s crowning jewel. Skip the walking tracks and bike trails and laze your way along the foreshore on a self-captained picnic boat instead. If you haven’t got time to pack your own supplies, Schmicnics specialises in gourmet hampers to go – with a convenient lakeside location to boot.

Rather explore the great outdoors on dry land? See the forest for the trees at the National Arboretum Canberra, which offers you a bit of wilderness within just a 10-minute drive of the CBD. It has more than 250 hectares of forests to explore. Follow one of the short walking tracks to see 44,000 trees from Australia and around the world, or climb to the top of Dairy Farmers Hill for a sensational view of the city below.

If you prefer modern art to outdoor adventure, you can’t pass up a trip to the National Gallery of Australia. Home to more than 166,000 works of art – including one of Yayoi Kusama’s immersive infinity rooms – this internationally acclaimed gallery is a mustvisit for art aficionados and culture seekers alike. And with an ever-rotating line-up of exhibitions, you’re bound to discover something new every time you visit.

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#GOLIKEALOCAL

GO LIKE A LOCAL WITH TIGERAIR We put the call out across Australia for locals to share their city’s best-kept secrets. From hidden beaches to hole-in-thewall bars, we reviewed thousands of entries from Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth. We’ve now chosen our team of local legends to feaoure in our #golikealocal video series. The videos uncover another side of some of Australia’s favourite holiday destinations, with knowledge that only a local might know. Watch our local legends as they journey through their home cities and find out how you can “go like a local”. tigerair.com.au/go-local

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L OC A L D AY T R IP S Catch the sunset at Shepherds Lookout Don’t mind exploring beyond the city limits? Make the 30-minute trip to Shepherds Lookout in Belconnen. A leisurely stroll from the car park, this scenic walking track through Woodstock Nature Reserve leads to unbeatable views of the Murrumbidgee River. Go at dawn to beat the crowds.

Step back in time in Collector Once the stomping ground for bushrangers, the historic town of Collector has since become a hot spot for pathfinding foodies, with a handful of restaurants and cellar doors providing the perfect city escape for Canberra locals. Start your morning with a bacon-and-egg roll at Some Cafe – made with locally sourced bacon, fresh eggs and

house-made tomato sauce – then head next door to Collector Wines where you can sample the latest vintage.

Sample boutique wines in Murrumbateman If you don’t want to settle for a single cellar door, head to Murrumbateman. A hot spot for wineries, this small town is the heart of the Canberra District wine region, with some of the country’s best bottles to prove it. Kick-start your tasting at Clonakilla – a family-run producer famed for its distinctive, small-batch wines – then pop into Four Winds Vineyard for some wood-fired pizzas and vino between the vines. When you’re done, you’ll still have more than a dozen wineries to choose from – all an easy 40-minute drive from Canberra’s CBD.

#GOLIKEALOCAL

C A N B E R R A

L OC A L R E S TA UR A N T S A ND B A R S Sip in a hidden speakeasy at Molly Hidden in an alleyway in the heart of Canberra, Molly is where Prohibition era style meets contemporary cool. Follow the dimly lit stairway to reach the main room and you’ll be greeted with wooden booths, leather armchairs and a 100-yearold grand piano – not to mention the best cocktails in town. Add to that a charcuterie bar serving up cured meats and cheeses and you’ve got a venue well worth stepping back in time for.

Tuck in to modern Australian fare at eightysix If you’d prefer to pair your cocktail with something more substantial, look no

further than eightysix. Specialising in modern share plates, this upscale eatery serves up delectable dishes like hoisin duck buns and habanero steak tartare. And with a killer list of local and international wines, you’ll have no shortage of ways to satisfy your inner foodie.

versatile menu. Go for the signature Brodburger, made with locally sourced beef and homemade aioli, or skip the meat in favour of The Veg. When you’re done, you’ll be able to stroll it off on the scenic Kingston Foreshore – or just stick around for seconds.

Feast on the foreshore at Brodburger Looking for something on the simpler side? This former food truck has been flipping patties for the better part of a decade, with a cult following of loyal customers to prove it. And while flamegrilled beef burgers are its claim to fame, there’s something for everyone on the

F LY T O C A N B E R R A W I T H U S Don’t wait to discover Australia’s up-and-coming capital. Check out our latest deals on cheap flights to Canberra and book your getaway today.

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THE TALE END

Let your pictures tell a story We want your photos on the Tigerair Australia Instagram feed. Add the hashtag #tigerairau to your travel snaps and they could appear as part of Tigerairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media. E L L IN J A A FA L L S , C A IR N S , Q L D @kshinn12_

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