Domain Review Bayside & Port Phillip - February 19, 2020 by Domain Magazines

PEOPLE & PROPERTY OF MELBOURNE

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2020

SHOPPING

INSIDE A TREASURE TROVE

FILM

MELBOURNEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THRILL SEEKER

SUNDAY DRIVE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

TARA MOSS MEET A MODERN-DAY HEROIN E

B AY S I D E & P O R T P H I L L I P

346 Clarendon Street South Melbourne Ph: 03 9690 8702 lanaberg.com.au

In-Store Stylists Curate Ivko Sacha Drake Loobieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story Mela Purdie Hale Bob Monari Frank Lyman Desigual Aldo Martins Cable Zaket & Plover Lania Tani M.A. Dainty Madly Sweetly Johnny Was Lisette Bianco Jeans Lounge the label Seven Sisters Bridge & Lord New London jeans Ping Pong Olga Berg Naot Footwear Nude Footwear

C o mp i l e d b y

HAILEY COULES

The editor’s desk

Anyone who has a passion but has lacked the confidence to turn it into a full-blown endeavour will feel empowered by the story of Tara Moss. The part-time model, activist and author (her spooky books with strong female characters have been translated into 13 languages and published in 19 countries) started writing Stephen King-style stories in school. It was a teacher who planted the seed of possibility – that these tales could be more than scribbles treasured by her parents. Years on, the loss of her mother continues to inform her characters. Discover the intriguing Tara Moss in this week’s feature. ●

GIRL POWER \ This Friday The Prince Hotel is hosting

NOURISH \ Aesop’s first night masque has been

a Women of Influence lunch, celebrating leaders in the

launched, with vitamins B, C, E and F. Wake up

travel and tourism industry. A panel discussion will

refreshed and brightened, rinse off, and be ready for

follow three-course lunch. ● theprince.com.au

the day. In stores from March 2. ● aesop.com/au

THE EDIT What we love at Domain Review

OUR COVER \ Author Tara Moss. Photographed by Blair Hansen.

MORE TO LOVE ONLINE Go to domain.com.au/domain-review General inquiries \ 9249 5226 \ editorial@domain.com.au Editor \ Emily Power Deputy editor \ Jessica Dale Senior designer \ Colleen Chin Quan Graphic designer \ Nicole Gauci Group picture editor \ Kylie Thomson

Chief consumer officer \ Jason Chuck Chief executive officer Domain Group \ Jason Pellegrino Real estate sales director \ Mitch Armstrong \ 0438 820 767 mitch.armstrong@domain.com.au Retail sales \ retailsales@sales.domain.com.au

Is your mag missing? Distribution \ 1800 032 472 distribution@domainreview.com.au

REVIEW Domain Review is published by Domain Holdings Australia Limited and is printed by Elephant Group (Aust) Pty Ltd, 24c Victoria Street Windsor VIC 3181. All material is copyright.

FIONA HAMILTON

Managing editor \ Alice Stolz

B AY S I D E & P O R T P H I L L I P

Editorial assistant \ Hailey Coules

RARE FIND \ With the warm weather lingering, update

SUN SIPS \ Captain Baxter has teamed up with Grey

your swimwear with the new collaboration between

Goose on their Riviera rooftop until March 9, pouring

uber-cool Skwosh Club and Jackalope’s Rare Hare.

special cocktails. Try our pick of the drinks menu; the

There are only 200 pairs available. ● skwosh.com.au

L’Orange Espresso Martini. ● captainbaxter.com.au

DOM A IN REV IEW

“It’s been a lifetime project creating the types of stories I wish I had access to ... ” BERNDT SELLHEIM

TARA MOSS

DOM A IN REV IEW

The literary world’s Wonder Woman COVER STORY Author and model Tara Moss gives a voice to powerful

female characters in a stylish, devilish genre she’s made her own.

anadian-Australian author, human rights activist and part-time model Tara Moss is back with a new novel, The Cobra Queen, her fourth in the Pandora Series. The Pandora Series has been described as True Blood meets The Devil Wears Prada – Moss riffs on a paranormal world where female empowerment is at the core of her storytelling; where Gothic horror and fetishism f lirt with spirit guides as much as the series haunts the well-heeled fashion scene of NYC. Moss, who has written 13 books over 21 years and penned her acclaimed non-fiction work The Fictional Woman in 2014, splits her time between Australia and Vancouver where she lives with her photographer-author husband Berndt Sellheim and their nine-year-old daughter Sapphira. She first arrived in Australia in 1996 and, after 23 years spent here, returned to Canada in 2018. The dual citizen, who wears many creative hats including TV presenter and documentary maker, says she’s most comfortable as an author. But it took her years to trust that instinct. Once she found it, she knew women would feature prominently. “Writing novels, for me, is about featuring women’s voices and making them powerful,” says Moss, 47. “It’s been a lifetime project creating the types of stories I wish I had access to when I was young. In 2020, we do have a few more great heroines to look to that weren’t there before. I had to seek them out because they were far and few between.” Moss pays homages to genres she loves, taking

urban fantasy and fusing it with horror. The Cobra Queen follows Pandora English, who lives in a Manhattan supernatural suburb and discovers she is the Chosen One, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter – and circumstances get eerily strange. “She [Pandora] is the one who comes up every seventh generation and I’m looking at it from a matriarchal line rather than patriarchal line that we have seen in older tales,” Moss says. “Pandora’s Great-Aunt Celia says in the book ‘Bram Stoker has a lot to answer for’ as an injoke. The idea with this novel was to subvert and play with what’s come before.” Moss thanks a supportive English high school teacher, Mr Bendall, for seeing something in her writing. “I always wrote before I had the confidence to admit this,” Moss says. “From 10 years old, I was writing Stephen King-style novels for my classmates. My dad has even saved those stories in the attic,” she laughs. “Mr Bendall was revolutionary. He was the first teacher who said this is something you can do. He was a great encouragement.” But for all the external role models around her, it was the loss of her mother – aged 43 in 1990 when Tara was only 16 – that has a resounding effect to this day. The impact of that loss has informed her work ever since. “You’ll always find a character who has lost a parent in my books; or someone they loved dearly,” says Moss. “I feel so fortunate that I had the years I did with my mother. “Mum died at 43, younger than I am now. That is heartbreaking and extraordinary for me to

Wo r d s

contemplate that she didn’t get to be as old as I am. Her death had a big impact on my family. Pandora has lost her mother too – it’s a common theme in my books and on deeply rooted in my own loss. It changed my outlook on the world.” In the 1990s, Moss took to the fashion world, living in New York, working in Europe and appearing in catwalk shows and fronting fashion campaigns. When it comes to her own style, she takes her cue from the 1940s, wearing her heart on her sleeve with a tapestry of ink that pays homage to her late mother as much it does to an era of oldschool Sailor Jerry-style tattoos. “Modelling was a wonderful opportunity for me to travel and see the world, but that world wasn’t always great,” she says, hinting at the sexism and pressure to be always be thin. “It took until I wrote my first fetish novel at 23 to decide I’d become a full-time writer. I still see myself as a part-time model now – I do think there is some value in someone over 45 being photographed for a campaign.” It’s been four years since she last did a modelling job, and recalls walking for Alex Perry in a 2009 cancer fundraising runway show in Sydney. “I was literally twice the age of everyone else,” she smiles. She rocks a 1940s wiggle dress to perfection and has a dragon tattooed on her hip, a writing quill on her arm and another underneath her hairline she got with her husband for their wedding in 2009. But it’s the bluebirds on her forearm that reveal a lot about the girl behind the fiction. “The bluebird has f lown out of its birdcage and she’s carrying the key to her own cage in her mouth,” she explains. “On my shoulder is a tattoo of Wonder Woman done in a 1940s-style, while I have a quintessential Mum tattoo as an ode to my late mother Janie. “It’s done in a feminine style with some of her favourite things including paintbrushes and needlepoint. My house in Vancouver is decorated with her artwork – she is always around, it’s really reassuring.” ● THE COBRA QUEEN \ Out on March 3 through Echo Publishing

JA N E R O C CA

DOM A IN REV IEW

Artist impression

Eight exemplary residences in an exclusive Brighton enclave. Entertain, relax and connect with nature in a home that encourages you to spread out in comfort across invitingly large, open spaces where there’s little to distinguish between indoors and out. Interiors by Mim Design have been crafted to emanate warmth and a rare sense of original design. For dining, drinking and bringing friends together you’ll find unexpected indulgences to make entertaining effortless with a butler’s pantry, climate-controlled wine room and garden sanctuary that go beyond everyday functionality. A refined version of modern living. Close to all the city has to offer without compromising the indulges of life by the bay. Two & three bedroom residences now selling. To visit the display by private appointment call Alby Tomassi 0438 737 981 Nichole Pickering 0403 009 693 LiveBrighton.com.au

FILM

The Melbourne-raised director behind hit Hollywood thrillers plays on our deepest fears – again. Wo r d s

R AC H E L L E U N R E I C H

Saw & conquered GETTY IMAGES

icture this scene in 2004. Leigh Whannell hadn’t long graduated from film school at RMIT University in Melbourne, and the movie he’d written and appeared in – Saw – had been shown at Sundance Film Festival. Whannell checks the internet every day for any morsel of news about the movie, but there isn’t much. Eight months later, he flies to the Toronto Film Festival with Saw’s director James Wan – his film collaborator from RMIT – for its midnight premiere. “We’re driving down the street, and there’s a line around the block to get into our film. We were like, ‘Whoa, look at all those people lining up to see the movie!’ And the publicist said, ‘The people seeing the movie are already in the theatre. That’s the line [of people who are] waiting for spare tickets. They’re hoping to get in.’” Less than two decades later, Whannell is the writer and director (with a producer’s credit, too) of The Invisible Man, a psychological thriller starring Elisabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale. Although many know him for his slate of horror films (he’s written three Saw and four Insidious movies and was also writer-director on Upgrade), The Invisible Man presents a villain that’s arguably scarier than a hockey-masked killer: he’s a husband with a master’s degree in manipulation and mind games. Moss plays the woman who escapes her abusive spouse only to become convinced that he’s found an innovative way to stalk her: becoming invisible. While it’s undoubtedly an edge-of-your-seat, heart-thumping thriller, it also holds gravitas for anyone who’s felt like they’ve lacked power, or been a victim of gaslighting. “If someone’s really good at manipulation, they can change your reality ... where even you question your own sanity,” Whannell says. “It can really mess with you. It’s such a fascinating and dark, terrifying subject to explore – I had no idea that there were so many people who [have been] controlled in their relationships.” Growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne – he lived in Glen Waverley and Scoresby – 43-yearold Whannell still gets nostalgic about his roots, although he (together with his wife and three children) now calls Hollywood home. “Every Friday night my mum would get a pizza and the whole family would be together and watch a video,” he says.

“That’s where some of the best memories of my childhood and my love of cinema came from ... I had a real full-circle moment when I was shooting Upgrade in Collingwood. It was at this school that had been shut down but happened to be right next door to The Tote Hotel, where I shot my student film, easily the worst student film of all time. “One day I got to the set of Upgrade a little early, and went over to The Tote, and I was thinking how years ago I was in this pub, freaking out ... [about my] terrible student film and now I’m next door with a crew of 100 people.

“My life is so tied in with Melbourne and there are so many places here that make me who I am.”

“My life is so tied in with Melbourne and there are so many places here that make me who I am. [It] is in my bone marrow, it’s so coded into me. I like to go for a walk around RMIT, because I think that if I hadn’t gone to RMIT, I wouldn’t have met James, and I wouldn’t be [promoting The Invisible Man]. “So, walking around that campus is like reckoning with a real sliding doors moment in my life.” One day, he’d like to be at the helm of a big-budget movie, if only for that experience. “I’d like to know what it’s like to have my imagination let off the chain. Not because I want the perks, but there’s something great about saying, ‘OK, I want 300 horsemen on that hill,’ and not have the producer say, ‘How about two horsemen? And they’re not going to be on the hill ...’” ● THE INVISIBLE MAN \

LEIGH WHANNELL

In cinemas from February 27

DOM A IN REV IEW

DRINK

The place to gaux Love New York? Adore Paris? A city bar serves up a swanky blend. Wo r d s

E M I LY P OW E R

GARETH SOBEY

ar Margaux was crowned bar of the year for 2020 in the Good Food Guide Awards. It is buzzing with bonhomie and spare seats are few and far between. What comes first – the chicken or the egg? Accolades aside, this has been on the lips of savvy diners and wine enthusiasts – and extremely popular – since its opening in July last year, and the “best bar” crown for the new year really only confirms its status.

SUMMER GRILL Sunday 23rd February 12:00pm – 3:00pm Pavilion Green, 216 Bay Road, Sandringham

BBQ MASTERCLASS HOSTED BY BOB HART Using quality meats from Church Street Butcher, BBQ expert Bob Hart will teach you all the tips and tricks to turn your balcony into an alfresco dining space with Weber.

DOM A IN REV IEW

Bar Margaux, from the team behind Fitzroy cocktail lounge The Everleigh, is timeless dining that speaks to Melbourne’s European leanings and, better still, it is open late. Welcoming and helpful staff sashay between tables with plates of chips (seek out “frites” on the menu) and negronis until all hours. First guests are welcomed at 4pm and can stay until 3am. From midnight until close there is a special menu, including $29 servings of oysters and champagne, or a burger paired with a glass of burgundy. At $99, the Beggar’s Banquet of champagne, oysters, steak tartare and frites will keep night owls sated until the sun comes up. Margaux is an especially excellent venue for posttheatre tipples and shared nibbles – choose your preferred position, either coddled in a rouge leather banquette or leaning close to a paramour across a table. The entrance is cleverly concealed, speakeasystyle, and yet the drama starts on the Lonsdale Street footpath. Hovering above steps that lead to the basement

“Margaux is an especially excellent venue for post-theatre tipples and shared nibbles – choose your preferred position, either coddled in a rouge leather banquette or leaning close to a paramour across a table.” bar is a digital screen of a hand sensuously toying with a bottle of wine. It’s sexy here but unpretentious. The low light inside amplifies the lively atmosphere within the New York-meets-Parisian-style brasserie, homely yet swank with subway tiles, warm wood and the golden glow of the main bar. Embrace the scene and start with escargots de bourgogne (curls of juicy snails swimming in a ramekin of garlic butter), a quenelle of melt-in-themouth steak tartare (scooped onto waffle frites) and the generous charcuterie spread. Main plates are a meaty affair (filet de boeuf, roasted Bannockburn chicken, Humpty Doo barramundi), save for plump little Parisienne gnocchis.

However, duck as a main is a must – because … when in Paris. Slices of duck meat carry the same perfect blush you might spot on the cheeks of a young couple having a cosy date night on a neighbouring table and, being rich as duck is, it’s ideal to share. Delicious sides are an uncomplicated choice – saving the debate for the drinks list – offering a green salad, sauteed spinach or the must-have frites, if you unwisely skipped them earlier. The dessert portion of the menu teases with the title: Should I Stay or Should I Gaux? Surely the only option is to linger a while longer over a souffle of the day. BAR MARGAUX \ Basement, 111 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne ● barmargaux.com.au

CO N ST RU C T I O N I S W E L L U N D E RWAY - M OV E I N AU G U ST 2020

To celebrate the release of our Terrace Collection, which features residences boasting generous balconies, we’re hosting a Summer Grill in the garden.

Join us for a complimentary afternoon including:

Delicious food by Limoncello

Refreshing drinks

Quality product from Church Street Butcher

Meet the team

Explore our Terrace Collection, offering seamless indoor, outdoor living from $576,000

CONTACT LEONE STEELE 0422 299 202

DOM A IN REV IEW

SHOPPING

Planting an idea From their Aladdin’s cave, a creative couple inspire a global following.

hen Bonnie Ashley was studying design in New Zealand, she might never have envisioned what her life would be like 19 years down the track. Today, she’s one half of Bonnie and Neil. She and husband Neil Downie created the textile brand, which sells across Australia and has international stockists including Anthropologie in the US, Liberty of London and Le Bon Marche in Paris. That said, one visit to their Reservoir studio and showroom lets visitors know that they haven’t strayed from the indie appeal of their business when it first began almost a decade ago. One look at Ashley in the corner, hand-painting flowers on natural materials, tells you all you need to know. “One of the hardest parts is everything

that’s handmade,” she says. “When it’s summer and 40 degrees and you’re battling the elements, it has its challenges.” At least there’s a corner of her warehouse that looks like an oasis. Tucked away from the screen printing tables is Bonnie and Neil’s showroom. It’s a colourful pop of bright hues, starting with the floral orange “tiles” that one presumes hail from a beachy city in Europe, until you realise they’re vinyl, rather than tiles and are one of Bonnie and Neil’s own designs. There’s more: recessed arched shelves reveal an Aladdin’s cave of jewel-coloured cushions and ceramics, while a table is set with the company’s coveted linen tablecloths and napkins, some of which sparkle with the imprint of golden bees.

Modern Rugs Traditionals Shag Rugs conditio

ns apply

Flatweaves Kids Rugs Runners Doormats OPEN 7 DAYS

DOM A IN REV IEW

STEPHANIE ROONEY

Wo r d s

R AC H E L L E U N R E I C H

It’s no mistake that so many of the products are adorned with flowers; that’s pretty much Ashley’s obsession. “I worked for a florist for years, and that’s where my passion for botanics came from. I’m a passionate gardener as well, and I love visiting botanic gardens anywhere I travel. My favourite of all time is Kew Gardens in London – it has this amazing Palm House with lush plants. That’s the ultimate.” And when Ashley sees something she loves, she takes a photo and then comes home to paint it; other images get collaged into the designs. “I love tropical flowers, but at the moment my favourite is foxglove – the flowers are so striking and I have them all planted in my garden.” Downie’s background isn’t in textiles, like Ashley’s; instead, he’s worked in furniture-making, as a cabinet maker and set builder. But the pair decided to collaborate for their own business, which started off doing various things, combining furniture and textile design. When they settled in Melbourne in 2003, it was a grand step for each: Ashley is from New Zealand

and Downie hails from Scotland. “We moved here and didn’t know anyone, but we’d heard it was a really great place to live with a really great art community and a lot of people doing interesting print-making. We’ve lived in London for a few years, so Melbourne seemed like a natural fit; it was the obvious choice.” Since then, they’ve proved that following their own instincts is key. “I really love entertaining and cooking and making tables look beautiful, but a lot of stores said, ‘Don’t bother with table linen – it doesn’t work in Australia. People don’t use it and entertain in that way.’ We wanted to persevere for purely selfish reasons, and now people are using table linens more and more, and it’s becoming an everyday thing.” And working together with your beloved? “We have very separate roles in the business and we’re not in each other’s pockets all day every day. I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, but it works for us.” ● BONNIE AND NEIL SHOWROOM \ 92 Plateau Road, Reservoir ● bonnieandneil.com.au

FOR ALL OF YOUR OUTDOOR FURNITURE NEEDS Super Store - 5000m2 | Moorabbin, 244 Chesterville Road 03 9532 2270 Now Open | Nunawading, 232 Whitehorse Road 03 9878 2144 remarkablefurniture.com.au DOM A IN REV IEW

SUNDAY DRIVE \ ALPINE REGION

R A ZO R BAC K RI D G E

Find clarity and toss aside the stress of the weekly grind with a challenging road trip. Wo r d s

E M I LY P OW E R

VISIT VICTORIA

n an era of perpetual outrage and tired eyes adhered to phone screens, there can be few more soothing scenarios than getting back to nature. However, if chirping birds and rustling leaves are just not enough to force out the stress of nine-to-five, then you need more grunt. Try a 4WD adventure. Off-road driving through challenging terrain is unexpectedly meditative. The concentration required to navigate gnarly country will zone out the antagonism of the life left behind in Melbourne, and the pillowy rocking and bouncing puts the driver at one with the land.

Victoria’s alpine region in the state’s north-east, five hours from the city, is a heartland for four-wheel touring, and the new Nissan N-Trek Warrior is the beast to tackle it in. Venturing out on a famous track through here is a journey novice drivers will enjoy, and the thickets of snow gums bristling across hills and down valleys of the enormous Alpine National Park set a scene that experienced drivers will also appreciate. If arriving by car, take the Hume Highway, exiting at Wangaratta to connect to the Great Alpine Road. The quickest route from Melbourne, and to remain fresh to later unleash

DIGITAL FUEL PRODUCTIONS

Meditation muscle

67 % SO LD

Absolute Beachfront

Watch the sun set over the glistening bay and enjoy meals with a sensational backdrop. Every aspect of Azura Aspendale has been carefully considered by Lowe Living and award-winning design partners, to deliver high-end living in a world-class location. By drawing inspiration from the absolute beachfront setting, Azura’s design is uniquely refined and effortlessly elegant. A ZUR A A SPENDALE.COM.AU Lisa Holb ourn | 0488 810 040

DOM A IN REV IEW

D I S P L AY SU I T E O P E N I N G H O U R S Monday to Friday, 11am - 2pm Wednesday, 5pm - 7pm Saturday to Sunday, 10am - 2pm LO C ATION 5 Foster Street, Aspendale

behind the wheel, is to fly to Hotham Airport via charter from Essendon Airport. With the picture-book Dinner Plain Alpine village as a base (in winter it could be a set for a Christmas movie), head out on the well-known Blue Rag Range Track, a favourite of 4WD enthusiasts. This coarse, remote route through sometimes very steep high-country, at about 1600 metres above sea level, is given a “three out of 10” for difficulty by the hosts of this Nissan expedition. The summit is Blue Rag Trig Point, where a demanding upwards scramble is rewarded with a 360-degree view. Take your heart rate down with a restful night in Dinner Plain; lodging options include apartments, cabins or chalets, available to book yearround, suiting couples to parties of 20-plus. ●

B LU E R AG R A N G E T R AC K

The car … NISSAN NAVARA N-TREK WARRIOR The pitch: A durable and handsome off-road truck for the discerning tradie or allterrain adventurer. Base price: $62,990 for a 2.3 litre, twin-turbo diesel. Diamond or Cosmic Black Performance: New springs

exterior finish.

and dampers give the car its off-road chops, with

Luxuries: Partial leather

raised suspension for ground

seats with stitching details,

clearance and underbody

orange inserts to match the

plates for protection.

exterior decal, an eight-inch

Looks: A bullish, wide-

CarPlay and Android Auto.

touchscreen with Apple stance, coloured bumper bar,

● nissan.com.au ● visitdinnerplain.com.au

17-inch alloy wheels, 32.2-

Fast fact: Its electronically-

inch all terrain tyres, pops of

controlled 4WD system

bright orange decal. Choose

means beginners can handle

from a Slate Grey, White

this car with confidence.

Open Morning St Catherine’s Empowering and nurturing young women to become confident, creative, independent and resilient.

Thursday 5 March 10.00am Register online at www.stcatherines.net.au/admissions

Private School bus available from Brighton, Albert Park and surrounding suburbs

ST CATHERINE’S SCHOOL A Day and Boarding School for Girls, ELC to Year 12 (ELC includes boys)

17 Heyington Place Toorak VIC 3142 T: (03) 9822 1285 | E: admissions@stcatherines.net.au www. stcatherines.net.au

DOM A IN REV IEW

TRAVEL \ NEW YORK What is there to say about New York City that is yet to be said? Absolutely nothing. Songs, movies, books and every travel blog on earth have given thorough insight into the city that never sleeps and all it has to offer. What I set out to find was a game plan on how to approach the Big Apple – for the first time – with only one week to do so.

A state of mind

A day

C E N T R A L PA R K

ISTOCK

A visit to New York is not a relaxing holiday. A day here is mission-near impossible, but can be done. Planning ahead is vital but the same cannot be said for booking ahead, such as booking tickets for the Empire State Building only to find visibility is poor. Tickets can be found on the day. Free open nights run at most of the popular museums midweek. Skip the taxi queue and get a Metrocard, saving at least two of your 24 hours in the city in traffic. ●

Wo r d s

C L AI R E B E E RS

DATE Thursday 27th February TIME 5pm—7pm

Your twilight invitation to The Crescent Brighton Enjoy a drink and canapés in our freshly renovated hospitality space. Take a tour of our one and two bedroom independent living apartments for sale. Come and experience the lifestyle and learn about our services, support, security and 7-day dining. The Buxton family welcomes you and your family to inspect or for a private appointment, please call 1300 204 032. 95 Outer Crescent, Brighton thecrescentbrighton.com.au

DOM A IN REV IEW

be missed as this is the best way to enjoy local produce and delicacies while strolling the beautiful and historical streets. If time permits, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge will bring you to the heart of Dumbo, another terrific area of NYC with cobblestone streets and incredible architecture. ●

A week Seek out Tribeca for its historic architecture.

A weekend If you are to do a short trip to New York, the best time is midweek. The foot traffic is significantly down and the queues are far shorter. In saying that, there is no time that NYC isn’t busy; it is part of the charm and must be embraced to enjoy the attractions. Having a few days to explore gives the opportunity to embark on journeys outside the Manhattan bubble. A food tour of Tribeca is not to

This is the ideal amount of time to spend in New York. Divide your time between boroughs as the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens are all easily accessible via the subway. Each borough brings its own character and charm, but not all will deserve an equal distribution of your time. Don’t forget the free Staten Island Ferry, which provides the best view of the Statue of Liberty and runs every 30 minutes between Manhattan and Staten Island. A walk around Central Park is also worth giving time to, especially in winter, with ice skating rinks, snow falling, and a Christmas market – not to mention the picturesque lakes and majestic trees – providing plenty of space to breathe in one very crowded city. ●

Iconic views from the Staten Island Ferry, which is free.

GETTING THERE Qantas flies from Melbourne to Los Angeles with a two-hour layover before transferring to a LAX to JFK International service. If you have ever experienced LAX, you know this will be the worst two hours of your life – it feels like being on the Amazing Race. If you can find a flight with a slightly longer layover, do so – if not, you’ve been warned.

SIN CE 1978 FURNITURE

OUTDOORS

BATHROOMS

LIGHTING

FIREPLACES

DOORS

HARDWARE

FLOORING

TILES

HOMEWARES

HOME TO THE EXTRAORDINARY | AS SEEN ON THE BLOCK 2019 CLIFTON HILL

GEELONG

MORRABBIN

SCHOTS DOM A IN REV IEW

FEATURE HOUSE

DOWNLOAD THE DOMAIN APP SEE MORE IMAGES, FLOOR PLANS & PROPERTY DETAILS

ELWOOD \ 6/12 PINE AVENUE 3

If ever a place deserved the hashtag #soblessed, it’s Pine Avenue. Slung between Ormond Road and the bay, with cafes at one end and Elwood beach and park at the other, this petite street is where grown-ups come to play it cool. This top-floor apartment is most unusual. One of a 1930s block of six, it’s in a free-standing building at the rear with its own external staircase and no common walls with its neighbours. It’s completely private; no one can peep in. But if they could they’d see a wealth of art deco splendour, with polished ash floorboards, timber picture rails and architraves and a massive, maroon-tiled fireplace. You could play chess in the kitchen, which has the latest thing in 1930s flooring: black and white chequerboard linoleum. (New, of course.) Three bedrooms make for family-sized proportions, and this property would suit a household with late-teenage or young adult children. Professionals and downsizers will love it; peaceful, with scope to convert a bedroom to a study, it’s a good place in which to work from home. Built of solid red brick with gold-brick trim, the block presents a handsome face to the street. Take the side path through the shrubbery to the rear staircase. The property has a central hall with glass-panelled sliding doors to the living room. The fireplace, with its Nectre glass-door wood heater, makes a cosy counterpoint to large corner windows. Bedroom one, across the hall, is the largest and has a northerly view. There’s room for a built-in wardrobe. The dine-in kitchen is neat and chic in white laminate and

FINAL WORD

has Westinghouse side-by-side oven and gas cooktop. (Use a bedroom as a dining room on feast days.) Bedrooms two and three are compact doubles; one has a sunny northerly aspect, the other has a wardrobe. Between

THIS PROPERTY IS ALMOST LIKE A FREE-STANDING HOUSE. LOCATED BETWEEN THE VILLAGE AND THE FORESHORE WALKING AND CYCLING TRACKS, IT’S ALSO SO QUIET IT’S LIKE LIVING IN A CUL-DE-SAC.” SAM INAN – AGENT

them is the updated bathroom, where white subway tiles, a corner cabinet and a shower alcove gleam beneath the original ’30s casement window. The property has off-street parking via a bluestone lane. Ormond Road buses and Elsternwick Park are a few minutes’ walk. ● ALISON BARCLAY property@domainreview.com.au Agent: Belle Property, Sam Inan 0433 076 999 Price: $860,000-$920,000 Auction: 10.30am, February 29