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SUMMER 2018 | VOLUME 2 NUMBER 6

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FEATURES

Travel & Boating 66 Sydney rocks the boat On board with the highlights from the Sydney International Boat Show

70 The complete calendar of big boat shows around the world Following the sun for the best celebrations of the life aquatic

80 Waxing poetic A selection of surfboards as stylish as they are streamlined

86 Giving it away Sharing the wealth through philanthropy

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

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FEATURES

90 To the ends of the earth Taking a polar voyage to Antarctica aboard Ponant’s Le BorÊal

105 The 2018 Christmas gift guide From jewellery to homewares, we pick the best of the best for the gift-giving season

116 Into the black Going into the wilderness for an adventure on the Amazon

128 One (not) for the road A track day at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, where we test the new McLaren Senna

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

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DEPARTMENTS

Columns

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58 Style It’s party season … and the dress codes can be anything but easy Georgina Safe

59 Watches Bulgari brings Italian ingenuity – and lair – to the craft of watchmaking Christian Barker

60 Dining A new website is pushing the gender equality agenda in the culinary world Joanna Savill

Regulars 20 The Art

134 Property

For landscape photographer Stephan Romer, it’s all about the light

Inside a glamorous penthouse revamp in Sydney’s The Hyde residential tower plus Smart Showings

22 The Source File Classic car auctioneer David Gooding gives us a peek at his personal collection in California

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139 Social Pages 142 Of Note

Enrich

Gear up for the long, hot summer, with boats, bikes, boardshorts and bubbles

40 Quantum View The artists attracting the biggest sums at auction

145 Advertiser Register 146 Robb Reader Australian basketballer Andrew Bogut on coming home after more than a decade in the NBA

43 Passport Embracing glitz in Brisbane, the bush in Tasmania and the best of Bali

100 Drive 61

Wine

The Henschke family has a wine legacy as old as the hills Christopher Morrison

As an everyday drive, the Ferrari Portoino is anything but ordinary

132 Everybody’s Talking About The vinyl revival: regretting clearing out those dusty old records yet?

62 Drinking The Aperol Spritz craze might be abating, but the aperitif is still a summer favourite Steve Colquhoun

63 Home Tech Stepping into parallel worlds with the latest virtual reality systems Bennett Ring

64 Motoring How super-luxury car makers will woo their next generation of buyers Michael Stahl

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

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Editorial

Publishing

Robb Report Global

Editor in Chief Michael Stahl

Commercial Sales Director David Lee

Managing Editor and Publisher Freya Purnell

Sales and Marketing Executive Margarita Goco

Executive Vice President, Managing Director David Arnold

Creative Director Justin Knights Sub-editor Jason Scullin Columnists Christian Barker, Steve Colquhoun, Christopher Morrison, Bennett Ring, Georgina Safe, Joanna Savill Writers Lee Atkinson, Jeni Bone, Jackie Caradonio, Danielle Cutler, Tony Davis, William Davis, Megan Dye, Erin Lentz, Arianne Nardo, Janice O’Leary, Leslie Patrick, Marwan Rahme, Kathryn Romeyn, Robert Ross, Angela M.H. Schuster, Nick Scott, Susan Skelly, Sarah Sparks, Sari Tuschman, Michael Verdon, Sue Wallace, Nora Walsh, Geri Ward

Editor in Chief Paul Croughton

Director, Digital Strategy Brendan Byrne

Senior Vice President, Live Media Cristina Cheever Vice President, Brand and Communications Elyse Heckman

Digital Advertising and Marketing Demi Dalton Marketing and Communications Manager Shab Khaliqi Partnerships and Events Jemma White Property, Finance and Investment Advisor Marwan Rahme Administration Support Alison Slater

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Penske Media Corporation Chairman and CEO Jay Penske Chief Operating Oicer George Grobar Managing Director, International Markets Debashish Ghosh Vice President, Global Partnerships and Licensing Kevin LaBonge

Photographers/Illustrators Derek Bahn, Alastair Bett, John Bilderback, Rodrigo Capote, Laurence Fischer, François Lefebvre, Mike Louagie, Chris Gordaneer, Eric Laignel, Nathalie Michel, John Milios, Margot Sib, Thomas Wielecki

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand is published by Robb Report AUS NZ Pty Ltd, 350 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000. ABN: 19 611 370 846. Robb Report® is a trademark of Robb Report Media, LLC. Printed in Australia by Elephant Group. Distributed by Gordon & Gotch. © 2018, Robb Report AUS NZ Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publishers. Robb Report AUS NZ makes no representation or warranties with respect to this magazine or its contents including, without limitation, material communicated by third parties. Robb Report AUS NZ does not warrant that the information available in this magazine is accurate, complete or current. Opinions expressed are those of the respective authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Neither Robb Report AUS NZ Pty Ltd nor any persons involved in the preparation of this publication will be liable for any loss or damage as a result of use of or reliance upon advice, representation, statement, opinion or conclusion expressed in Robb Report Australia & New Zealand magazine. All care has been taken to ensure information contained in the magazine (including pricing and availability) is accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions which might occur.

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

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From the Editor |

t was my intention to kick off this editorial by drawing attention to the most important feature in this issue; let’s say the story that best sums up the ‘mood board’ of springtime, Christmas, sunshine, boating, beaches and family. Should be pretty easy, as this issue is a cornucopia of eyedelighting adventures in all of the above.

Let’s start with a flyover of the world’s headline ‘big boat’ shows, taking off with all the top releases from the Southern Hemisphere’s premier event, the Sydney International Boat Show held in August, through the South-of-France glamfests of Monaco and Cannes in September, thence to Europe and the sunniest (and money-est) parts of the US, via Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you plan to do some superyachtspotting through 2019, our show guide will help you get your tickets ready.

There again, beaches, sunshine, warm water, beautiful shapes … A personal favourite is our feature on some of the world’s most beautifully crafted surfboards – true artworks, whether they’re hanging on a wall of bricks or water.

Surely, though, these are easily outdone for significance and grandeur by our major travel features: a pair of epic luxury cruise adventures, one to Antarctica and the other down the Amazon’s mysterious Rio Negro. Keep your sunglasses on for our Passport section on new openings, which takes in the soothing Andaman Sea island of Langkawi, Kata Rocks in Phuket, a comprehensive round-up of the best in Bali and southeast Queensland’s bright new landmark, W Brisbane – along with more serene, close-to-nature options in Tasmania.

Ah – but what of the landlubbers among us? For some (myself included), few things can top driving a supercar around a race circuit as fast as we possibly can. And there’s quite probably no faster way of doing it right now than in the $1.4-million McLaren Senna, which we’ve tested at southern Portugal’s sundrenched Estoril circuit.

I pinch myself as I write the words, but the manic McLaren makes our first drive in Ferrari’s new and user-friendly Portofino convertible seem almost like a leisurely stroll in the park.

Such things, you say, can be dismissed as ephemeral; there’ll come another supercar, faster and more desirable. What about the enduring beauty of art? We think you’ll enjoy our guide to the current state of the fine art auction scene, which constituted US$64 billion in sales in 2017, revealing the periods that are most in demand.

But no – surely the most important thing on the horizon is Christmas, the celebration with friends and family of another year having passed … and the dreamy-eyed meandering through our 10-page selection of gifts, covering ideas for gadgets, fashion, home design and plenty of other suggestions to suit that special man or woman.

Or, let’s be honest, yourself.

And that propels me, finally, to the awareness of our most important story this issue. It’s not at all about getting, but about giving: Tony Davis’ excellent overview of the local and international landscape of philanthropy, both private and corporate.

Mining entrepreneur Andrew Forrest and his wife Nicola were the first Australians to join The Giving Pledge, established in 2010 by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. The Forrests have joined 180 or so other ultra-high-networth individuals who have pledged to give away the majority of their wealth; the pledges currently exceed US$365 billion.

That’s real money that will go towards programs with ambitions as diverse as ending slavery and child trafficking, to improving health and education in the developing world, or any number of causes that will improve the quality of life of millions of people.

Life is to be enjoyed, certainly, and lived to the best of our means and ability. But as these benefactors – among them, obviously, some of the smartest people on the planet – know only too well, in helping others there lie rewards that money simply can’t buy.

I

Michael Stahl Editor in Chief

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Contributors

Georgina Safe, Style Georgina enjoys keeping readers on the right side of the latest trends and meeting the people who create the classics. She is a fashion writer with 20 years’ experience covering the Australian fashion industry and joining the fashion pack at the international collections in Milan, Paris, New York and London, and has been fashion editor for major Australian publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian newspapers, and now contributes to prominent Australian fashion titles as well as international titles such as Monocle and The Guardian newspaper. This issue, she chooses the best fashion and jewellery to give this Christmas.

Jeni Bone, Boating Jeni began her career in 1991 in newspapers with the Fairfax group at The Sun-Herald in Sydney, then honed her copywriting skills in advertising. Vogue, SBS TV and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games occupied a few years, followed by trade publication, AdNews. Then came a lifestyle and culture shift in 2002 with a reluctant, yet fortuitous, move to Queensland. Today, based on the Gold Coast, entrenched in the freelance world, she contributes to magazines, online and print, in the realms of yachting, lifestyle, travel, trends and whatever comes her way, fascinated by the deeper motivation and the personal journey that precedes acquisition.

In this edition, Jeni rounds up the best of the Sydney International Boat Show.

Mike Duf, Motoring UK-based motoring expert Mike Duf has been writing about cars for two decades, and these days concentrates mostly on the premium and luxury segments. In addition to serving as motoring editor for Robb Report UK, he covers Europe for Car and Driver, the biggest selling auto magazine in America. In this edition, he tests the McLaren Senna on the storied Estoril track in Portugal.

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m e r P

Artist impression

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THE ART

t h g li

The reader of

Waiting – sometimes hours – for just the right moment to capture unsurpassed natural beauty is part of the process for photographer Stephan Romer

by Sarah Sparks he majesty of Mother Nature first captured Stephan Romer as a boy.

Today, 40 years later, he continues honouring that reverence through his luxury photographic art. Germanborn and now a New Zealand resident, Stephan’s apprenticeship began with gliding thermals beside his father high above Austrian mountains. After becoming a windsurfing instructor, his skills were further honed navigating the elements.

Professionally, Romer travels the world shooting iconic campaigns for brands like Porsche. Privately, he captures the raw unbridled landscapes in all their glory.

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Despite a fascination and respect for the tools of his trade – almost all of his old cameras are displayed at his gallery in Düsseldorf – he says there are no technical trade secrets. He confesses to being “very particular” in ensuring his gear is in “perfect order”, coupled with a determination “to get out amongst the raw elements, especially when there’s a storm front brewing”.

Light is Stephan’s medium and the landscapes of the world are his canvas.

His approach earlier in his career was a little unorthodox for the outdoor photography world.

“Sometimes I used my windsurfing masts as makeshift booms attached to cameras to

get a sharp result,” he says. “It worked out very well.” Thus was born an aerial style that has become his trademark, these days involving the use of specialised rigs.

In the commercial photography world, rigs attached to the base of a vehicle are now standard fare. A long exposure, combined with a slow-moving car, keeps the subject in sharp focus while blurring the background to give the impression of speed.

Reading the light is “100 per cent what it’s really about”, Romer says. The shadows lead the eye to depths a sunny day cannot.

He’s known for flying high up in a helicopter, capturing the most spectacular glaciers and mountain peaks of New Zealand. “The lower the sun,

“Deinitely the best light is irst and last light … I watch the light and I am patient”

the more dramatic the outcome and the more three-dimensional the landscape becomes,” he says.

“Definitely the best light is first and last light … I watch the light and I am patient.

Sometimes with the weather you only have 30 seconds of light. You have to be prepared for that. You do push your luck a lot in order to get a good result.”

Meticulous preparation is also a must.

“Before turning up at the hangar, I do my research online watching all sorts of weather. I declare myself a real professional when it comes to that,” says Stephan.

Vowing never to shoot “pretty postcard pictures”, the Golden Ratio learnt from bygone days as a student of industrial design dictates how Stephan frames his shots – well, within reason.

“I come from a classical education where you learnt all the rules. Yet I do stretch that out a bit so it’s not all too harmonious. Then again, I love the balance as well – so maybe I am in turmoil with myself.”

The artist’s love of landscape drew him to the “big sky” in the Atacama Desert in Chile, while it was during extraordinary weather he got an unforgettable shot.

“It was so unusual, [because] typically you get blue sky and no clouds at all.

This front was coming through. The sun popped out, making it look dramatic.

[It’s] no wonder it’s called Valle De La Luna, or valley of the moon.”

Another inexplicable moment happened in Fiordland, New Zealand.

“Up in the helicopter after 45 minutes of flying, we hit a severe storm on our way to Mt Kidd. We needed to turn around. Then while circling the Earl Mountains, the sun came out of the clouds creating these ‘God rays’ – it was incredible.”

That piece and others have now become famous, thanks to prominent international collectors. One patron is the president of Cincinnati Art Museum, one of the oldest art museums in the United States, who has installed Romer’s art in his offices.

The remote, empty wildness of Fiordland is his all-time favourite subject. It’s home to interconnecting glaciers without a hiking

track or a single road. “There are hardly any roads and so many valleys where nobody has been yet. I think it’s very special – you hardly get that on this planet,” he says.

Poolburn in Central Otago, filmed for the epic Lord of the Rings movies, is another favourite place. He enjoys the solitude there.

“When I visited last time, I spent four hours in one spot waiting for the sun to get lower and lower – there was not one single soul there, not even a sheep … I was just on my own, which was just incredible. Where else do you get that?”

Romer is the first one to say he “gets lost in his pictures”, which are “like meditation”.

His art has certainly become meditative for others, as well.

(opposite) Stephan on location; (from top) Mt Aspiring, Wanaka, New Zealand; Valle de la Luna, Chile; setting up for a commercial shot; Fiordland

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THE SOURCE FILE

Since opening his doors 14 years ago, David Gooding has become – despite his youthful appearance – the elder statesman of the collector-car auction business. Every year, some of the world’s inest antique, classic, sports and racing cars roll across the Gooding & Company ramp at US venues such as Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Scottsdale. Of the stage, Gooding has facilitated private sales of automotive icons including the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic now in the Mullin Museum, a more than US$30 million ($42.4 million) piece of sculpture that just happens to be a car. We visited him in California, just blocks from the beach, in a fastidious brick warehouse that combines oices hung with art by notable contemporary printmakers and open space that can serve as an automotive showroom.

by Robert Ross

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Photos: Warwick Kent

Staging a coupé

Henry Poole suits; Gooding’s favourite musical artists – The Beatles and The Rolling Stones

We’re currently seeing a gulf between the really special stuff and the okay stuff. Prices for the okay stuff are just staying level, but the special best of the best is going up, up, up. The price delta is growing.

and we’ve collected prints, for example,

by Ed Ruscha and Ellsworth Kelly. Or photographs by Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange. I love losing myself in the details of a photograph and studying them carefully.

Personal cars

Dining à la c(art)e

We have 10 cars – from a 1913 Mercer to the newest car, a ’71 Mercedes 3.5 convertible.

I didn’t set out to necessarily buy, for example, a 1914 Silver Ghost. I ran across this car and fell in love with its history.

Briggs Cunningham bought it in the ’40s and owned it into the ’70s. One of the things that pushed me over the edge was, “If it was good enough for Briggs Cunningham ...”

There’s an incredible restaurant – the Kronenhalle – in Zurich. I love that place because it’s a brasserie once owned by this fellow who was passionate about food and collecting art – Picasso, Chagall, incredible paintings.

You can have great food in a lot of places ... but here it’s the whole setting.

Restored or original?

Sounds familiar

I love a beautifully restored car, and I have many friends who are incredible restorers.

I have great respect for restorations, but it’s the original cars that speak to me more.

I love ’50s and ’60s classic rock and am a huge Beatles and Stones fan. The other day, my daughter tested me to see if I could identify a Beatles song in a second or less. I think I got most of them. Lately, I have been listening a lot to blues and jazz, including Ray Charles and Sam Cooke.

The automotive market

The holy grail My Mona Lisa? One of the two Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupés. They have it all. Historical, sculptural, technical, they represent one of my favourite periods in automobiles. And the sound. [I think] one of the great things about automobiles is always the sound they make.

Deck the halls My wife and I love art. She has a great eye,

Octane rating I enjoy French and Italian wines, though I don’t get obsessive about it. Actually, I’m more of a beer drinker and especially enjoy the Japanese beers, English ales and

whatnot. There’s nothing like a great pint of lager. And I’m a sucker for single malts and Japanese whiskies.

Fashion statement I’m always comfortable in Etro suits. They fit me nicely, and I like the material. I also wear suits by Henry Poole on Savile Row. I bought a couple of suits from that shop, only to see the tailors later at a car show. They’re really into cars – you know, they’re English, so they’re into anything mechanical.

Celluloid heroes I’m a huge film buff. The Graduate is one of my favourites for all kinds of reasons. I love that movie.

Wheels up I travel a lot for work but also love travelling as a family. Switzerland is gorgeous, organised, beautiful. We did a great rally – 2100 miles [3380 kilometres] in 17 days – in the Silver Ghost through the Alps, retracing the famous Alpine Rally. My wife, my two daughters and I will remember it for the rest of our lives. And we’ve gone to Japan a few times and are fascinated by Asia.

Personal time

(clockwise) Ed Ruscha’s OK (State II) (1990); Rolex Datejust II watch; Kronenhalle dining room

I’m very attracted to silversmiths and fine metal objects and, of course, to beautiful watches. We visited the Patek Philippe Museum, and the craftsmanship in the watches instantly drew me in. But this Rolex has special meaning for me. It was a gift from the Pebble Beach Company after 10 years of holding auctions at Pebble Beach. Every year, Pebble is the barometer for the car market, so it’s a major test for us.

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Artist impression.

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ENRICH

INSIDE Spoiler alert: we may have just summed up the entire season on the very next page, in a product that’s elegant, classic, crafted, health-enhancing and, well, irresistible. With that beautiful boating image in mind, we go on to round up stylish choices in swim shorts, espadrilles and more, and raise a glass (of Veuve, natch) to easy-listening evenings, surrounded by Greg Natale’s new range of home accessories. Those who prefer a bit more bounce to their spring need look no further than the world’s fastest (and perhaps sexiest) sportsbike, or – taking it full-circle – its aquatic Latin equivalent, the futuristic, 45-knot Mini Jet Spider personal watercraft.

Machines | Gear | Style | People | Art | Design

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Enrich Enrich ||

High-water mark

For years, the pedal boat has been a splashy good-times vessel for cooing tourists in oversized swans. But most models are made of injectionmoulded plastic, and "their design, fabrication and colour are an eyesore on a lake", says Paul Lavoie, co-founder with designer Lee Kline of the lifestyle brand Beau Lake (beaulake.com). With their justreleased Runabout (starting at $28,350), the duo has

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staged a spectacular aesthetic revolt: a human-powered leisure vessel that ventures into uncharted luxury waters.

Crafted mainly from navy fibreglass, the reverse transom gives a sense that the boat is already in motion. Careful engineering limits sound and splash, and the cockpit’s sideby-side seating means you can converse while taking turns at the black-walnut tiller.

It’s a jaunty ode to quality

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

craft and the classic aesthetic of mid-20th-century wooden boats. The trick was marrying throwback allure with performance. “In furniture there’s an elegance in how you treat function, and it’s the same thing with something nautical,” says Kline, who is a sailor, design veteran and fine woodworker. The company looked to Italian yachts for inspiration, collaborating with Canadian yacht-design

legend Steve Killing. “The idea of wood, fibreglass and stainless steel coming together for me is just a dream,” Kline says. The team also ensured that the boat requires no maintenance – from the resininfused fibreglass deck to the nautical leather slipcovers.

The Runabout even self-bails during a storm. A limited number are in production, and there’s already a wait list.

– ARIANNE NARDO

Photo: Chris Gordaneer

B E AU L A K E P E DA L B OAT

THE DIAMOND OF LEGEND.â„¢ A S H O K A D I A M O N D.C O M

Enrich |

Be the chairman of the board STYLISH SWIMMERS FOR THE LONG, HOT SEASON AHEAD Suddenly it’s almost summer, which means it’s time to buy some new swim shorts (to replace that faded pair you bought in 2010). There’s a plethora of options out there in a dizzying array of prints, colours, shapes and lengths. Do you go for board shorts, classic trunks, ‘tailored swim shorts’ (they’re a thing)? And do you choose plain, printed, neutral or brightly coloured? Here’s the Robb Report executive summary of the top three swim short brands to be seen in on the beach.

Orlebar Brown When Adam Brown was on holiday celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday in Rajasthan, all the women around the pool looked great. The men? Not so much. They were all wearing wildly printed, baggy boxer shorts with elasticised waist bands, and when they moved from sitting by the pool to have lunch in the bar, they had to change.

“Afterwards I thought: I don’t want a swim short, I want a short that I can swim in,” says Brown.

The result was Orlebar Brown, a range of tailored swim shorts that will take you from the beach to the bar in style. You can’t go wrong in the brand’s Bulldog mid-length shorts in block colours that are tailored and adjustable for a flattering fit. Just wear them with sandals, aviators and a white shirt, and you’ll have your summer wardrobe sorted.

Vilebrequin If you’re the kind of guy who likes your summer to be fun with a capital F, try French brand Vilebrequin, which was founded in 1971 in SaintTropez. It retains the spirit of ’70s Côte d’Azur in vibrant colours and prints, and every pair of shorts goes through 32 meticulous manufacturing steps to ensure their quality. They’re quick-drying so you can wear them beyond the pool, and are available in limited-edition designs incorporating playful prints and vivid hues.

Zimmermann Speaking of Saint-Tropez, the latest board shorts player is Sydney label Zimmermann, which launched its first capsule collection for men earlier this year to coincide with the opening of its new store in the seaside French city.

With two classic cuts – the Boardie, which sits just above the knee, and the Shortie, which is mid-thigh – the collection features a leafy batik motif and comes in four basic colourways of olive, burgundy, old gold and navy, each overlaid with elements of blue, peach and neon. Just add water.

– GEORGINA SAFE

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer Septembe––October 2018 2018

Articles of Tate

SLIDE INTO SUMMER IN THESE SOFT ESPADRILLES 1 1 TOM FORD Ever the master of reined elegance, Tom Ford pairs matt blue suede espadrilles with matching coloured cord and rubber soles for a streamlined look. tomford.com ($840) 2 ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA For a touch of soft colour, Ermenegildo Zegna ofers these pink perforated suede Pablo espadrilles. zegna.us ($700) 3 JIMMY CHOO The lightweight Vlad espadrilles in a crocodile-patterned leather feature elastic side panels and cushioned ankles for added comfort. jimmychoo.com ($675)

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Enrich |

The beast of Bologna DUCATI PANIGALE V4

Ducati has always produced sporty and eicient bikes, even dating to its irst ‘motorcycle’ in 1946 – the tiny Cucciolo (puppy) auxiliary engine for bicycles. The brand took a big step forward through the ’60s in adopting and developing the desmodromic valve system, but truly stepped into the sportsbike spotlight when fabled engineer Dr Fabio Taglioni merged two single-cylinder engines to create a 90-degree ‘L-twin’.

Ducati ‘desmo’ twins have gone on to dominate the World Superbike Championship for production-based bikes and to be loved by performance riders everywhere – not least for the tractable power delivery of their thumping, two-cylinder engines.

The next chapter in Ducati’s superbike story – already evident in the company’s MotoGP racing machines – is the V4 engine, itted to the lagship Panigale V4 (from $28,990, ducati.com/au/en/home) launched earlier this year. It’s both a

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

beauty and a beast: voted ‘Most Beautiful Bike of the Show’ at the 2017 EICMA motorcycle fair in Milan, the Panigale’s 1103cc desmo V4 engine is closely derived from the MotoGP unit and develops staggering outputs of 157.5kW and 124Nm – with a kerb weight of just 198 kilograms.

Indeed, Ducati claims its irst true production four-cylinder is simply the fastest and most powerful showroomstock motorcycle in the world right now. More importantly, much of Ducati’s work with the V4 engine – dubbed Desmosedici Stradale, indicating it’s a street version of the desmo 16-valve MotoGP engine – has been aimed at maintaining a lexible and rider-friendly delivery of all that power.

It’s aided by a suite of electronics, including adjustable engine-braking, a highly sophisticated traction control, slide control (yes, to allow intentional sliding under power), power launch and

quick-shifting that enables clutchless shifting up and down. The Brembo monobloc-caliper brakes are augmented by a three-mode ABS anti-lock system with an algorithm that accounts for cornering lean angles.

The Panigale V4 is also available in the form of the V4 ‘S’ ($37,490), which features higher-speciication Öhlins suspension, forged alloy wheels and other weight-saving measures, and the premium ‘Speciale’ ($59,999), a more track-focused package that can raise power and torque to 168.5kW and 133.6Nm respectively via an included racing kit.

Is the Ducati Panigale V4 the best sportsbike in the world? We’ll find out for sure in the 2019 World Superbike Championship – the first in which Ducati will be competing on absolutely equal terms with four-cylinder rivals. For us, it’s already run off with the beauty contest.

– MICHAEL STAHL

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Blast from the past LUXMAN L-509X STEREO AMPLIFIER Analogue is in, digital is out. Well, that seems to be the way that many audiophiles have been heading, and the LUXMAN L-509X ($11,999, audioactive.com.au) is the latest example of mixing older technology with the latest and greatest that today’s audio componentry ofers.

This is an integrated stereo ampliier, combining an ampliier and pre-amp into a single unit. It weighs a hefty 29 kilos and looks as though it came from your father’s ’70s stereo set-up with its twin analogue meters and blocky aluminium chassis, but delve inside and you’ll ind that it’s packed with cutting-edge sound technology.

At the heart of the pre-amp is the esteemed LECUA1000, a computerised attenuator that allows for volume adjustments over 88 steps, ensuring a silky-smooth ramp in loudness as you get the party started. This is directly connected to the ampliication signal board, which uses the fourth iteration of the LUXMAN ODNF (Only Distortion Negative Feedback) circuit. This delivers a high-speed primary slew rate, extremely low distortion and ultra-wide bandwidth; in efect, it detects distortion and removes it from the outputted audio.

To hit the extremely potent rated outputs of 120W+120W(8Ω) and 220W+220W(4Ω), the L-509X uses a triple-stage Darlington circuit. It’s ready to handle premium MM and MC cartridges for those with a penchant for vinyl, and ofers simple bass/treble and left/right controls, along with a powerful headphone output, ready to drive even the most demanding models. – BENNETT RING

Sound thinking NURAPHONES

When buying a pair of glasses, the irst step is to get a prescription speciic to your vision. Yet the same has not applied to the purchase of headphones, despite our variances in hearing. Enter the Nuraphones ($499, au.nuraphone.com), which use Australian-developed technology to perfectly match an individual’s hearing signature.

These headphones won the Headphone Innovation Awards at CES 2018, the largest consumer electronics show in the world, beating the likes of Sony, Sennheiser and Audio Technica. The Nuraphones use a self-learning algorithm to tweak the audio proile, after a one-minute hearing test during which the listener’s ears are presented with 12 diferent audio tones. The headphones measure the faint sound your cochlea produces via echoes in your eardrum; this is achieved with the same super-sensitive microphones chosen for NASA’s upcoming Mars mission spacesuits.

The origin of this technology was a hearing test used to check for deafness in newborn babies, which was built upon by the CTO of the company, Dr Luke Campbell, over a year of research. This enables the software to build a speciic audio proile for the listener. The headphones incorporate an earbud within the silicon ear-cups, which in turn include a separate driver called the ‘Immersion System’. According to Nura’s CEO Dragan Petrović, this “allows you to get both perfect clarity of sound, as well as deeper bass – normally you can’t get both at the same time”.

The Nuraphones software runs on your smartphone and supports both iOS and Android. They’re fully wireless, using Bluetooth 4 to beam music from smartphone to headset, though you’ll need to use the included USB Type-A cable to give them a charge after about 20 to 30 hours of use. Get ready to hear music the way the sound engineers intended. – B.R.

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R E P R E S E N T I N G A U S T R A L I A’ S F O R E M O S T C H A R T E R C O L L E C T I O N

SOVEREIGN

I N F I N I T Y PAC I F I C

ANDA

SILENTWORLD

MASTEKA 2

GHOST II

BELUGA

AKIKO

ONEWORLD

MOHASUWEI

www.oceanalliance.com | info@oceanalliance.com.au | +61 405 767 869 Y A C H T

C H A R T E R

•

M A N A G E M E N T

•

B R O K E R A G E

Design online GREG NATALE ACCESSORIES Australian/international designer Greg Natale is arguably interior design’s hottest property. Most recently he has scooped major magazine spreads for his luxury home designs – including a rural Victorian property showcased in our September-October issue – and produced two acclaimed books, The Tailored Interior and this year’s The Patterned Interior. Natale’s website (gregnatale.com) is a visual feast of his designs for carpets, mosaic floor and wall tiles, and furnishings – though in Natale’s realm, a good portion of his designs are bespoke for clients.

Natale’s sense of glamour and eye-catching patterns has been made more accessible through the launch of his Accessories series, with impossibly elegant bowls, vases, candlesticks and boxes in a variety of the designer’s favourite materials. All are made to individual order, via shop.gregnatale.com.

The Brass collection currently comprises a trio of solid brass bowls such as the Ziggurat ($1129), each – like the smaller Trident and Boule designs – made by hand-casting and hand-polishing. The Shell collection comprises five beautiful boxes that use a combination of Pen shell (from the large Pinnidae mollusc), employed in a variety of colours and treatments, with brass. The Shell box collection ranges from the Parker in black ($433) to the large Diane ($642), the latter measuring 200mm x 125mm x 80mm.

Marble makes for the largest collection, comprising vases, vault boxes, trays, bowls, candlesticks and coasters – created from Italian marble and, in some designs, accented with brass. The Dynasty Vase Duo ($2589), with its veined Nero marble and brass vertical pillars, is a bold statement of Natale’s aesthetic, which the designer himself credits as the pièce de résistance of the collection.

A smaller statement may be made with Natale’s Chelsea tableware, made from stainless steel with either a polished silver or gold finish, at $76 per fivepiece set. – MICHAEL STAHL

(clockwise, from below) Chelsea tableware; Diane Tray; Ziggurat Bowl; Dynasty Vase Duo

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Enrich |

Bringing

noir to

light VEUVE CLICQUOT LA GRANDE DAME

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

A winemaker once whispered of lithium in the soil of Champagne, which perhaps explains the lift that a glass of bubbly delivers.

That happiness is trebled when the nectar in the glass tastes extraordinary, as is the case with Veuve Clicquot’s (veuveclicquot. com) latest premium cuvées, La Grande Dame 2008 ($160) and La Grande Dame 2008 Rosé ($300), to be available in Australia in 2019. While Madame Clicquot was the original innovator behind the assemblage method of making a rosé champagne (first released 200 years ago), a new mind now helms the maison’s cave.

Dominique Demarville has taken a brave turn with this release, which would make many esteemed estates nervous but which the pioneering widow would have applauded. He has dared to craft a champagne from 92 per cent pinot noir grapes, with barely a blanc in sight (most champagne is a much more equal split of pinot noir and chardonnay with pinot meunier, or even mostly chardonnay). The brut has a fine but fierce bubble with a silky, creamy texture followed by fresh acidity. The surprise is that the coppery-hued rosé is even better than its cousin: it includes juice from a special plot called Clos Colin, giving it smooth tannins and a supple minerality and salinity. It has such an enticingly subtle hint of fruit that you wonder if it’s your imagination, prompting you to sip it again. And again.

We understand if you can’t stop. Blame it on Demarville’s apparent risk-taking gene or the possibly apocryphal lithium, and thank Bacchus for magnums.

– JANICE O’LEARY

Enrich |

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

CATCH A WAVE JET CAPSULE MINI JET SPIDER

Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini has evolved the Jet Capsule concept with two larger prototypes called the Reptile and the Taxi – but the Mini Jet Spider takes it a step further. The five-metre craft has a removable carbon-fibre enclosure that transforms it from a buttoneddown boat to an open Jet Ski–style personal watercraft. The lengthwise ‘pilot seat’ has a suspension system that absorbs pounding from waves or turns, which, along with seat belts, ensures that the driver will always be in control. Jet Capsule plans to start production of the roughly US$85,000 ($120,000) craft once it has 10 orders. Owners will have a choice of petrol, diesel or electric engines connected to a HamiltonJet waterjet. With the 235kW petrol engine, the Mini Jet Spider has a projected top speed of 45 knots and a 25-knot cruise speed. The two rear seats fold down into a sun pad or can flip back to face the rear. Watch for the Mini Jet Spider to be unveiled in 2019. – MICHAEL VERDON

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Art auction market share by sector (2017)

Market share by value

Quantum View

OTHERS MODERN POSTWAR AND CONTEMPORARY

Sales of postwar and contemporary art – works created by artists born after 1910 – currently dominate the market in both value and volume.

52%

28%

27%

34%

27%

17%

38%

46%

2000

2011

2017

POSTWAR & CONTEMPORARY MODERN IMPRESSIONIST & POSTIMPRESSIONIST EUROPEAN OLD MASTERS OTHER OLD MASTERS

3%

7%

46% 17% 31%

BY VALUE

27%

2%

15%

Over the course of a decade, sales of postwar and contemporary art and modern art have outpaced those in all other categories.

45%

BY VOLUME

31%

Global market share for the US , UK and China US CHINA UK

38% 29% 30% 27%

22%

9%

2007

2011 42%

39%

25% 22% 21% 20%

2014

2017

Over the past decade, China has emerged as a major leader in the global art market, accounting for a 21 per cent share in 2017, after a peak of 30 per cent in 2011.

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Global sales of works by living artists

Red Skull (1982) by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold for US$21.5 million ($30.3 million) at Christie’s in London 2017

When it comes to living artists, the majority of works sold around the globe are by Chinese artists, who accounted for 37 per cent of the market value in 2017.

Art market highs Purchasing fine art at auction is an art unto itself, requiring deep knowledge and a measure of gut instinct, especially in a global market. Art sales around the world totalled $90.3 billion in 2017 – an uptick of 12 per cent over the 2016 tally but still short of the $96.7 billion high in 2014 – according to Clare McAndrew, author of the authoritative annual Art Basel/UBS art market report. And of that figure, $40.4 billion was generated by the sale of artworks at auction – in particular postwar and contemporary art and modern art, which combined to account for nearly three-quarters of the market. These two categories were distantly followed by impressionist art, with a 17 per cent market share, and old masters with a mere 10 per cent. Nearly half of the $1.385 billion garnered by old masters

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

works on the block was generated by the sale of a single lot – Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi (ca.

1500), which achieved a recordshattering $638 million at Christie’s last year. Pieces by living artists like Scotsman Peter Doig are also resonating with buyers.

When it comes to price sectors, the art market is a land of extremes, says McAndrew, driven largely by the sale of works commanding $1 million or more, which account for the majority of total art-market revenue, despite representing fewer than one per cent of the transactions. Pieces selling for less than $1400, which make up a third of all pieces sold at auction, accounted for just 0.3 per cent of the market’s value. Here are a few of the notable artworks that fuelled the fire in 2017. – ANGELA M. H. SCHUSTER

ITALY OTHERS

1%

6%

FRANCE

CHINA

3%

37%

UK

22%

BY VALUE

31% US

32%

28%

OTHERS

CHINA

BY VOLUME

16%

6%

US

ITALY

9%

10%

FRANCE

UK

Photo: (this page) Getty Images; (opposite) Christie’s; Sotheby’s

7%

Top 5 works sold at auction, by category MODERN ART

1 CONTRASTE DE FORMES FERNAND LÉGER

2 LA MUSE ENDORMIE CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUSI

3 HÖLLE DER VÖGEL MAX BECKMANN

FEMME ASSISE,

FEMME ÉCRIVANT

4 ROBE BLEUE PABLO PICASSO

5 (MARIE-THÉRÈSE) PABLO PICASSO

$99.5M

$81.5M

$65.4M

$63.9M

$62.4M

The cubist canvas, which headed to the block with an estimate of $91 million, set Léger’s artist record at auction at Christie’s in New York last November.

The sculpture is one of six bronzes by the Romanian artist based on a 1909-10 marble original. It sold at Christie’s in New York in May 2017.

An allegory on the horrors of Nazi Germany, the canvas was acquired by dealer Larry Gagosian at Christie’s in London in June 2017.

Painted on October 25, 1939 – the artist’s 58th birthday – this searing portrait of the artist’s lover, Dora Maar, sold at Christie’s last year.

A portrait of the artist’s former lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter (whom Picasso left for Dora Maar), the canvas sold at Christie’s in London in June 2017.

POSTWAR AND CONTEMPORARY

1 UNTITLED JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

2 SIXTY LAST SUPPERS ANDY WARHOL

3 LEDA AND THE SWAN CY TWOMBLY

THREE STUDIES FOR A 4 PORTRAIT OF GEORGE DYER 5 UNTITLED FRANCIS BACON CY TWOMBLY

$156.8M

$86.4M

$75.1M

$73.5M

$65.5M

Bought by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, this artistrecord-setting lot hit the block at Sotheby’s in New York in May 2017, tagged at $85 million.

The massive mural, inspired

by Leonardo da Vinci’s famed Last Supper (1495–98), sold at Christie’s in New York in November 2017.

An impulse-driven work based on the Greek myth, this mixed-media on canvas sold at Christie’s in New York in May 2017.

The irst of more than 40 portraits of his lover and muse, this triptych was once owned

by Roald Dahl. It found a buyer at Christie’s in New York.

Considered one of the artist’s last great works, the acrylic on canvas went under the gavel at Christie’s in November 2017 with an estimate on request of $56 million.

LIVING ARTISTS

TWELVE SCREENS OF

1 FINGER INK LANDSCAPE CUI RUZHOU

2 ROSEDALE PETER DOIG

3 SOUND OF LOTUS CUI RUZHOU

4 EISBERG GERHARD RICHTER

5 RED HOUSE PETER DOIG

$51.8M

$40.9M

$32.2M

$30.7M

$29.9M

The artist-record-setting ink and colour on paper sold last December in an ofering of important calligraphy at a Poly International Auction in Beijing.

The oil on canvas achieved an artist record at Phillips in New York in May 2017. It carried an estimate on request of $35 million.

In October 2017, Poly Auction Hong Kong tendered this ink and colour on paper in a Hong Kong sale called the Glossiness of Uncarved Jade.

The atmospheric oil on canvas easily topped its £12 million ($21.8 million) high estimate when it sold at Sotheby’s in London in March 2017.

The Scottish igurative painter continued his winning streak on the block with the sale of this oil on canvas at Phillips in New York in November 2017.

Note: The above prices have been converted from US dollars to Australian dollars in October 2018. www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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DEF Y EL PRIMERO 21

Z E N I T H , T H E F U T U R E O F S W I S S W AT C H M A K I N G

w w w . z e n i t h - w a t c h e s . c o m

PASSPORT

44 INSIDE Warming summer weather and our nautical-and-nice theme this issue take our travel correspondents to some stunning locations around Asia, starting with the new Ritz-Carlton on the Malaysian island of Langkawi. If you’re about being seen, try some superyacht spotting at Thailand’s exclusive Kata Rocks beach club at Phuket, or unearth the very best of Bali, detailed in depth in our four-page Time Well Spent guide. Closer to home, Brisvegas busts out its brash best with the funky-as-hell W Hotel; after which, a detox in pure Tasmania might be just the ticket.

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z t i R

in the rainforest The latest addition to Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago, the Ritz-Carlton ofers relaxation and indulgence among the trees It’s no small challenge to make a resort comprising 90 guestrooms, 29 villas and a variety of restaurants, activity and spa centres appear as a completely natural extension of a 10-million-year-old rainforest – but that’s what has been achieved at the new Ritz-Carlton on Langkawi. Wandering down the lushly forested hillside to the Andaman seashore, brown monkeys watching on distractedly, one marvels at how sympathetic is the intertwining of cantilevered tree-house balconies and traditional Malaysian-inspired villas with the natural environment.

Of the 4.5 hectares occupied in this south-facing point in the Strait of Malacca, fewer than three are given to the resort. It feels like a lot less.

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Langkawi itself manages to weave several cultures and philosophies into one, harmonious whole. Situated less than an hour’s light northwest of Kuala Lumpur, the island’s authenticity is evident during the 20-minute drive from the airport to the resort, passing by humble villages and ishing boat leets. Yet the Ritz-Carlton, which opened in September 2017, joins around half a dozen other high-end resorts dotted around the 478-square-kilometre island, which has prospered since being declared duty-free in 1987.

Tourism has grown steadily, with the Ritz-Carlton thus far typically seeing around 40 per cent of its guests from Europe (notably Russia, an almost 15-hour journey), 30 per cent from China and a

signiicant number from the Middle East, as well as Southeast Asia and Australia.

The immersion into Langkawi begins at check-in, conducted in what amounts to an enormous treehouse, thrusting through the hillside tree canopy and ofering a spectacular view of the Andaman waters beyond. One is ofered a pemandangan Indah, a welcome drink comprising coconut water, hibiscus and calamansi, a popular Asian citrus fruit.

Beyond check-in the only vehicles to ply the resort are electric golf carts, driven by smiling staf who make a point of learning and spreading guests’ preferred forms of address. Golf carts aren’t for guests to drive, but it seems there’s always one just a brief minute or a phone call away.

The Ritz-Carlton’s entry-level accommodations are the Rainforest rooms, housed in a small cluster of multistorey buildings and ofered in standard (75 square metres) or junior suite (90 square metres) sizes. Nearby are dotted the Rainforest villas that, like the above-water Ocean Front villas a stone’s throw downhill, ofer a spacious 200 square metres of accommodations, comprising a grand

(left) Beachside lazing; (above) the bird’s eye view of the Ritz-Carlton’s beach villas; (below, left to right) The Spa’s bubus; Villa Kenaris’ outdoor pool and living room; the Horizon pool

plates and dinnerware were all made by hand on the island.

The grandest accommodations, often chosen for multi-generational family groups, are also nearby: the two-bedroom, 465-square-metre ‘Kenari’ (canary) and the 650-square-metre ‘Mutiara’ (pearl), both ofering large, private swimming pools and private beaches.

For many, there will be no reason to

bedroom lanked by similar-sized living area and bathroom. Each has a 19.5-squaremetre private pool.

The Ocean Front villas (and one Grand Ocean Front Villa, at 399 square metres) are elevated above the rocky shoreline on the southwest-facing side of the small headland; timber fencing and the natural jungle provide privacy from neighbours.

Around the corner, facing southeast, are the Beach villas (each of 280 square metres), set back slightly from a 400-metre-long (and quite perfect) sandy beach.

The authentic-feeling architecture of the villas is further enhanced by detail work everywhere by local artisans (to their delight and beneit, as well as visitors’).

Drink coasters, small artworks and cups,

leave the resort. There’s plenty to do with water craft at the beach, a gymnasium and a range of organised activities, each admirable in its way of introducing Malaysian and indigenous Langkawi culture.

These include Malay cooking classes, and a fearsomely exertive brand of yoga that invokes the ancient martial art Silat, practised by Malay warriors around 2000 years ago.

Appetite worked up, the Beach Grill is one of four signature dining spaces, each imbued with a distinctive atmosphere by Tokyo-based design irm (and serial RitzCarlton favourite), Strickland. Beach Grill is a thoroughly relaxed environment with a suitably casual menu, tending towards club sandwiches, grilled freshly-caught

ish and extraordinary hamburgers. Farther along the beach is the upscale, adults-only Horizon that, with its own swimming pool and elevated position above the water, is perfect for cocktails and romantic evenings.

The crispy ish dish on its Thai-themed menu was wickedly good.

Similar in feel, though more aimed at breakfast and lunch, is the Langkawi Kitchen, enjoying commanding views from its treehouse location. But the Ritz-Carlton’s premium dining experience is Hai Yan, again over the water, and sumptuously decorated in traditional Chinese style. Its menu ofers the prized empurau, a soft, silvery freshwater ish that feeds on a native fruit.

When cooked freshly caught – as those from the tank at Hai Yan obviously are – even its scales are edible. (And at $600 a kilogram, why wouldn’t you?)

Hai Yan is recognised as the only ine dining Chinese restaurant on Langkawi.

On the subject of indulgence, though, it’s hard to top the Ritz-Carlton Langkawi Spa, set in a cluster of ive cocoon-shaped overwater ‘bubus’ (named for their resemblance to traditional ishing traps).

The Spa includes two couples’ treatment rooms and a thermal suite with sauna, ice fountain and vitality pools; the menu of spa treatments is inspired by indigenous healing and beauty ceremonies.

One such, the Mystical Ocean and Earth Ritual, has one soothed with heated volcanic rocks from the nearby Mt Machinchang and smeared in marine mud from the Andaman Sea, which audibly laps over the rocky shoreline immediately below.

Surrounded by ancient rainforest in a limbo between land and sea, one’s body in a serene and oddly ectoplasmic state, one’s immersion into the very nature of Langkawi becomes complete. – MICHAEL STAHL

What:

A green oasis with Malaysian and indigenous Langkawi influences

Where:

Jalan Pantai Kok, Teluk Nibong, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Why:

A quiet jungle retreat with all the luxuries you could wish for. The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi, ritzcarlton.com/langkawi (from $610 a night).

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Passport |

W happens in Brisvegas The luxury ofering from W Brisbane deinitely has that ‘Sunshine State of Mind’ W Brisbane is loud, wild and beautiful; a bold new luxury ofering from W Hotels, the irst of three Ws to return to Australia. With picturesque views of the Brisbane River – the epicentre of all nightlife in the city – the hotel (marriott.com/ Oicial-Site/Brisbane) plays on its heritage, and invites guests in for a whirlwind of opulent experiences.

The vibe of the hotel is simple: it’s Brisbane, aka ‘Brisvegas’, and it truly encompasses that spirit with the tagline, ‘Sunshine State of Mind’. From the psychedelic WET Deck pool area, to the pineapples littered throughout, to the enormous thong statue in the foyer, this hotel embraces everything that is wonderfully quirky and unique about Brisbane. Australian artwork is scattered throughout the hotel; guests are greeted with a colourful camoulage mural by Indigenous artist Reko Rennie, while a huge rainbow mirror takes centre stage just outside the lobby. An amazing array of artwork is Mechelle Bounpraseuth’s Plate Expectation; iconic Australian food, ranging from Tim Tams to fairy bread, is hung up on the walls, forever immortalised in ceramic.

Subtly orchestrated throughout is the theme of ‘River Dreaming’, an homage to the Brisbane River.

The free-lowing nature of the hotel is beautiful, from its river-adorned walls and carpets, to the woven-in references to Aboriginal culture and colonial heritage. Guests are greeted by timber river reeds that symbolise the rising waters. The river is the centrepiece of this hotel design, tying together the eclectic mix characterising the interiors.

This hotel tells a story of Australian history, its culture, and most

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

importantly, Australian identity.

Bruce Ryde, vice president for luxury brands and brand marketing, Marriott International Asia-Paciic, argued that it was “extremely important for the hotel to have that Australian inluence; we have to get it right for Australians”. This, he said, is “evident in all aspects of the hotel; the vibrancy of Brisvegas contrasts with the earthy tones that echo the Australian outback”.

The choice of restaurant is a bold move: the down-to-earth Three Blue Ducks doesn’t, at irst glance, it with the glitz of W Brisbane.

However, its famed paddock-to-plate ethos and home-grown focus has a sophisticated twist that sits well in the open-plan restaurant. Inspired by a Queenslander verandah, the restaurant serves fresh produce from northern NSW and around the Sunshine Coast. Despite any initial fears of the stark contrast, the restaurant suits the W vibe – and contributes authentically to the Australian story.

Each of the 312 guest rooms is further inspired by the ‘River Dreaming’ narrative; wardrobes feature the timber reeds that represent the water levels. The views from each room are spectacular, looking out over the entire city. The W Mixbar in each room is as fun as one would expect, with a pink pineapple central to the ingredients of a signature W Brisbane cocktail mix.

The hotel rooms are vibrant and the colours are loud, but the W Hotel succeeds effortlessly in maintaining the luxurious sense of relaxation; it’s a break from the bustling streets of Brisbane, bringing guests into a world of creativity, history and colour. – MEGAN DYE

Natural high

(this image and bottom right) Tents – but not as you know them – at Trule Lodge

Escape the summer heat with new glamping options in Tasmania

Photos: (Freycinet Lodge) Alastair Bett

(clockwise, from left) Indoor spaces low to the great outdoors at Freycinet Lodge; bathing in nature; peeking through the trees at Freycinet National Park

Fancy an outdoor bubble bath under a blanket of stars that dance across the inky skies of Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park? It’s just one of the hallmarks of the swish new eco-friendly coastal pavilions at Freycinet Lodge (freycinetlodge.com.au) that are perfect boltholes for bunkering down in the pristine environment of Tasmania’s oldest national park.

Curved lines, the warmth of natural timber and plenty of light feature throughout the nine individual pavilions that are located between the main lodge and Honeymoon Bay – some with water views.

The nearby rugged granite Hazard Mountains that are flecked with pink feldspar give the range a rosy tint and have inspired the subtle yet striking decor.

My pavilion includes a chic bedroom with comfy king bed complete with faux fur throw and floor-to-ceiling windows that merge the outdoors with the indoors, plus an ensuite. The compact lounge area is ideal to stretch out and read, catch a movie or spy on passing wildlife.

Freycinet’s glorious landscapes inspired the artwork, including a lightbox by local artist Helene Weeding with Brigitte de Villiers and Bill Cromer.

The deck, home to that sunken outdoor bath, has netted balustrades to ensure those spectacular views aren’t hindered. It is perfect for nibbling on a charcuterie platter with a good local drop, while inside there are games, books, backpacks for hitting the trails and binoculars for birdwatching.

For a great day out, join a Wineglass Bay cruise on a 150-seat eco catamaran that showcases the pristine coastline, beaches and sea life. Head to the waterfront Bay Restaurant for dinner, starting with a predinner drink at Hazards Bar complete with a roaring fire. The restaurant features a menu of local treats, including some of Tasmania’s best seafood plus an impressive list of wines – then return to your pavilion haven where you’ll find a nightcap and chocolates awaiting. This truly is bliss.

Another Tasmanian property demanding attention is Truffle Lodge (trufflelodge. com) on the Derwent River at Gretna, 60 kilometres from Hobart, where luxe bush glamping stars. Heading into its second season, it now has eight chic luxury safaristyle ensuite tents.

Located on one of the first truffières in Australia that is once again being nurtured,

it is all about chilling out riverside on the 4.8-hectare property. Stunning vistas include rolling farmland and mountains that stretch from Mount Field to Mount Wellington.

Step into the glamorous double-walled and triple-roofed tented haven and you won’t want to leave. Guests can soak in a handmade wooden bath or under a rain shower, plus there’s a comfy double bed, coffee machine and bar fridge.

Dining is an adventure, with chefprepared meals served in communal areas, including a new long table in the pretty orchard. Seasonal produce features on the set dinner menu with acclaimed local wines.

Love the outdoors? You can try platypusstalking by kayak, downhill mountain biking, 4WD and bushwalk adventures, fly fishing, abseiling, and photographic and scenic helicopter tours. Or opt for a slow start with morning yoga, followed by behind-thescenes tours at historic Tasmanian estates and campfire story-telling with a local.

Chances are, though, you’ll just want to linger in a riverside deck hammock and daydream. – SUE WALLACE

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Welcome home Getting behind closed doors with ThirdHome luxury private home exchange If access to exquisite private homes, personal chefs and cultural experiences beyond the ordinary whet your appetite for travel, ThirdHome could be your next destination.

Established in 2010 as an exclusive ‘home trade’ club for owners of luxury holiday homes, ThirdHome has branched out into home rentals and travel adventures for like-minded intrepid aspirants.

The ThirdHome Exchange Club features more than 10,000 properties worldwide, in addition to 80-plus resorts and residential developments in 1600 destinations in 93 countries.

Founded by Nashville-based property developer Wade Shealy and aimed at owners of second or third homes who wish to exchange time in their properties for stays in those of others – efectively staying rentfree wherever they go – ThirdHome carefully vets its members and their homes before they enter the sharing pool.

The prerequisites are that your second home must be in a desirable location and it must be high-end or boutique, with luxury furnishings and appointments, as Shealy explains: “Many second-home owners want to get value out of their properties, but they tire of having to go to the same place all the time. ThirdHome is a literal treasure chest of ive-star accommodation worldwide, and most of them are not available through other rental sites.”

No money changes hands; instead, members earn credits in the form of ‘keys’ depending on the value of their property and the seasonal appeal of the weeks they ofer, which they can then use to travel.

Australian members pay an initiation fee of $3300, which entitles them to lifetime membership, then pay what Shealy describes as “a nominal exchange fee of $395 to $995 for the week”.

Through the owner’s networks, members may also gain access to exclusive perks in the local area.

Since its launch in Australia in early 2018, 57 properties have joined the Club, and Shealy says their goal is to have “a couple of thousand” by the end of the year.

ThirdHome recently extended its ofering to invite a broader market to its membership on a rental basis, also adding an Adventures program to its repertoire. This concierge-style service delivers travel experiences beyond the humble travel agent – think intimate dining in a French chateau with chef and wine from the castle vineyard, or a cruise down the Amazon with fellow ThirdHome members.

Blair and Lyndal Harding are the owners of a palatial home known as Wings Hinterland Retreat, and among the irst Aussies to join up.

Nestled in bushland just 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise, their 1500-square-metre property boasts 11 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three kitchens and jaw-dropping views of the famous Gold Coast skyline.

Ideal for large groups and special occasions, Wings epitomises the “wow factor”, say its proud owners. “You feel so absorbed in nature, with kangaroos, wallabies and the occasional koala literally at your doorstep,” yet all the hedonistic pleasures of the Gold Coast – nightlife, world-class dining, golf, suring and more – are just a chaufeur-driven ride away.

The Hardings were quick to seize the opportunities ThirdHome ofered. “As a home owner, what appealed was the fact that we are opening up our home to a diferent demographic of guests, who we believe will respect the home more and treat it like their own, as they have similar homes.

“As guests, we enjoy staying in amazing properties all over the world for a fraction of the price. We’ve been to London, Paris, Portugal and plan to travel to Vancouver and Florida next. We feel like we’re locals when we stay in a member’s home, versus a hotel.” – JENI BONE

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Villa Tantafera, Florence, Italy

Wings Hinterland Retreat, Queensland

Loggerhead Lady, Bald Head Island, North Carolina, United States

Luxury Buzios Villa, O Casarão, Brazil

On the rocks Kata Rocks ofers a new level of seaside sophistication in southern Phuket The latest addition to Phuket’s luxury beach club scene opens at Kata Rocks resort in November, perfectly timed to coincide with Asia’s most exclusive yachting event, the invitation-only Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous.

Built on a rocky headland between two of Phuket’s better beaches – Kata and Kata Noi – around an hour’s drive south of the airport, Kata Rocks is only a few minutes’ walk from the bustling town of Kata, but loats above the hubbub below like a luxury liner at sea.

The resort dazzles like the superyachts at anchor in the bay, sleek and white with walls of glass and bow-shaped canopies above wet-edged pools that seem to merge with the Andaman Sea. Villa interiors are white, too, with blond timbers, Italian furnishings and a big eggshell bath overlooking the sea.

It’s ideal for those who want to hide away from the world; you could easily stay here for days without leaving the privacy of your villa. All 34 villas have pools and the fully equipped kitchens feature a purpose-built wine fridge that can be stocked with whatever you like; the resort’s wine cellar is one of the biggest in Phuket. Each villa’s music system seems to have hidden speakers in just about every corner and the four-bedroom penthouses even have their own swim-up bar. Spa pool villas have their own treatment rooms and include daily massages. Thai cooking classes are held in your suite, private yoga sessions can be arranged and if you don’t feel like dining out or ixing your own meals, the resort chef will cook for you in your villa.

For those who like to mingle, there’s the new dayclub beside another vanishing-edge pool replete with semi-submerged day beds, a poolside restaurant serving a mix of Thai and Mediterranean classics (the breakfast bufet includes champagne on ice, and the Tom Yum Benedict with crispy pork and spicy hollandaise will change the way you think about eggs forever) and a west-facing clubhouse bar perfect for sunset cocktails and tapas.

Try the KR gin, distilled in Thailand with lemongrass, basil and wild ginseng. Couples love ‘Dining on the Rocks’, a romantic candle-lit dinner for two served on a rocky platform below the resort.

There’s a kids’ club, high-tech itness room and the Ininite Luxury Spa, which ofers traditional Thai massage and bespoke beauty treatments along with chromotherapy treatments that use coloured lights, and hot bamboo massages that are a lot more relaxing than they sound.

A smartphone is preloaded with local restaurant reviews and touring tips, and all calls, including international, are

complimentary. Bespoke touring options range from shopping excursions at the local ish markets, sightseeing trips and walking tours of historic Phuket Town to superyacht charters islandhopping across Phang Nga Bay and exploring sea caves by kayak.

The two-, three- and four-bedroom villas are ideal for families and small groups, but the pick for couples are the ocean loft villas, which are so close to the sea that you can listen to the surf boom and crash on the rocks below as you drift of to sleep.

– LEE ATKINSON

What:

Small design-driven oceanfront resort and spa on Phuket’s west coast

Where: 186/22, Kok Tanode Road, Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand Why:

Very private pool villas and fabulous ocean views.

Kata Rocks, katarocks.com ($1445-$8020, per villa a night)

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BALI

Photo: Capella Ubud Bali

by Leslie Patrick and Kathryn Romeyn

THE LEGENDS OF BALI ARE MANY, from serpent guardians and cave-dwelling goddesses to tales like Eat, Pray, Love. But the reality of this Indonesian island is somewhat less mystical: amid the mist-covered rice paddies and sacred temples is another Bali – one where the white-sand beaches are crammed with tourists and the once-wild jungles have been stripped of their trees to make way for yet another yoga retreat.

Time Well Spent Uncovering the true essence of this storied isle requires a journey beyond the well-travelled resort towns into villages like Keliki (where the new Capella Ubud Bali is injecting the waning rainforest with a dose of much-needed sustainability) and Abiansemal (where Kul Kul Farm is leading a fresh revolution in indigenous cuisine). The hyper-local focus is catching on in some rather unexpected ways, too, with new hotels – and some long-established favourites – digging deep to offer native experiences that bypass the tourist track altogether. Indeed, today’s modern Bali – chic boutiques, beach bars, luxury resorts and all – is still capable of opening a window to that legendary Island of the Gods.

Here’s how to find it.

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Six Senses Uluwatu

Capella Ubud, Bali Bali’s most anticipated hotel opening in years sits high among the treetops in the heart of the central jungle — but there’s nothing rustic about it. Designed

by Bill Bensley, the property’s 22 fantastical tents are chock-full of design and drama, from the hammered-copper bathtubs positioned perfectly for views over the surrounding forest to the antiques and custom Javanese furnishings by local artisans. capellaubud.com Como Uma Canggu The wellness gurus behind Ubud’s legendary Shambhala Estate have upgraded the Como experience with a dose of high-style modernity at this new Canggu resort.

Italian-meets-Balinese architecture, a lively beach club and private rooftop infinity pools are all part of the experience. comohotels.com

Sleep Therapy

HOSHINOYA Bali Japan’s Hoshino Resorts brings exquisite design to the forest of Ubud with this thatched retreat overlooking the Pakerisan River. There’s a touch of authentic Bali — and Japan — in everything, from the restaurant serving fusion dishes like tuna sashimi topped with sambal to the villas adorned with local art and minimalist decor. hoshinoresorts.com

Thanks to a new generation of resorts, Bali is more than your next yoga retreat. From designer digs to sky-high villas, there’s a new way to stay for every type of traveller.

HOSHINOYA Bali

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

The Slow Surfers and creative types have been flocking to Australian fashion designer George Gorrow’s new boutique

Sweet and Salty ENOUGH WITH T H E D E T OX R E T R E AT S . B A L I ’ S NEW BEACH C LU B S A R E MAKING A CASE F O R A ‘ R E T OX ’ .

Oneeighty° Chef Nyoman Suasa left his post at the Beverly Wilshire hotel to helm the kitchen at this new Uluwatu hot spot featuring a glassbottom pool and an award-winning wine list. oneeighty bali.com

hotel in laid-back Canggu since it opened in late 2016.

Everything here is carefully curated: cold-pressed juices are bottled in-house, an art gallery features the latest in local contemporary talent, and even the hotel’s soundtrack – pumped through the public areas and adjustable via in-room dials — has been custom mixed. theslow.id

Six Senses Uluwatu Six Senses joined Bali’s established wellness fray in August with a host of nextlevel experiences, including a culinary studio, an organic garden and rejuvenation therapies. But it’s not all about the detox: the 28 Sky Suites, all with sweeping views over the Indian coast, are perfect for a party. sixsenses.com

Q&A: Five Questions with Bill Bensley THE VISIONARY architect behind Capella Ubud – not to mention hundreds of other out-of-this-world hotels – might just be a mad genius. But his far-fetched projects come with a purpose, too: to save the natural environments in which they exist. Here, the design disruptor and self-described ‘Baliophile’ shares his longtime love afair with the island that inspires him most.

Artotel Beach Club This lively Sanur retreat, which is set within a giant bamboo treehouse surrounding an ancient banyan, is already famed for its tropical cuisine and South Beach, Miami-inspired vibes. artotelbeach club.com Kubu Beach Club Carved into a plunging limestone clif overlooking the Indian Ocean, Ayana Resort and Spa’s new beachfront club is an intimate oasis with a tiki-inspired cocktail menu. ayana.com Como Beach Club The surf-shack-style club at Como Uma Canggu is more laid-back lounge than all-night beach bash thanks to live acoustic music, elevated cocktails and locally sourced cuisine. comohotels.com

You first came to Bali 35 years ago.

What keeps bringing you back?

Illustration: Antoine Corbineau

Capella Ubud

I like the intense connection most Balinese have with Mother Earth – it is unique and alive. I love the languages, both spoken and architectural. I love the ine arts and have collected a good number of pieces. But most of all, I love the Balinese ability to laugh even in the most diicult circumstances.

How has Bali shaped your work?

The Slow’s founders, Cisco Tschurtschenthaler and George Gorrow

Kubu Beach Club’s GunaGuna cocktail

In more ways than I could possibly describe.

For example, today I make a big deal about preaching minimal intervention and retaining the beauty of nature. I love this island and champion the way it

once was. There is too much built now, and the buildings being erected are visual eyesores.

Did that belief play a big part in your design for Capella Ubud?

When I started to work on Capella, I had a contract that called for 130 keys and pretty much the destruction of the forest. I convinced the owner to build less, spend less and make the room rate higher. Low volume, high yield is a main principle of many of my projects. I am so proud of making the hotel disappear into the landscape. It’s hidden in a jungle, and we didn’t disturb even one tree.

We built one of Bali’s most unique hotels – and no one can see it!

What are your go-to island design shops?

Philip Lakeman Ceramic is my favourite. I am also a champion of upcycling vintage, antiques and what most consider ‘old junk’, so I have, for the past three years, scrounged the junkyards and old shops of Kerobokan.

What’s the first thing you do when you come to Bali?

I close my eyes, drive to the north, then open my eyes to the rice paddies.

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Palate Pilgrimage AT KAUM, THERE’S A STORY BEHIND EVERY DISH.

Healer Ibu Ketut’s base at Mandapa

Diferent Strokes ONLY A ROOKIE would

come to Bali for a Balinese massage. With its rich culture blending Hinduism with animism and traditional healing, this island is home to so much more than a classic rubdown. Case in point: Ibu Ketut Mursi, the blind healer whose intuitive sessions combining relexology and fourhanded massage can be booked only through Ubud’s Mandapa resort (ritzcarlton.com). Ibu Ketut, who comes from a long line of spiritual therapists from the nearby regency of Tabanan, can rehabilitate sore muscles just as easily as she can release blocked chakras or negative energy. Aided by a sighted assistant, she can also address issues of digestion, poor alignment, stress and headaches – all through the power of touch. And for Balinesemassage devotees, there’s even a bit of pounding and twisting.

Four More for R&R

Royal Lulur

The Mulia Spa re-creates a centuriesold cleansing ceremony with a turmeric and rosewater body scrub. themulia.com Balinese Boreh Wrap

Six Senses’ relaxing treatment is an update to an ancient therapy created by rice farmers to relieve aching muscles after a day in the ields. sixsenses.com Batu Kali

The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan’s ritual draws from the ageold communal tradition of bathing in the Ayung River. fourseasons. com

MANDAPA SPA: JACKIE CARADONIO; K AUM: TOMMASO RIVA

Moonlight Remedy

This Reiki-style therapy from Alila Ubud takes place only during the new or full moon, and concludes with a Balinese prayer. alilahotels.com

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

CULINARY EXPERT Lisa Virgiano has journeyed to Wakatobi Island to learn sustainable ishing techniques from a local sea shaman. She’s travelled to West Nusa Tenggara to master the traditional preparation of raw beef in bamboo tubes. And she’s uncovered the secrets of bygone cuisines from ethnic groups throughout Indonesia. And she’s done it all for Kaum (kaum.com), a Seminyak restaurant where the dishes demonstrate, as Virgiano puts it, “an unfathomable understanding” of Indonesian culture and cuisine.

Virgiano – along with Kaum’s head chef, Wayan Kresnayasa, who trained at New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns – has spearheaded the island’s new fusion gastronomy, where hyperlocal ingredients and traditional techniques meet elevated preparations. The resulting dishes give fresh life to old classics, like salt-and-pepper grilled

ish (which Kresnayasa marinates in a spicy paste and cooks over charcoal for a crunchy exterior and delicate lesh) and babi genyol (a sweet and spicy variation on Bali’s ceremonial pork-belly dish, which the chef braises then grills). They also give long-forgotten dishes a welcome comeback: the standard response to Kresnayasa’s gohu ikan tuna, the chef says, is, “Oh! Indonesia has a ceviche?!”

Modern Mementos A GLOBAL CONCLAVE OF ARTISANS CONVENES ON THE ISLAND OF THE GODS.

Bali’s creative spirit can’t possibly be captured in a single object – but that doesn’t mean plenty of artisans haven’t tried. When Canadian designer John Hardy (johnhardy.com) came to the island more than 40 years ago, he was so transixed by the native culture and artistry that he designed a new collection of handmade, Asian-inspired pieces. Decades later, Hardy’s Ubud-based workshop has become world renowned for its jewellery inspired by local icons like dragons and cobras. Bali has served as a modern muse for other creative transplants, too: French fashion designer Magali Pascal (magalipascal .com) infuses European elegance into the local boho aesthetic at her eponymous Seminyak boutique, while Australian Carrick Petford’s high-end menswear label h.ō.n.l elevates the island’s street-wear style with reined fabrics

Magali Pascal

and a minimal colour palette. And at Ubud’s Gaya Ceramic (gayaceramic.com), Italians Michaela Foppiani and Marcello Massoni collaborate with local artisans to create chic collections of handmade tableware, sculptural lighting and objets d’art.

Temple Run SPIRITUAL SOJOURNS WAY OFF THE BEATEN PATH. FROM THE THRONGS of

tourists clogging every nook and cranny of Tirta Empul, you might think Bali has just one temple worth visiting. But this sacred island is crammed with thousands of Hindu landmarks – and the key to uncovering the best of them might just be at your hotel. The Four Seasons (fourseasons.com), which has resorts in Sayan and Jimbaran, takes guests way of the well-trodden temple route to visit secret water sanctuaries and shrine-illed caves where

Balinese priestess

village priests perform traditional blessings and rituals. Ubud’s Amandari (aman.com) ofers its guests exclusive morning meditation and puriication ceremonies with a Balinese priestess at the Pura Mengening temple.

Hoshinoya Bali’s concierge team directs guests to Pura Penataran Sasih, the island’s oldest temple, where ancient Hindu relics – including a Bronze Age drum from 300 BC – are stored. Also consider heading south to Ungasan, where the Banyan Tree (banyantree.com) is your ticket to the locals-only Pura Dalem Batu Pageh, a revered site built some more than 90 metres above sea level atop a cave inhabited by hundreds of bats.

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SEA

LIFE (all the style, without the price tag) Unfortunately the kind of floating palaces that decorate Sydney’s waterways can be astronomically expensive to buy and even more expensive to maintain.

Boat ownership sounds great in theory but the hassle and cost of upkeep, berthing and cleaning can really impact your enjoyment.

There is an alternative and it’s called Paciic Boating. A club concept that makes lolling around in the sun on someone else’s pleasure cruiser way more attainable. In fact, it’s as easy as walk-on walk-of! Paciic Boating even provides the practical training courses required for you to get your boat license.

Escape with the family (or from the family) on Sydney’s stunning waterways that ofer you a lifestyle with loads of style and relaxation. From the iconic Harbour to the pristine waters of Pittwater, you get to choose the getaway and location that suits you.

Your sea life isn’t just restricted to weekends, with many now taking their boardroom ‘on board’! Take your clients out for a day they will truly appreciate, go out with staf or even take a day to think in an oice with a real view!

From just $2,995 a month for the luxurious 52’ Sundancer, this lifestyle can be yours.

Call Paciic Boating to Join The Club on 02 87651067 or visit us at pacificboating.com.au

STYLE Georgina Safe

Code read How to decipher dress codes that cut a dashing figure for the festive season

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Black Tie means a floor-length gown for women and a black tuxedo, white dinner shirt and bow-tie for men

(above) Mr Porter Favourbrook Evering Newport linen jacket, $974; (below) Raey dress, from matchesfashion.com, $555

similar, in that a nice dress, jewellery and heels can be worn for both; it’s just that Lounge is a little more understated.

Cocktail dresses tend to be black, metallic or jewel tones, while Lounge dresses are more subdued and more appropriate for daytime. More adventurous women can try the classic Le Smoking – the tuxedo suit debuted by Yves Saint Laurent in the ’60s – or opt for a satin or lace jumpsuit for a chic alternative.

The final code to crack is Smart Casual,

a seeming contradiction in terms that really means exactly what it says: stylish but relaxed clothing. Men and women should wear separates rather than dresses or suits, with chinos and a blazer a good option for the former and a skirt and blouse for the latter. Jeans, however, are verboten and men should really keep their jackets on, no matter the heat.

Whatever the dress code, perhaps most important to remember is that respecting it is paying a courtesy to your host.

Photo: Getty Images/EyeEm

t’s not even November and the summer party season invitations have already started arriving in the mail – and with them, the usual dictates concerning dress codes. For most of my friends and colleagues, even those who work in the fashion industry, the varying interpretations of dress codes are a great source of bemusement, consternation and, in some cases, even fear. How formal is Black Tie? What’s the difference between Cocktail and Lounge? And what, really, is Smart Casual?

Times may have changed, but not all that much. Still, when it comes to dress guidelines, forewarned is most definitely forearmed, so here’s a guide to cracking the contemporary codes and sailing through the summer entertaining season.

The dressiest of dress codes, White Tie, is all but extinct in Australia. Internationally it’s typically reserved for government galas, royal families or the red carpet, where it had a surprise resurgence at this year’s Emmys in September in Hollywood.

So let’s begin with Black Tie, which means a floor-length gown for women and a black tuxedo, white dinner shirt and bow tie for men. In recent years shorter lengths and skirts have crept into the equation for women, but I hate to break it to you: standards should really be upheld. Black Tie means full-length and formal.

It’s worth noting here the emergence of another timely trend, which is the bizarre concept of Business Black Tie. Named for the formal dinners and events surrounding conferences or business occasions, it means business-length black dresses or skirt-and-blouse combos with evening-appropriate shoes for women, and a smart black suit (or tux) and bowtie for men. The idea is that you can go straight from the office or the conference to dinner, simply with a change of jacket, shoes, earrings and makeup.

Business Black Tie is unlikely to be specified for the pool parties, long lunches, cocktail parties and sunset dinners that define the summer entertaining season, so let’s move on to Cocktail and Lounge.

Cocktail sits just above Lounge in the pecking order, and for men it means black suits – whereas they can wear navy, grey and even coloured suits for Lounge. For women, Cocktail and Lounge are pretty

WATCHES Christian Barker

Veni, Vidi, Bvlgari They may not boast ancient history in watchmaking, but these Romans are conquering all in their path hat is it these days with Bulgari? Ensconced on the Via Condotti since 1905, the Roman brand has lately been hitting it for six – or perhaps we should say eight, since it’s Bulgari’s octagonal timepieces that have been racking up such an impressive run in terms of both technical and sales performance.

To use an appropriately Latin phrase, 2018 has been a real annus mirabilis for Bulgari’s Octo, with several outstanding takes on the model launched to great acclaim at Baselworld in March. When we caught up with the director of Bulgari Watches’ Design Centre, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, at the Italian brand’s Basel stand, he was proudly packing three of his latest and greatest hits on his wrists: the Octo Finissimo in matt sandblasted gold, the carbon-fibre minute repeater iteration, and the tourbillon automatic in titanium – the latter a freshly minted breaker of three world records, as the thinnest self-winding tourbillon, thinnest tourbillon overall, and thinnest automatic watch.

The sharply dressed, Neapolitan-bred designer explained that his goal is to make grand complication watches that are “very discreet, very subtle. That’s the Italian way. This is the secret of true elegance, it’s something that we have in our DNA”. Moreover, Stigliani seeks to create haute horology that is “strong enough for everyday use … This is true design.

“You can’t just make pieces to keep in your safe or to show to your friends during a dinner. You must make pieces that can follow you during your life. A watch like this,” he said, pointing to the featherlight, super-slim, yet ultra-tough titanium Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, “it’s something that you have to pass to someone, down the generations.”

A timepiece should be exquisite, yes, but not delicate or fussy. It has to be built for the ages, much like the city from which Bulgari hails.

“Bulgari is a unique brand because it comes from Rome,” Stigliani said. “Rome, it’s a different world. Because of the ancient Roman empire, it’s very unique in terms of the aesthetics. In Rome, you

W

can see the passage of time, you can see different and incredible architectural elements, the integration of varying styles from across the empire. Often the inspiration, for me, comes from Rome.”

There’s certainly an echo of ancient Roman columns in the Octo’s countenance, but also something futuristic and high-tech, hinting at Stigliani’s pre-watchmaking occupation.

“I’m a former car designer, I began my career in the automotive industry – it was a great ‘gym’ for a designer at Fiat Auto in Turin, because whether or not you like what that particular brand does in terms of design, insofar as know-how goes, it’s very impressive. And the car is one of the most complex objects that you can imagine,” he said.

“To a create a watch like these, you need to spend the same time as you would to produce a new car – five years,” Buonamassa Stigliani noted. “Now, we are working on the pieces that you will see launched at Basel in the next two or three years, which we started developing last year or before. It’s a long process.”

Indeed. But then, Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.

“To create a watch like these, you need to spend the same time as you would to produce a new car – five years” - Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani

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DINING Joanna Savill

Find the women … in food We’re a long way from gender equality in restaurant kitchens, but supporting female-run establishments may help to redress the balance ou’re going out to dinner and you’re finding it hard to choose a restaurant. You consult your friends, check the latest reviews, ponder whether it’s time to try that place you drive past regularly that always seems to be packed … But would you ever make your decision on a dining destination based on the gender of the chef?

Melbourne-based event curator and food writer Sharlee Gibb hopes you might. As founder of Fully Booked Women (fullybookedwomen.com.au), a “social community” for women in the restaurant and hospitality industry, she has developed an online guide to food and drinks businesses across Melbourne and regional Victoria, all of them owned or run by women.

But while it’s a useful tool for locating some pretty terrific places to eat and drink, Gibb’s main motive was to create awareness. “It’s so that we as an industry can identify our peers, visit their venues and support them,” she explains. “It’s also a go-to source for finding talent.”

While there are certainly fewer women in prominent head chef roles (a mere 3 per cent across the international Michelin Guides), around one-third of working chefs in Australia are women – and two-fifths of the apprentice ranks.

But many don’t reach the top of the tree, dropping out along the way. “There’s a myriad of reasons,” Gibbs explains.

“Restaurant kitchen culture, access to investment, motherhood …”

Maria Canabal is the president of Parabere Forum, an international organisation promoting gender equality in the restaurant world. She has recently launched the Parabere Gourmet City Guide app (available from app stores) that lists female-run businesses in 12 cities worldwide, including Sydney.

Canabal agrees that restaurant kitchens are mentally tough environments – often at odds with what she calls the “soft” or “female” values of empathy and collaboration. More to the point, perhaps, women in hospitality tend to earn up to 28 per cent less than their male counterparts. “So, you quit,” she says bluntly. “Or don’t even try.”

Also discouraging, say both Gibbs

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“There are many women in head chef roles that we don’t know about, because they seem to have less opportunity for profile by festivals, events and food media” - Sharlee Gibb

and Canabal, is the way female talent is routinely overlooked by peers and publicity alike. “There are many women in head chef roles that we don’t know about,” Gibbs continues, “because they seem to have less opportunity for profile by festivals, events and food media.”

It’s a worldwide phenomenon, according to Paris-based Canabal. “As a female chef, you will not be invited to food events or to be a culinary competition judge,” she states. “There’s less chance your restaurant will be reviewed and media will mostly only talk about you in special reports on women in the industry.” (With a few exceptions, I’d add, including anything by yours truly in Robb Report.)

But in an industry threatened by staff shortages, long hours and the toll those can take on workers (female and male) in terms of family life and mental health, the pressure is on to keep women involved and promote them. Fostering gender balance – and better work-life balance – is a hot topic.

When it comes down to it, though, there is plenty of great female talent in Australia’s restaurants and bars. I’d say it’s time to seek them out.

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

(from top) Fully Booked Women’s Sharlee Gibb; Robb Report Australia & New Zealand 2018 Culinary Masters Karena Armstrong and Monique Fiso

WINE

Chris Morrison

Living history Delving into the Henschke legacy – the remarkable family story behind the acclaimed Hill of Grace shiraz or 150 years the Henschke family has been growing grapes and making wine in and around South Australia’s Eden Valley.

Their story is firmly entrenched in the historical narrative of the Australian wine industry, a dynasty that began when their founding fathers and mothers immigrated to Australia from Germany in the 1840s.

At that time, many Germans arriving in Australia were religious refugees.

Followers of the Lutheran church found their beliefs were at odds with devoutly conservative rulers of their homeland of Prussia. In South Australia they saw not only a new frontier, but the chance to build a new community. Towns with names like Bethany, Lobethal and Hahndorf bear testament to the early Germanic influence that would be so important in the development and growth of the South Australian wine industry.

Johann Christian Henschke settled in what we now know as the region of Keyneton in the 1860s. The first commercial wine made by the Henschke family was released in 1868. Today, Stephen and Prue Henschke are the fifth generation and current custodians of the family wine legacy. With the eldest of their three children, Johann, gradually assuming more responsibilities in the winery, the bloodline behind some of Australia’s great dry wines is set to continue.

Viticulturist Prue Henschke is responsible for the health and wellbeing of the vineyards. Her approach to sustainable vineyard practices started long before it seized the zeitgeist and is the key to not only the quality behind Henschke wines, but also their remarkable consistency.

Earlier this year, I was part of a small group of wine writers invited to spend a day with the Henschke family at their winery in the Eden Valley. As the bus carrying us wound through the drizzle and mist clinging to the low-slung hills and narrow roads, Stephen Henschke was on the microphone playing the multiple roles of tour guide, winemaker and historian. His knowledge of the region, its early pioneers and the legacy left by them to today’s winemaking community reflected a deep connection to both past and present.

Our day was devoted to celebration of the family’s 150th winemaking anniversary

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With the 2012 a near-perfect wine, I really felt for the 2013. Could it possibly live up to the success of its predecessor?

and also of the 2013 vintage of their iconic single-vineyard shiraz, Hill of Grace, which was launched in late August.

What’s remarkable about the Hill of Grace vineyard is its isolation. Standing at its boundary and turning full circle, there is not another vineyard as far as the eye can see. Stephen’s father, Cyril, was the pioneer of single-vineyard wines in Australia and the man who, in 1958, bottled the first release of Hill of Grace.

With the 2012 a near-perfect wine, I really felt for the 2013. Could it possibly live up to the success of its predecessor?

The short answer is ‘yes’ – in a different way. No two vintages are alike and the low yields harvested from the dry-grown vines of the Hill of Grace vineyard in 2013 have produced a wine of concentration and finesse. This is one of the smallest vintages ever for Hill of Grace, definitely more structured than the 2012, with firm tannins that need to settle into the wine and will reward patience in the cellar.

DRINKING Steve Colquhoun

Sublime summer sipping Around barbecues, at bars and in restaurants during what’s bound to be a long, hot summer, one cocktail trend will be on everyone’s lips – the apéritif his European-inspired cocktail style has been lurking at dinner parties and on obscure cocktail lists for decades; it’s only in the past few years that the apéritif has burst onto the mainstream palate, on the back of some delightfully thirst-crushing concoctions featuring the likes of Aperol, Campari and vermouth.

But really, that’s just the starting point.

A slew of apéritifs – or, if they’re from Italy, aperitivos – are ready to build out your summer drinking repertoire with an eye-popping variety of colours and an array of flavours and ingredients.

If all this experimentation sounds a little dangerous, here’s the best part – most apéritifs run to around 15 to 25 per cent alcohol-by-volume, which is half the alcohol content of mainstream spirits like whisky, gin or vodka. Depending what you mix it with, an apéritif can form the basis of a tasty, refreshing, yet lightweight beverage.

The word apéritif derives from the Latin aperire, meaning ‘to open’, and in the grand European tradition of a drink for every occasion, it’s intended to be sipped before dinner, as an appetite stimulant. Typically

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slightly bitter and dry across the palate with a fruity aftertaste, they eschew the sweetness of mainstream wines and many mixed spirits that, by European decree, should be served during or after the meal.

Old-style French apéritifs such as Dubonnet and Lillet are based on aromatic wines, mixed with herbs and spices that were concocted in the 19th century to settle the stomach in preparation for the gastronomic onslaught of the French banquet to follow.

Here, we’re more likely to look upon the apéritif as something tasty yet “sessionable” – a drink you can sip all afternoon and into the evening with fewer of the accumulated effects of mixed spirits or cocktails. It’s wise, though, to be aware that many apéritif liqueurs may be mixed in a cocktail with other spirits or wines, pushing the alcohol content significantly higher.

Keen to try something a little different from your standard summer tipple?

Dubonnet Rouge has a spicy port wine flavour tinged with quinine, the ingredient that lends tonic water its bite. Dubonnet is credited as the original apéritif, concocted

by Joseph Dubonnet to help French

Foreign Legion soldiers get their ration of mosquito-repelling quinine in a more palatable way. His wife shared it with her friends, and it became an instant hit due to its stomach-settling qualities. It was also a favourite tipple of the Queen Mother, who mixed it in a 70:30 ratio with gin, a block of ice and a slice of lemon.

Or look for Lillet Blanc, another winebased apéritif with orange and floral flavours; Cynar, which is made from artichokes; Pastis, which has a heavy presence of anise, giving it a liquorice flavour; or Suze, which balances the bitterness of gentian root grown in the Swiss and French mountains with a hit of citrus.

Locally, try Okar from South Australia’s Applewood, which uses Australian botanicals led by riberries (aka lilly pilly) for a liqueur that’s an easy substitute for Aperol in your next spritz. Or there’s Forager 1 from Melbourne’s White Possum, combining the zest of orange peel with wattleseed and earthy roots.

As the translation suggests, it’s a great time to ‘open’ yourself up to a summer sipper with a sensible difference.

Photos: Getty Images/Westend61

Here, we’re more likely to look upon the apéritif as something tasty yet ‘sessionable’

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HOME TECH Bennett Ring

Reality, improved Stepping into dazzling virtual worlds is more than just a possibility with the latest VR systems ant to impress your guests with the very latest in audio-visual entertainment? Forget projectors or big-screen TVs; to really knock their socks off you’ll want to invest in a Virtual Reality (VR) system. While VR has been on the horizon since the abominable film The Lawnmower Man hit cinemas way back in 1992, it’s taken 30 years for the technology to finally hit the high standards demanded by consumers.

The main use of today’s Virtual Reality Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) is to immerse the player in virtual gaming worlds, but that’s just one of a myriad of possibilities. When the player puts the headset on, their view of the real world is totally replaced by a fake world, and it can be used for anything from interactive movie experiences through to virtual tourism of real-world places.

There are several systems available on the market, and all of them need a rather speedy PC to power them. This is because the VR headset has to render an image twice, once independently for each eye, doubling the computing power needed.

The tiny screens inside each eyepiece are also very high resolution; given they’re just a few centimetres from your retina, the pixel density has to be extremely high.

It’s in this area in particular where VR HMDs are still lacking, as we simply don’t have the screen technology to equal the

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incredibly fine detail that our eyes are capable of discerning.

That’s not to say it’s far off. Today’s hottest VR headset is the HTC Vive Pro, with which each eyeball is fed a whopping 1400 x 1600 pixels; this is a 78 per cent increase in pixels since the original version launched just two years ago, and a total of 2800 x 1600 pixels for the entire headset. Retailing at $1199 for the HMD alone, you’ll need to spend another $800 or so for the tracking system, which allows you to walk around your room, with a maximum room size of 10 by 10 metres. There’s also a wireless add-on that removes the tether between the HMD and the PC; it’s not ready for sale just yet, though the release date is imminent.

Watching a first-time VR user become immersed in the crisp and detailed worlds offered by the HTC Vive Pro is always hilarious. We’ve tested the HTC Vive Pro on at least a dozen different people, and the reaction each time was the same – sheer amazement. There’s simply nothing like it, with the user being transported into fantastical worlds and environments with a sense of presence that makes it feel oh so real.

Best of all, we’re at the beginning of a new dawn in VR. This is day one of the VR revolution, and as the resolution and comfort increase, expect to see VR become a dominant form of entertainment in the home. Even visionaries like Stephen Spielberg can see the potential, with his

recent Ready Player One film showing what’s around the corner. Eventually the difference between the virtual and the real world will become impossible to pick, posing the question – is it worth flying to the Italian Alps to hit the slopes, when you can simply walk into your holodeck and do it virtually? Well, we think we already know the answer to that one.

Watching a irsttime VR user become immersed in the crisp and detailed worlds ofered by the HTC Vive Pro is always hilarious

(from left) Oculus Rift’s headset – the company was recently bought by Facebook for US$2 billion; the HTC Vive Pro

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MOTORING Michael Stahl

Haute car-ture The future for super-luxury car makers lies somewhere between SUVs and bespoke everything – if that’s not too much of a contradiction in terms

felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced …” Zealous fans of the Star Wars franchise will recognise these as the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, on sensing the destruction of the planet Alderaan by Darth Vader’s Death Star. Yeah, whatever.

Back in the real world, the scenario pretty much equated to that of Ferraristi everywhere when, in late September, the Maranello supercar maker confirmed that it will introduce an SUV by 2022.

Ferrari’s family truckster will be named Purosangue (thoroughbred), and will be powered by a hybrid powertrain to be shared across 60 per cent of Ferrari’s models. New CEO Louis Camilleri dubbed it an ‘FUV’ – Ferrari Utility Vehicle – telling investors and analysts at the company’s Capital Markets Day on September 18, “I abhor hearing SUV in the same sentence as Ferrari”.

So don’t build one, purists protest.

Except that would deny the reality of today’s super-luxury automotive market, wherein China, Russia and the Middle East increasingly dictate which luxury models are built and what they look like.

Where some see three tonnes of crassness, others see a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

While these eastern markets clearly have an appreciation for brands, the histories and nuances are often lost on them. At the launch of Porsche’s 991-series 911 in 2011, a designer explained the reappearance (after almost 25 years) of extrovert PORSCHE badging across the tail. In China, he said, many customers were unaware that the “Cayenne car company” also made a sports car …

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Still, the FUV, which will join existing BUVs and LUVs and AMUVs (should Bentley, Lamborghini and Aston Martin feel similarly embarrassed) is only one side of the future for these super-luxury car makers. The other side is altogether more interesting.

We’ll use Ferrari again, by way of introduction. At the same Capital Markets Day event, the covers came off a pair of mega-roadsters dubbed Monza SP1 and SP2 (pictured above). The retro-futuristic duo, derived from the production 812 Superfast GT coupé, feature carbonfibre bodywork clearly inspired by the company’s mid-’50s 750 Monza sportsracing roadster.

The ‘SP’ honours Ferrari’s Special Projects division, established in 2008 to produce bespoke commissions – for those times when a production-model Ferrari, even after six figures’ worth of ‘personalisation’ options, risks being mistaken for another in the Majlis Emirates Golf Club car park.

While bespoke cars and coachwork date back to the dawn of the automobile itself, Ferrari’s SP division arguably had its catalyst in the 2006 ‘Ferrari P4/5’, a oneoff creation by coachbuilder Pininfarina for US film financier James Glickenhaus.

Inspired by Ferrari’s elegant ’60s P-series sports-racing cars, Glickenhaus handed over his new, US$1 million Ferrari Enzo for the US$4 million transformation.

Advances in design, materials and production processes are truly hitting home at this premium end of the market.

3D printing can efficiently produce unique parts, ranging from major chassis components to a complete engine block,

Advances in design, materials and production processes are truly hitting home at this premium end of the market

by processes such as depositing successive layers of molten metal (called Filament Deposition Modelling), or fusing microlayers of powder with a laser (Selective Laser Sintering).

Bugatti’s $7.9 million Divo hypercar, launched in August, uses a 3D-printed rear engine grille and other minor components. And altering them between one car and the next in the Divo’s production run of 40 vehicles, would be a relatively simple matter of tweaking the CAD design on-screen. Indeed, Bugatti made not a single clay model of the Divo’s all-new body during its development.

Such technologies, along with rapid advances in carbon-fibre production methods, are enabling a proliferation of faster, lighter, safer and unique hypercars from brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. While their production lines, ironically, just keep on truckin’.

Life-changing Through the support of generous Australians, World Vision is able to address the causes of poverty with a range of life-changing projects. We have over 50 years of experience and expertise, with 83.3% of every dollar donated used for ield programs and advocacy work.

Economic Development Our approach to economic development is based on innovative practices and business principles that embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.

Water

Education

Our clean water and sanitation programs help communities break free from poverty, as illness and collecting water prevents children from attending school.

Education is our most powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty, helping children reach their full potential and providing greater employment opportunities.

If you’d like to be involved in making lasting change for vulnerable children, their families and their communities, visit worldvision.com.au/philanthropy or call (03) 9287 2691

Sydney rocks the boat

The leading lights in marine showcased their most spectacular new oferings at the 2018 Sydney International Boat Show

by Jeni Bone

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ome every August, much of the boating world converges in Sydney for what’s colloquially known as SIBS – the Sydney International Boat Show.

Though many of those international guests spend their year touring the boat circuit in some of the world’s most glamorous destinations (see our feature, starting page 70), it’s no hardship heading down to Sydney, in terms of the offerings of the city, and the show itself.

The 51st Sydney International Boat Show, staged at Darling Harbour and also occupying three levels of the International Convention Centre, attracted 250 exhibitors, 1000 boats and close to 60,000 visitors over the five-day celebration of the life aquatic.

A plethora of covetable craft were expertly jigsawed into Cockle Bay, which bristled with carbon-fibre sailing yachts, mono and multihull offerings, a smattering of superyachts, European and US sports boats, expedition craft and ‘harbour hotrods’ in the form of new-generation supertenders fresh from the Med. Greek ‘RIB’ (Rigid Inflatable Boat) brand Ribco made its local debut with former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke at the helm of his own Ribco 28ST, which he praised for its handling, speed and styling.

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(from top) Ferretti Yachts’ new $10 million 850; Michael Clarke showing of his Ribco 28ST

Ribco entered the market with its flagship model, a jet-black 13.15m Venom 44 with beefy triple 350hp Mercury Verado outboards – touted as a true 60knot speedster and priced at $689,000 – alongside its Seafarer 36 and 28ST models.

Company co-founder Stelios Ladopoulos was in town for the launch and deemed Australia a market with great potential for this breed of poser-with-purpose, tendercum-dayboat.

Ray White Marine, representing the Ferretti Group, launched four new models onto the Australian market, including the behemoth Ferretti Yachts 850, Itama 45s, Ferretti 450 and, from another Greek supertender brand, the Technohull T7.

On the water surrounding the imposing Starship events boat – serving as Ray White Marine’s hospitality suite – were the rest of their line-up: a Technohull 999s with twin 400hp engines and the iconic silver-hulled Riva 44-foot (13.4 metre) Rivarama.

At 26 metres and valued at $10 million, the Ferretti 850 was undoubtedly the standout boat of this year’s show. With its sleek profile, muscular grey metallic hull and barely visible raised pilothouse with flybridge, the 850 boasts impressive leisure space and accoutrements such as teppanyaki grill, bar and LED-illuminated dining table.

Another brilliant lifestyle feature of the 850 is the transom door that can be lowered into the water along with the swim platform, creating a large submersible platform for launching the Williams jet tender, Seabob and SUPs – or just wallowing ankle-deep on deck chairs, out of reach of malign marine life.

Exuding Italian flair and flash, the multi-awarded Monte Carlo Yachts 65 and 76 distributed by Sundance Marine were impossible to ignore among the pulchritude of power prowess; the 76, a 23-metre flybridge, with its maroon hull and dainty,

round windows, priced from $4 million, and the smaller 65 in more subtle navy but equally alluring, priced from $2 million.

Founded mid-GFC by the Beneteau Group and headed up by the visionary Carla Demaria, who previously spent 20 years with the Azimut Group, Monte Carlo prides itself on technical virtuosity, innovation and titivation that only the Italians can execute to perfection.

From Italian brands to the newest Australian-designed motor yacht marque, the unveiling of the Longreef 60SX Flybridge was a show highlight. The brainchild of Boating Syndication founders Andy and Belinda Young, the 60SX manifested from a decade of research and client feedback.

The 60SX (“which stands for sexy,” as the marketing manager touts) is a threecabin plus crew room (or kids’ cave) cruiser featuring full-height electronic windows on the main deck, which open up the lounge and galley for a bright, breezy experience.

Above, the flybridge seats 10 with ease with room for plenty more on sunpads on the snazzy foredeck.

Whitehaven Motor Yachts teamed up with sister brand Integrity Motor Yachts’ traditional ‘trawler style’ cruisers and Ribco tenders for a massive Hamptonsthemed display. Whitehaven, the completely bespoke builder, launched its 6000 Flybridge model named La Robelle by its proud owners. The 60-foot (18.3-metre) flybridge is noteworthy for her large-volume tender garage, which can be optioned as a Beach Club with full bathroom, depending on your preference.

(from top) The Riviera 72; Sundance Marine’s Monte Carlo Yacht 76; the Longreef 60SX

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Sydney International Boat Show |

The Whitehaven 7500 Sports Yacht Finito was also open for inspection, as her owners are keen to embark on their next Whitehaven journey, conjuring a larger and wider motor yacht for even more ambitious sojourns at sea from their Top End base.

Two of Australia’s most popular boat brands, the Gold Coast-based Maritimo and Riviera, were naturally out in force at SIBS. Riviera was dominant on the marina, with a jaw-dropping display of 11 boats, red carpet walkways, a squadron of impeccably clad brand ambassadors and the fanfare for which the brand has become renowned internationally.

(from top) Maritimo’s S70; the Horizon E88 and its Beach Club

The stalwart Aussie brand hosted the world premiere of the Riviera 39 Sports Motor Yacht, which boasts sporty looks, sports performance and open flybridge, as well as the Sydney premiere of the Riviera 395 SUV and the impressive Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht.

The all-new Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht is the product of a two-year R&D period taking on board the input from Riv owners globally, and its designers promise it will “redefine expectations” in this quasisuperyacht segment.

Riviera boss Rodney Longhurst says the 72 builds on the new systems and attention to refinement pioneered in the 68 with an additional cockpit, flybridge and mezzanine space, and the choice of Classic or Grand Presidential accommodation suites with three or four staterooms.

Priced from $4.48 million and with a build specification comprising 9000-litre fuel tanks, 1000 litres of water, a water-maker, and certification that its construction will handle winds to 40 knots

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and seas to 13 feet (four metres), this is a motor yacht capable of true blue-water cruising for extended periods.

Maritimo had four of its current models on show, including the category-busting X60 and its flagship S70.

According to its designer, Tom BarryCotter, the Maritimo X60 “reinvents boating in its class”.

“We started with the concept of the aft cabin, and basically built the boat around that,” stated Tom, referring to the nifty aft cabin, which can be optioned as a fourth cabin with queen bed and ensuite, a Beach Club with bar and day head, a professional galley or a garage for a 3.2-metre tender plus day head, laundry and storage space.

With her wraparound glazing, dual sunroofs, contemporary styling and storage in every conceivable space, and competitively priced at around $2.23 million, the X60 aims to appeal to a new generation of boat buyers. The Maritimo hallmarks of wide, walkaround decks, exceptional fuel economy and

seaworthiness for long-range cruising mean she is just as attractive to Maritimo’s core market.

Gulf Craft commanded attention on Cockle Bay with the Majesty 100 Oneworld, a superlative example of the UAE builder’s repertoire. Already making a name for itself as the pinnacle of luxury charter in Sydney and the Whitsundays, Oneworld is the third hull in this fully custom-built model.

Ideally suited for charter, she is the first to feature a convertible skylounge, a supremely versatile space on the top deck that can be opened or closed depending on conditions or the occasion. The décor draws on Art Deco cues, and there’s lavish accommodation for 12 guests in five staterooms, plus crew quarters for up to six.

Taiwanese builder Horizon, Asia-Pacific’s biggest yacht builder (and ranked in the world’s top five by total length), launched the all-new V81 and showed its popular E88.

At 24.72 metres and priced at $5.8 million, the V81 is positioned as a

voluminous long-range cruiser with accommodation for up to six in three staterooms, with a spacious, enclosed pilothouse intended for both socialising and steering the ship.

The Horizon E88 was specifically designed to suit Aussie clientele. At 27 metres and with a 6.4-metre beam, it offers plenty of space for entertaining, a versatile skylounge, and decadent Jacuzzi and bar on the flybridge. Perhaps the most compelling feature of this feature-packed superyacht is the inclusion of a Yacht Controller, a wireless, hand-held remote that makes handling the vessel a breeze, doing away with the need for skipper and crew.

Fellow Taiwan-based brand Ocean Alexander, with factories in the US to keep up with demand for its megayacht models, celebrated a return to the Australian market with local agent Alexander Marine displaying two fine examples, the Ocean Alexander 85 and 70.

The 85 eclipsed many of the smaller motor yachts on the marina, an indication of its palatial nature. Designed for offshore passages as much as inshore entertaining, the 85’s flybridge is more of a second deck, with ample room for guests to mingle, a large bar, lounge, helm and space aft for the tender.

And finally, skulking in edgy repose, the Axopar line-up from Finland deserves a mention for its brooding good looks and sales success.

With its wedge bow, a finesse of craftsmanship seldom seen in a rugged, RIB-inspired vessel, and at 11.2-metres, room enough for 10 guests plus a queen berth cabin complete with WC, the Axopar 37 Sports Cabin is proving to be all things to plenty of people.

According to John Cowpe from eyachts, the Australian distributor, Axopar is the

fastest-growing boat brand in the world.

John has sold more than 70 units all around the country and says the Axopar range “is the aquatic SUV that appeals to owners with waterfront properties looking for a thrilling A-to-B ride, or for use as a luxury superyacht tender”.

Motor Boat of the Year in 2017, the Axopar 37 is available in four models, the T-Top, Sun Top, Cabin and Sports Cabin.

The Sports Cabin version with twin Verado 400hp engines is a ripping 55-knot boat.

Priced at $458,000, it will skim through the water from Pittwater to Circular Quay in an hour – beating the one aspect of Sydney that nobody would miss: the interminable peak hour crawl.

(from top) The Maritimo X60, by day and night; the Fairline Targa 48 GT; the Axopar 37

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The complete calendar of

big boat shows around the world

Make your travel plans for these yacht shows taking place throughout the year

by Geri Ward and Danielle Cutler

January Despite the cold in this destination it will certainly provide inspiration for warmer weather Scheduled for January 19 to 27, Boot Düsseldorf will be celebrating 50 years as one of the world’s premier boat shows in 2019, and tickets are already on sale at the event’s website (boat-duesseldorf.com). Sixteen exhibition halls spread out over 220,000 square metres make up the boat show, which offers up 18 themed areas celebrating all things aquatic. These include the Sailing Centre, Motorboats, Superyachts, Travel, the Dive Centre, Beach World, the World of Paddling, the Refit Center and the Sportfishing Centre, among others. Watch for superyachts from Azimut, Ferretti, Princess, Fairline and Sunseeker in the motor-yacht category.

If you prefer sailing, you can check out models from Amel, Bénéteau, CNB, Nautor’s Swan, Solaris and more. In addition to the large yachts themselves, tenders are on display as well. If you get tired of touring the yacht halls, head to The Wave for some surfing or the Dive Centre for sub-aqua experiences. In 2018, 1923 exhibitors from 68 different countries participated, and 247,000 visitors attended from 102 countries. Organisers are expecting more for the 50th anniversary. – DANIELLE CUTLER

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Photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

Boot Düsseldorf

February If you’re envisioning a romantic Valentine’s-weekend holiday, nothing could be more magical than Miami during the two boat shows held over Valentine’s Day each year. If you already have plans, consider heading to the United Arab Emirates at the end of the month for a winter warm-up at the Dubai show Miami International Boat Show

Photos: (from top) Miami International Boat Show; Dubai International Boat Show

One of two Miami shows held on the same dates, the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS), held February 14 through 18, 2019, used to be a small-boat show in the Miami Beach Convention Centre. The largest boat was less than 15 metres in length. Two years ago, MIBS moved to the Miami Marine Stadium on Key Biscayne, and it transformed almost overnight into a world-class, on-water show. More than 1300 boats are on display from 170 builders from the US, Europe and Asia.

The organiser also moved its sailboat show to Virginia Key last year, adding a new component as well as offering handson instruction and displays from hundreds of equipment and electronics manufacturers. The show is just minutes from the village of Coconut Grove – with its charming cafes, parks and shops – and downtown Miami, with the art galleries and restaurants in the hip section of Brickell.

Between MIBS’ new location and the Miami Yacht Show on South Beach, Miami is definitely the place to be for yachties in February. – GERI WARD

Miami Yacht Show

Dubai International Boat Show

Formerly Yachts Miami Beach and then the Miami Yacht Show on Collins Avenue, the Miami Yacht Show is scheduled for February 14 to 18 in 2019 at its new location in Biscayne Bay between the Venetian and MacArthur causeways, which is just north of downtown Miami. The new venue is closer to superyacht-lovers’ Superyacht Miami at Island Gardens Deep Harbour marina on Watson Island, which hosts the show’s large yachts – up to 500 feet (152 metres).

Show organisers expect more than 500 boats and yachts, additional parking and on-land exhibit space, and a new AquaZone, where guests will find demos from Flyboard, SeaBob, Rover Boat Board, underwater drones and more. Be sure to check out the luxury automobiles, private jets and art on display, as well.

Guests who prefer travelling as a VIP have the option of buying the VIP Experience package (US$150), which includes show entry, access to the VIP lounge and transportation to Superyacht Miami. Don’t underestimate the VIP lounge – this is where you go to get out of the sun, take advantage of the open bar and hors d’oeuvres, and take in the happy-hour events.

Watch for yachts from Amels, Benetti, Heesen, Oceanco, Christensen, Westport, Feadship and many more. – D.C.

Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS), scheduled for February 26 to March 2, 2019, is a true crossroads of the yachting world, bringing together 26,000 visitors from 76 countries.

The show has all the major US and European yacht brands, not to mention local yards like Gulf Craft, which has found an international following for its Majesty superyachts. DIBS organisers relocated the show last year to Dubai Creek, a more intimate and elegant setting for the exhibitors and visitors.

Beyond the yachts displayed at the marina and along Superyacht Avenue, the show also has a Super Car Promenade, Luxury Boulevard (with luxury goods and decor), and Dive ME Expo to promote the region’s exceptional reefs. Dubai, of course, is known for its international lifestyle, and that shows up in restaurants like those within the Armani Hotel as well as the cafes on the Dubai Marina. The Emirate also has world-class shopping centres like the Dubai Mall, with its top-brand stores and glassed-in indoor ski slopes with real snow, or Saga World Dubai, which displays exceptional masterpieces of jewellery, watches, carpeting and artwork. The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, features a 124th-floor observation deck that gives exceptional views of the fast-growing city. – G.W.

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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March As the Southern hemisphere starts to cool, balmy Palm Beach is beautiful at this time of year Palm Beach International Boat Show Palm Beach International Boat Show, held March 28 to 31, 2019, was once an afterthought to the Fort Lauderdale and Miami shows; however, it has been steadily growing over the past few years, adding extra dock space, more yacht brands and ever-larger yachts. It now has US$1.2 billion ($1.68 million) worth of boats on display. It’s also in the admirable position of offering the same levels of quality and excellent weather as the other major shows, but without the big crowds. This year, Palm Beach introduced a VIP Experience that includes a dockside indoor club with open bar, hors d’oeuvres and other luxuries that make it an oasis in the heart of the show.

The event also features a cool AquaZone, which has demos of jetpacks, electric surfboards, paddleboarding and many new water toys. For a break from the show, the shopping on Worth Avenue is similar to Rodeo Drive or Fifth Avenue, but without the urban background. The exhibits at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum or shows at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts are also cultural distractions in one of America’s wealthiest zip codes. – G.W.

April/May Does one really need a reason to visit Barcelona? The architecture, the weather, the museums, shopping, the beach, boating, sangria … And then there’s Greece

April Check out spring in Singapore for a high-end tropical vacation with a sophisticated city as your home base Singapore Yacht Show Showcasing top-notch yachts, supercars, luxury fashion, watch and jewellery brands and more, the Singapore Yacht Show is scheduled for April 11 to 14, 2019, at One°15 Marina in Sentosa Cove on Sentosa Island. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and the international yachting community, guests can explore such on-water yacht exhibitors as Azimut, Benetti, Feadship, Ferretti, Gulf Craft, Heesen, Lürssen, Monte Carlo Yachts, Sanlorenzo, Westport and others. The 2018 show hosted more than 15,000 visitors over the four days, spread out over the almost 8500 square metres of exhibition space, and featured more than 90 yachts and 14 world and Asia debuts. – D.C.

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Head to Barcelona for the MYBA Charter Show from April 30 to May 3, 2019, at OneOcean Port Vell. Tailored to professionals in the charter-yacht industry, the 2018 event featured 53 yachts, 96 exhibitors and 1885 attendees. Events include the annual chefs’ competition, pitting yacht chefs and crews against one another to determine which team has the best Meet and Greet process, ‘tablescaping’ display and, of course, food. The 2018 challenge was for each participating chef to prepare five different finger foods to be eaten without cutlery, breaking down to three savoury and two sweet items. Legendary yachts such as Oceanco’s 82-metre Alfa Nero and the 77-metre explorer yacht Legend from Icon Yachts participated in 2018, along with their representatives Burgess and Camper & Nicholsons, respectively. – D.C.

MEDYS Presented each year for yachting professionals by the Greek Yachting Association in Nafplion, Greece, the Mediterranean Yacht Show also showcases charter yachts, parties aboard those yachts (allowing guests to get to know one another and the crew) and a chefs’ competition. The fifth edition of MEDYS proved to be the best yet, with 107 charter yachts and more than 400 yachting professionals from all corners of the globe, making it the largest event of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean. The GYA expects an even larger number of yachts for 2019, currently estimated to be 120. The 2019 show is scheduled for May 4 to 8, a day longer than the 2018 event. – D.C.

Photos: (from top) Forest Johnson; ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove

MYBA Charter Show

Ribco • Suite O, 2 Maritime Court Sydney Superyacht Marina, Rozelle, NSW, 2039 Tel: (+61) 439 766 880 • Email : sales@ribcomarine.com.au

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June

August

Escape the cold and head to Newport, Rhode Island, to catch a glimpse of the large yachts in town for the charter show

Our very own entry on the global calendar – see our feature on the the best of this year’s event, from page 66

Newport Charter Yacht Show

Sydney International Boat Show

One of two summer yacht shows set in America’s sailing capital, this event is unique because only charter yachts take part. The Newport Yacht Charter Show, which will be held June 17 to 20 in 2019, is a professionals-only event designed to show the high standards of the charter sector to owners and brokers, with four days of open houses on the yachts. During the last show, the 24 charter yachts ranged from the 60-metre Blue Moon to the 16.5-metre sailing-catamaran Tohora, with most of the fleet measuring over 30 metres.

The chefs demonstrate their cooking prowess with specially prepared luncheons for brokers, while captains show each yacht’s unique features (water toys, luxury saloons or beach clubs). The crew and owners even participate in costumed events that, in 2018, included Super Heroes and Under the Big Top. There are best-dessert contests among the chefs as well as ‘tablescaping’ and specialty cocktail competitions. Newport, with its 19th-century mansions on the Cliff Walk and boutiques on Thames Street, makes the perfect New England backdrop for the show. – G.W.

Sydney’s International Convention Centre and adjacent Cockle Bay Marina in Darling Harbour played host to the 51st edition of the Sydney International Boat Show from August 2 to 6, 2018.

The event features not only yachts of all sizes from respected builders around the world but also all sorts of accessories, demonstration pools and masterclasses. Plus, the Australia International Dive Expo has joined in the fun. We would recommend catching your breath while swilling a glass of bubbly at the outdoor champagne and oyster bar on the event deck. The 2019 show will run from August 1 to 5. – D.C.

September September is a good time to book that Airbnb in the South of France for the whole month so you can hit up all the boat shows. In between Cannes and Monaco, don’t forget to head to Southampton and Genoa to catch the shows there Cannes Yachting Festival Cannes might be better known for its film festival, but the Cannes Yachting Festival – to be held in 2019 from September 10 to 15 – attracts more visitors and is regarded as the official start of the yachting season. At this year’s show there were 638 boats on display, including yachts over 46 metres (150 feet) as well as 122 world premieres.

Like the film festival, the world’s boat builders understand it’s important to be seen at Cannes. The largest new launch in the 2018 show was the Baglietto 48 Displacement, a 48-metre (158-foot) superyacht designed by Francesco Paszkowski, with other launches by Custom Line, Ferretti Yachts, Conrad, Nautor’s Swan and more than 100 others. Because France is such a mecca of sailing, the show also has a large selection of sailboats and multihull yachts. More than 50,000 visitors, about half of whom come from outside France, typically visit the show and enjoy the lively, friendly feel on the crowded docks, as the builders finally reveal yachts that will establish the latest trends in design and performance. It’s located in the heart of the city, so dozens of cafes, bars and restaurants are within a five-minute walk of the event. – G.W.

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Photos: (Newport) Billy Black; (Sydney) David Clare, firstlightphotography.com.au; (Cannes) Inovphoto

Boat Shows |

TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show Slated for September 13 to 22 in 2019, TheYachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show this year celebrated its 50th anniversary with more than 100 boat debuts and more than 500 exhibitors, some of them highlighting environmental research. The show also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first single-handed nonstop circumnavigation of the globe with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili on display. Sports stars and celebrities from the past 50 years attended, and couples celebrating 50 years of marriage during the show received free entrance.

Besides the anniversary festivities and the yachts and boats on display, the Southampton Boat Show typically also features kayaks, paddleboards, sailing dinghies and, this year, a menu at the Mariner’s Grill developed by the Hairy Bikers (Si King and Dave Myers), with responsibly sourced seafood in line with the show’s efforts to support marine conservation. VIP-minded visitors can opt for the Platinum Experience, which includes a glass of prosecco upon arrival; morning tea, coffee and pastries; buffet lunch; afternoon tea and cake; entrance fees for the show; a private bar (drinks not included) in the Platinum Lounge; and more. The most exciting part is the hour-long tour aboard a motor yacht. – D.C.

Photo: (from top) Southampton 2018 British Marine Boat Shows; Salone Nautico

Monaco Yacht Show Every September since 1991, yachting enthusiasts, buyers, charterers, yacht builders and brokers have descended on the principality of Monaco for the annual Monaco Yacht Show. Held this year from September 26 to 29 (and already slated for the same weekend in 2019, again overlapping Genoa’s Salone Nautico), show organisers welcomed 120 custom superyachts from builders, owners and charter brokers around the globe to the docks of Port Hercules.

Around 40 of these yachts were making their worldwide debut. The average length of participating yachts is 49 metres (160 feet), but this year featured seven superyachts of between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 328 feet) in length. Four were making their world debuts.

Watersports lovers can view and sometimes try out the 40 different tenders and toys on display. For those into cars, 10 different luxury models were exhibited at the show’s Car Deck. And we mustn’t overlook the two new helicopters.

Overall, 580 companies participate in the annual show.

For superyacht clientele, the Monaco Yacht Show offers a VIP visit pack, the Sapphire Experience, which provides exclusive services to new yacht buyers and current owners.

Crème de la crème visitors may participate in two invite-only events on the evening before the show: the Monaco Yacht Summit – lectures and discussions with a panel of yachtingindustry experts – and the Monaco Yacht Show Superyacht Awards, where 400 guests celebrate the most spectacular craft at the show.

Last year’s Monaco Yacht Show saw 36,400 people roaming the tents, halls and docks. And usually, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco takes a (highly secured) stroll through the event. – D.C.

Salone Nautico Italy’s national boat show, the Salone Nautico in Genoa is one of Europe’s major autumn yachting events and was held this year from September 25 to 28, in the aftermath of the city’s tragic Morandi Bridge collapse. (The 2019 event is likely to retain a late-September slot.) Salone Nautico offers 1000 boats in a Mediterranean setting from Italian yacht builders like Sanlorenzo, Azimut and Monte Carlo Yachts, as well as non-Italian brands like Nautor’s Swan, Bertram, Beneteau and Hanse Yachts. Located on the Genoa waterfront, the show is divided into motor yachts, sailboats, powerboats and outboard boats. The Genoa show distinguishes itself with an inimitable sense of Italian warmth. Organisers call it the ‘Sea Experience’, and that includes after-show boat tests on the Mediterranean, Big Game Tournament sportfishing displays and events for divers, kayakers and small-boat lovers.

Beyond the show, Genoa offers many side tours, including the charming cafes of Via Garibaldi, cathedrals like Basilica di Santa Maria di Castello, the Aquarium of Genoa and the museum of Chiostro dei Canonici di San Lorenzo. Walks through the Palazzi dei Rolli and Chiesa Di San Donato give some sense of Genoa’s historical importance as a maritime centre. – G.W. www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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October Many have their sights set on South Florida for the Fort Lauderdale boat show, but don’t rule out a quick trip to beautiful Abu Dhabi for its fairly new event Abu Dhabi International Boat Show Held from October 17 to 20 this year (with 2019 set for October 16 to 19), Abu Dhabi’s inaugural event was organised by the same company that puts on the Southampton show in the UK and looks set to become a prized fixture. The UAE capital has become a boatbuilding centre in the Middle East and one of its most beautiful cruising grounds, with more than 480 kilometres of coastline and 200 islands. It has also hosted some world-class events, including Abu Dhabi Sailing Regatta, Commodore’s Cup and a stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race. Islands like Yas, Saadiyat and Sir Bani Yas have become big destinations, some having worldclass marinas. The show will feature yacht builders from 18 countries, including Sunseeker, Benetti, CRN, Mangusta, Princess, Ferretti Yachts and Pershing.

Many local shipyards also have their boats on display. Beyond yachts and powerboats, this year’s show featured Volvo Ocean 60 race boats (Abu Dhabi has been a big sponsor of the Volvo Ocean Race) and F1 Powerboats that accelerate to 160km/h in four seconds. The in-water section is in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company’s marina, while the rest of the show is staged in the adjoining ultra-modern exhibit centre. – G.W.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Every autumn at the end of hurricane season, boats and yachts big and small arrive from all over the globe to take part in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the biggest inwater boat show in the world, held this year on October 31 through November 4 (2019 dates TBC) in the Yachting Capital of the World. The 2018 edition marked 59 years of this show, which hosts more than 1500 boats – along 10 kilometres of floating docks – as well as 1200 exhibitors and 110,000 visitors at seven locations around Fort Lauderdale.

Not only do visitors find all kinds of boats – from superyachts and sailing yachts to jet boats and runabouts – but also watersports gear and everything else nautical. Beyond the inexpensive general admission, the Windward VIP Experience (US$300 per person for one day) includes entrance to the show, access to the Windward VIP Club and rides on the Water Taxi. But the Windward VIP Club is what makes it appealing: it’s located at the Swimming Hall of Fame, which is a pretty central location, and offers up air-conditioned lounge areas to hang out and cool off in, a dedicated concierge and private indoor bathrooms (worth any amount of money). If that didn’t do it for you, it also offers up a private dining area and a premium open bar. – D.C.

December Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting Another show catering to marine-industry professionals, the Antigua Charter Yacht Show is scheduled for December 4 to 10 at Nelson’s Dockyard Marina in English Harbour, the Falmouth Harbour Marina and the Antigua Yacht Club Marina. For the first time ever, this year all registered yachts will remain at the docks for the full five viewing days, with the fifth day being a Sail Day, when charter-management companies can showcase their yacht with a cruise around Antigua’s waters and islands in a sort of charter sampler.

Festivities include a chefs’ competition (this year’s mission is a New Year’s Eve dinner party), a stewardess competition (a New Year’s Eve decorative table setting) and nightly events. The Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting is non-profit and allocates funds to various schools, scholarships, police stations, flood victims and more. – D.C.

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Photos: (from top) Forest Johnson; Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting

And that’s a wrap: end your year in the warm and wildly beautiful West Indies

Crafted in the Maine Tradition

S

abre Yachts began in 1970 as a manufacturer of high-quality 28´ sailing yachts. In 1989 Sabre Yachts introduced the Sabreline 36 Fast Trawler, which launched Sabre’s industry-leading Downeast style motor yacht range. In 2002, with demand for high-quality Downeast yachts soaring, Sabre’s dealers expressed a desire for a range of small-to-medium-sized single engine motor yachts, and Back Cove Yachts was born.

Today, Sabre produces dual-engine pod driven powerboats from 38 to 66 feet in length with Salon Express and Fly Bridge models, and Back Cove Yachts has grown to dominate the market with their range of 30 to 41 foot single-engine cruisers. Sabre and Back Cove yachts are crafted entirely in the State of Maine by more than 300 of the finest boatbuilders in the industry.

Proud to be Sabre & Back Cove’s Australia/NZ Importer & Distributor Since 2006

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OPES PER PROPRIETATEM “Wealth through property”

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WA XING POETIC

by Sari Tuschman and Erin Lentz

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Photo: John Bilderback

From high-performance surf sticks to showpieces meant more for the wall than the water, these surfboards are sculpted works of art

1 CARVING CONNOISSEUR The Hawaii North Shore–based Haleiwa Surfboard Company makes only 10 to 12 of its one-of-a-kind wooden boards each year, all handcrafted by artist Lon Klein and made to reflect the designs of renowned shaper Dick Brewer. This 3.2-metre hollow-frame board ($28,400) took approximately 200 man-hours to build and was sculpted from Hawaiian hardwoods, including koa, quilted mango and monkeypod. Each board is signed and numbered. Paddling out with this monster is possible, but due to its wood construction, it may be challenging — it is exquisite, but it is not lightweight. haleiwasurfboard.com

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n an effort to take on Hawaii’s steep, dare-to-ride-me swells, Tom Blake and the revered Hot Curl surfers revolutionised surfing in the late ’20s and ’30s by hollowing out heavy, solid wood boards, reducing the weight by half. Blake also gave surfboards the ultimate pièce de résistance: the fin. With this, performance boards were born, and surfers were able to negotiate the ocean with greater finesse and confidence.

“You want a board that listens to your feet, goes fast when you ask it to and never surprises you, except pleasantly,” says William Finnegan, the author of Pulitzer Prize-winning Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life. Bill Hamilton, father to Laird Hamilton, surf legend and veteran shaper, adds: “A good surfboard should feel effortless under your feet and become an extension of where you want to travel.”

While Blake and his audacious sun-soaked crew might not have intended it, the surfboard itself has become an iconic piece of design ... even for those of us who’ve never zipped into a wetsuit. High performance has been met with high design as the sport’s art and style have migrated indoors with one-of-a-kind surf statements from designers and artists. Many are waveready and made by renowned shapers, but others are indoors-only. The beautiful boards featured here are akin to the many experts riding big waves: sometimes you play with them, and sometimes you just admire.

2 ZEN MASTER If there is a point where mystic crystal revelations and gowith-it beach culture converge, it is the Sansui surfboard ($14,000). Artist Tomoyuki Iwanami spent eight years in Tokyo, absorbing traditional Japanese artisan techniques that surface in his collection of art boards made exclusively for LA design showroom Leclaireur. Inspired by Zen gardens, the Sansui is handcrafted from resin and lacquered to resemble a watery reflection. It wears pure gold, draped like a posh coat over its 1.77-metre frame. The artist’s limited-edition creation gets deep, as it’s compelled, says Iwanami, by “what we see in our surroundings, what we see in nature, what we see in ourselves”. leclaireur.com

3 SURF SAFARI If owning an Hermès saddle is the peak of refined equestrian style, then acquiring the French house’s soon-to-be-introduced surfboard defines aquatic decadence. Created as a part of its Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, the Planche de Surf shortboard (price upon request) features a Savana Dance drawing

by South African artist collective Ardmore. Billed as user-friendly, the board comes kitted out with a wax bearing a unique fragrance developed by the Hermès in-house perfumer. The hull is made-to-measure to increase stability and agility, but this piece is perhaps better suited for a wall than water. hermes.com

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Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

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Surfing |

4 CASUAL-CHIC COLLECTOR Leave it to interior-design maven Kelly Wearstler to create the ultimate in surfboard home decor. Handcrafted from shaved Russian birch plywood and topped with actual surf resin, the designer’s 2.28-metre Pacific surfboard ($12,600) is inspired by Wearstler’s obsession with beach culture and perfectly epitomises the casual California-cool aesthetic she has mastered. Made to order, the solely decorative longboard infuses any home with surfshack flair. kelly wearstler.com

7 BIARRITZ BRAH When it comes to designer surfboards, there are none better known or coveted than Chanel’s. Its latest, created for the Spring/ Summer 2018 collection, continues to set the bar for functional art with its stunningly sleek design.

Crafted by French shaper Philippe Barland, the 1.88-metre board ($12,170) is constructed in silver polyurethane and carbon.

While technically waterready, it is arguably too beautiful to actually come into contact with salt and spray. chanel.com

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5 SPEED DEMON Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater knows a thing or two about the construction of a surfboard, so riders can rely on the Cymatic from his Slater Designs. Ideal for waves up to 1.8 metres, this board is ultra high-performance, but does not require riders to be pros to enjoy it (although it is best for intermediate to experts).

It comes with a five-fin option but can be ridden as a quad to quicken the pace. Thanks to its unique modern planing hull and double-bat tail, the Cymatic ($1090) is guaranteed to be one of the fastest in the lineup. firewiresurfboards.com

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6 PIPELINE PRO Pyzel Surfboards’ Ghost is so adept that it works for wave riders of various levels, from intermediate to, well, the best in the world. John John Florence won his second world title on the board, shaped by the respected master Jon Pyzel.

Incredibly versatile, the Ghost (from $1030) was designed to take on powerful waves, but in reality it performs whether paddling out at a reef, point or beach break thanks to its thoughtful construction: the nose points slightly downwards and the round tail is pulled in. (The tail shape can be customised.) The thickness of the board is pushed forward to make getting into waves a breeze, while the tail and rails are thinner for control while turning or zipping down the line. pyzelsurfboards.com

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Photo: (Pyzel) Derek Bahn

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9 SURF HISTORIAN The surf industry is in fashion designer Heidi Merrick’s blood. Her father, Al Merrick, is perhaps the sport’s most famous shaper, while her brother, Britt, is the head designer and shaper for Channel Islands Surfboards, the company their father founded in 1969. So the siblings’ bespoke surfboard collaboration — Britt Merrick for H. Merrick (price upon request) — is a true surfroyalty creation, exclusively on display at Heidi’s Los Angeles boutique. Fusing high performance with high art, the duo’s series of boards would undoubtedly translate to power surfing, but should be saved for display only. heidimerrick.com

11 STYLISH SHREDDER Though Louis Vuitton’s longtime men’s artistic director, Kim Jones, recently left the house, he exited with a bang — a Spring/Summer 2018 collection both sporty and tropical. Bright Hawaiian shirts, light suiting and neoprene accessories were complemented by an exclusive surfboard bearing its own bold print and logo. While this 2.3-metre French-made board ($10,430) could be used in the water, it is more at home on the wall of a Malibu beachfront manse. Nevertheless, should one test its wave-catching ability, it comes with a leash, a protective cover and fins. us.louis vuitton.com

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Photos: (Elizabeth Weinstock) John Milios

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10 GOOD-TIME GROM Surf brand Channel Islands’ Rocket Wide is an easy-to-use board that turns even mediocre waves into a playground. Its short length and wide-nose construction assist with power paddling and getting into waves of all sizes. Available in three- or five-fin configurations, the Rocket Wide ($1120) is constructed with a precision-engineered stringer spine that flexes under pressure, making the board quick and responsive. Ideal for everyone from groms to intermediate riders, it holds its own at any kind of break, in all conditions. cisurfboards.com

8 SKIN IN THE GAME Accessories designer Elisabeth Weinstock is known for her enticing range of products, from handbags to footballs, all rendered in leather or exotic skins sourced from around the globe. Her Jeffrey’s Bay surfboard ($7950) is the ultimate beach-house masterpiece. Handcrafted from natural snakeskin, it is an objet d’art meant for the surf-culture fanatic.

It can be constructed in any size and customised by colour, leather or skin. elisabethweinstock.com 10

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Giving it away With great wealth comes great responsibility – and a new generation is reshaping philanthropy to channel skills and smarts, not just money, to tackle some of our most challenging social problems

by Tony Davis

n 2013, Andrew and Nicola Forrest became the first Australians to join ‘The Giving Pledge’, set up by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. It’s a public commitment “by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back”. Others who have taken the pledge include Elon Musk, Richard and Joan Branson and Ted Turner.

The Forrests are mining billionaires, and part of a new breed of Australian philanthropists who are taking a highly sophisticated approach to giving, and helping to broaden the way Australia’s wealthy help those in need.

“We believe in empowering individuals,” Nicola Forrest tells Robb Report. “It is about giving a voice back to the voiceless … it is about giving people the tools they need to improve their situation.”

Through their Minderoo Foundation, the Forrests are building partnerships and using extensive research and monitoring to track the progress of eight different and highly ambitious programs. Minderoo is Australia’s fourth-largest giver, donating $18.7 million in 2016-2017 and $21.7 million the year before.

One of the foundation’s goals is no less than eliminating cancer.

Other programs aim to end modern slavery, and to improve living standards for our Indigenous population.

Nicola Forrest says well before they signed the pledge, they had agreed as a family to give away the majority of their wealth within their own lifetimes. “But actually it has been a really positive move to come together with [the Pledge] people,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to learn best practice, to learn from each other … to increase philanthropy across the world and to make sure no one is duplicating.”

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“Philanthropy is the freest dollar in the social-change mix, and that is what makes it one of the most powerful dollars” – Sarah Davies, CEO, Philanthropy Australia

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Forrest believes most Australian high-net-worth individuals are heavily involved in philanthropy, though she says many do it privately. “That tall poppy syndrome, I hate to say that, but people can be suspicious around why someone might do something philanthropically, so people try to do it undercover.”

She says the decision, in their case, to give very openly is solely to inspire and encourage others. “It takes the willingness of a lot of people to change the things that might happen.”

Philanthropy is not without controversy. Former NSW Premier – and now federal senator – Kristina Keneally argued in The Guardian last year that philanthropy is inherently undemocratic. “It vests massive power in the hands of the giver to determine how much money is available and what causes merit support.”

Sarah Davies, CEO of peak body Philanthropy Australia, says Keneally’s article is correct in characterising philanthropy as not being beholden to voters or shareholders. But that’s a good thing, Davies argues. “Philanthropy is the freest dollar in the social-change mix, and that is what makes it one of the most powerful dollars.”

Davies says a philanthropist doesn’t have to be risk-averse in the way a conservative government bureaucracy, or a traditional charity, is likely to be. “It is the only dollar that can try the really, really unpopular, really boring and really hard stuff that no-one else will tackle.”

Others we spoke to also emphasised this nimble nature, including Audette Exel AO. “I believe philanthropists are the first layer of risk capital, if you want to put it in business terms … what we’ve seen standing on their shoulders is the growth in what I call innovative philanthropy, or philanthrocapitalism. And that is about Gen Y, millennials, business people, starting to think there might be an additional way of giving, about the creation of wealth, the transmission of wealth to those who need it through unusual business models, crowdfunding, a whole new layer.”

Now working out of Sydney, New Zealand-born Exel did well in law and finance, rising to become managing director of a bank in Bermuda. She moved from there 20 years ago to set up the Adara Group, which she describes as “business for purpose”.

Adara states its sole objective is supporting people living in poverty.

Through various arms it generates revenue to support its international

Nicola and Andrew Forrest

development work, designs and implements projects in places such as Uganda and Nepal, and works with local organisations and staff there. It taps into the pro bono expertise of some of Australia’s brightest business brains, and claims to improve the lives of more than 50,000 people each year. It facilitates education, health services, even freedom (it has rescued trafficked children).

Like the Forrests, Exel is very much of the belief that people with business skills can use those same talents to effect social change. She attributes her motivation to “an awareness as long as I’ve been a thinking adult that our world is a profoundly unfair place, and a deep sense of gratitude for being born a lucky Kiwi girl when my neighbours did not have the same good fortune”.

The old paradigm of simply giving money away no longer cuts it. “We started out as a traditional grant-making organisation,” says Forrest. “The way philanthropy has changed is that it’s not so traditional any more. It’s about getting involved. And that comes through learning. The whole idea of measurement and impact, and collective impact, is so important and that’s what’s grown here in Australia.”

Associate Professor Wendy Scaife tells us that tax data confirms about four out of 10 affluent Australians give nothing, yet says in overall terms wealthy Australians “are more than pulling their weight”.

Scaife, who is director of the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT, says surveys show the key motiving factor “overwhelmingly, hands down, is the belief that giving can

make a difference”. There is often a wish to translate the skills that made a person wealthy in the first place – often in the financial world – to a social context. She also says for the wealthy, philanthropy is very much about passing on a culture and can often unite a family. “For many people, they talk about it being the soul of their family.”

In the corporate world, there is a very traditional view that public companies exist to create shareholder value and, if shareholders want to donate, they should do so from their dividends. Philanthropy Australia’s Davies believes fewer and fewer organisations think like that. “Most businesses now understand they are part of the community.”

Exel concurs. “I absolutely support … the multi-stakeholder model: that as a company you not only have to look after your shareholders, but you have to look after your staff, your customers, your environment and your community. That’s where we are seeing corporations moving to in Australia and the world.”

Davies says there is a global push around donating 1 per cent of pre-tax corporate profits. Some Australian companies, such as Wesfarmers, are well above that, but a recent survey of the ASX Top 50 showed the average was about 0.5 per cent.

What seems clear is that business and philanthropy are becoming ever more entwined. Davies says one of the most interesting things to come out of their just-completed Philanthropy Australia National Conference was a presentation from Edelman, which undertakes the global Trust Barometer survey. “In the survey’s question of who should be leading the thinking and the problem solving around social inequality and disadvantage, 50 per cent of respondents said CEOs and business leaders.

“What we are seeing is a decline in trust in institutions, and we are seeing, I think, an understanding that influence and power is embedded in individuals.

Our business leaders, our CEOs, are increasingly being looked at for broadbased community leadership, not just business leadership.”

Davies says there is plenty of scope for more philanthropy in Australia. “But I do believe we have come a long way and I think it is really exciting. It is getting much smarter. The tools are becoming more sophisticated, much more connected. We are understanding that it is important to use soft power as well as dollars.”

Millions &

billions Raw statistics show that high-net-worth individuals donate a higher percentage than average to charitable causes. “Tax figures show that people with a taxable income of over $1 million average 1.22 per cent of taxable income in donations, while the national average of everyone was 0.39 per cent,” says Wendy Scaife, director of the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies.

Australian businesses gave $17.5 billion to charitable causes during 2015-2016. This total – based on the latest figures available – was made up of $6.2 billion in donations, $7.7 billion in community partnerships and $3.6 billion in non-commercial sponsorships (Source: Giving Australia report, 2016).

Win win Donating can be good for business.

Research conducted by Scaife and fellow Queensland academics Kate Hogarth and Marion Hutchinson in 2016 concluded: “Corporate philanthropy can better place a firm competitively, in terms of attracting customers, employees and strategic partners. All of this serves to benefit shareholders despite the cost. Our research found that philanthropy raised a company’s reputation, which in turn drove employee recruitment and led to retention, customer engagement, and a reduction in public and regulatory scrutiny. But reputation must be actively fostered and maintained, both internally and externally, in order for the benefit to be realised.”

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Photo: Nathalie Michel

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TO THE ENDS of the EARTH

On board the luxurious Le BorĂŠal, Robb Report sails into the epic white world of Antarctica

by Jackie Caradonio www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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“Good morning!”

C

aptain Etienne Garcia whispers. “I’m sorry to wake you, but you must come see the orcas – they are swimming just off the port side of the bow!” My eyes snap open. What time is it? How did Captain Garcia get into my stateroom? A sliver of white light – so bright it can only be from the high-noon sun – creeps through my blackout curtains and draws a laser-sharp line across my bed. I grab my watch – only 5:20am. Of course; at negative 63 degrees latitude, even the earliest of morning hours looks like the middle of the day.

And the captain’s exclamation? Just an announcement over the ship’s intercom system. It’s too early, I decide – even for killer whales. “Good morning!” Captain Garcia says again, just as I’m dozing back into sleep. He’s no longer whispering; he’s far too excited. “There are humpbacks now – and a baby! The orcas are encircling them! This is incredible!” Then, as if speaking directly to me: “Do. Not. Sleep. On. This!”

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directive, our group shifts from one side of the ship to the other, oohing, ahhing and snapping photos all the while.

This is life aboard an Antarctic cruise. Unlike other cruises, this one – operated by the French company Ponant (ponant.com, 11-day voyages from €9230 [$15,000] per person) – comprises not activities but adventures. The itineraries are fluid and unpredictable, depending on the whims of one of the most inhospitable and mercurial places on the planet.

Ten-metre swells, ultrafast winds and frigid temperatures that can freeze a passage only hours after a ship has sailed through it all make for a truly intrepid expedition at the farthest ends of the earth. Every day brings a new mission.

ICE BREAKER:

Le Boréal, along with Ponant’s other polar-strengthened vessels, opens up the wilds of Antarctica with 11- to 16-day cruises

Photos: (seal) Nathalie Michel; (humpback) Margot Sib; (penguns) Laurence Fischer

I’m out of bed before I realise it and walking down the hall in my bathrobe towards the captain’s bridge, where I discover nearly every passenger aboard the 132-suite Le Boréal has already gathered around the thick glass encircling a giant switchboard of gizmos and dials.

Some have thrown their bright-red expedition jackets over pyjama tops and set out into the brisk cold of the bow deck for a better vantage. Others stare intensely through binoculars as Captain Garcia yells a play-by-play commentary of the action: “They are heading starboard side! The whale has breached! They’re at 10 o’clock! Everyone, portside!” With each

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One day, we summit the highest point of a mountain at Neko Harbour, then shudder when the crash of a nearby avalanche floods into Andvord Bay. On another, we pile into Zodiacs and dart through narrow passages between icebergs. Smaller ones bob like phosphorescent buoys; giant ones stretch for nearly a kilometre, covered in tightly packed snow accumulated over hundreds – maybe thousands – of years.

One morning, we wake up to find that Captain Garcia has sailed Le Boréal right into the edge of a massive ice sheet. We disembark and explore the vast stretch of white, sipping Champagne and giggling at a trio of penguins that wander into our impromptu party. And when we finally land on the mainland itself – not the ice sheets or the surrounding islands bearing names like Deception and Spert – the entire ship cheers: the passengers, the guides, the chefs, the bartenders and, perhaps louder than anyone else, Captain Garcia himself.

Still, however intrepid this cruise

may be, there’s nothing expedition-like about Le Boréal. Although the ship is reinforced for polar missions, its interiors are yacht-like, its service attentive and its French-leaning cuisine excellent (especially considering our distance from anything remotely resembling a farm or market). It’s small enough to feel intimate – and to allow for nimble navigation of even the most treacherous waters – yet large enough to provide plenty of room to stretch out sans the company of other passengers. And it’s strong enough to handle those 320km/h winds and towering waves like the steeliest of vessels. On days when the weather is bad, which happens with some regularity, there’s nary a complaint to be heard, as we engage in a riveting lecture on the mighty albatross or clever gentoo to feed our venturesome spirits. There’s also the knowledge that at any moment, Captain Garcia might interrupt our dinner, our afternoon tea, or even our contented sleep with the announcement of yet another extraordinary adventure just off the bow.

Photo: Nathalie Michel

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Photos: (clockwise, from top) Eric Laignel, François Lefebvre, Nathalie Michel (ship, pool), Mike Louagie

BOLD BEAUTY: Le BorĂŠal eschews standard exeditionship style for sleek yacht-like interiors punctuated by leather details and contemporary furnishings

Antarctica |

Race to the White Desert Le Boréal isn’t alone on its intrepid path. New expedition ships are hitting the frigid seas with state-ofthe-art technology and A-list luxuries never before seen on the Southern Continent.

Magellan Explorer THE SHIP: Set to debut next year,

Antarctica21’s newest ship is expected to elevate the nascent expedition cruise brand’s oferings, thanks to an avant-garde exterior design and residential-style suites dressed in natural woods and an earthy colour palette.

THE HIGHLIGHT: A state-of-the-art energy system that uses heat generated by the engines to warm

the ship and its water supply, signiicantly decreasing emissions.

THE ITINERARY: Quick trips are Antarctica21’s specialty: the company’s eight-day journeys bypass long days at sea with twohour lights from Punta Arenas, Chile, to the South Shetland Islands. From there, the western coast of the peninsula is a short sail away. From around $18,400 per person. antarctica21.com

Silver Cloud Expedition THE SHIP: Silversea

spent more than US$40 million to transform its 127-suite Silver Cloud into an ice-class-rated vessel. The new ship’s increased fortitude is ampliied by fresh interiors and a Relais & Châteaux restaurant.

THE HIGHLIGHT: The stellar crew, which includes up to 22 expedition-team members — including biologists, glaciologists and undersea specialists — and a butler for every cabin.

THE ITINERARY: Come

November, the ship will begin a four-month season of 10- and 15-day journeys to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. From $17,900 per person. silversea.com

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Scenic Eclipse THE SHIP: Due to be launched in January, Eclipse aims to be the most elegant ship on the Southern Ocean, with 114 spacious suites — including a ninth-deck penthouse with a 60-square-metre terrace — plus nine restaurants, eight lounges, a yoga studio and indoor and outdoor pools.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Exploring the highest peaks and the deepest ocean depths via the onboard helicopter and submarine.

THE ITINERARY: Eclipse will take a 12-day course on its inaugural Antarctic sailing, traversing the Chilean fjords, Beagle Channel and Falkland Islands before guests spend six action-packed days of snowshoeing, kayaking and Zodiac cruising among the peninsula’s icebergs and snow-covered mountains. From $12,520 per person. scenic.com.au

Le Ponant Icebreaker THE SHIP: A cutting-edge advancement beyond Ponant’s already-innovative ships, the 135-cabin Icebreaker will be one of the most environmentally friendly ships in the world, powered by electricity and liquefied natural gas for a nearly zero-emissions rating.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Plenty of toys for exploration, including 16 Zodiacs and two helicopters.

THE ITINERARIES: Though Icebreaker

isn’t scheduled to make its first Antarctic voyage until 2021, there’s much to look forward to — including Ponant’s promise to sail farther south than any other cruise ship for visits to previously inaccessible sites like the Weddell Sea, Charcot and Peter I Island. ponant.com

Hanseatic Inspiration THE SHIP: German cruising

giant Hapag-Lloyd will bring sleek European style to Antarctica next year with the arrival of this 120-cabin vessel decked out with smart white interiors and colourful modern furnishings. There’s also an Ocean Academy with an interactive media wall and a large spa with a Finnish sauna and year-round swimming pool.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Extra-long itineraries that allow for more days on the continent.

THE ITINERARY: Twelve- to 20-day journeys include multiple stops on the Antarctic mainland as well as visits to the South Shetland Islands, where underground springs and volcanoes are top attractions. From €13,348 ($21,800) per person. hl-cruises.com – J.C.

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Drive From California to Portofino

Ferrari’s new entry-level, everyday drive is simply better by design

by Michael Stahl f Ferrari could have designed its own designer, it could not have produced a more appropriate one than Flavio Manzoni. Senior vice-president of design for the Italian supercar maker since 2010, Manzoni studied architecture and industrial design at the University of Florence. His automotive career path began in 1993 at Fiat, where he focused on designing interiors, before a move to Volkswagen had him creating everything from spaceefficient city cars to the brand identity of hyper-luxury Bugatti. In his spare time, Manzoni became an accomplished classical pianist.

In short, Manzoni is the complete package, with a deep understanding of space, elegance, functionality, comfort, performance and luxury – and the complex interactions among them. With a natural aversion to superficial styling, he is the designer’s designer.

Enthusiasts are naturally agog when it comes to Manzoni’s performance flagships like the limited-production LaFerrari of

I

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2013. However, the fuller expression of his brilliance might just lie in the more multi-functional Ferraris – namely, the GTC4Lusso grand tourer and the car you see here, the Portofino.

Introduced earlier this year, the Portofino is Ferrari’s entry-level ‘everyday’ model, replacing the California. That predecessor, while not likely to be remembered among Ferrari’s most outstanding models, was unquestionably successful in filling its brief: some 70 per cent of its customers were new to the prancing horse brand, a notable percentage of them women.

Most were drawn by its comfortable, 2+2-seat coupé body with retractable hardtop, an easy-driving, turbocharged V8 engine with paddle-shift transmission, everyday usability and the considerable carrot of seven years’ free servicing. Oh, and the yellow prancinghorse shield on the California’s flanks. All of those elements, but not much else, carry over to the Portofino.

With a starting price of $399,888 – and an options list (think

FERRARI PORTOFINO Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, front-mounted

The front-engined Portofino is as it should be: a technically advanced, superperformance sports car that remains practical, comfortable and unintimidating to drive

Power/torque: 441kW/760Nm Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch manual, rear-wheel drive Performance: 0-100km/h in 3.5 sec Weight: 1644 kilograms

Photos: Thomas Wielecki

Price: $399,888

$2100 floor mats) that will typically blow that out by at least 10 per cent – the Portofino is $70,000 cheaper than the next-up 488 series. The two cars share the 3.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but the 488 is an uncompromising, midengined two-seater, tuned for more power and aggression.

The front-engined Portofino is as it should be: a technically advanced, super-performance sports car that remains practical, comfortable and unintimidating to drive.

Underpinning the Portofino is a new aluminium architecture that contributes to a kerb weight of 1644 kilograms. While no featherweight in comparison with its stablemate 488, which is 190 kilograms lighter, it’s shaved 80 kilograms from the preceding California T – while improving body stiffness by a claimed 35 per cent.

The Portofino’s exterior styling intrigues with its forms and details. Slats that flank the headlights suggest some kind of aerodynamic trick; indeed, they duct air through the wheel arches to exit through vents ahead of the doors, thus delivering brake-cooling air with no aerodynamic penalty. The cinched waistline and muscular haunches imply the Portofino’s rearward weight bias (54 per cent).

The roofline is unusual among hardtop convertibles – or any convertible – in maintaining a true fastback silhouette.

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Drive | Ferrari Portofino

stitching suggesting premium furnishings and luggage. And the Portofino passenger is more involved than most, via their own sliver-like display with a menu of navigation and audio controls, and vehicle dynamics information.

For the driver, there’s a vast range of seating variability and cosseting that’s disappointing only in its poor lumbar support (or at least, it was frustrating in this driver’s being unable to find its adjustment, if it does exist). Ahead, the dashboard is beautifully sculpted, bringing both driver focus with the central tachometer (the yellow face of which is a $1256 option) flanked by smaller info screens, and straightforward functionality via its larger, central touch monitor.

Ferrari prides itself on being freed of column stalks, its steering wheel now housing functions such as turn signals, headlights, wipers and engine start, along with the F1-inspired Manettino dynamic mode dial. Access to the flanking gearshift paddles is thus improved. Our test car was fitted with the optional carbon-fibre steering wheel ($8300), which incorporates gear upshift lights in the upper rim.

The roof is operated via a one-touch switch on the centre console. It takes just 14 seconds to fold or erect and may be done

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while on the move (at up to 40km/h). It’s quite a crowd-puller on its own, too, as the rear bodywork hinges open rearwards to digest the sandwiching rear window and roof panel. The boot capacity of 292 litres (with roof up) loses perhaps one-third of its volume when the roof is folded within, but it remains adequate for a suitcase and a couple of soft bags.

At the business end, the Portofino’s 3.9-litre, twin-turbo V8 is a development of that in the previous California, having had a raft of changes in metallurgy, electronic sensing, adaptive ignition and inlet charge intercooling, to increase outputs to 441kW and 760Nm. Driving through the sevenspeed dual-clutch transmission, Ferrari claims 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 320km/h-plus.

As admirable as the Portofino’s hairraising acceleration is its civility in city driving. In fact, with the seven-speed transmission in Auto mode and the Manettino in Comfort (with Sport and ESC Off as the other options), in sedate driving the lazy upshifts and droning exhaust note at lower rpm make it seem ponderous.

Flicking the transmission to manual begins to unleash the Ferrari brio, also triggering the internal exhaust flaps that allow the gorgeous, stirring sound one expects.

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

Photos: Thomas Wielecki

The soundness and sophistication of the Portofino’s chassis shines in all kinds of driving; capable enough for the occasional track day, though that’s more obviously the domain of the mid-engined 488. The Portofino delivers its press-on driving enjoyment through stability and grip, rather than chuckability. That said, for all its weight and imposing width, the Porto is very wieldy and easy to place on the road, helped by impressively quick (but always a tad too light) steering. The ride, too, remains on the busy side, and that’s despite the (optional, $8970) ‘Magneride’ variable damping.

Still, that never fails to translate to massive traction and thundering cornering performance. The slightly rearward weight distribution – thanks to both the rearmounted gearbox and all the folding-roof gubbins back there – certainly helps, but there’s also a suite of clever electronics, including the clutches within the differential that constantly apportion drive to the side with the most traction.

The Portofino’s dual personality is also neatly illustrated in the brakes: highly technical carbon-ceramic units, directly derived from motor sport, yet here able to deliver their superior stopping power, fade resistance and durability with no penalty in terms of pedal feel.

And there’s the thing. Not long ago at all, cars this capable were demanding to drive, temperamental in town, and cantankerous and costly to own. Yet the Portofino has an everyday docility that’s completely in harmony with the supercar lurking within.

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the palate astonishes’ ‘incredib oise’ ’seamlessly vibrant’ ‘inc le persistence.’ ‘Delicious’ ‘an imension’ ‘distinguished grac breathtaking’ ‘Magnificently v uous’ ‘on a plane of its own’ ‘e mental’ ‘One of the great Grang A great classic’ ’gorgeous but s ruffles and blackberries’ ‘ pow nd intensity’ ‘the top of the py mid’ ‘Densely packed’ ’totally h monious’ ’impeccably balanced Glass-staining purple’ ’high-oc aw-dropping’ ‘the greatest you Australian wine I have ever tast

Christmas Gift Guide 2018 A recurring joy for us at Robb Report Australia & New Zealand is the opportunity to meet our readers, many influential people in society and business, and those who create and purvey the finest in luxury products.

One question we often ask is: what’s your definition of luxury?

Perhaps to the surprise of a few, the response is almost invariable: time and experiences spent among family and friends.

Irrespective of the religious significance, if any, that this time of year holds for you, the fact is that the ‘holiday season’ – typically enjoyed in Australia in rampant sunshine – is the catalyst for loved ones to think of each other, reignite contact with each other and, where possible, arrange time together.

What I will call (for history’s and simplicity’s sake) the ‘spirit of Christmas’ that stems from this thinking of others, also attends the contemplation of gifts. And we’ve been very much in its glow as we’ve curated, on the following pages, a fabulous array of gift ideas that you’re sure to associate with various of the family and friends on your shopping list.

We hope you enjoy the perusing as much as the giving, and wish you every happiness through the season.

Michael Stahl Editor in Chief

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Inspired choices For those hard-to-buy-for friends, family, colleagues, neighbours …

VEUVE CLICQUOT GOUACHE LIMITED EDITION Yellow Label Gouache $80, Rosé Gouache $100, thechampagnecompany.com French champagne house Veuve Clicquot takes the artistry of its trade to another level with the Gouache edition, presenting a bottle of its trademark Yellow Label, or the delicate Rosé, in a container shaped like a paint tube (gouache is a type of artist’s paint). A beautiful keepsake for any true artist – although with the distinctive container also able to keep the precious liquid chilled for up to two hours, there’ll be no judgement from us if this gift doesn’t make it past New Year’s Eve. – STEVE COLQUHOUN

MONTBLANC MEISTERSTÜCK LE PETIT PRINCE SPECIAL EDITION From $960 to $2400, montblanc.com The storied German pen maker celebrates one of the most globally loved children’s books, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince, with a range of pens based on its famous Meisterstück range. Graphic elements etched into the case symbolise key characters and powerful messages from Le Petit Prince, the enchanting tale of a chance encounter between a pilot and a little prince from a distant planet, which has been translated into more than 250 languages. – S.C.

AL NASSMA CAMEL MILK CHOCOLATE From $13.50, gourmetlife.com.au You could preach the health beneits of camel versus cow milk: the former, slightly saltier in taste, carries ive times the vitamin C and 10 times the iron, and lacks the proteins that cause many dairy allergies. Or impress with the fact that camel milk is seven times more expensive.

Then describe the logistical efort in creating ine chocolate, with zero additives or preservatives, in the 50°C summers of Dubai. Or you could just let Al Nassma chocolate, the irst of its kind, speak for itself. It’s available in white, milk or dark varieties, with a choice of authentic illings including dates, pistachio and cofee. The wooden casket gift box ($98) and 700-gram camel igure ($119) provide the perfect presentation.

– MICHAEL STAHL

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JAGUAR E-TYPE – 50 YEARS OF A DESIGN ICON $74, jaguar-merchandise.com.au Enzo Ferrari once famously said: “The Jaguar E-Type is the most beautiful car ever made.” More often described simply as “sex on wheels” (and going at it again in the ’90s as Austin Powers’ ‘Shaguar’), the E-Type’s signiicance in both automotive and popular culture is celebrated in Jaguar E-Type – 50 Years of a Design Icon (FP Creative). It’s a fascinating and itting tribute to a car that was as technically advanced as it was beautiful. – M.S.

MUNGO AND MAUD PET ACCESSORIES From $205, mungoandmaud.com Inspired by primary colours and elementary school, British brand Mungo and Maud’s newest collection is the perfect way to spoil your dog this Christmas – in advance of next winter. Mungo and Maud strive to ensure that style is not sacriiced for practicality, as is efortlessly demonstrated by the beautiful Quilted Coat (small, around $205; large, around $240) in navy blue – a simple cotton-blend fabric coat, uplifted with a chic, chintz inish. It is water repellent, with a Velcro closure and underbelly protection. No less digniied is the Beetle Coat (around $260-$278), cheerful in cherry red, but also available in grey and olive.

It has button detailing and a sporty pufer inish; your pug will be snug as a bug. – MEGAN DYE

LARK DISTILLER’S SELECTION 500ML TASMANIAN WHISKY $170, larkdistillery.com Australia is gaining a well-earned reputation internationally for its beautifully crafted whiskies.

But supply is running far behind demand and it’s tough to get your hands on anything truly special.

This bottle hails from the very cradle of Australian whisky – the Lark Distillery in Tasmania, presided over by Bill Lark, the man who started it all. Lark Distiller’s Selection is sweet and fruity on the nose, with smooth chocolate and salted caramel across the palate and a big oak inish. Presented in a beautiful gift box, it’s Tasmania in a bottle. – S.C.

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Style statement The most covetable fashion and accessories with which to stuf stockings FENDI LOGO PRINT PIECES From $1750, fendi.com If you like your fashion with a capital F, make a statement this summer in one of Fendi’s playful twists on its logo. The colourful Heart Print Shirt ($1750) is a lattering pyjama-top style in teal and gold, while the F Print logo trench ($7300) and Logo Of The Shoulder dress ($4800) come in classic Fendi brown and tan. The three pieces perfectly showcase the mix of wit and heritage that has come to deine the Italian brand jointly helmed by Silvia Venturini Fendi as creative director of accessories and menswear and Karl Lagerfeld as artistic director. – GEORGINA SAFE

SARAH & SEBASTIAN EARRINGS From $1590, sarahandsebastian.com

CDLP SEA ISLAND BOXER SHORTS From £70, mrporter.com

Once best known for its barely-there delicate jewellery, Sydney brand Sarah & Sebastian has recently begun exploring larger statement pieces. The New Tidal earrings ($1590) feature an organic, warped silhouette with a sandblasted textured inish, and the colourful Double Prism earrings ($2800) in nine-karat yellow gold with semi-precious rainbow stones are perfect for Christmas Day and beyond. Wear them with everything from a breezy white summer dress to a glamorous cocktail gown for functions over the entertaining season. – G.S.

The Stockholm-based brand CDLP has the perfect Christmas gift – its limited-edition Sea Island Cotton Boxer Shorts (from £70). Sea Island Cotton is one of the rarest and most luxurious in the world, accounting for just .0004 per cent of the world’s cotton supply. With silky lustre and a ine uniform texture, these boxer shorts are luxurious and extremely comfortable, thanks to cotton grown in the West Indies and handcrafted by textile artisans in Portugal. The shorts are modern and elevated in design, with a slim silhouette. They are sure to be a Christmas favourite. – M.D.

LOUIS VUITTON SHAWLS $605, louisvuitton.com While summer days are long and warm, the evenings can turn chilly, making a shawl a smart as well as stylish accessory. Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Shine Shawl ($840) with an ombre-efect monogram pattern has a subtle shimmer thanks to the use of a soft-shine yarn, while its Pop Monogram Square ($605) is a playful twist on the house’s iconic patterns. The central Monogram Flower comprises a joyful mix of straps, locks and chains in a rif on the historic leatherwork codes of the house, and the addition of dots and stripes give a fresh update to the much-loved Louis Vuitton monogram. – G.S.

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BOTTEGA VENETA INTRECCIATO BUTTER CALF BACKPACK $4190, bottegaveneta.com.au Speaking of house codes, Bottega Veneta’s Intrecciato leather weaving technique is as iconic as they come. This Intrecciato Butter Calf Backpack ($4190) features a panel showcasing the Intrecciato technique on the front and has a top handle and adjustable backpack straps. With a front zip pocket, interior zip pocket and three interior slip pockets, there are plenty of clever storage options, making it easy to keep track of documents and essential items. A perfect travel companion, the made-in-Italy accessory is ideal for an active lifestyle, or simply for anyone who appreciates clever and reined design. – G.S.

LOCK & CO. ROLLABLE PANAMA HAT $450, lockhatters.co.uk Costing anywhere between $400 for a very good example to $25,000 for the inest, at either level, a quality Panama hat represents something of an investment. It’s also quite tricky to travel with and prone to being crushed, which is why we recommend the natty, easily transported rollable style. Lock & Co. of St James’s, London, the oldest hat shop in existence (established 1676), stocks and ships internationally an excellent entry-level rollable Panama. Priced at £250 ($450), it’s of suicient quality that you’ll be able to hold your head high, but not so eyewateringly expensive that you’d shed too many tears should it happen to be swept away by the Caribbean breeze. For the fearless aicionado who laughs in the face of tropical squalls, however, Lock also purveys a rollable Superino Panama, handcrafted in Montecristi, Ecuador and priced at £1195 ($2160). – CHRISTIAN BARKER

BERLUTI FAST TRACK TRAINERS From $1700, matchesfashion.com/au Be bold this Christmas with Berluti. The Parisian fashion company has expanded its men’s shoe collection this season with the Fast Track Trainer Shoe (from $1700); a beautiful hybrid of the Oxford shoe and a sports trainer. It is a uniquely contemporary dynamic that breaks the rules. Each shoe is Italian-crafted from Berluti’s Mogano leather with decorative perforations, a two-hole lace-up front and a tan-brown, white and black rubber sole. Available through MatchesFashion, this shoe would be the perfect gift this Christmas. – M.D.

LOEWE FLAMENCO KNOT TOTE BAG $2495, parlourx.com Loewe demonstrates its meticulous craftsmanship this Christmas with the gorgeous caramel leather Flamenco Knot Tote Bag ($2495). It is both surprisingly spacious and wonderfully stylish. It is accented with the Loewe debossed anagram logo while the rolled leather top handles thread through the sides of the bag, with the trademark lamenco knots enriching the otherwise smooth silhouette. Crafted from soft natural calfskin, it features a suede lining and black lacquered edges. The colour, size and shape of the bag make for the perfect everyday companion to a classic, yet contemporary, wardrobe. – M.D.

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A pink Christmas Pink diamonds are extremely rare and up to 20 times more valuable than white diamonds – and the Argyle mine in Western Australia produces around 90 per cent of the world’s supply.

They have been treasured throughout history by royalty (the 23-carat Williamson diamond is currently owned by Queen Elizabeth II) and are also favoured today on the red carpet by celebrities from Mariah Carey to Blake Lively. Dare we say it: an eternal gift. – GEORGINA SAFE

Van Cleef & Arpels vancleefarpels.com The fairytales of the Brothers Grimm provided the inspiration for the new Quatre contes de Grimm high jewellery collection by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The French luxury brand reinterpreted four tales – The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Golden Bird, The Three Feathers and The Town Musicians of Bremen – in a series of pieces featuring the birds, animals and princesses that inhabit the stories. The collection continues the house’s tradition of taking inspiration from art and culture, in particular the worlds of ballet and dance. Charming examples from this collection are the Princesse Eos, Princesse Danica and Princesse Hemera clips, each representing one of the 12 princesses from the brothers’ tales.

Pink Kimberley Diamonds pinkkimberley.com.au An Australian family-owned company, Pink Kimberley Diamonds was founded in 1967 with a vision for prestige and exquisite jewels. From the company’s Pink Kimberley collection, the Chantilly ring ($157,731) was a finalist in the Red Carpet category of the recent Diamond Guild Australia Jewellery Awards. Other breathtaking pieces include the Corowa earrings ($19,780), the Cybele pendant ($30,461) and the Peyton ring ($66,696).

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Fairfax & Roberts fairfaxandroberts.com.au Fairfax & Roberts first opened for business in 1858 on Sydney’s George Street, initially as a watchmaker and soon after, a creator of fine jewellery. Today the company is renowned for its customdesigned pieces, often featuring pink diamonds. Current pieces include a ring in 18-karat white and rose gold with a fancy orange pink pear-cut centre diamond and an Argyle Pink Diamond halo ($138,600); a platinum and diamond pendant featuring a pink diamond centre and 22 round brilliant-cut diamonds ($17,800); and a ring in 18-karat white gold with a 3.51-carat cushion centre diamond and two heart-shaped pink diamonds ($168,900) (not shown).

J Farren-Price jfarrenprice.com.au In Muzo Emerald Columbia and Argyle Pink Diamonds, two of the world’s most prized stones come together in this collection sold by J Farren-Price (a founding member of the Diamond Guild Australia). The collection, which includes an 8-carat pear-shaped ring and a 15-carat emerald-cut design, is the second J Farren Price collection to marry the seductive qualities of both diamond brands. Other Argyle Pink Diamond pieces include a stunning jade and Argyle Pink Diamond dress ring and a matching necklace, and a number of rings, of which an emerald-cut pink diamond ring ($725,000) and a round-cut Argyle Pink Diamond and whitediamond ring ($538,000) are particularly spectacular.

Paspaley paspaley.com Paspaley is renowned for its South Sea cultured pearls – which are among the most beautiful in the world – but the Australian jeweller also incorporates exquisite stones into many of its pieces. At the heart of each collection is the bounty from the Pinctada maxima pearl oyster, found only in the Kimberley – but pink diamonds are regularly sprinkled through each collection. Examples include a pair of earrings with pink diamonds of 1.459 carats, two 15mm Paspaley pearls and 32 white diamonds of 2.186 carats ($93,800); and a necklace with pink diamonds of 0.8 carats, white diamonds of 1.09 carats and a spectacular 17mm baroque Paspaley pearl ($92,800).

Mondial mondial.com.au Australian jeweller Mondial began when Fred Neuman and his wife Maria opened a jewellery store named Carina Jewellers in 1962 in Sydney. In the ’70s the Neumans shifted their focus to jewellery wholesaling, during which time they developed a love of coloured gems – and today they lavish that love specifically on pink diamonds. Mondial in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building is a treasure trove of pink beauties, including a ring featuring a radiant-cut Argyle Pink Diamond of 0.89 carats surrounded by eight ovals of 3.67 carats ($POA), and a classic feminine engagement set with an Argyle Pink Diamond ring and matching pink diamond wedding band ($26,000 for the set).

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Marking time Both practical and aesthetically pleasing, timepieces make the ultimate lasting gift statement

ULYSSE NARDIN EXECUTIVE SKELETON TOURBILLON HYPERSPACE First gaining renown in the 19th century as a trusted purveyor of marine chronometers to seafarers, Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin’s latest timepiece takes inspiration from ships of another sort — spacecraft.

Encased in ultra-light titanium, the Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace, which debuted at the recent 2018 Cannes Film Festival, draws cues from the Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo in the Star Wars saga. Its open-worked design, and lessis-more UN-171 manufacture movement with a lying silicium ‘hyperspace’ tourbillon is redolent of the stripped-back aesthetic of the famed starship that “made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs” (or so rakish smuggler Solo claimed). Available in three colourways, the force is strong in this one. $70,000, ulysse-nardin.com – CHRISTIAN BARKER

TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 LADY In a recent interview with Robb Report Australia & NZ, watch industry legend Jean-Claude Biver (who retired from a highly successful run as TAG Heuer’s CEO in September) remarked: “There’s a new generation that is coming, and we have to work to address and to communicate with this generation. Because if we cannot get them attracted to the idea of a watch when they are 18, 25 or 30, how can we sell them a watch later?” With its easily interchangeable straps, fashionable ‘luxeathleisure’ aesthetic and accessible price point, TAG Heuer’s new quartz-powered Formula 1 Lady will undoubtedly appeal to this new customer. Once again, Monsieur Biver comes up with a winning formula.

From $2700, tagheuer.com – C.B.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE ATMOS 568 CLOCK

BY MARC NEWSON Perhaps the ultimate gift for the lover of late-20th century design, one of the dozen or so examples of Marc Newson’s iconic Lockheed Lounge will set you back more than $3.5 million, if recent auction results are any indication. Sound a little extravagant? Fortunately, Jaeger-LeCoultre has provided a more afordable route to installing a Newson rarity in the home of your nearest-and-dearest design aicionado.

JLC’s latest collaboration with the famed Sydney-bred creative genius sees Newson again reinterpret the Atmos clock — a veritable perpetual motion machine, powered by changes in atmospheric pressure, and encased in curvaceous Baccarat crystal.

Available from J Farren-Price, from around $40,000, jfarrenprice.com.au – C.B.

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VACHERON CONSTANTIN FIFTYSIX DAY-DATE A handful of other watch companies can lay claim to having been registered at earlier dates. However, as each of them paused production for a time, it is Vacheron Constantin – established in 1755 – that holds the title of world’s oldest watchmaker in continuous operation. While best known for its traditional timepieces, the storied manufacture asserted its contemporary bona ides with the new FiftySix range launched at this year’s SIHH watch fair.

Though elegant and classic, the line is nevertheless squarely aimed at a new, younger customer. While FiftySix prices start at an amazing $16,700, if you’re feeling particularly generous (to the tune of $48,000) towards a millennial this Christmas, may we suggest considering the beautiful FiftySix Day-Date in 18K pink gold? vacheron-constantin.com – C.B.

A home run Add to list … Sculpture, storage and safe-keeping GIOBAGNARA SCULPTURE Noble materials, graphic lines … Interior architect and designer Stéphane Parmentier began his career working for Karl Lagerfeld. He’s now the artistic director of Giorgio Bagnara’s design outfit, Giobagnara, and this season’s creations include Tabou Sculpture 3, a 72cmtall study in leather, suede and bronze, for $3300. Parmentier’s work borrows from GrecoRoman antiquity, Puglian landscapes and Japanese artistic restraint, but still manages to convey that Italian art of living. beckerminty.com – SUSAN SKELLY

DEDON FEDRO CHAIR Call it a rocker (it balances on two skids), a beach chair or a picnic essential, the stackable ‘Fedro’ seat from homemakers Dedon ($1395) has all the colour and charisma of a Costa Rican rainforest. Its weatherproof, colourfast woven fibre is stretched over an aluminium frame and has a comfortable quick-dry fabric headrest. Designer Lorenza Bozzoli took her cue from something right in front of her nose – a son playing a video game on TV while balancing on the seat of a chair without legs. Fedro borrows its colours from three birds of paradise – the flamingo, the hummingbird colibrí and the quetzal. dedonliving.com.au – S.S.

VERSACE HOME TREASURES Everyone needs a treasure chest. And no one is going to do one quite like Versace. ‘Medusa’ ($1700) announces itself with a signature Versace 24-karat gold-plated clasp, a case in aqua cow leather printed with a crocodile-skin pattern and a fabric lining with signature opulent black and gold Barocco print. Assuming you have change left over from shopping our pages, here’s the porcelain money box to hide it in. ‘Break the Bank’ ($272) is new from a gift collection by Rosenthal meets Versace, which says it all. Both belong to the Versace Home range, on show in Sydney in Waterloo and at Sheraton on the Park. palazzocollezioni.com.au – S.S.

COCO REPUBLIC FINISHING TOUCHES Coco Republic is a one-stop shop when all your friends are homemaker types. The candles, cushions and vases won’t be re-gifted. So let the hankering begin … with a sumptuous Timothy Oulton faux fox throw ($415), which looks inviting whether tossed over an armchair or the edge of a bed.

It’s incredibly soft and snuggly, and no foxes were harmed in the process.

Also to love is the 15-kilo Frye table lamp in clear crystal with a cap of vintage brass sheeting cut to look like a dripping candle; the shade is white microfibre ($1210). cocorepublic.com.au – S.S.

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Kitted out For the technocrat in your life, only the latest and greatest will do HASSELBLAD X1D FIELD KIT $24,995, hasselblad.com If you’re looking for the ultimate camera for your travels, you can’t go past this starter kit from the fabled Swedish brand Hasselblad, whose long-lived H-series captured some of the most iconic images on earth (and of it, as NASA’s oicial camera of the Apollo missions).

At the heart of this ield kit is the brand’s new-generation X1D-50c camera, which here comes with a Pelican carry bag and three diferent lenses: XCD 3.5/30, XCD 3.5/45 and XCD 3.2/90. There are also a couple of batteries so you never run out of juice, and a plethora of cleaning accessories to keep the dust and grit away while on safari. – BENNETT RING

CHILLI ISLAND Approx US$15,000, chilliisland.fr/en Chilli Island is a motorised loating deck chair that can comfortably accommodate two people for a leisurely loat/ cruise, with no boat licence required. Measuring approximately 2.5 metres in diameter and weighing 300 kilograms, it comprises a ibreglass internal frame and polyethylene body.

Overhead, adjustable palm fronds provide shade and there’s a built-in ice bucket, cup holders, 80-watt sound system, LED lighting and an underwater camera. Chilli Island is propelled by a Torqeedo electric motor, available in 0.5kW and 1kW options, with a pair of 300Ah batteries that keep it operational for up to six hours. The fun begins by creating your custom Chilli Island via a dedicated app. – JENI BONE

BANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND EDGE $5000, bang-olufsen.com/en

DJI MAVIC 2 DRONE WITH DJI GOGGLES RACING EDITION $3358, store.dji.com Five years ago, a drone of this quality would easily have set you back at least $15,000 – so it’s quite incredible to see DJI push the envelope so quickly. The Mavic 2 is by far the best consumer drone on the market, and the crystal-clear Hasselblad 4K camera can take images up to seven kilometres away thanks to a 31-minute light time. We’ve seen this drone hit altitudes above 1500 metres, and the new auto-tracking technology means you can just throw it up in the air, set it to follow you, and then let it do its work. Add in a pair of DJI Goggles and it’s like being in the drone; you can even control its lightpath with head motion. An amazing, must-have piece of technology. – B.R.

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B&O is renowned for delivering stunning audio quality on a larger scale, but this wi-i-enabled speaker dials things down a notch. It’s relatively small, with a minimalist circular aluminium design and a circumference of just 50cm. But crammed within is an active 10-inch woofer design with bass port, twin threequarter-inch tweeters, twin four-inch mid-range tweeters and six Class D amps. Expect this small disk of Danish design to punch out seriously loud and clear music. Best of all it has touch controls and motion sensors, and you can adjust the volume by rolling it up and down the wall, where it’s held in place by an invisible mount. – B.R.

TECHNOGYM SKILLBIKE $5995, technogym.com/skillbike Indoor cycle trainers don’t really mimic the exact performance of cycling, but the Technogym SKILLBIKE changes all that. It’s the irst indoor bike with real gears, known as ‘Real Gear Shift’ technology, which replicates the challenges of uphill riding. This is tied to the ‘Multidrive Technology’ that allows riders to lick between a power-based routine to authentic hill climbing situations. It may look like a light-cycle from Tron, but the ergonomic design perfectly represents real riding position, while the seven-inch LCD monitor provides a wealth of information, from heartrate to distance travelled (including vertically). And even better, there’s no worry about near-misses with inattentive drivers. – B.R.

HUMMINGBIRD E-BIKE £4495, hummingbirdbike.com/shop/

DENON AVC-X8500H AMPLIFIER $5999, au.denon.com/au

British company Hummingbird – which produces the world’s lightest folding bicycle, at 6.9 kilos – has outdone itself with an electric version weighing just 10.3 kilos. That’s still lighter than the average commuter bike, but the Hummingbird’s lithium battery can propel it at up to 25km/h for a range of 160 kilometres, recharging in just two hours. The accompanying Bitride app lets you access online diagnosis, navigation and mobility stats, and even remotely lock the rear wheel for security. Assembled by Prodrive, which designs, builds and races cars for Aston Martin and others, this serious piece of precision engineering is made from the world’s most advanced composite technologies.

– NICK SCOTT

You name it, this amp does it – from packaging top-of-the-class components to deliver room-shaking audio so clear that you’ll hear the guitarist plucking and squeaking each string, to handling up to 13.2 channels of audio. That’s because it has to, thanks to its support for the latest Dolby Atmos surround technology, which allows for the installation of speakers in your ceiling – perfect for capturing that true cinema soundscape. We could list the supported specs if we took another whole page, but trust us; if there’s a sound spec out there, the Denon AVC-X8500H ampliier supports it. It’s potentially a panacea for all your audiophile’s ills. – B.R.

DYSON SUPERSONIC 23.75-KARAT GOLD HAIR DRYER $699, dyson.com.au/haircare/supersonic/supersonicblue-gold We’re fairly conident in saying there’s never been a hairdryer quite like it.

Conceived by British billionaire inventor James Dyson, the Dyson Supersonic 23.75-karat gold hair dryer uses a traditional hand-gilding process to apply pure gold to its signature ‘ring’ component. Dyson’s team of 103 engineers went through some 600 prototypes in reining the gilding process. After exploring mainstream industrial processes and techniques, the engineers determined that the gold coating – comprised of ive gold leaves, each just 333 atoms thick, sourced from Florence – was best performed by hand, by a skilled craftsman. Aside from its hand-applied elegance and rarity, the light weight Dyson Supersonic has many practical features, including an intelligent heat control system, fast and eicient drying and quiet operation. – M.S.

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Into the black An epic journey awaits on the mythical dark waters of the Amazon’s little-known Rio Negro

by Nora Walsh photography by Rodrigo Capote

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Brazil |

The palm tree looks innocuous enough.

Its slender stalk stretches higher than a lagpole, bursting through the darkened canopy above to scatter tiny rays of sunlight across the ferns and vines around me. But Jefson Araujo dos Santos knows this benign-looking tree is anything but. The machete-toting guide has brought me into the mysterious depths of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest to show me that, as he says, “the same thing in the jungle can help you – or harm you”.

B

y way of explanation, Araujo beckons me to feel the edge of the palm’s trunk; indeed, an unsuspecting explorer could easily be sliced by its well-camouflaged, razor-sharp shaft.

But this malevolent palm offers a bit of mercy for its victims, Araujo explains, as he scrapes its stalk with his broad blade to produce a pile of pea-green shavings. “The same tree is also a natural antiseptic that clots the blood of an open wound.”

The legendary Amazon is indeed a force to be reckoned with: a place where nothing is as it seems and everything has a dark side. Palm trees that can cut you wide open

JUNGLE FEVER: A trek into the Brazilian Amazon reveals the delights – and dangers – of the world's largest tropical rainforest

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and then offer a soothing salve to remedy your pain are just the beginning. Tales of terrifying creatures (from venomous bullet ants with the most painful sting on Earth to vampire fish with a taste for human flesh) and fantastical plants (from corpse flowers to trees that can walk) enshroud this more than five-million-squarekilometre region in myth and mystery. But here in the dense jungle with Araujo – a former army lieutenant who spent nine years defending Brazil’s indigenous lands

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and people from loggers, miners and other nefarious characters before launching his Jaguar Jungle Tours adventure company in 2002 – the Amazon appears more precious than perilous. The forest is spoiling with delicious fruit; anything that isn’t “hairy, milky and bitter” is safe to eat, Araujo says. That means tangy cupuaçu, passion fruit, acai and citrusy bacuri. Overhead, noisy kingfishers chirp and iridescent dragonflies flutter. At one point, I see a flash of electric blue – a magnificent morpho butterfly with giant sapphire wings. I’m enchanted. This is not the menacing place I’ve read about.

Perhaps that’s because just beyond this thicket of rainforest lies the Rio Negro, the

CRUISE CONTROL: The 35-metre Eugenio plies the waters of the Rio Negro’s unspoiled tributaries and verdant national parks

Amazon River’s dark-hued tributary that runs from Colombia through Venezuela and into Brazil – an outlier among the murky brown waters for which the Amazon is known. I’ve been sailing this secret stretch of black water for days, and though I’ve encountered colourful toucans and leaf frogs along the way, I’ve yet to meet the frightening cast of critters that have long served as a warning to those daring enough to visit this fabled region.

I’ve also yet to encounter the riverboats that regularly cruise up and down the Amazon’s better-known stretches in neighbouring Peru. Instead, I’ve been drifting down the Negro aboard the 35-metre Eugenio, a six-cabin superyacht where I’m sharing the scenery with Martin Frankenberg, owner of the São Paulo–based travel outfitter Matueté (matuete.com) and the man behind a series of new trips to this covert offshoot of the world’s largest

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Take Progressive Dining to new heights...

Escape the hustle of 9-5, with a breathtaking helicopter ride over iconic Auckland landmark Rangitoto, amidst the sweeping coastline of renowned Waiheke Island. Land by the water’s edge to relish in a world class wine tasting and dining experience at three stunning Waiheke vineyards.

www.heletranz.co.nz

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Brazil |

The legendary Amazon is indeed a force to be reckoned with, where nothing is as it seems and everything has a dark side

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The Appreciation of Excellence

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Brazil |

river. Frankenberg has assembled an A-list team of Amazon experts to accompany us on a five-day adventure. In addition to our yacht’s seven-person crew, there’s Kapïro Apurinã, a local guide raised in a small tribe not far from these very waters; Isabela Abreu, Matueté’s head guide; and Felipe Schaedler, the celebrated chef behind Brazil’s acclaimed rainforest-to-table restaurant, Banzeiro. Sailing down the Negro, passing the occasional fisherman’s rabeta, it occurs to me that Eugenio is a floating microcosm of Amazonian life: one on which the vast region’s unique flavours, history and culture converge in one place.

On board Eugenio, the Amazon is at its most comfortable. When I’m not resting in my sun-drenched master suite, I’m dining on Schaedler’s tasting menus, which are packed with local ingredients – fresh river fish, manioc flour, Brazil nuts and rare Yanomami mushrooms included – and taking cat naps on the deck after languid afternoon swims. All the while, the

Eugenio is a floating microcosm of Amazonian life: where the vast region’s unique flavours, history and culture converge in one place

SUPER YACHT: With its six bedrooms and crew of seven, Eugenio is a luxurious retreat on the darkhued waters of the Rio Negro

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adventure of what lies just beyond – tree climbs and jungle hikes with Apuriña, canoe trips through snaking river canals with Abreu – is but an anchor drop or skiff ride away. One day, we sail up the brackish waters of the Ariau River to fish for piranhas and are surprised by a troupe of white-faced squirrel monkeys – one of which snatches a banana straight from Apurinã’s hand.

Another day, we feast on freshly grilled fish and vegetables on a torch-lit beach. And one evening, we weave through the slender islands of Anavilhanas National Park, home to one of the largest fluvial archipelagos in the world. When the yacht moors near a stretch of white sand, I dive into the silky, warm water – mosquito-free, Frankenberg says, due to the river’s slightly acidic

composition – just as a fiery red moon rises from the horizon. Everything looks fresh, feels fresh, smells fresh. I spot a radiant flare shooting through the sky that changes from scarlet to orange to emerald before disappearing. It’s my first meteor.

Ultimately, it is the Rio Negro’s waters that prove the most thrilling part of the adventure. Utterly unmarred by the presence of tourists – not to mention the dangerous predators that would make swimming in even the freshest waters of the Amazon River unthinkable – the tributary is a tangible (and literal) immersion into this thriving ecosystem. On my final morning aboard Eugenio, I am roused by the calls of cormorants just as we moor at Lago Acajatuba, a small bayou not far from the junction between the Negro and the Amazon. It is there that perhaps the Amazon’s most genuinely innocuous species can be found: the pink river dolphin.

Only a minute after I’ve dipped into the

FRESH DIRECT: Chef Felipe Schaedler draws from the local bounty for every meal, employing native fruits like tangy capuaçu and acai and fresh fish straight from the river

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Usually, ‘touching the animals’ is generally prohibited in life, and yet here, the animals are touching me.

Dare I reciprocate?

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DIVE IN: Mosquito- and predator-free, the Rio Negro’s fresh waters are safe for a swim

sunbaked waters, I feel the slippery skin of a rose-coloured cetacean swimming past my legs. So close to nature, I’m paralysed.

Usually, ‘touching the animals’ is generally prohibited in life, and yet here, the animals are touching me. Dare I reciprocate? Before I can decide, 140 kilograms of pure muscle explodes from the water, twirling in the air before landing on its back with a slapping splash. We’re playing, I realise. It would be rude not to reply. I reach my hands out and wait for a smooth belly to whirl past – and suddenly, we’re friends.

An hour of squeaking pinkness later, my swim is interrupted by a seaplane touching down to take me back to civilisation. Aloft, I watch the river slowly morph into a thin black scrawl. From 1800 metres above, Frankenberg points out the archipelago where we swam, the towering Samauma tree we scaled and the golden sands where we watched the sky grow bright with stars.

And then, right where the obsidian waters of the Negro meet the brown waters of the mighty Amazon, I spot Eugenio speeding down its dark pathway, flanked by neongreen treetops. There’s a long trail of white water stretching behind its stern, like an epic string of memories sparkling in its wake.

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One (not) for the road On the Estoril Circuit in Portugal, where the car’s namesake clinched his irst-ever Formula 1 victory, Mike Duf experiences downforce and g-force in equal measure in the McLaren Senna

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Photos: Beadyeye

W

riting about cars for a living means regularly being asked to nominate superlatives.

And although there is some interest in categories such as ‘most comfortable’ or ‘best for transporting awkward-sized loads’, the most common question has always been: ‘which is the fastest?’

Meet my new answer. The McLaren Senna has just become Top Trump. I don’t know whether it would get close to the Koenigsegg One:1 that previously topped my personal list of hypercar experiences in a straight line, but on a race circuit (the only place I got to drive it), it was supreme. It’s not a race car wearing number plates – there are no plans for a motorsport version – but that doesn’t stop it from being considerably quicker than many serious competition machines. To name a car after perhaps the most famous racing driver of all time takes a huge level of confidence, yet it’s an association of which the Senna proves entirely worthy.

Unlike McLaren’s previous ‘Ultimate Series’ car, the P1, the Senna doesn’t have a hybrid powertrain. Indeed, it shares most of its core architecture with the company’s less exotic offerings, yet is still born from a highly mutated form of the brand’s core DNA – it’s aimed at those who want a track-focused machine with just enough road legality to allow it to be driven to and from racetracks. At its heart is a development of the carbon-fibre structure of the 720S, along with a tuned-up version of that car’s almighty 4.0-litre twinturbocharged V8, now delivering a peak of 596kW. More effort has been expended on the other side of the power-to-weight ratio, with an aggressive diet that has pared the Senna’s mass back to just 1198 kilograms in its lightest configuration and that has involved the use of materials even lighter than standard carbon-fibre, plus a stripping-out of anything that might be regarded as a luxury or frippery. There are no carpets, almost no soundproofing and the seats use padding applied directly to a carbon frame. For owners determined to shed every surplus gram it is even possible to order a car without air conditioning, although the company admits that just two of the 200 cars that have already been specified have involved that stipulation.

Only the best kind of baggage: the McLaren Senna is racetrackbred and racetrack-bound

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The brake pedal is very firm – it takes serious pressure to deliver the level of retardation the car is capable of – but the feel is superb

The vast rear wing generates up to 500 kilos of downforce

While it might sound crazy, the deadliest of the Senna’s killer statistics isn’t power, weight or even the potency of its acceleration (the company claims that 200km/h will arrive just 6.8 seconds after a full-bore start), but rather downforce. The Senna might not be the most elegant-looking hypercar, but its aggressively sculpted form follows a functional requirement: to extract the maximum possible amount of assistance from passing airflow. That vast rear wing produces up to 500 kilograms of downforce by itself, with the other aero elements and the huge motorsport-style underbody diffuser adding another 300 kilos. So at the 250km/h point, where peak downforce arrives, the car is being pushed into the ground by a force twothirds greater than the one delivered

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by gravity alone. Short of buying a race car, there’s no other way to currently experience numbers like those.

To make acquaintance with the Senna in its natural environment, McLaren took Robb Report to the Estoril Circuit in Portugal. It’s a suitably demanding track, and is also the site of Ayrton Senna’s first ever Formula 1 victory. My total time in the car would be limited to 12 laps, split into two stints and without any element of road driving. Yet it was enough to prove that the Senna is a genuine reset point: the supreme hypercar experience of the moment.

Before experiencing the car, I’m sent out to familiarise myself with the track in a 720S. McLaren’s confidence – not to mention its corporate sense of humour – is demonstrated by the fact that an

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

enormously potent supercar has been turned into training wheels. Estoril has two long straights, some very tight and technical sections, but also the truly spectacular Turn Five, a very fast righthander that my instructor assures me the Senna will be able to take flat-out.

Before even getting into the minimalist cabin, there are plenty of hints at the speeds and loads I’m going to experience. Firstly, I’m helped into a full motorsport-grade HANS device in addition to the fireproof overalls I wore in the 720S. The engine starts with a button mounted on the ceiling, and even through the sound-deadening insulation of the full-face helmet, it sounds louder and angrier than the 720S did. Rumbling down the pitlane the Senna feels taut and keen to turn; I’ve been told to build

Photo: (Ayrton Senna) Pascal Rondeau/Allsport

speed gradually to bring the tyres up to temperature, but I drive half a lap at a speed that would have felt daring in the 720S and the Senna is still rubbing sleep from its eyes.

It’s definitely a car to be built up to.

Even supercar veterans will need to take some time to get used to the difference that the huge downforce makes to corner speeds and braking points. It’s not scary, even in the slower corners, where there is much less of the tractionboosting Hand-of-God effect from the aerodynamics squashing it into the ground. There’s still huge grip, and I find it possible to get on the throttle amazingly early, given the engine’s huge output reaching the tarmac exclusively through the rear wheels. It does start to slide as the limit approaches, especially in its ultra-aggressive Race mode, but the stability control system will still intervene before things get out of hand: there’s no sense of snappiness or scariness.

Downforce is the alchemical factor that makes the Senna truly special, and which adds hugely to the speeds it can carry through the faster parts of the circuit. This point is driven home when I realise that I’ve been attempting several corners using the same gear as in the 720S, and which is suddenly too low because of how much quicker the newer car is travelling. I’ve driven cars with significant aerodynamic-derived grip before, yet the Senna feels different to any of them. It’s devoid of the sensation of the car getting heavier and response gaining a treacly edge as speed adds assistance. The steering doesn’t require any more muscle to operate at 250km/h than it does at 100km/h – it’s as deft and accurate at each speed – and nor does the firm ride grow noticeably stiffer.

There’s just huge grip, all the time.

Neither is the Senna just about cornering speeds. Performance is huge, the forces pushing you back into the firm embrace of the seat under full acceleration barely diminishing as the speedometer relays increasingly unlikely numbers. The Senna can be approaching 300km/h at the end of Estoril’s main straight, and still, braking for the tight Turn 1 can be left until after the car has passed the 200-metre countdown board and it will handle the corner with some room to spare.

The brake pedal is very firm – it takes serious pressure to deliver the level of retardation the car is capable of – but the feel through it is superb. The twinclutch gearbox is similarly well resolved,

shifting close to instantaneously in response to the carbon-fibre steering wheel paddles.

And what about Turn Five? It’s more of a challenge than the rest of the circuit, the speeds involved making it feel impossible not to ease the throttle while turning the wheel. But on the very last of my allotted dozen laps I manage to keep my foot flat against the floor as it grows bigger in the windscreen, staying flat all the way through. The Senna takes the kink with a complete absence of drama.

By contrast, I’ve almost sweated through my flame-proof race suit.

The Senna is an amazing car, but also a serious workout. The extra physical strain of operating a car capable of producing so much g-force in so many different planes soon adds up. If owners aren’t in prime shape when they take possession, they will be considerably fitter at the end of a few track days.

Driving a car on a track would, normally, result in a hedged, partial judgement. But that’s not really the case with the Senna, with the company admitting that it has been designed pretty much entirely for circuit use. That has led to some serious compromises on everyday usability, not least with luggage space that is limited to a helmet-sized aperture behind the front seats. To be critical, it doesn’t sound particularly pleasing either, loud rather than melodious. Buyers will undoubtedly use their Sennas for road trips and enjoy every moment of them, but that will be in willing acknowledgement of the car’s limitations.

McLaren has already announced another Ultimate Series car for those

seeking a more road-biased offering – the forthcoming three-seat Speedtail will be unveiled later this year. But the fact that the entire production of 500 Sennas sold out before the first car left the factory is proof that McLaren has hit upon a winning formula.

How long will it sit at the top of the performance car mountain? That’s a fascinating question, not least as the forthcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie is aimed at some very similar targets, as is the track-only Brabham BT62. McLaren is also set to build the even more extreme track-only Senna GTR for those who don’t need any road ability. Then there’s Mercedes’ Project One, which, to judge from the initial images, will lack the aggressive aerodynamics of the Senna, but which will offer buyers the chance to own a car with what is pretty much a Formula 1 powerplant. These are great days for those with the desire and wherewithal to buy a hypercar.

(from top) The shadow of greatness – F1 legend Ayrton Senna; the McLaren Senna’s top speed is 340km/h

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT

The vinyl revival

Thought to be consigned to the great dustbin of history, records are making a serious comeback

by William Davis hey’re expensive, bulky, delicate, unversatile and have no measurable advantage over modern digital alternatives – yet vinyl records have bounced back in a way that ‘redundant’ technology almost never does. Last year $18.1 million was spent in Australia on vinyl records, according to industry body ARIA, up 20 per cent from the previous year, and representing an extraordinary resurgence for the medium.

Zenith Records in Melbourne’s East Brunswick was, until recently, Australia’s last remaining vinyl presser. Four years ago, the company moved into a larger premises to keep up with rapidly increasing demand and, since then, at least two other Australian manufacturers have entered the game.

With statistics showing that the sale of horse-drawn carriages made a

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negligible impact on the vehicle market in 2017, and revealing no dramatic spike in the popularity of asbestos as a building material, one must wonder why this seemingly outdated technology is rapidly rising.

One person with a strong opinion is Len Wallis, founder of one of Sydney’s most acclaimed hi-fi retailers. “My findings are based on subjective listening – which is more important to me than technical explanations,” says Wallis, who is well versed in the science of audio reproduction, but maintains a preference for vinyl. “I just know that on average I can relate to music better on vinyl than I can on digital.”

This sense of ‘relatability’ is a recurring chant by fans of the analogue discs. There is undoubtedly a sense of nostalgia that comes with the warmth and crackle of vinyl, and a feeling of ownership, authenticity and timelessness

Robb Report Australia & New Zealand | Summer 2018

that is largely absent in the digital streaming of music. According to Matt Myerscough, of Sydney’s Red Eye Records, the ritual of playing a record, as well as the difficulty of skipping tracks, encourages audiences to be “more engaged” with the listening process.

The listener appreciates an album as a “whole piece of art ... as opposed to having random songs spitting out at you and chopping and changing. You choose something, you put it on and then you listen to it.”

Music academic Dr Adrian Renzo believes that the audio ‘quality’ debate is a red herring altogether. “Yes, digital files are technically superior … But how many people sit still in an acoustically treated room, in a seat exactly mid-way between the speakers, and listen for hours?” Much of vinyl’s appeal, he argues, lies in the overall experience it offers the listener and its perceived authenticity, rather

The listener appreciates an album as a whole piece of art ... than simply its objective audio qualities.

The most hardcore record enthusiasts on the reddit thread r/vinyl go so much further, arguing that the ritualistic, timeconsuming, comically inefficient and physically engaging nature of playing a record makes it a rebellious act against the digital age of instant gratification and disposable media. In a slightly less romanticised rationalisation, Myerscough explains that beyond the engaging listening experience, his customers also appreciate the tangibility and “aesthetic” of records: vinyl can be held in your hands and is a physical testament to the artwork.

It is also large enough to have the photos and lyrics printed in something other than micro size.

As is normally the case in the rapid rise of such social trends, money and the decisions of business executives play a large role. When a CD is sold, the record label generally receives around 30 per

cent of the sale price. With a Spotify stream the label makes an estimated – wait for it – US$0.001128.

Vinyl records, meanwhile, generally sell for between $40 and $100 (in some cases a lot more), and so are very profitable. Therefore it’s not surprising that major record labels and distributors have made a big push towards the advertising, production and accessibility of vinyl. Last year, Sony, one of the ‘big three’ record labels, announced it was opening a vinyl pressing factory to produce its own records for the first time since 1989.

There is a huge collectors’ market for vinyl, with many people investing in records on the assumption that they can make a profit in the future. While it is impossible to say what percentage of the market collectors comprise, sales figures give an interesting glimpse into the rationale of record buyers. Only one

outright Top 10 album (Ed Sheeran’s ‘÷’) made the Top 10 vinyl sales last year on official charts. Vinyl sales were instead dominated by ‘modern classics’ by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Liam Gallagher and Oasis. Additionally, classic artists such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd and David Bowie sell a higher percentage on vinyl, relative to other music.

So where to now? In a bizarre ‘old meets new’ affair, 2013 saw the first commercially released 3D-printed record.

Inventor Amanda Ghassaei candidly admitted that it doesn’t sound particularly good and will ruin your turntable’s needle.

However when developed further, it could lead to cheaper, or even homemade, records. Myerscough says that he doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for vinyl – however “we watched it go from a small part of our store to becoming half of our real estate. It’s definitely gone beyond just a phase”. www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Luxury Property |

Putting on the Rizk What does lust look like? Possibly the Sydney apartment that manages to be both statement and sanctuary

by Susan Skelly

W

ith a double-shot piccolo in hand, Charlie Rizk kick-starts his Monday morning with a voyage around the interior design projects he has on the boil.

On his laptop are grand, gleaming residences; colour palettes and 3D renders for townhouses, multi-res towers and commercial spaces; and restaurants with drop-down forests, taxidermy walls, styleups in mink and remote-controlled candles.

On the feet of the principal designer and director of Sydney’s Edge Design Consultants is a pair of soft black leather Buscemi sneakers with gold padlock, tassel and key above each ankle. They say a lot about the way Rizk marries the artisanal with modern edge and something very “look at me”.

Interiors at the top end, he is saying, are more than the sum of their usually very bespoke parts. There’s also a third dimension where emotion, soul and personality come into play. A kind of polite, sexy poltergeist. To that end, the interior designer has in his tool kit vision, honesty and confidence.

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“I love everything to feel like it has a purpose. Then it automatically generates an emotional connection” – Charlie Rizk

Entering the luxurious apartment he recently completed in the Sydney residential tower, The Hyde, you can feel the energy.

The apartment faces north across Hyde Park to one of the city’s most spectacular views, soaking up in one heady hit the Sydney Opera House, St Mary’s Cathedral, the ANZAC Memorial (undergoing a multi-million-dollar reno of its own), Woolloomooloo and Garden Island’s Navy vessels. The back rooms face south to Central Railway and a raw, more proletarian landscape.

Spectacular views deserve a spectacular viewing platform.

It took a few years of living here for its low-key inhabitants to decide that their eyrie hadn’t quite unlocked its full potential. But if there’s anything Rizk has learnt from his first career as a hairdresser, it’s that you don’t diss on the person who did the last job. You just do better.

Bespoke is a word that has become almost threadbare with overuse. But in this apartment, most things truly are bespoke: for starters, buffalo bone cupboard handles, cushions made of mohair that’s as springy as Shirley Temple’s ringlets, a brass-clawed contraption to hold the balcony hose.

There are several design elements that create cohesion. First an authoritative colour palette – ebony, charcoal, espresso and latte. The colours might be the antithesis of the park and harbour beyond, but they engage in a companionable one-upmanship. The doors and their hardware contribute to the continuity as do black and grey silk and satin curtains throughout, an aged look in leather upholstery, Travertine marble floor tiles, and accents of black in Versace towels and Greg Natale rugs.

In keeping with the gallery feel Rizk sought are objets by Jonathan Adler, Worlds Away, Anna by Rablabs, Arteriors,

Georg Jensen, Kendra Scott, L’objet and Michael Aram.

Pendants and wall lights – including the sculptural ‘Emile’ chandeliers with their wheels of graduated metal and acrylic rods – are made by Adam Grant for Restoration Hardware in the US. Benchtops in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry are made from imported Italian porcelain. Sub-Zero appliances in the kitchen include a handy wine fridge.

On the nearby bar sits a log of crystalline selenite from the John-Richard collection.

Door handles by New Zealand designer Chant are a solid brass curve.

All the brass trimmings and surrounds in the apartment’s joinery have been electroplated to match. Even those you can’t see. It’s just like a Paul Smith jacket, where there’s as much magic on the inside as what’s exposed.

The locals have been busy, too. There’s a hand-carved fireplace by Sydney furniture maker Tim Noone. The walls around it have a crocodile-skin finish that has been replicated on all the doors in the apartment. These imposing doors are the bomb. The crocodile skin is, in fact, created

by a technique that layers on a mix of imported plaster with paint and gold before stencil and razor execute the croc finish.

Textural, too, is the overhead cabinetry in the kitchen and laundry, the doors given a gritty, matt patina with metal coating by Sydney-based Axolotl, which pioneered the bonding of semi-precious metal onto multiple substrates.

All beds, joinery and furniture have been designed by Edge. Rizk and the Nexa Projects team that looked after the construction removed the bathroom walls to give the master bedroom more room to breathe.

The interiors of the stone bath and vanity bowls have been painted in enamel and the exterior metal-coated, by Axolotl again, with a bronze viper pattern.

Custom-made bed linen is from Heirlooms Fine Linens, which holds royal warrants for both Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Says Rizk: “I love everything to feel like it has a purpose. Then it automatically generates an emotional connection. It’s about balancing a space and being true to it, to be able to live in it – and love it.” www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Smart Showings |

The Muse Tailoring life beyond luxury For Melbourne’s wealthiest home hunters, luxury has taken on a new meaning in super prime residential development. The Muse provides buyers with the opportunity to fully customise their own residence with some of Australia’s top interior design studios: Bruce Henderson Interiors, Kerry Phelan Design Office and Greg Natale, or alternatively, they can engage their own.

Taking the idea of customisation one step further, the personalisation of The Muse draws inspiration from the world’s best couture, where the form is entirely tailored for individuals, then hand crafted using materials that enhance and flatter.

Designed for the corner of St Kilda Road and Toorak Road West, The Muse has been envisioned as the ultimate in luxury living, offering absolute privacy and security, with residences predicted to become virtually unattainable in the future.

The 15-level residential development will comprise no more than 42 large residences with two amenity levels that include a 20-metre lap pool, a separate relaxation pool, spa and a large gymnasium. It will also have a serviced club lounge and sixstar hotel style ground floor lobby featuring stunning artwork and sculptures. Paul Bangay gardens frame the entrance to the building and an awe inspiring dark-silver glass façade that gathers in crisp pleats, flowing out like a fine veil caught in a breeze.

The Muse’s one-of-a-kind super penthouse has been designed to achieve a lofty ambition – to provide amenity and luxury on a scale never previously conceived in the Melbourne market, and as a consequence would likely break the current price record for residential property in Melbourne.

The Muse has been designed by St Kilda Road experts Bruce Henderson Architects as an elegant, dynamic and sensuous building form, inspired by the flow of a veil and the feminine form. Its design flows and cascades, incorporating a degree of lightness and transparency which gives the building an ethereal quality. themusemelbourne.com.au Sales: Daniel Cashen, Knight Frank, 0438 346 313

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

The Beach House, Gold Coast

24 Ephraim Island Parade, Ephraim Island Where else in Australia could you sit in your swimming pool overlooking your own private sandy beach, 20 minutes from the city?

Situated on the Gold Coast Broadwater, this is without doubt a most unique property inspired by Noosa designer Paul Clout.

There are five bedrooms, five bathrooms, massive separate living areas, a five-car garage, gym, home cinema, and – wait for this – a 12-metre private marina berth.

Price: $4.95 million

T: Alex Phillis 0411 600 300 www.alexphillisluxuryrealestate.com.au Alex Phillis Luxury Real Estate

38 BRITANNIC CRESCENT, SOVEREIGN ISLANDS, GOLD COAST Opulence, timeless design and total privacy This waterfront mansion has been inspired by the finest homes on Star Island in Miami, USA. Designed by Dubai Royal family architect Bayden Goddard. Spread over two levels, the entertainment areas complement the panoramic private water views, one of the best master bedroom suites in Australia, a soundproof party room, glass wine cellar, exquisite white marble floors, and leather-clad door handles. Park your 70-foot boat at the front of this home, within an island estate with 24-hour security 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise and 10 minutes from Sanctuary Cove Golf Club.

If this house was in Sydney, the price would be $20 million! See a video and 3D tour on the website.

Price: Offers over $6 million T: Alex Phillis 0411 600 300, Brian Phillis 0411 600 100 www.alexphillisluxuryrealestate.com.au Alex Phillis Luxury Real Estate

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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| Social WHAT: Ermenegildo Zegna x Robb Report VIP Evening WHERE: Zegna’s Westield Sydney boutique WHO: Robb Report VIPs (men only, sorry ladies …)

WHY: A select group of Robb Report readers were invited to experience its Su Misura – or Made to Measure – service. In between sampling champagne and delicious canapes (including a very sophisticated take on a cheese and trule toastie), attendees were taken through the range of customisation and personalisation options available via the Su Misura service, which covers casualwear and shirts, not just suiting.

Alex Tsaoucis, Freya Purnell and Michael Stahl

Photos: Esteban La Tessa

Tomer Garzberg and Daniel Young

Oliver Workman and Hal Altan

Renmark Samson, Ronald Azar and Patrick Haddad

The Langton’s team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Marwan Rahme measuring up

Bindi winemaker Michael Dhillon

Zegna Oceania area manager Luca Bronzino

Standing room only in Melbourne

WHAT: Launch of Langton’s Classiication VII WHERE: Various locations around Australia, including the ICC Sydney and MCG WHO: Wine connoisseurs keen to taste more than 100 wines appearing in the latest edition of the Langton’s Classiication Guests chatting to Bruce Tyrrell of Tyrrell’s Wines Ned Goodwin and Tamara Grischy

The Langton’s team in Sydney

The Chris Ringland Barossa Ranges Shiraz 2008

Attendees being quizzed on their favourites

Wine tasting at the Sydney edition

WHY: To celebrate the seventh edition of the Langton’s Classiication of Australian Wines, which contains 136 of the greatest Australian wines classiied into ‘Exceptional’, ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Excellent’ categories, with a national roadshow. Attendees were treated to some very special vintages, including a 2014 Penfolds Grange, and a 1918 Seppeltsield 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny.

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Social |

WHAT: The TAB Everest WHERE: Royal Randwick, Sydney WHO: Racing favourites including Jennifer Hawkins, Ian Thorpe and partner Ryan Channing, and Emma Freedman, and singer Liam Payne, who performed on the day WHY: With a prize of $13 million, The Everest is the world’s richest race on turf.

Taking over Royal Randwick in October, spring racing devotees turned out in force to vie for glory (and an impressive prize pool) at the Harrolds Fashion Chute. On the day, Redzel, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, took out the race.

Chris Ringland

Angela Menz

Crystal Kimber

Neil Carpenter, Kathleen Buscema and Viktoria Novak

Emma Freedman, Ian Thorpe and Jennifer Hawkins

WHAT: Opening of Montblanc’s seventh Australian boutique WHERE: Chadstone Shopping Centre, Melbourne

Leon Mervis, Fiona Mackenzie and Kenneth Shek

WHO: Inluencers Melinda Chan, Alexia Petsinis and Heeyo Zhang, as well as Chadstone general manager Fiona Mackenzie, Montblanc’s South East Asia sales director, Kenneth Shek, and Montblanc Australia managing director Leon Mervis

Andy Green, Emma Thomas and Joshua Bozin

WHY: Montblanc’s seventh boutique on our shores also debuts a new retail concept for the brand, inspired by its positioning as the ‘Maison of Fine Lifetime Companions’. Inluencers in the horology world were invited to take a irst look at the boutique, which uses brass, leather, walnut wood, lacquers and ine metals in the interior to echo writing instruments and jewellery.

Melinda Chan and Alexia Petsinis

Susan Conterno and Fiona Mackenzie

Martin Goh and Randall Foote

Nadia Fairfax Lara Worthington

Olympia Valance

WHAT: Tifany & Co.’s Paper Flowers Collection Launch WHERE: Tifany’s Collins Street store, Melbourne WHO: Lara Worthington, Nicole Warne, Olympia Valance, YanYan Chan and Nadia Fairfax Holly Titheridge

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WHY: Tifany celebrated its very feminine new high jewellery collection, designed by chief artistic oicer Reed Krakof, with a girly breakfast at its store. Alongside swathes of blooms, guests posed with the paper lower installation in the store and stopped to take a ride in the Tifany blue taxi.

| Social

WHAT: Motorclassica 2018 WHERE: Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne WHO: Motoring enthusiasts from around Australia WHY: Australia’s premier annual collector car and motorcycle exhibition attracted 24,000 visitors over three days, to enjoy a showcase of more than 500 classic cars and motorcycles.

As well as VIP experiences, latenight viewing with Motorclassica after 5, a Live Restoration Theatre, and a Rare Heritage Number Plate Auction, the judging of the Australian International Concours d’Elegance was a major event on the show calendar. A 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C Spider was named ‘Best in Show’, while a fellow Alfa, a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale, took out the Chief Judge’s Spirit of Motorclassica Award. The event celebrated a number of significant automotive milestones, including 90 years of the Australian Grand Prix, 70 years of the HarleyDavidson Panhead and 60 years of the Triumph Bonneville.

‘Best in Show’ – 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C Spider

1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale – Spirit of Motorclassica Award

Winner of the post-1955 Motorcycle category

Surveying the classics

Jono and Amy Castano with a Mumm host

Matt Suleau and Adam Rabone

Molly Park and Gigi Connolly

Christie Brewster and Aaron Gaulke

WHAT: Maison Mumm Grand Cordon launch WHERE: QT Sydney

Photos: Dominic Loneragan

WHO: Celebrities including Ash Williams, James Magnussen, James Tobin, Johnny Schembri, Kendrick Louis, Lisa Clark, and Renae Ayris attended the event, along with 2018 Flemington ambassador Gigi Connolly, and Mumm Champagne ambassador Kaitlyn Tremblay

Jef Lack and Jade Jefries

Kaitlyn Tremblay

WHY: French champagne house Maison Mumm hosted an exclusive dinner to launch the Grand Cordon, an innovative champagne bottle design, in the local market. Designed by award-winning Welsh artist and industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, the bottle has a unique shape and no front label, with the Mumm red sash, gold logo and eagle emblem printed directly onto the bottle itself. The design is not only for aesthetics, but also helps to develop the champagne’s flavour. The maison also showcased its Mumm RSRV Blanc de Noirs 2008 cuvée collection, which is expected to be available in Australia in 2019. The event also marked the beginning of the maison’s 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival celebrations.

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Of Note |

.

LUXURY LIVING AT ITS FINEST With more than 38 awards received since 2016, Millbrook Homes is fast becoming one of Sydney’s most awarded builders, designing every home as a masterpiece.

Millbrook Homes’ upscale, custom-built homes combine award-winning design, clever use of space and the finest quality materials and finishes to truly make a home your own.

COME EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE Visit the Millbrook Homes display at 49 Bruhn Circuit, HomeQuest Display Village, Kellyville, NSW. For more information, call 02 8015 7766 or visit millbrookhomes.sydney

MV Agusta F4 RC Lewis Hamilton Limited Edition The reigning Formula 1 World Champion and MV Agusta have collaborated to design the ultra-limited edition MV Agusta Lewis Hamilton F4RC. Based on MV Agusta’s 212 horsepower homologation special, 44 units will be produced worldwide, with very limited numbers entering the Australian market. Each of the LH44 bikes will come with a numbered plaque, certification, race kit and will be hand-signed by the world champion, ensuring its status as a true collectable.

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“I am particularly excited to introduce my new bike, the F4 LH44. It looks quite stunning and I had the pleasure of riding on track a few weeks ago in Italy. It feels great and combines the best of both worlds, a race bike for the road! There will be 44 bikes produced so I hope the lucky owners will love it as much as I do,” says Hamilton.

Available through MV Agusta’s flagship concept store, MV Agusta Parramatta. Visit mvap.com.au or email david@mvap.com.au.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Excellence in yachting since 1974

Solaris started in the 1970s in Aquileia, Italy, on the shores of the Venetian Lagoon where first the Romans and then the Serenissima Republic left their important seafaring heritage. With 40 years of dedicated boat building experience, Solaris has achieved a tangible quality that is now impossible to replicate in mass production yards.

The quality of Solaris goes beyond the structural components and is evident in the entire yacht, using only that which works better and lasts longer. The finish of the interior joinery is a distinctive feature of Solaris, renowned and appreciated worldwide. The selection of exquisite woods combines with the skilled craftsmanship that together are necessary to achieve the target that Solaris has set itself – ‘excellence’.

The first Solaris 47 to Australia is available for viewing by appointment. A Solaris 50 will arrive in early 2019.

Call 02 9979 1709, email solaris@windcraftyachts.com, or visit windcraftsolaris.com

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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& NEW ZEALAND

Syd NZ 23 Nov 18

29 Nov 18

Secret location

Hiakai Restaurant

Adam Wolfers

Monique Fiso

To purchase tickets visit our website culinarymasters-robbreportau.com Following the success of the second annual Robb Report Australia & New Zealand Culinary Masters in 2017, our 2018 events will again identify and celebrate the next generation of Australian chef talent, as nominated by some of the biggest names in fine dining. Robb Report’s signature Culinary Masters is the ultimate celebration of culinary excellence.

Proudly sponsored by

| Advertisers Alex Phillis Luxury Real Estate (Property: The Beach House) – page 137 T: 0411 600 300 www.alexphillisluxuryrealestate.com.au

Millbrook Homes – page 142 T: 61 2 8015 7766 www.millbrookhomes.sydney

Alex Phillis Luxury Real Estate (Property: 38 Britannic Crescent) – page 137 T:0411 600 300/ 0411 600 100 www.alexphillisluxuryrealestate.com.au

Mondial Pink Diamond Atelier – page 37 T: 61 2 9267 7974 www.mondial.com.au

Black Diamondz – page 83 T: 61 2 8280 8280 www.blackdiamondz.com.au BMW – page 26 T: 133 269 www.bmw.com.au Crown Group – pages 24-25 T: 1800 319 550 www.crowngroup.com.au/MASTERY E Marine Motor Yachts – page 77 T: 61 2 9810 0777 www.emarine.com.au Ermenegildo Zegna – pages 8-9 www.zegna.com.au Gurner – page 19 www.gurner.com.au/penthousecollection Heletranz Helicopters – page 121 T: 64 9415 3550 www.heletranz.co.nz Hublot – pages 4-5 www.hublot.com IWC Schafhausen (Partridge Jewellers) – page 11 T: see advertisement for local retailers www.partridgejewellers.com Kanebridge Capital – pages 78-79 T: 1300 526 327 www.kanebridge.com.au Knight Frank (The Muse) – pages 55, 136 T: 0438 346 313/ 0401 071 071 www.themusemelbourne.com.au Langton’s – page 104 T: 1300 946 347 www.langtons.com.au/robbreport

MV Agusta – page 142 T: 02 9637 0722 www.mvagusta.com.au Ocean Alliance – page 34 T: 61 405 767 869 www.oceanalliance.com Paciic Boating – pages 56-57 T: 61 2 8765 1067 www.pacificboating.com.au Partridge Jewellers – page 29 T: 64 9 309 8925 www.partridgejewellers.com Patek Philippe – page 15 T: 61 2 9231 3299 www.jfarrenprice.com.au Ponant – page 13 T: 1300 737 178/ 0800 767 018 au.ponant.com Ribco – page 73 T: 61 439 766 880 www.ribcomarine.com.au Roger Dubuis – page 17 T: 61 3 9650 9288/ 61 3 9690 2566 www.rogerdubuis.com Soitel Sydney Darling Harbour – page 50 T: 61 2 8388 8888 www.sofitelsydneydarlingharbour.com.au Solaris Yachts (Team Windcraft) – page 143 T: 61 2 9979 1709 www.windcraftsolaris.com St. Hugo – pages 6-7 T: 61 8 8115 920 www.sthugo.com

Mercedes-Benz – inside front cover T: 61 3 9566 9266 www.mercedes-benz.com.au

World Vision – page 65 T: 61 3 9287 2691 www.worldvision.com.au/philanthropy

Michael Bell – page 143 www.michaelbellarchitects.com

Zenith Watches – page 42 www.zenith-watches.com

Photo: Stephan Romer

Marshall White – page 138 T: 61 411 411 271 E: mc@marshallwhite.com.au

Vacheron Constantin – outside back cover T: 61 3 9690 2566 – Monards Crown 61 3 9650 9288 – Monards 101 Collins 61 7 5538 3866 – Monards Gold Coast www.monards.com.au

www.robbreport.com.au | www.robbreport.co.nz

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Robb Reader | Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut was the irst Australian basketballer to be the top pick in the US National Basketball Association (NBA) draft in 2005, when he joined the Milwaukee Bucks. Later traded to the Golden State Warriors, Bogut went on to enjoy great success with the team and was the starting centre in many playof and inals campaigns, including an NBA Championship in 2015. Having played 13 seasons in the US, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2018 Bogut returned to Australia to play with the National Basketball League’s Sydney Kings, regarded as a major coup for the team. He is also a three-time Olympian, having competed in Athens, Beijing and Rio. – MARWAN RAHME

You played tennis and AFL, as well as basketball, when you were younger. Was it your height (at 2.13 metres) that eventually tipped the scales in basketball’s favour?

I was a tall kid in primary school, but it wasn’t solely the reason. I was into all ball sports – whether it was basketball, footy, soccer, whatever. In the ’90s, the NBA was really big, so I just fell in love with the game. Thankfully I ended up being really tall, but there were some distressing moments in my childhood where I wasn’t the tallest guy and I stopped growing for a bit. Fortunately I had a massive growth spurt when I was 15 years old.

As an NBA fan, what was your favourite team growing up?

I didn’t really follow just one team, I followed most of the Australians in the NBA, like Luc Longley. I was a massive supporter of the Chicago Bulls throughout those days.

You joined the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2002 – how was that experience as a training ground, compared to what you later experienced in the States?

The AIS is great, it is world-class. They groomed me in the game as well as how to look after your body and take care of yourself, so it was great to have that opportunity. At night when you were lying in your bedroom and just wanted to get out and access a basketball court, I had the ability to do that.

You had a run of serious injuries over the past eight years. As an elite athlete, how do you take career blows like that and ind the strength and inspiration to bounce back?

Sometimes it’s not easy – people will see you as an injured athlete.

My mentality is that you can’t change what happened, you have to look forward. It’s a bit clichéd but my mentality for my injuries is to say, okay, if the doctor is saying I can’t play for six months, I’m going to try to be back before six months. Athletes are competitive people, so you just set yourself a goal. It gets tough when you see everyone out there competing, and you can feel defeated that you’re not doing it, but you have to close that down and kick your goals. My advice to young people is if you experience something negative, ind the positive and take something from it; if you only look back and feel sorry for yourself about what has happened, you’re not going to move forward.

What is your most cherished memory from your time in the States?

My irst son was born there, so that is obviously pretty high up there on a personal level; it will always have a special place in my heart. Basketball-wise, it is probably when I won the [NBA] Championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Australia has quite a competitive sporting landscape. What is your view on basketball’s prospects as a leading sport in this country over the next ive years?

For the local league, it has been a pretty rough decade – the league has gone through almost being bankrupt, there have been teams going under and a bit of turmoil. Obviously, new owners have got involved and brought stability, which is very important. At the junior level, basketball is top three in Australia as far as participation rates go, but it’s a matter of translating that into the NBL. We have worked up to double digits of Australian NBA players, which is going to help our game. It’s hard to compete with rugby league and Australian Rules football, but we will get there – we just have to make sure now that we do have that following and the fans come to our games.

How do you deine luxury?

When I was a young guy, it would have been a car – I did own a Porsche Panamera Turbo a long time ago – or a watch, but it’s changed over the years. For me now, luxury is being able to go to the best restaurants, being able to travel, see parts of the world that are hard to get to and stay in luxury hotels – it is more about experiences, rather than objects. There’s no greater joy than going with the family to a restaurant and trying some delicacy that is hard to ind – whether it is a piece of steak, a wine or cofee. I love trying new foods; I’m not worried about the price, so even if it is expensive I will give it a crack, and I enjoy the luxury of being able to do that.

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