Travel & Lifestyle

Tour Diary: Emma Davis (Sydney) at Toronto's Canadian Music Week! – Part One!

So it all started with a rather long bus ride from New York to Toronto. I thought if I was going to go all the way to Canada I may as well spend some time in the US first, eating pickles, drinking oversized beers and prancing past the cacti of Austin. Here is one of…

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Tour Diary: Tim Commandeur from Panama at SXSW 2014!

Following the release of our second EP Always last November, 2014 has been an exciting year for Panama. Starting the year off playing Field Day, followed by a national tour, it also saw us take to foreign shores for our first international run of shows. Here’s some brief words and imagery to help better describe…

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Travel News: UK's Monarch Airlines launches new "ergonomic aircraft seats" that don't recline but feature tablet holders.

Following on from a survey of travelers on popular flight comparison website Skyscanner in late 2013, UK airline Monarch – whose fleet of 46 aircraft fly to destinations around Europe from their base at Luton Airport in the UK – has joined “no frills” airlines like Ryanair in taking away the capacity for their seats…

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Twin Lakes' Canadian Music Week Photo Tour Diary (Part Two)

Following the first part of their tour diary earlier this week, as well as a special video they put together for us, Newcastle band Twin Lakes bring us the second and final part of their adventures in Toronto for Canadian Music Week earlier this month! DAY FOUR OF CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK Woke up with a…

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Tour Diary: The Black Lullaby at Canadian Music Week 2014 in Toronto (Part Two)

Hi, we are The Black Lullaby, a 4-piece rock band from north coast NSW. This is a tour diary for the AU Review of our trip to Toronto where we showcased at Canadian Music Week 2014. We had an awesome time and met some great people and saw some amazing bands – check out our…

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Drinking with the AU: Matilda Bay Brewery 30th Birthday (21.05.14)

Matilda Bay Brewery, founded in 1984, threw a 30th birthday party and we were invited to help celebrate their occasion. It was perfect that the party reflected that delicious era of music from the 1980s, but mixed it up with music from the 90s and now. A cab took us to the Matilda Bay Brewery…

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Tour Diary: The Black Lullaby at Canadian Music Week 2014 in Toronto (Part One)

Hi, we are The Black Lullaby, a 4-piece rock band from north coast NSW. This is a tour diary for the AU Review of our trip to Toronto where we showcased at Canadian Music Week 2014. We had an awesome time and met some great people and saw some amazing bands – check out our…

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An Australian Food & Drink Tour Diary by MTNS (Part Two)

Continuing on their Salvage EP Tour, Brisbane boys MTNS also continue their quest for some good nosh. As part of their food and drink journal they’ve been keeping for the AU, the band take on the East Coast in this second and final installment. SYDNEY – 14.02.2014 SEOULRIA After landing from Brisbane and losing an…

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Recipe: Gourmet Garden’s Baked Snapper with Chilli and Ginger

Chances are you already have a couple of packets of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs and spices on hand. These products are simple and convenient ways to capture the flavour of herbs without sacrificing any of that freshness that comes with chopping the herbs yourself. To showcase the authenticity of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs,…

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Spotlight on Haberfield, NSW: Gourmet Safari Italian Tour

From the Turkish delights around Auburn to Korean in Eastwood, Greek in Marrickville and Laotian in Canley Heights, Sydney and its surrounds is a treasure trove of some of the world’s finest cuisines. The reasons are perhaps quite obvious: it’s in these areas where you find these nationalities in their greatest numbers. In the case…

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An Australian Food & Drink Tour Diary by MTNS (Part One)

The following is part one of a food and drink journal that Brisbane band MTNS have been keeping exclusively for the AU review, as they’ve been touring the country on their Salvage EP Tour. The band kick things off in Perth… PERTH – 01.02.2014 LA VEEN COFFEE & KITCHEN After the arduous five-hour flight from…

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Recipe: Gourmet Garden’s Baja Chilli Fish Tacos

Chances are you already have a couple of packets of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs and spices on hand. These products are simple and convenient ways to capture the flavour of herbs without sacrificing any of that freshness that comes with chopping the herbs yourself. To showcase the authenticity and ease of use of Gourmet…

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Aussies Abroad: Australian bands announced to play Outside Lands, Glastonbury, Canadian Music Week and Lollapalooza!

As has been reported this month on the AU review, Australian artists are travelling around the globe with massive announcements seeming to be happening every day for their international tours and additions to festivals on all corners of the globe. Here is the up-to-date information on four of the most recent announcements in the UK,…

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Hotels on the AU: Holiday Inn on Flinders Lane (Melbourne, VIC)

The Holiday Inn hotel chain has undergone a staggering amount of changes over the last decade, taking it from a budget hotel/motel chain that most people associated with overnight stops along highways or airport layovers, into an upmarket full service – though reasonably priced – group of hotels that focus on comfort and quality of…

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Recipe: Gourmet Garden’s Creamy Chicken Curry

Chances are you already have a couple of packets of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs and spices on hand. These products are simple and convenient ways to capture the flavour of herbs without sacrificing any of that freshness that comes with chopping the herbs yourself. To showcase the authenticity and ease of use of Gourmet…

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Flight Review: Virgin Australia – Sydney to Los Angeles (VA1)

As part of our brand new section AU Abroad, we bring you a birds eye view of the world of travel. In this article series, we let you in on the best airlines to fly with. We kick things off internationally with Virgin Australia’s flagship service, taking guests on an affordable direct service from Sydney…

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Spotlight on Newcastle, NSW (Part Two): Breakfasts, Brews and Surf Lessons down at the Beach.

I awoke early at my hotel for the second and final day of my brief but rewarding Newcastle adventure to get a taste of my hotel’s breakfast buffet (which you can read about HERE), though I may have thought twice about that had I realised it would be my first of three breakfasts that would…

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Travel Experiences: Eureka SkyDeck and The Edge (Melbourne, VIC)

Every major city has its premiere viewing platform. New York has the Empire State Building. Sydney has the Centrepoint Tower. Auckland has the Sky Tower. And never a city to be outdone, Melbourne has the Eureka Tower, which has its viewing point – the “SkyDeck” – on the 88th floor of the building. At 285…

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Spotlight on Newcastle, NSW (Part One): SURFest, Jimmy Figg's Bare-knuckle Barber and Craft Beer Week Launch.

At the end of last year, Californian Andrew Smith was awarded the title of Destination NSW’s “Chief Funster”, a duty that sees him travel around the State for six months, creating digital content that shows off New South Wales in all its splendour. I had the opportunity to join Andrew for two days of his…

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Recipe: Fresh Catering’s Popcorn Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce

The highly reputable Sydney-based company Fresh Catering have been invited back by Opera Australia – after successful partnerships during Carmen and La Traviata – and given the massive task of creating an exquisite dining menu for this year’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Madama Butterfly (which runs from March 21 to April 14 at Fleet…

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Hotels on the AU: Park Regis, North Quay (Brisbane, QLD)

A towering monument on the Brisbane River, the Park Regis North Quay has become a go-to destination for Brisbane bound travellers (be it for business or tourism) since the 24 floor hotel opened in 1998. We stayed for two nights in a 1 bedroom apartment overlooking the beautiful Brisbane River – blessed with similarly kind…

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Travel Experiences: Getting into stunt planes with Bluejuice.

Back in 2012, I had the privilege of joining Jake and Stav of Bluejuice as they took to the skies with the wonderful guys at Red Baron at Sydney’s Bankstown airport in their flagship Red Bull Stunt Plane. There are only two ways to describe it: exhilarating and nauseating. Both myself and Jake didn’t return…

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Spotlight on Newcastle and Hunter Valley, NSW: Larry and Johnny's 36 hour blogging & tweeting adventure!

When I was approached by Tourism NSW to take on the duty of “Music and Culture Ambassador” for the blog-o-sphere, I don’t think I hesitated a second. Those that follow the website will probably notice that travelling for music is something I love to do. From heading to SXSW in Austin, CMW in Toronto and…

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Travel Tips: Catching the Flyaway from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)

Los Angeles is a difficult city to navigate without a car, but it’s something those on a budget need to manage one way or another. Arriving at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) is the first step in that navigation. How do you get the hell out of there as quickly as humanly possible? Over the…

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What's the best way get to Manhattan from Newark International Airport in New Jersey?

Flying into Newark (EWR) can not only often be a cheaper way to get into New York with some airline carriers, but it can also be an easier way to get into Manhattan on arrival, too. Unlike La Guardia (LGA) and similar to the crowded John F Kennnedy (JFK), Newark has a train station connected…

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Hotels on the AU: Novotel Newcastle Beach (NSW)

At the end of last year, Californian Andrew Smith was awarded the title of Destination NSW’s “Chief Funster”, a duty that sees him travel around the State for six months, creating digital content that shows off New South Wales in all its splendour. I had the opportunity to join Andrew for two days of his…

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Flight Review: Virgin Australia – Sydney to Brisbane (VA931)

Welcome to our brand new section AU Abroad where we bring you a birds eye view of the world of travel. As writers for the AU review, we travel for the arts, and so the content in this section reflects that. But in this article series, we just want you to know the best airlines…

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Eating with MTNS: A Food & Drink Tour Diary – Part One

The following is part one of a food and drink journal that Brisbane band MTNS have been keeping exclusively for the AU review, as they’ve been touring the country on their Salvage EP Tour. The band kick things off in Perth… PERTH – 01.02.2014 LA VEEN COFFEE & KITCHEN After the arduous five-hour flight from…

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Eating with the AU: Parlour Burger at The Morrison (Sydney)

The ten dollar burger. It’s become the beating heart of the Sydney culinary community in recent times and the latest to continue the charge is Parlour Burger at The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room. Like the über popular Chur Burger in Surrey Hills, Parlour prides itself on a limited selection of burgers and sides, aiming…

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Recipe: Max Brenner’s Choc-Banana Pizza

It’s about that time of the year when all things chocolate take centre-stage as people around the world gear up for the Easter weekend. Synonymous with rich, quality chocolate is Max Brenner, the infinitely tempting chain of specialty dessert restaurants. To celebrate the forthcoming festivities, Max Brenner have provided the AU with their recipe for…

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