Sydney

The largest EB Games store in the world opens in Sydney today

Video games retailer EB Games is opening its flagship Sydney store tonight, a blend of EB Games and its sister store Zing Pop Culture and the largest in the worldwide chain’s network of stores. 

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Historic city hotel The Edinburgh Castle gets a complete revamp (Sydney)

The Edinburgh Castle, or ‘The Eddy’, has gone through a complete renovation, in both its interior styling as well as in its food and beverage offering. Once home to Australian writer and poet, Henry Lawson, this iconic Sydney landmark was where Lawson wrote many of his great stories. Paying homage to the venue’s history meant…

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The Lobo Plantation team open Parisian inspired small bar Kittyhawk (Sydney)

This past week, the team behind Sydney’s wildly popular Lobo Plantation, launched their long awaited second venture Kittyhawk, a 175 capacity cocktail bar which draws influence from the historic Liberation of Paris on August 25th, 1944. Co-owners Jared Merlino, Michael Hwang and Eddie Levy, worked alongside Alex Zabotto-Bentley from the award-winning design agency AZBcreative, to…

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Refugees exhibition to open at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre this winter

Showcasing the work of over 20 artists from refugee backgrounds, Casula Powerhouse will present a free exhibition, featuring 65 works that aim to humanise both the current refugee crisis and similar situations from global history. With 22 international and Australian artists behind the 65 works on display, over 120 years of refugee history will be…

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Review: Margherita & Co – CBD (Sydney)

Margherita & Co is like a little slice of Italy. The new restaurant in the Hordern Arcade at World Square in Sydney looks poised to bring food that is buona and bella (good and beautiful – doesn’t everything sound better in Italian?) to a spot previously renowned for Asian eateries. The concept is courtesy of…

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Jompet Kuswidananto’s installation After Voices to open this Friday at SCAF, Sydney

Opening this weekend at the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation gallery, in Sydney’s Paddington, After Voices is an immersive art installation from award winning Indonesian artist Jompet Kuswidananto. Drawing inspiration from the fall of Surhato’s New Order, and his own experiences of social hysteria and trauma, Kuswidananto’s multi-disciplinary installation features a series of life-size ‘ghost figures’ on parade throughout…

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You can now cruise the city in vintage sidecars with Sydney’s latest tourism offering

Shelby Sidecar Tours have officially launched in Sydney to bring something a little bit different to your average city tour for both locals and visitors. Now, you can cruise the streets of Sydney from the comfort of a vintage sidecar as the first-of-its-kind tour operator makes a big push for their program of bespoke tours…

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Theatre Review: Flame Trees, The Depot Theatre, Sydney (Performances until 2 July)

You’ll be guaranteed to be singing the Cold Chisel classic after attending this production, but sadly the theatrical version doesn’t quite rise to the heights of its musical namesake. Written and produced by Aussie dramatist Wayne Tunks, Flame Trees is a story about the unforgiving nature of country towns. Past actions are not easily forgotten, as…

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First Impressions: VIVE Cooking School – in the kitchen with Manu Feildel

I talk food, write food and occasionally cook food from the comfort of my own kitchen but can I put my money where my mouth is and deliver a truly authentic French dining experience? Probably not, but there is no reason why I shouldn’t give it a go.  Last weekend I was able to do just that…

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Restaurant reservation service Quandoo arrives in Australia

Confession time: who hasn’t ever promised their friends/partner/family the responsibility of booking dinner at a restaurant, only to completely forget (or just find the task all to arduous), and pray, to every food god in the universe, that there will be a table available for Friday night, no booking made? New dining reservations app, Quandoo, works to remedy the problem. As…

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The Royal Ballet’s Frankenstein to screen in Australia

Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein, forms an unlikely subject for London’s Royal Ballet. Choreographed by Artist-In-Residence Liam Scarlett, the Covent Garden based company’s performance will receive its Australian première, in an exclusive screening event in Sydney later this month. Reunited with composer Lowell Liebermann, and designer John Macfarlane, and featuring principal dancers Federico Bonelli (Victor Frankenstein),…

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Telling Tales opens at MCA, Sydney

Supported by VIVID Ideas 2016, Telling Tales: Excursions in Narrative Form opens this week at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Sydney. Running from June 2nd until early October, Telling Tales explores inventive approaches taken by Australian and international artists to the narrative form. Ahead of opening weekend, MCA has released a schedule of events showcasing…

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Nina Raine’s Tribes to be presented by Ensemble Theatre

Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre, lead by director Susanna Dowling, will present a season of Nina Raine‘s awarding winning play Tribes, previewing later this week. In Raine’s acclaimed show, Billy, a deaf man from a intellectual, though comically dysfunctional, Jewish family, meets Sylvia, who teaches him sign language. Exploring the idea of families and communities as ‘tribes’, governed…

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Interview: Jess Scully teases VIVID Ideas 2016 lineup and talks House of Cards and Jenji Kohan

This year’s upcoming VIVID is set to be Sydney’s biggest yet. For VIVID Ideas, in particular, it’s hard not to call this year’s lineup their most ambitious effort with over planned 180 events and over 400 unique speakers including the House of Cards writer Beau Willimon and Orange is the New Black showrunner Jenji Kohan.  We caught up with the curator of…

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2016 Sydney Comedy Festival award winners announced

At the wrap party for the 12th Sydney Comedy Festival, the winners of this year’s awards were announced, including international acts Daniel Sloss and Ivan Aristeguieta, and festival favourite Frank Woodley. The largest festival yet, the 2016 event boasted some 220 shows, and entertained an estimated 140,000 comedy fans. At the Factory Theatre event, festival…

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Champagne Piper Heidsieck collaborate with nel. restaurant on special dinner (Sydney)

The team at nel. restaurant have announced their collaboration with Champagne Piper-Heidsieck to host an exclusive dining experience with the renowned Cellar Master, Regis Camus on Tuesday 17th May at 7pm. As the only consumer event of its kind on Regis’ tour, this event focuses on the culinary journey of a delectable 6-course dinner crafted…

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Enjoy afternoon tea with Leona Edmiston at The Langham to celebrate Fashion Week (Sydney)

When you think of style and poise in Australian fashion, leading designer Leona Edmiston springs to mind.  It’s no wonder, then, that The Langham in Sydney, a hotel equally as stylish, has partnered with the celebrated designer to hold a series of glamourous afternoon tea sittings throughout the month of May. Held in the hotel’s chic Palm Court tea…

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Taika Waititi & Julian Dennison to visit the Chauvel Cinema for special Hunt for the Wilderpeople screening and Q&A

Taika Waititi recently broke the New Zealand box office record for the highest-grossing film of all time with his new movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople which he wrote, directed and starred in. The previous box office record was set by another movie by him called Boy and you might recognise his other hits such as Eagle…

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Hotel Review: Executive King Room at the Primus Hotel Sydney (Australia)

There’s something grand about Sydney’s newest and still largely unknown CBD hotel, Primus Hotel, from the minute you walk into the lobby. It feels like no other accommodation space in the city – reminiscent more of the well kept, classic hotels of London and New York, than the modern hotels that the city is used to…

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Shortlist for Patrick White Playwrights’ Award revealed

Ahead of the May 20th announcement of the winners, the Sydney Theatre Company has released the shortlist of plays in the running to for this year’s prestigious Patrick White Playwrights’ Award. Named for Australian playwright Patrick White, the award is presented to an original, unproduced play. The winning playwright will receive $7500, and have the…

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Enjoy a week of good old fashioned fun with bars, bourbon and cocktails (Sydney)

Modern living getting you down?  Maybe it’s time to rearrange your schedule this week and head to some of Sydney’s best bars like Earl’s Juke Joint, Papa Gede’s and The Wild Rover (just to name a few) to take part in the inaugural Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned Week, which will run from 11th to 20th May in select bars around…

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Review: Bar Chinois – Chippendale (Sydney)

Bar Chinois has brought an interesting fusion of Asian and French flavours as the very first small bar-cafe to hit the ever-evolving Kensington Street precinct in Chippendale. Shaped into a double terrace near the entrance of hawker-style food court Spice Alley, the new venue stands bathed in a sultry glow which reflects off the homely…

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Hotel Review: Agde Apartment Hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney (Australia)

It was an easy 15 minute walk from Sydney’s Central Station to our home for the weekend at Adge Apartment Hotel in the heart of hip Surry Hills. “Home” is the definitely the right word to use, as our stay at Adge felt more like a home away from home (please excuse the cliché) then…

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At Last: The Etta James Story to return to the Sydney Opera House

After a sold out season at Arts Centre Melbourne, At Last: The Etta James Story is set to return to the Sydney Opera House for a one week engagement in mid July. First premièring in 2013, the show has been wowing audiences across Australia and New Zealand, telling the story of legendary soul singer Etta James, who did…

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Flight Review: Air New Zealand – Sydney to Auckland (NZ104)

In today’s Flight review on AU Abroad, we take you on board Air New Zealand and one of their services from Sydney to Auckland (NZ104). This is an airline who has stayed ahead of many of their competitors, racking up awards just as fast as air miles and it’s all on the back of their…

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Ilan Wittenberg’s Bare Truth featured as part of Head On Photo Festival

2015 Auckland photographer of the year Ilan Wittenberg will present his latest portfolio Bare Truth as part of this year’s Head On Photo Festival, exhibiting his work in Sydney in late May. Photographed over a year, Wittenberg’s pieces feature striking monochrome portraits of a diverse selection of New Zealand men, all stripped to the waist. The men are made…

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Hotel Review: Superior Room at Mercure Potts Point (Sydney)

The entrance to the Mecure Potts Point is tucked away on Victoria St in the heart of Sydney’s King’s Cross. As the quiet, unassuming ground floor lobby gives way to the reception on the second floor, the Mecure’s appeal is clear and present – it’s an oasis of class in an area renowned for debauchery….

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Bavarian Brewfest’s beer bonanza continues through April with series of parties

If you’ve been partaking in this month’s Bavarian Brewfest at participating Bavarian Bier Cafés in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as well as Munich Brauhaus in Sydney and Melbourne, you’ll be happy to know that the month of welcoming a range of new craft and seasonal beers isn’t quite over just yet, and there are…

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Where to spend ANZAC Day 2016 in Sydney

Our national day of remembrance is upon us once again, and as Sydney prepares to commemorate the ANZACs with its annual ceremony on 25th April 2016, we’ve looked to some of the city’s most loved hotels and pubs to put together this list of seven essential events celebrating the memory of our fallen soldiers. Martin Place…

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Where to find the best $1 eats in Sydney

On the one hand you have cheap eats, and on the other hand you have really cheap eats; we’re talking one slightly rusted gold coin cheap. Sydney is surprisingly full of them – $1 eats that actually don’t make you feel like you are desperately scooping up rejected leftovers. Surry Hills’ institution The Soda Factory…

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