Back when we launched venue around five years ago a 42-inch screen would set you back $5000+. And I’m not talking about a household name you can trust, I’m talking about a Soney or a Firrips, straight-off-the-back-of-a-Chinese-truck flat panel… probably held together with egg white and sticky tape. Still, we revered the ‘big’ screen like
The sleepy city of Hobart has woken up to an invasion from within. Local upstart David Hales has unleashed four venues in the last three years and taken control of a big chunk of the city’s nightlife. venue journeyed south to see how the campaign is faring. Photo: Corey Sleap It’s success by annihilation down
Thrash metal and war? It’s a perfect match made in hell. As natural a fit as Pavarotti and super-slow-mo sports footage, or Dwight Yokoam and Nascar racing. If you’re scudding along the Airport Road out of the Green Zone, what better soundtrack than the mayhem of chainsaw guitars and a voice that’s gargling razor blades.
Justin Hemmes lived the playboy life like it was no one’s business. Now he’s turned his life around, and the playboy life is his business. Photo: Corey Sleap It’s twilight hour; cocktail hour… beer o’clock even; and Justin Hemmes scoots in. Three weeks abroad — half-business/half-leisure, where business meant checking out bands in London and
Phamish: 30 The Esplanade, St Kilda, VIC (03) 9534 3800 or www.phamish.com.au Across the road from the fledgling restaurant Phamish sit two enduring St Kilda icons; the gaping clown mouth of Luna Park and the old world Palais Theatre. Beyond these gatekeepers, the streetscape melds into a wake of eclectic venues left by the gentrification
Mr B’s: 396 Pitt St, Sydney NSW (02) 8080 7777 or www.mrbshotel.com.au The old Mandarin Club was a Sydney CBD institution. Founded in 1965, it was situated at the corner of Pitt and Goulburn Streets until a relocation in 2009. The place to be for the who’s who of the entertainment industry in the ’60s
Mango Hill Tavern: Cnr Anzac Ave & Halpine Dr, Mango Hill QLD (07) 3482 1500 or www.mangohilltavern.com.au Mango Hill Tavern is Brisbane’s newest family hotel, and it’s already proving itself a big achiever, taking out the QHA award for Best New Hotel. Brand & Slater spent 16 weeks designing the cosy ambience of the tavern
Photo: Earl Carter Never having worn a dress doesn’t preclude me, a male, from knowing who Collette Dinnigan is. One of the few international stars to come out of Australia, Dinnigan’s frocks have draped from the shoulders of Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry and Naomi Watts, as well as won her acclaim and a 15-year run
Albert Park Hotel Oyster Bar & Grill 83 Dundas Place, Albert Park VIC (03) 9690 5459 or www.thealbertpark.com.au The Melbourne Pub Group knows how to do a gastro pub. Spearheaded by Julian Gerner, Melbourne Pub Group has been busying itself turning old titles into new gold, and The Albert Park Hotel is one of
I may be very much mistaken, but I don’t think the Las Vegas Heritage Trust is particularly active. I recently travelled to Vegas with a companion who yearned for a taste of the golden age. It was his first time in Sin City and he had romantic visions of Sinatra strolling the strip in a