Sunday, November 9, 2014

Pubs and breweries in NSW

New South Wales is home to some of Australia's oldest pubs and breweries, as well as the new ones which all serve up an assortment of beers waiting for you to taste test.

Hotel Coolamon. NSW (Roderick Eime)
Must Do

George IV Inn and Scharers Little Brewery
Goulburn Brewery (now closed)
The Little Brewing Company

Best country pubs
Best pubs and breweries in NSW


There's no better way to enjoy a beer than on the verandah of a historic pub in regional NSW. At a great pub, you'll enjoy not just good beer but good service, food, ambience and, if you're really lucky, something else รข€“ an idyllic location or unique style.

Some good NSW pubs are the Jack Duggans Irish Pub in Bathurst, Mount Kembla Village Hotel near Wollongong and The Royal Hotel in Moree. Great beachside pubs include Patonga Beach Hotel on the Central Coast, Sawtell Hotel near Port Macquarie and The Dockyard at Newcastle.

Family-friendly pubs in NSW include Sutton Forest Inn in the Southern Highlands and Empire Bay Tavern on the Central Coast.

Regional breweries are also on the rise in NSW and you'll find them sprinkled around the State. In Mudgee enjoy a local beer at the Mudgee Brewing Company; don't miss a local brew at Wollongong's Five Islands Brewery or BlueTongue Brewery in the Hunter Valley. The Northern Rivers Brewing Company is at Alstonville while the Byron Bay Brewery has a delicious Byron Bay Premium Ale.

The Snowy Mountains has several excellent breweries - Kosciuszko Brewing Company, Snowy Vineyard and Microbrewery, Snowy Mountains Brewery and Wildbrumby Schnapps Distillery.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Sydney Festival celebrates summer


#Sydney Festival is an annual summer arts festival celebrating Sydney in summer. Every January, the Festival enlivens and transforms Sydney with a spectacular program of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and film, spanning over a range free and ticketed events.

Festival Village at Hyde Park. Photo credit Jamie Williams.
Higher Ground, by Dublin Street artist Maser will make its world premiere in Festival Village.
Maser’s Olympus Photography Playground in Berlin pictured.
Tabac Rouge, James Thierree's largest work to date. Photo credit Richard Haughton.
The Kitchen, a food and theatrical spectacle from India. Photo credit K.R. Vinayan.

Sydney Festival 2015 comprises 179 events, a staggering 85 of which are free. With 495 performances across 25 indoor and outdoor venues, Sydney Festival 2015 features 974 artists from across 30 countries. With 18 world premieres, 11 Australian premieres and 22 Australian exclusives, summer in our beautiful city is not to be missed.

Headline artist James Thierree returns with Tabac Rouge, his largest and most extravagant work to date. Whilst European star of the screen Charlotte Rampling makes her Australian debut performance in The Night Dances .

A world premiere and new Australian theatre work by Kate Mulvany lovingly brings to life the iconic children's book Masquerade by Kit Williams. A magical tale that will enchant audiences aged nine to 90.

An Australian exclusive, Kiss & Cry is a sweeping cinematic romance with a twist, starring a duo of dexterous, dancing hands. A collaboration between prize-winning filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael and choreographer Miche le Anne De May , this sensual, small-scale ballet must be seen to be believed.

Music takes centre stage at Sydney Festival in 2015 as Brazil's superstar Seu Jorge brings his signature mix of transformative pop and swinging tunes from Rio's colourful favelas to Australia for the first time.

The sounds of Africa bring the futuristic grooves of Nigerian synth pioneer and music legend William Onyeabor, to Sydney in Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor . The Australian exclusive performance will feature a star studded line-up featuring Gotye, Sinkane, Money Mark (Beastie Boys), Luke Jenner (The Rapture), Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and many more.

Sydneysiders know Sydney Festival is one of the most wonderful summer festivals in the world -- a claim underpinned by the city's lustre and charisma, making it an ideal showcase for the world's great artists.

See the full Sydney Festival 2015 program here: sydneyfestival.org.au/

SOURCE Sydney Festival

New Guinea - The Savage Land

Let's Visit New Guinea
Noel Carrick - Burke 1969
I enjoy rummaging through old antique shops and jumble sales. Sometimes I find old library books which can be a lot of fun, especially if they are travel guides talking about a destination where so much has changed.

The passage below is taken from 'Let's Visit New Guinea' by Noel Carrick, published in 1969 by Burke of the UK. Carrick was prolific in his output, producing numerous such books over a period of two decades.

By expert standards, they are scant and simplistic and by today's criteria, politically incorrect, which makes them all the more fun to read.






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