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How Ryan Gosling shut down Sydney Harbour Bridge

Footage has emerged from the set of Ryan Gosling’s new film The Fall Guy, which was filmed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this Sunday. The iconic bridge was shut off in both directions today from 3 am to 10 am, with commuters redirected as the structure was closed off. The cycleway and footpath was also closed from 5.30 am to 10am. In a clip shared on Sunrise on Monday, Gosling's stunt double can be seen filming the high-speed stunt. The stunt double was filmed during an action-packed chase, where he was holding on to a shovel that was hanging on the back of a truck that sped across the Harbour Bridge. The actor and his stunt double were seen talking on set, wearing the same outfit, the red bomber jacket and the actor's stunning looks standing out in the picture. The Fall Guy is a movie adaptation of a 1980s TV series about a crime-fighting stuntman. Gosling, his wife Eva Mendes and their two children touched down in Sydney last September. The power couple have been spotted multiple times in Sydney, running errands, hanging out at a park in Rose bay, and trick-or-treating as a family in Bondi last Halloween. Image: Sunrise/ Bill Hearne

Movies

King Charles’ family friend snaps up historical Sydney mansion

A family friend of King Charles III has snapped up a historical home in Sydney’s lower north shore. Edward Dawson-Damer, the son of the seventh Earl of Portarlington and equerry (a senior attendant) to the Queen Mother, and his wife Joanne Grant paid an eye-watering $9.325 million ($NZ 10.04 million) for the 114-year-old Dalkeith mansion, per <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/king-charles-friend-buys-9-3-million-cremorne-home-2-1185842/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Domain</a>. The Cremorne home was built in 1908 by English wool merchant and Freemasons grand master Frank Whiddon and sits on an almost 1500-square-metre block. In the early 1950s, the property was bought by the Norwegian Church Abroad, becoming the Norwegian Seaman’s Mission and providing community services to Scandinavian seamen until 1978, according to <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/8-bannerman-street-cremorne-nsw-2090-2018035301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the listing</a>. While steeped in history, their new sandstone home has also undergone major renovations and an extension, which the listing described as “contemporary updates”, including an open-plan layout, modern appliances in the kitchen and an alfresco entertainment area with an in-ground pool and sandstone cabana. The home also boasts a billiard room that was formerly used as a chapel, with stained-glass windows and the original pew featured. Inside, the art-nouveau period features have been maintained, and each of the five bedrooms come with adjoining sunrooms. It comes as an upgrade for Dawson-Damer and Grant, who offloaded their home in Vaucluse for $6.45 million ($NZ 6.94 million) last year. Images: Domain

Real Estate

“A wake-up call for the cops”: Sydney protester Danny Lim released from hospital

Well-known Sydney activist Danny Lim has been released from hospital after injuries to his head and face during an attempted arrest by police that sparked outcry. The 78-year-old, recognised by many for his sandwich board signs bearing political messages, was hospitalised after officers tried to arrest him for failing to “comply with a move-on order” at the Queen Victoria Building on Tuesday. Criminal lawyer Chris Murphy, a lawyer at the firm that represents Mr Lim, confirmed that he had been released from St Vincent’s Hospital on Thursday with “a plan in place for ongoing monitoring”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Danny Lim has been released from hospital with a plan in place for ongoing monitoring. Thank you staff at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst for the loving care.Thank you to the community for your love & support, hope to get our happy icon back with his smiles and his signs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/beautiful?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#beautiful</a> <a href="https://t.co/k4ZclbOCyg">pic.twitter.com/k4ZclbOCyg</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1595493821323714560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2022</a></blockquote> “Thank you staff at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst for the loving care,” he wrote on social media. "Thank you to the community for your love and support, hope to get our happy icon back with his smiles and his signs." Mr Murphy also shared footage of the incident and updates on the activist’s health, with the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/sydney-man-danny-lim-arrest-to-undergo-independent-review-after-outrage/c4vq7yd9m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SBS</a> reporting that Mr Lim was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma on Wednesday. "Internal skull damage diagnose(d)," Mr Murphy said on Twitter. Mr Lim was wearing a sign that read ‘Smile cvn’t! Why cvn’t?’ while walking through Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building on Tuesday when security told him to leave. Police were called and confronted the protester, with footage taken by a witness showing Mr Lim being tripped and pushed down by two officers, falling head-first onto the tiled floor and being handcuffed. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> BREAKING NEWS:VIDEO VIOLENT NSW POLICE ARREST OF INNOCENT 80 YEAR OLD MAN WEARING BILLBOARD A COURT HAS FOUND LEGAL THE LAST TIME HE WAS WRONGLY ARRESTED FOR IT. CVNT LIKE CENT AND CANT IS NOT AN OFFENSIVE TERM. LAST TIME COURT CRITICISED HEAVY HANDED VIOLENCE NOW IN HOSPITAL. <a href="https://t.co/Ovy942m4tx">pic.twitter.com/Ovy942m4tx</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1594898646981496832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote> When Mr Lim was picked up off the tiled floor, blood could be seen on the ground and on his cheek, and officers “discontinued” the arrest. Speaking to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/22/serial-protester-danny-lim-in-hospital-after-discontinued-arrest-in-sydney-cbd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guardian Australia</a> from hospital, Mr Lim said he had asked police to call an ambulance and informed them he had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “I told them to ring an ambulance,” he said on Tuesday. “They refused. “I could be dead when they threw me down like that.” Businessman Mike Ashley, a witness to the altercation, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/24/danny-lim-asked-police-to-call-ambulance-and-told-them-of-his-ptsd-before-arrest-witness-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the outlet</a> that he noticed the hearted confrontation and heard Mr Lim repeatedly asked officers to call an ambulance. Mr Ashley said Lim had been begging for an ambulance to be called before he was thrown to the ground. “He let them know very clearly that he had PTSD, and that he needed an ambulance,” Mr Ashley said. “He voiced that very clearly at the outset. He became increasingly agitated as they approached him.” But, when Mr Ashley said he was threatened by officers when he tried to intervene and asked Mr Lim if he should call an ambulance. “The officer … said, ‘If you do that, we will charge you with hindering an arrest,’” he said. “It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that you might use to de-escalate [the] situation.” Following the incident, the actions officers took during the arrest will be subject to an independent review. In a statement, police said Mr Lim had failed to comply with move-on orders from security and officers. "Police will allege the man was subsequently issued with a move on direction by officers and failed to comply," they said. "The man's arrest was discontinued after he struggled with police and sustained an injury to his cheekbone ... "As inquiries into the incident continue, an independent review has been launched, which will examine the actions of police during the incident." His recent arrest has been condemned by many online and by politicians, including the NSW Greens. "The actions by the NSW Police yesterday were completely out of line and an indication of just how dangerous new police powers are to the vulnerable in our society," Greens MP Sue Higginson said on Wednesday. "This type of violent arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere." Independent member Alex Greenwich told <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/11/23/danny-lim-hospitalised-nsw-over-policing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crikey</a> the incident was “deeply concerning” and an example of “over-policing”. “Sydneysiders have a great deal of affection for Danny Lim and people know who he is and that he is a peaceful protester and a harmless person. It’s deeply concerning to see over-policing, let alone over-policing leading to someone being injured,” he said. “I hope this is a wake-up call for the cops and I obviously hope that Danny has a full recovery.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Today after being smashed into the floor by New South Wales Police. Internal skull damage diagnose. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DannyLim?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DannyLim</a> <a href="https://t.co/Cc5IvO3nP9">pic.twitter.com/Cc5IvO3nP9</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1594913582063706112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote> Amnesty International Australia said they had documented incidents where police used force against people, like Mr Lim, who were expressing their right to freedom of expression and hoped NSW Police would follow through on holding an independent review. “People like 78-year-old Danny Lim should be free to express themselves without fearing injury,” the organisation said. Mr Lim has previously been arrested and fined $500 for wearing the same sign, but was deemed to be allowed to wear it after a successful court case in 2019. Magistrate Jaqueline Milledge ruled at the time in favour of Mr Lim, saying “the police action was heavy-handed and unnecessary” and ruling that the signs may be cheeky but weren’t criminally offensive. Image: Twitter

Legal

800 Covid-positive cruise goers disembark at Sydney

Approximately 800 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 disembarked from the cruise ship Majestic Princess in Sydney over the weekend. The 4,400 passengers and crew disembarked at the end of a 12-night round-trip to New Zealand, with passengers who tested positive instructed not to take public transport after departing Sydney’s Circular Quay. In a statement, operator Carnival Cruise Line said that the positive cases - around 20 percent of the ship’s population - were kept separate from those who tested negative while disembarking. "All guests disembarking have undertaken a rapid antigen test in the past 24 hours, which will determine how they will disembark the ship,” the statement said. Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald said at a press conference on Saturday that cases of Covid began to rise about halfway through the trip and that everyone who tested positive were asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms. In a statement shared with <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/majestic-princess-cruise-covid-coronavirus-docks-in-sydney/ea034a4c-9a10-42ed-a9e5-d720f0dddf71" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a>, Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Stuart Allison said staff were also assisting those who tested positive to find accommodations to help them continue to isolate. Fitzgerald told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/13/australia/australia-covid-majestic-princess-cruise-passengers-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> that the cruise line has been using “the most rigorous and strict measures which go well above current guidelines”, with staff and passengers being tested for Covid before boarding and a requirement for 95 percent of guests over the age of 12 to be vaccinated. She said that the more than 50 voyages made by Carnival Australia and over 100,000 guests onboard have been “unimpacted by Covid”. “However, the emergence of COVID in the community has meant we have seen a rise in positive cases on the last three voyages,” she added. The Majestic Princess has since travelled to Melbourne with 220 people from the original cruise, per <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/cruise-ship-carrying-800-covid-positive-passengers-docks-in-sydney/pf4suhrn6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SBS News</a>. In response to the news, many have taken to social media to share their thoughts, with some questioning why it was happening again after the Ruby Princess allowed Covid-positive passengers to disembark in Sydney in March 2020. “Didn’t… didn’t we already do this?” one person <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewPStreet/status/1591024965045800962?s=20&t=pkMBODwCjEj2M4w43AVkkg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>. “Back to square one. That’s how it started,” another <a href="https://twitter.com/DarcyAmaroo/status/1591166905435721729" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “Why would you still go on a crowded cruise ship with Covid still spreading through the population?” “As the Majestic Princess saga unfolds, it seems not just Covid is in the Circular Quay air, but also a real sense of déjà poo - the feeling that sh*t has happened before,” a third <a href="https://twitter.com/sahar_adatia/status/1591325017421541376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. The news comes as Australia begins to experience a fourth wave of Covid, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/11/covid-19-case-numbers-exploding-across-australia-as-fourth-wave-takes-off" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a> reporting that 58,000 cases have been recorded across the country in the past week. The Queensland government has moved the state to an “amber alert” in response to the uptick in cases, while NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said the wave is expected to peak before Christmas. “The wave is taking off with some trajectory, it will be quite a steep wave and hopefully the decline will be equally as steep,” she said on Friday. “There is a sense that the wave may well peak before Christmas and we may be on the decline [by then]. “But the message is clear … this is an increased risk period for Covid, so please, now is the time to take those protective behaviours.” Meanwhile, New Zealand has reported 21,595 community cases of the virus in the past week, with computational biologist Dr David Welch telling the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-health-officials-to-provide-weekly-update-on-cases/VKB7XS4BIVCIBK7GL3BVEDM43M/">NZ Herald</a> that the country may be “at or near a peak” in cases. Image: Getty Images

Cruising

Sydney lions’ great escape finally explained

The mystery surrounding the <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/five-lions-escape-from-taronga-zoo-enclosure">five lions that escaped from their enclosure</a> at Taronga Zoo has been solved, after the zoo revealed the big cats were able to roam free due to a small gap in the fence. Male lion Ato and 16-month-old cubs Khari, Luzuko, Malike and Zuri sent the Sydney zoo into lockdown last week after they got out of their enclosure. The five lions were found in an area adjacent to the main exhibit and returned to their enclosure before the zoo opened to the public. In a statement on Thursday, officials said that clamps used to join wire cables together had “failed”, leading to a cable unravelling to create a gap in the fence. “Preliminary independent engineering advice has confirmed that swages (clamps that join wire cables together) failed, enabling a lacing cable that connects the fence mesh to a tension cable to unravel,” <a href="https://taronga.org.au/media-release/2022-11-01/statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the statement read</a>. ”The lions were then able to create and squeeze through a gap.” The review into the incident found that the lions were “playing and interacting” with the fence for around 20 minutes before the gap formed. While the lion and cubs took the opportunity to escape, “lioness Maya and one cub chose to remain in the exhibit”, according to officials, and were later called back into their dens by keepers. While families who were camping at the zoo overnight were taken to a safe area by staff, other Taronga Zoo employees worked to bring the lions back safely and used vehicles to “monitor and control the situation”. “This enabled keepers to use their relationships with the lions, as well as their training for such incidents, to calmly call the lions back to their exhibit, ensuring a peaceful and safe outcome for all people and animals,” the zoo said. “The four other cubs and adult male lion appeared to remain calm and investigated the other side of the main containment fence, remaining within metres of their exhibit, before actively trying to find their way back under the fence.” After the five lions escaped, two cubs then breached a second fence while trying to find access back into the exhibit, with one walking back to the exhibit without issue and the other needing to be tranquillised by vets and returned. The zoo concluded the statement by saying the lions would “remain in an outdoor, back-of-house holding area pending specialist engineering advice”. The ongoing review of the incident has recommended that the fence be investigated by an independent tensile-structure engineer, who would advise the zoo on how the clamps broke and how the fence can be fixed. Image: Facebook

Family & Pets

Queen's letter for Sydney that can't be opened until 2085

Sitting inside a locked, glass case, within the dome of Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building, is a letter from Queen Elizabeth II that can’t be opened until the year 2085. The letter was written by the monarch in November 1986 and has become the subject of conversation once again following the news of <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/news/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-at-96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Her Majesty’s passing</a> last week. Addressed to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, the Queen requested that her message be shared with the people of the city in 2085. “On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 AD, would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of Sydney my message to them,” the Queen wrote on the outside of the letter, signing it simply as, “Elizabeth R”. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/queen-letter-sydney-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" /> The letter in question will remain sealed until 2085. Image: Creative Commons She wrote the letter after the restoration of the Queen Victoria Building in the 1980s, which was saved from demolition in the late 1950s by “ardent public campaigning” from Sydneysiders. According to <a href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/queen-elizabeth-ii/queens-secret-letter-is-hidden-in-sydney-vault-and-cant-be-opened-for-63-years-c-8193155" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7news.com.au</a>,it is unknown what the Queen wrote in the letter, even among her personal staff. In 2012, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hidden-treasures-to-expose-secrets-in-plain-sight-20121026-28b3l.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> reported that the letter came to be in the building when the Queen visited, with then-centre manager Natalie Douglas telling the outlet that the monarch put the letter inside a time capsule and buried it in the central dome. “Nobody knows what it says,” Ms Douglas said. It seems that mystery will continue to surround the letter until its fateful opening many decades from now. Image: Getty Images

Domestic Travel

"Almost knocked me out": Shaq and Hasbulla's Sydney Harbour stoush

Pint-sized superstar Hasbulla has finally touched down in Sydney, sending his huge fanbase into a frenzy. The social media sensation shared a cheeky clip on his Instagram story over the weekend of him and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal together on a yacht in Sydney Harbour. Quite the mischievous start flowered into a beautiful friendship between two of the most popular celebrities on the planet. The pair were both in Sydney for public engagements and while it remains unclear why they linked up, the meeting sent social media crazy with everyone buzzing over the adorable clip. The video posted to Shaquille’s Instagram from aboard the yacht shows Hasbulla playfully striking the three-time NBA champion. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChwWdsbs7KX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChwWdsbs7KX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq)</a> </div> </blockquote> “(Hasbulla) almost knocked me out,” O’Neal wrote. Hasbulla tweeted the same video saying: “Australia has been great, Shaq isn’t even that tall." O’Neal then posted on Monday morning, after what was no doubt a busy weekend of back-to-back events for the two, showing them together asleep on a couch with the caption “tired boss”. The rendezvous saw the likes and retweets coming in thick and fast. O’Neal’s jam-packed trip saw the basketball superstar visit Melbourne for the sold-out fan experience “An Evening with Shaquille O’Neal” at Melbourne’s Margaret Court and DJ gigs late last week before he headed to Sydney for the second stop of the touring event. Hasbulla is also in Australia for his “Hasbulla visits Down Under” tour. The beloved 19-year-old was born with a rare Growth Hormone Deficiency condition that is responsible for his diminutive size. He quickly gained a following on social media in 2020 thanks to his fight training and adorable prank videos. Hasbulla has a fiercely loyal fanbase, clocking up billions of views with high engagement on his content. What can we say, he is a very loveable little man. Image: Instagram

Domestic Travel

Review: Il Trovatore at the Sydney Opera House

Tarot, clowns, romance, and drama abound in Opera Australia’s rendition of Il Trovatore, the melodramatic tale created by famed operatic composer Guiseppe Verdi. Set in 15th-century Spain, Il Trovatore follows Manrico (Yonghoon Lee), a rebel soldier and troubadour who is in love with lady-in-waiting Leonora (Leah Crocetto), who has also caught the attention of the Count di Luna (Maim Aniskin). Some years before the opera is set, the Count’s father accused a Romani woman of bewitching one of his sons and had her burned at the stake, but not before her daughter, Azucena (Elena Gabouri), supposedly snatched his son and threw him into the fire as well. It is then revealed that Azucena had mistakenly burned her own child in the fire and had taken Manrico from the count and raised him as her own son. With Azucena urging him to exact revenge on the current Count, Manrico rescues Leonora from the Count and they plan to marry each other. However, when Azucena is arrested and Manrico is captured attempting to rescue her, Leonora is faced with the decision to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her beloved. Opera Australia’s rendition of this classic opera blends tradition with innovation: the setting shifts forward in time to the Spanish Civil War and traditional set pieces are replaced primarily with towering digital screens. Though this change in setting was captured well with the costuming, with the Count’s men donned in 40s era grey overcoats and armed with a mix of swords and pistols, the digital stagecraft captured the ambience of Il Trovatore more than a sense of place and came across as shallow in some moments. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/il-trovatore1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> That said, the digital aspects weren’t without their positives, playing with the audience’s sense of space and highlighting important aspects of the story, with projections of a series of tarot cards (a nod to Romani culture), a rundown circus, and a disembodied clown head as notable examples. The rotating stage of the Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre and select physical props and sets were used quite effectively to capture the dilapidated circus grounds and hospital. Meanwhile, silhouetting the cast to punctuate between scenes and songs and circus folk and henchmen frozen mid-fight showed how the cast could themselves become scenery. As for the cast themselves, Lee shone as the fierce troubadour, even when he seemed to falter and be visibly in pain on some notes. Gabouri’s casting as Azucena seemed a perfect fit, given her powerful vocals and the strength with which she played her character. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/trovatore-cast.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Yonghoon Lee (left) and Elena Gabouri (right) shine as Manrico and Azucena, and their chemistry as mother and son is electric. Aniskin’s cold and menacing portrayal of the Count came through particularly in the second act, while Crocetto’s incredible range helped her shine as the leading lady Leonora. The orchestra, led by Andrea Battistoni, were exceptional throughout in capturing the highs, lows, and intricacies of Verdi’s music. As a first-time opera goer, the need to look at the surtitles above the stage made it difficult to stay immersed, particularly as they seemed to translate the essence of what was being sung rather than the literal lyrics. Even so, Opera Australia’s rendition of Il Trovatore is engaging in its fusion of tradition and tech, and its stellar cast breathe life into a story that is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Il Trovatore will be performed at the Sydney Opera House on select dates until July 30, with tickets available to purchase <a href="https://opera.org.au/productions/il-trovatore-sydney/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Images: Keith Saunders

Domestic Travel

The Sydney Opera House unveils historic upgrades

After being closed for two-and-a-half years of extensive renovations, the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall is finally ready to reopen to the public. Since closing in 2020, the venue has seen hundreds of construction workers, acousticians, and experts in architecture and heritage help deliver one of the biggest upgrades in nearly 50 years. “We’re thrilled to be welcoming the community back to the renewed Concert Hall,” Louise Herron AM, the CEO of Sydney Opera House, said in a <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/content/Non-Indexed/media/newsroom/media-release-soh-unveils-historic-concert-hall-upgrade.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Artists and audiences are set to experience world-class acoustics in a venue that is more accessible, safer and better equipped to present the full breadth of 21st century performance.” With more $190 million invested into the renewal project, improving acoustics and accessibility have been two major priorities. The old acrylic ‘donuts’ hanging above the stage have been replaced with magenta ‘acoustic petals’ - matching the Concert Hall seats - while a new lift and passageway now allows for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility to access all levels, including the Northern Foyer and its stunning harbour views. A state-of-the-art sound system and acoustic diffusion panels have also been installed throughout the venue, along with automated stage risers and other technology to make putting on a performance - whether it be an orchestra or musical - that much easier. Its reopening marks the final project in the Opera House’s Decade of Renewal, which has seen the World Heritage-listed building fitted with a range of improvements and new venues, all without interfering with the original concrete and structures. The venue will reopen to the public from July 20, marked by the return of the <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/sydney-symphony-orchestra/2022/simone-young-conducts-mahler-2.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sydney Symphony Orchestra</a> performing Mahler’s Second Symphony. Images: Lisa Maree Williams (Getty Images), Daniel Boud, Anna Kucera

Domestic Travel

‘Patently ridiculous’: State government failures have exacerbated Sydney’s flood disaster

For the fourth time in 18 months, floodwaters have inundated homes and businesses in Western Sydney’s Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Recent torrential rain is obviously the immediate cause. But poor decisions by successive New South Wales governments have exacerbated the damage. The town of Windsor, in the Hawkesbury region, has suffered a particularly high toll, with dramatic flood heights of 9.3 metres in February 2020, 12.9m in March 2021 and 13.7m in March this year. As I write, flood heights at Windsor have reached nearly 14m. This is still considerably lower than the monster flood of 1867, which reached almost 20m. It’s clear that standard flood risk reduction measures, such as raising building floor levels, are not safe enough in this valley. We’ve known about the risk of floods to the region for a long time. Yet successive state governments have failed to properly mitigate its impact. Indeed, recent urban development policies by the current NSW government will multiply the risk. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> BBC weather putting Sydney’s downpour into context. More rain there in 4 days than London gets in a year. <a href="https://t.co/FDkBCYGlK7">pic.twitter.com/FDkBCYGlK7</a> — Brett Mcleod (@Brett_McLeod) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brett_McLeod/status/1544071890431623169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> We knew this was coming A 22,000 square kilometre catchment covering the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney drains into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. The system faces an <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydneys-disastrous-flood-wasnt-unprecedented-were-about-to-enter-a-50-year-period-of-frequent-major-floods-158427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extreme flood risk</a> because gorges restrict the river’s seaward flow, often causing water to rapidly fill up the valley after heavy rain. Governments have known about the flood risks in the valley for more than two centuries. Traditional Owners have known about them for millennia. In 1817, Governor Macquarie lamented: <blockquote> it is impossible not to feel extremely displeased and Indignant at [colonists] Infatuated Obstinacy in persisting to Continue to reside with their Families, Flocks, Herds, and Grain on those Spots Subject to the Floods, and from whence they have often had their prosperity swept away. </blockquote> Macquarie’s was the first in a long line of governments to do nothing effective to reduce the risk. The latest in this undistinguished chain is the NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. In March, Roberts <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-planning-minister-scraps-order-to-consider-flood-fire-risks-before-building-20220321-p5a6kc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly revoked</a> his predecessor’s directive to better consider flood and other climate risks in planning decisions, to instead favour housing development. Roberts’ predecessor, Rob Stokes, had required that the Department of Planning, local governments and developers consult Traditional Owners, manage risks from climate change, and make information public on the risks of natural disasters. This could have helped limit development on floodplains. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Michael Greenway knows that as soon as he sees floodwater, it’s time to get the three boxes of family photos and move to higher ground. He’s lived in his Richards home for years and has experienced six floods - three of which have been this year <a href="https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx">https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWFloods?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWFloods</a> <a href="https://t.co/ErN6sf6hBn">pic.twitter.com/ErN6sf6hBn</a> — Laura Chung (@Laura_R_Chung) <a href="https://twitter.com/Laura_R_Chung/status/1543890156675276800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> Why are we still building there? The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is currently home to 134,000 people, a population <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected to</a> double by 2050. The potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-stop-risky-developments-in-floodplains-we-have-to-tackle-the-profit-motive-and-our-false-sense-of-security-184062?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic returns</a> from property development are a key driver of the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of effective action</a> to reduce flood risk. In the valley, for example, billionaire Kerry Stokes’ company Seven Group is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-raising-the-warragamba-dam-wall-could-be-a-win-for-billionaire-kerry-stokes-20220222-p59yke.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly a part owner</a> of almost 2,000 hectares at Penrith Lakes by the Nepean River, where a 5,000-home development has been mooted. Planning in Australia often uses the 1-in-100-year flood return interval as a safety standard. <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is not appropriate</a>. Flood risk in the valley is increasing with climate change, and development in the catchment increases the speed of runoff from paved surfaces. The historical 1-in-100 year safety standard is particularly inappropriate in the valley, because of the extreme risk of rising water cutting off low-lying roads and completely submerging residents cut-off in extreme floods. What’s more, a “medium” climate change scenario will see a <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/resources/publications-and-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14.6% increase</a> in rainfall by 2090 west of Sydney. This is projected to increase the 1-in-100 year flood height at Windsor from 17.3m to 18.4m. The NSW government should impose a much higher standard of flood safety before approving new residential development. In my view, it would be prudent to only allow development that could withstand the 20m height of the 1867 flood. No dam can control the biggest floods The NSW government’s primary proposal to reduce flood risk is to <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raise Warragamba Dam</a> by 14m. There are many reasons this <a href="https://www.giveadam.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal should be questioned</a>. They include the potential inundation not just of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/traditional-owners-launch-federal-bid-to-stop-raising-of-warragamba-dam-wall-20210128-p56xkt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural sites</a> of the Gundungarra nation, but threatened species populations, and part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/media/2855/infrastructure-nsw-resilient-valley-resilient-communities-2017-jan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost-benefit analysis</a> used to justify the proposal <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not count</a> these costs, nor the benefits of alternative measures such as upgrading escape roads. Perversely, flood control dams and levee banks often result in higher flood risks. That’s because none of these structures stop the biggest floods, and they provide an illusion of safety that justifies more risky floodplain development. The current NSW transport minister <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/emergency-minister-says-raising-dam-wall-could-lead-to-more-development-on-floodplain-20210329-p57evo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested such development</a> in the valley last year. Similar development occurred with the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in 1984, which hasn’t prevented extensive flooding in <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brisbane</a> in 2011 and 2022. These are among the reasons the NSW Parliament Select Committee on the Proposal to Raise the Warragamba Dam Wall <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee-details.aspx?pk=262#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommended</a> last October that the state government: <blockquote> not proceed with the Warragamba Dam wall raising project [and] pursue alternative floodplain management strategies instead. </blockquote> What the government should do instead The NSW government now has an opportunity to overcome two centuries of failed governance. It could take substantial measures to keep homes off the floodplain and out of harm’s way. We need major <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new measures</a> including: <ul> <li>preventing new development</li> <li>relocating flood prone residents</li> <li>building better evacuation roads</li> <li>lowering the water storage level behind Warragamba Dam.</li> </ul> The NSW government should help residents to relocate from the most flood-prone places and restore floodplains. This has been undertaken for many Australian towns and cities, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420914000028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grantham</a>, Brisbane, and <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along major rivers worldwide</a>. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/5/4/1580/htm#B10-water-05-01580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Relocating residents isn’t easy</a>, and any current Australian buyback and relocation programs are voluntary. I think it’s in the public interest to go further and, for example, compulsorily acquire or relocate those with destroyed homes, rather than allowing them to rebuild in harm’s way. This approach offers certainty for flood-hit people and lowers community impacts in the longer term. It is patently ridiculous to rebuild on sites that have been flooded multiple times in two years. In the case of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, there are at least <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/federal-government-insurers-stop-housing-in-floodrisk-zones/news-story/cba71269eff2b0ea00d93445ff0e9f73" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5,000 homes</a> below the 1-in-100-year flood return interval. This includes roughly <a href="https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7657492/near-1000-flood-related-home-insurance-claims-already-in-hawkesbury/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,000 homes flooded</a> in March. The NSW government says a buyback program would be <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/farcical-minister-shoots-down-flood-relocation-says-residents-know-the-risks-20220308-p5a2qg.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">too expensive</a>. Yet, the cost would be comparable to the roughly $2 billion needed to raise Warragamba Dam, or the government’s $5 billion WestInvest fund. An alternative measure to raising the dam is to lower the water storage level in Warragamba Dam by 12m. This would reduce the amount of drinking water stored to supply Sydney, and would provide some flood control space. The city’s water supply would then need to rely more on the existing desalination plant, a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116001817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategy assessed as cost effective</a> and with the added benefit of bolstering drought resilience. The flood damage seen in NSW this week was entirely predictable. Measures that could significantly lower flood risk are expensive and politically hard. But as flood risks worsen with climate change, they’re well worth it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186304/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jamie-pittock-7562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Pittock</a>, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian National University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/patently-ridiculous-state-government-failures-have-exacerbated-sydneys-flood-disaster-186304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.

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Review: Feel like a tourist in your own city at Sydney’s Opera House Tours

Sydney’s harbour wouldn’t be complete without it, but the history and interiors of the Sydney Opera House aren’t as well known - which is where the Sydney Opera House Tours and Sunset at the House tours come in. Throughout June, Sunset at the House gives you a chance to explore and witness the stunning harbour views during the golden hour. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/20220616_163853-scaled.jpg" alt="" /> Image: Author The tour is limited to a maximum of 30 people, making for an intimate experience as you make your way from the steps outside all the way to the Joan Sutherland Theatre near the building’s peak, then back down again to the Western Foyers and Colonnade, taking in the history of the Opera House along the way. But before you step inside, the tour’s first stop is on the steps outside, where you can view the iconic sails and the Aztec-inspired stairs designed to represent stepping away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and into something more spiritual (at least, that’s what our tour guide said). Once inside, you’ll be treated to an immersive digital experience projected onto the ceiling above you, showcasing some of the highlights of the Concert Hall’s past performances. The tour couldn’t be any more timely either, with the Concert Hall preparing to open its doors in July after being closed for two years of renewal works. If art, architecture, history, or even acoustics technology intrigues you, you’ll be sure to find the tour to be a fascinating insight into the Opera House’s story and the work that goes into putting on its calendar of shows and performances, made all the more compelling by the engaging tour guides. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/20220616_171614-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" /> Image: Author Rounding out the tour with some nibbles and a glass of bubbles next to Portside Sydney, one of the Opera House’s harbourside eateries, is a nice touch that gives you the chance to enjoy views of the Harbour Bridge and its surrounds as day turns to night. Though tickets for Sunset at the House have already sold out, the Opera House will be running daily tours - without the canapes and sunset drinks - at 11.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 3pm and 3.30pm until August 31. From September, tours will depart at 10.30am, 12pm and 2pm Sunday to Friday, with three tours on Saturdays at 9am, 10.30am and 12.30pm. The hour-long tours are free for children under five, with adult tickets costing $43 and $33 for conession holders. To book your tickets, head to the Opera House <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/visit-us/tours-and-experiences/english-tour.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. Image: Sydney Opera House

Domestic Travel

Take in the views this month at Sydney Opera House’s sunset tours

The sails of the Sydney Opera House are an icon in Sydney's skyline, and now you can explore the building itself - thanks to a new series or sunset tours running through June. Sunset at the House is part of the NSW government's Culture Up Late initiative, offering an intimate tour of the landmarks halls and foyer spaces. Starting at 4pm, you'll get to go behind the scenes of the World Heritage-listed site during golden hour - the prime time to snap some photos of the stunning waterside views - and round out the afternoon with canapes and a drink. “There is no better way to step inside the Opera House and learn more about how the building comes to life,” Nicola Brandon, the Sydney Opera House General Manager of Tours, Retail and Projects, said. Sunset at the House is a wonderful experience where people can enjoy the Opera House at a time when it’s buzzing with energy. Guests will be awed by the beauty of a stunning harbour sunset, with delicious canapés and drinks served to them at Portside or the Joan Sutherland Theatre’s northern balcony, two of our finest locations,” Tickets cost just $20 - half the price of a standard Opera House Tour - and are available to purchase for select dates from June 3-29 <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/visit-us/tours-and-experiences/sunset-at-the-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Supplied

Domestic Travel

Sydney icon to be returned to Aboriginal owners

A historic decision has been made to return one of Sydney harbour's iconic landmarks to its Indigenous custodians. The NSW government has begun the official transfer process for Me-Mel Island - also known as Goat Island - which will be accompanied by a nearly $43 million revitalisation of the island. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet described the achievement as a “personal priority”. “Returning Me-Mel to the Aboriginal community is the right thing to do, and it helps deliver on my commitment of improving outcomes and opportunities for Aboriginal people across all parts of Government,” he said. “A big part of my commitment is ensuring the island is remediated before it’s transferred to the Aboriginal community.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Me-mel (Eora): Bennelong's island; little green space in the sea. <a href="https://t.co/HZFslBCkyH">pic.twitter.com/HZFslBCkyH</a> — Carolyn R Galbraith (@CarolynRGalb) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarolynRGalb/status/1530773156536852481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> This remediation, included in the $42.9 million package spread over the next four years, will cover various works such as repairing seawalls and buildings, improving water and sewer services, adn removing contaminants like asbestos, according to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/43m-move-to-return-memel-island-to-aboriginal-hands/news-story/b28de6cc4bc21003aec0e5a801c362b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. Me-Mel Island is the biggest in Sydney Harbour and lies north-west of the CBD. The State Heritage-listed island is known for its rich Aboriginal heritage, as well as being home to more than 30 buildings and structures from the 1830s to 1960s. Once inhabited by Wangal man Bennelong and Cammeraigal woman Barangaroo, Bennelong said he inherited it from his father who was born on Me-Mel according to colonial documents. The transfer was first promised during the 2015 election by the NSW Labor Party - who lost to the Liberal Party that year - before officially commencing under the Liberals seven years later. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I welcome the announcement today by <a href="https://twitter.com/Dom_Perrottet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dom_Perrottet</a> of $43m for restoration work on ME-MEL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goatisland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#goatisland</a> prior to this historic land being returned to the Aboriginal community in 2026 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alwayswasalwayswillbeaboriginalland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#alwayswasalwayswillbeaboriginalland</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xe3ySXOINf">pic.twitter.com/Xe3ySXOINf</a> — Councillor Yvonne Weldon (@ypweldon) <a href="https://twitter.com/ypweldon/status/1530860098515783682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> Though it has been a long time coming, the decision has been welcomed by Yvonne Weldon, the Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, who said the transfer will help heal and progress Indigenous issues. “Me-Mel is a place where we can go to be within our culture, pass culture on to our younger generations and share with other people,” she said. Until the transfer, the island will continue to be managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which is calling for <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks-reserves-and-protected-areas/park-management/community-engagement/sydney-harbour-national-park/me-mel-goat-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressions of interest</a> for the Me-Mel Transfer Committee. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Franklin said this committee, with advice from legal, heritage, planning and governance experts, will develop a business case and plan for future ownership and management of the island. “The Me-Mel Transfer Committee includes Aboriginal people and NSW government representatives, and importantly, its establishment is supported by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council,” Mr Franklin said. Nominations for this committee are open until close of business on June 27. Image: Office of Environment and Heritage (Flickr)

Real Estate

Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building lights up for good cause

With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc with retailers across the world, one of Sydney’s iconic shopping hubs has joined forces with the city’s creative industry to support the revival of retail with the launch of a new artistic installation. The <a href="https://www.qvb.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Victoria Building</a> (QVB) will be welcoming the new installation, Time to Illuminate, from now until the end of June, along with history tours with EWOL designer Angela Lowe-Liddell - the mastermind behind the installation - on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. Time to Illuminate stands 17.6 metres high and is made of various upcycled materials, including over 4,500 Swarovski crystals taken from the iconic QVB Christmas tree/ Lowe-Liddell took inspiration for the giant, hanging sculpture from the QVB’s stained glass window. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/qvb2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Image: Supplied “There is an overwhelming sense of excitement that can be felt across (the) Sydney CBD as businesses including the QVB join forces to contribute to the post-pandemic recovery,” said Vicinity Centres Head of Marketing, Brand and Experience, Corrine Barchanowicz. Image: Supplied

Domestic Travel

Enchanting Cherry Blossom Festival returns to Sydney

The wildly popular Cherry Blossom Festival is returning to Western Sydney following a two-year hiatus, promising two weeks of live entertainment, delicious food, and the iconic pink blossoms. The festival, held in Auburn’s Botanic Gardens, will run from August 20-28 and ring in the start of cherry blossom season, all while paying homage to Japanese culture. According to the <a href="https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/sydneycherryblossomfestival" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cumberland City Council website</a>, the festival will include a return of the popular ‘Cherry Trail’ and the Japanese fusion food village, as well as plenty of spots to take photos. Tickets are expected to cost just $10 and can be booked via the council’s websites, where you can also find the latest updates on what’s in store. Image: Cumberland City Council

Domestic Travel

How a song composed for the Sydney Olympics has been brought to life

As Australia prepared for the Sydney Olympics in early 2000, composer Natalie Raab decided to create a uniquely Aussie song. Her hope was that the ballad, which celebrates Australia’s beauty, history and diversity, could be used somewhere during the Olympic ceremonies. After moving from Italy in 1960, Natalie fell in love with Australia and wanted to honour her new home in her own special way. "My wife was always very musical," her husband, Erich Raab said. "She wrote quite a bit of music for some well-known artists, she played the violin, the guitar, the piano, and she studied music from an early age.” "She thought, 'I better write a song that's for everybody and inclusive of Indigenous Australia and offer it as a gift'." Three months before the games, Natalie offered the song to the Sydney Olympic Committee. While they praised her work, the committee members said it was too late to incorporate it into the program. "After that, it disappeared in a drawer somewhere — forgotten," said Erich. The song stayed in its drawer for 20 years, until last year when Mr Raab found it during a clean-up of his home. Natalie died in a motorcycle accident in 2014, and her husband was keen to share the song with others. "When I found the music, I thought, 'This song in a few verses says everything that needs to be said about this country, its beauty, its natural history, its people history, and its emphasis on reconciliation for all'. "I thought, 'I have to hang on to this and see if I can get somebody interested'." Mr Raab gifted the music to the Manning Valley Choral Society, who have performed the song, called Till I Come Home, as part of a concert series. "They immediately understood what the song was about, they loved the music and thought it suited them, and they loved the words." The Manning Valley Choral Society's Robyn Rankin said they gratefully received the music. "Erich asked us if we would take care of it and record it for him," she said. "We are lucky enough to have it in our possession now … it's a tribute to Erich's wife." Image credits: Getty Images

Music

A new light festival is heading to Sydney Zoo

Sydney’s newest zoo is welcoming a festival of lights that promises to rival the annual Vivid festival with dazzling exhibitions and a chance to get up close to some iconic critters. GLOW will be taking over the Western Sydney zoo in Bungarribee nightly between Friday, May 13 and Sunday, June 5. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdIVzWDqMPo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdIVzWDqMPo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sydney Zoo 🦁 (@thesydneyzoo)</a> </div> </blockquote> The star of the show will be the GLOW Light Walk, which takes visitors on a full tour of the zoo complete with giant glowing animal lanterns and sculptures, and past the festival’s other attractions, including a12-metre tunnel of fairy lights, and a giant glowing Ferris wheel. Fans of creepy crawlies can also enjoy the Reptile & Nocturnal house - the biggest in the country - and come face-to-face with snakes and glowing UV scorpions. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/glow-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> GLOW’s extensive list of attractions include real-life UV scorpions (left) and towering interactive installations such as Trumpet Flowers (right). Images: Sydney Zoo The neon festival will also include the Glow Zone, featuring an ice rink, golf course, and Octopoda, a giant statue with eight tentacle-drums that light up, as well as plenty of food and drink. GLOW has also been designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible with no hills of steps to grapple with. Tickets start at $25 online - which you can book <a href="https://sydneyzoo.com/glow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> - or $30 at the gate, while babies under two enter for free. Image: Sydney Zoo

Domestic Travel

“Give us patience”: Chaos continues at Sydney Airport

Aussies hoping to fly from Sydney airport over the Easter holidays are facing ongoing chaos, as long queues build up inside the airport’s domestic terminal. It’s seen some passengers have been waiting for upwards of two hours to get through security, due to the start of the school holidays and staff shortages, which Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has attributed to Covid. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Sydney airport is absolutely insane. Security line starts inside and snakes back and forth, then it goes outside and snakes back and forth, then you can go back inside and snakes back and forth. Flights are delayed because they can't get humans through fast enough! <a href="https://t.co/NpE2AiNJkh">pic.twitter.com/NpE2AiNJkh</a> — James Ryall (@jgryall) <a href="https://twitter.com/jgryall/status/1511982559353532420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote> “At the moment the sick leave, absenteeism is twice the level of the reserves,” Mr Joyce <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-airport-delays-continue-as-queues-form-and-joyce-blames-covid-staff-shortages/a3a6164b-5483-4cc5-941e-f4c09b2366ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Today show. “You have 15 percent of cabin crew typically on reserve or backup to stand by, where now you’re getting up to 30 percent of people not turning up because Covid or (from being) close contacts. “Managing that, we ask people to give us patience. We again apologise for it.” The third day of delays has seen queues forming before 5am, with images from inside the packed terminal quickly circulating on social media. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Hell is… this at 5am. 🤦🏻 <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyAirport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyAirport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JetstarAirways?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JetstarAirways</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gq8VaKD5Az">pic.twitter.com/Gq8VaKD5Az</a> — Dr Darren Saunders (@whereisdaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/whereisdaz/status/1512521908050309122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2022</a></blockquote> It comes less than a week after Mr Joyce came under fire for appearing to blame customers for contributing to the delays. “I went through the airport on Wednesday and people forget they need to take out their laptops and they need to take out their aerosols,” he said previously. “So that is taking longer to get through the queue.” Going forward, Mr Joyce said changes to the rules for close contacts - which has seen the rules for isolation become more varied depending on a person’s risk of getting sick - would also help the situation. Image: Twitter

Domestic Travel

Buddhist monks travel from Sydney to Lismore with huge gift

A group of Buddhist monks have donated $100,000 to people in Lismore affected by the recent floods - but simply donating the funds wasn’t enough. The group of monks made the trip from Sydney to Lismore to deliver their cheque in person and posed with Steve Krieg, the Mayor of Lismore, to mark the moment. <iframe style="overflow: hidden; border: initial none initial;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSteve4Lismore%2Fposts%2F167754238933364&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="475" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> “A wonderful group of Vietnamese Buddhist monks from Sydney came to visit last Wednesday, March 30 with a cheque for the flood appeal,” Mr Krieg shared on Facebook. “They donated $100,000 dollars! Thank you so much for your generosity.” “You never know who you are going to meet and what absolute blessings that you will get,” Mr Krieg told the ABC. “We went up to the evacuation centre and they met with evacuees and gave them all a small cash donation as well.” The group of monks aren’t the first to commit such an act of kindness either. A Sikh group from Melbourne made the trek to Lismore in early March with plenty of food to feed flood victims for eight days. <iframe style="overflow: hidden; border: initial none initial;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsikhvolunteers.australia%2Fposts%2F5625818044113965&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="544" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> “Volunteering is a part of Sikh culture. It gives us a higher purpose and meaning. It doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep for a few days, the feeling I get from helping others is pure peace and calmness,” Jaswinder Singh, one of the volunteers involved, told the ABC. Sikh Volunteers Australia shared plenty of updates about their good work, including details of where locals could find them, and words of thanks to the local volunteers and others who helped them - which were reciprocated by many, including MPs and the NSW Greens. “We cannot thank you enough for the incredible generosity, selfless (sic) and dedication to always help communities in crisis. The amount of compassion is unmeasurable. Thank you SVA,” the Greens NSW commented on one <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sikhvolunteers.australia/posts/5630966706932432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>. Image: Steve Krieg (Facebook)

Domestic Travel

“The biggest and brightest yet”: Vivid returns to Sydney

The iconic festival of lights is returning to Sydney after two years, in what event organisers have said will be a “fresh experience” for visitors. Vivid Sydney is expected to return from Friday, May 27, bringing with it 47 installations and projections that will be scattered around the Sydney CBD, as well as a continuous 8-kilometre-long Light Walk from the Sydney Opera House to Central Station. In a statement, Stuart Ayres, the Minister for Tourism and Sport, said the program would deliver joy and discovery to the CBD, plus even more reasons for visitors to descend on Sydney. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/vivid-2022-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The installation, ‘Future Natives’, will see 200 species of birds line the long Light Walk from the Opera House to Central Station. Image: Chris Daniel/Vivid “The 2022 program will be the biggest and brightest yet, with many festival-firsts, providing even more reasons for Sydneysiders and visitors from around the country - and all over the world - to immerse themselves in our city at its creative best,” he said. Must-see installations from this year’s program include: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> For Sydney With Love, a projection of work by Sydney artist Ken Done’s 80-year love story with the city on Custom House; </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Earth Deities, a multi-limbed avatar built by Western Sydney artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran featuring animated fire and electricity and placed in The Rocks; </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Convergence, an immersive journey through the disused Goods Line railway at Central Station that will be the largest scale laser installation in the festival’s history; </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Future Natives, a way-finding sculpture installation spread across the Light Walk featuring a flock of 200 Sydney bird species, built by Sydney artist Chris Daniel. </li> </ul> <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/vivid-2022-3.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> 'For Sydney With Love' will be splashed across Sydney's Custom House as part of the festivities. Image: Spinifex Group/Vivid Writing for the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/insiders-guide-to-vivid-sydney-2022/P3GV2TFKWYQC6CYGAAM5KG27EY/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a>, Festival Director Gill Minervini said Vivid would be the perfect time for New Zealanders to visit, and it would be the best time to explore beyond the tourist hotspots and be immersed in the city “at its creative best”. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/vivid-2022-2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Boasted as the largest scale laser installation the festival has hosted, ‘Convergence’ is a light and sound show bound to engage all the senses. Image: Mandylight/Vivid “If you’re planning a trip to Sydney, I find most visitors don’t know about the city’s great neighbourhood villages - where you’ll find all the locals relaxing,” she suggested, adding that she recommended visitors also pick up some great local wine. “Paddington, Newtown, Balmain, Parramatta, Cronulla all possess their own unique character and celebrate the essence of what makes Sydney authentically unique: its people, places and heart.” Image: Jessica Maurer & Kane Sullivan/Vivid

Domestic Travel

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