February 7th, 2011
With amazing stretches of beach like Bondi, Clovelly and Coogee on the doorstep of a central business district that pierces the sky with its tall buildings, it is no wonder that Sydney rates as one of the top ten beach city destinations in the world.
With a vigorous work ethic combined with an easy-going nature, the typical Sydneysider epitomises the character of this incredible city. “Work hard. Play hard” and “work to live, not live to work” are some of the slogans that the residents here live by; and this lifestyle is immediately obvious to visitors when they encounter office execs going for a post-work swim in the ocean, or city workers catching a few waves before they head off to work in the morning.
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January 17th, 2011
When visiting Sydney, most people place shopping high on their agendas. This is no surprise as Sydney has some of the best shopping experiences you can have in Australia! The cosmopolitan city offers something for everyone from kooky markets to high end jewellery design. There are bargain basements, fashion boutiques, authentic delis, shopping malls and exclusive city stores. Sydneysiders love their shopping – it is definitely a “thing-to-do”! If you find yourself visiting Sydney, then don’t miss out on your opportunity to enjoy getting out and about and splashing out on yourself and your loved ones. Some of the “must-do” shopping experiences in Sydney are:
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January 16th, 2011
On the surface it seems quite improbable that Adelaide, with its colonial stone buildings and lush botanical gardens, could be one of Australia’s edgiest cities in terms of artistic and cultural events. Known as the “city of churches” for many decades owing to its strong Germanic and Lutheran influence, the South Australian capital city is slowly shaking off this image, as it showcases more and more festivals – some mainstream and some a lot more off centre.
The North Terrace, situated on the banks of the River Torrens, is the cultural heart of the city and the iconic Festival Centre, opened in the early 1970s is where the main pulse stems from. The Festival Theatre forms the main hub of the centre, with various rooms, lecture halls and smaller theatres and performance spaces radiating out. With a good view of the river, interesting architecture and construction, great cafes and restaurants and a peaceful setting, the Adelaide Festival Centre is the perfect venue to host the numerous festivals that take place in this fascinating city. Add to that the myriad hotels in the vicinity and you have a world class “precinct” to showcase local and international talent across the different artistic disciplines that provide non-stop festival fun.
Read more about some of the best festivals and events that take place in Adelaide including the Fringe Festival, the International Guitar Festival, WOMADelaide and others: Read more »
April 8th, 2010
Grabbing a pizza is just not the same as it used to be. Nowadays, you’ll struggle to find a concoction of cheddar, greenish beef tomatoes, a crust like a doorstep of white bread and a sloppy tomato sauce. Oh, no no no. Pizza is so much more gourmet than that!
In a city like Sydney where food quality is of the highest possible standard and there are communities of people from all over the world who have brought their authentic food traditions with them, you can expect the real deal. That means ordinary grub like pizza suddenly becomes fine dining which in turn raises the bar for pizza restaurants. I’m obviously talking here about actual pizza restaurants and takeways, not the franchised fare where you can concoct your own “pizza” with anything from pineapple to peanut butter or get 5 free Cokes with every mini cheesy crust pizza you buy.
An authentic pizza has a few key ingredients of the best quality available, a thin crust that has been flavoured by the smoke of an actual wood-fired pizza oven, and should ideally be served to you by a dark-haired Mediterranean gent who loves his his mama. Here is a list of some of Sydney’s better pizza palaces. Read more »
March 22nd, 2010
In his quest to take on the big boys and drive airline ticket prices down, Richard Branson has dealt a blow to SAA and Qantas – the two airlines that basically own more than 70% of the market of flights between South Africa and Australia.
According to Branson, this is a similar situation to that of 16 years ago when SAA and British Airways basically dominated the flights between South Africa and the UK. He worked tirelessly to get a licence to operate flights on this route, and once he had done so, had managed to created enough competition to drive down prices quite substantially. He plans to do the same with the SA – Aus route. Read more »
March 12th, 2010
Oscar-mania has hit Hollywood and it is once again that time of the year when the film industry gives itself a nod, pats itself on the shoulder and hands out the coveted golden statuettes at the annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in down town Hollywood.
The media coverage of the Oscars has been massive here in Australia, and every single television network has devoted many programming hours to covering the event, keeping tabs on the nominees and finally broadcasting the event live (on cable) and delayed on some of the other regional channels.
I must confess to being somewhat of a film junkie, and my wife and I are avid movie-goers, seeing at least one film a week at our local cinema. The Hollywood silly season got me thinking that not only is the Oscar ceremony and its anticipated lead-up in the weeks prior a celebration of the industry’s achievements, but it is by its very nature (and obviously) a massive marketing drive. I can imagine people exclaiming as they hear the announcement of a winner; “oooh, I just have to see that!”. I admit to getting sucked into the hype too, and I’m happy to report that I recently watched Jeff Bridges in the brilliant Crazy Heart only because I heard he was a contender for (and subsequent winner of) the Best Actor category for this year’s awards. I wasn’t sorry about my choice either. Read more »
March 5th, 2010
As beautiful as the Sydney city centre is, it is after all, exactly that – a city centre. Relatively calm by international major city standards, it can, unfortunately, also become a place where you feel the effects of the modern rat race – people rushing around like ants in a disturbed nest, the incessant sounds of the traffic, and all that concrete and steel. “Well”, I hear you say, “you have amazing beaches close to the city, don’t you?” Of course we do, and some of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world at that. Yet sometimes, all you really need is to get away from it all for a day or two.
With our busy schedules, not many people have the chance to take time out and spend a few days away from the pounding of the daily grind. A great antidote is to go on a day trip; somewhere close, somewhere beautiful, somewhere where nature reigns, and most importantly, somewhere quiet. A quick search on the web helped me find my mark. It was time to explore Sydney’s Royal National Park. Read more »
February 3rd, 2010
One of my favourite spots in Sydney is Circular Quay, possibly because this was the first place my wife dragged me to in my jet-lagged state, on the first day I arrived in the City of Sails from Johannesburg.
Yet I know it wasn’t the delirium of switching nine hours back in time or the pain-killers that I had taken for my pounding head that made me almost recoil at the beauty of it all – it looked like an airbrushed painting held up against a brilliant blue sky. Wherever I looked there were scenes of beauty, whether it was a little sail boat in the harbour, beautiful people enjoying the scenery or the distinctly different architectural styles of the iconic buildings around me. I was mesmerised. Read more »
