Claire Finneran

Sydney loves to party – we'll party on the roof, in the basement, by the pool, even once every few months in a suburban bowling club. But if you're looking for somewhere to "go clubbing", we've got you covered. Below are the best places to dance all night in Sydney.  If you're more of a one-nice-drink kind of party person, check out our guide to Sydney's best underground bars. Or if you'd like to kick things off (or round the night up) with an LGBTQI-friendly venue, we've got you sorted.  Looking for a late-night bar, as opposed to a club? Here's a list of our favourite bars open through to the early hours of the morning.

Have you already scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page on both Netflix and Stan? It’s not your fault – we've had a lot of free time on our hands over the last few years. Binge is another Australia’s streaming service that comes from the same hands as Foxtel and Foxtel Go. Binge has the added benefit of hosting a huge selection of HBO television shows, which makes it ideal for those keen to catch up on “prestige” television shows like The Wire, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. But what else has Binge got to offer? Here are some of our favourite TV shows currently streaming on Binge. Don't have Binge? Here are the best escapist flicks on Netflix and the best TV shows now on Stan. 

It's unprecedented times, live a little! Whether you're keen to jerk from home or want to elevate your couple, throuple or quadrouple's sex life, we've gathered Australia's best ports for getting the goods delivered. Peruse these online stores for sex toys, bondage gear, lubricants, cheeky games and more. Whatever your flavour you're craving, these homegrown shops are bound to deliver. Literally, they all deliver.

The paramount rule in any spooky situation is to not be the denier. The jock who says, “ghosts aren’t real” is always the first one to get throttled by an angry apparition. So with open minds and willing spirits, we invite you to explore Sydney’s most haunted sites. These former insane asylums, abandoned roads, converted gaols and chilly tunnels may not appear to be the stuff of nightmares in the sensical light of day, but one too many shadowy coincidences coupled with gruesome histories have inspired us to get our ghost-hunting gear together and investigate. If you want some wraith-watching advice from a pro, check out these spine-tingling ghost tours operating in Sydney. And if you need a moment of reprieve from the manic hunt, forget all these grisly tales while you get pampered at Sydney’s best spas. Want more spooky stuff? Check out how many of these classic Sydney landmarks used to be cemeteries. 

Sydney can be a cold beast, but it can also be a big-hearted fluffy one. Running parallel to the clichés of suits and yachts are the pockets of the city where you can give some of your valuable time to those who need it most. Siphoning some of our spare moments into volunteering can be daunting, so we had a look at few of the places keeping benevolence floating in our city at the moment and how you could get involved. RECOMMENDED: Reward yourself with a day in the sun at Sydney's best beaches and keep giving back while you get a little something for yourself at these op shops and ethical stores in Sydney.

Sydney is littered with urban legends and colourful tales. From hidden bodies to mysterious creatures, we surfaced some of our city's most elaborate porkies. Scouring the recesses of the internet for hard evidence, here's eight recent history myths we attempted to bust. And, surprisingly some of the most unlikely yarns turned out to be true!    Want to keep uncovering secrets? Learn the fascinating stories behind these super-secret Sydney spots.

Know someone who deserves a blooming treat? Or perhaps you're just after a bunch or two to freshen up your own house. We've gathered the best online and local bricks-and-mortar florists who delivery for your botanical convenience. Send a present or treat yourself to one of these stunning bouquets, everlasting arrangements or gift bundles with a little extra chocolate (and Champagne) chucked in. No matter the season, flowers are always in.

Know someone who deserves a blooming treat? Or perhaps you're just after a bunch or two to freshen up your own house. We've gathered the best online and local bricks-and-mortar florists who delivery for your botanical convenience. Send a present or treat yourself to one of these stunning bouquets, everlasting arrangements or gift bundles with a little extra chocolate (and Champagne) chucked in. No matter the season, flowers are always in.

Thinking of starting or adding to your collection of house plants? These plant shops, nurseries and foliage delivery services have everything you need from on-trend indoor foliage and low-maintenance greenery to nourishing soil and pots that double as decoration. If you've got a case of the black thumb, the knowledgeable staff at these nurseries are your best resource for plant care know-how. Also, if you can't get out and about to buy them for yourself, we've found out which one of these do delivery so you don't have to.  If you want to skip the gardening altogether and decorate with blooms from the best flower delivery services in Sydney. If this has got you in the mood for some plants 'in the wild' why not check out the best public gardens you can visit in and around Sydney. Want to green up your life, without stress? Check out these seven low-maintenance indoor plants that you probably won't kill.

Snaking along the border of NSW and Victoria is one of our country's most precious wonders – the mighty Murray River. Dotted along this lush, red gum-fringed wonderland are historical landmarks, exceptional arts experiences and a blossoming culinary scene. Set off for a trip to the Murray region and you could be snoozing aboard an iconic paddlesteamer or watching the sunrise from a deep red cliff jutting out of the water. Sure, some of these experiences are technically in NSW but we're still proud to claim all the unique elements from this vibrant borderland (and waters) as must-dos. Think you know everything there is to see and do around The Murray? We've teamed up with Visit The Murray and Visit Victoria for their 'Stay close, go further' campaign to bring you a fresh guide to what makes the region stand out. Here are the things that drive visitors to return every year and experiences you too could be having with a roam of the region. 

Giving someone a package that brings them joy has to be up there with one of the world's greatest feelings. We're all riding the waves of turbulent inside/outside times these days so why not add some surprise to the ennui of someone's day. Whether you're celebrating a birthday, consoling a mate doing it rough or bringing a smile to a dial just because a well-timed package can really make a difference. We've gathered a few of our city's most cheer-inducing deliveries – from booze to boxes exploding with colourful sweets – for you to send to someone who'll appreciate it (or to yourself, we're not gonna judge).  This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

Head into the heart of Victoria and you'll find an abundance of unique experiences and sights. Bendigo has a storied history and is most known as the epicentre of the gold rush in the 19th century. Take a trip to the region today and you'll find epic eateries alongside the heritage architecture, cutting-edge galleries and museums, bushland peppered with gold nuggets (if you're lucky) and a vanilla slice to write home about. Think you know everything there is to see and do in the Bendigo region? We've teamed up with Bendigo Regional Tourism and Visit Victoria for their 'Stay close, go further' campaign to bring you a fresh take on what makes this region so special. Here are the experiences that drive visitors to return year after year, and have cemented central Victoria as a must-visit destination.

Formerly known as the Information and Cultural Exchange (or ICE), this Parramatta-based institution changed its name to the Arts and Cultural Exchange (or ACE) in March 2022.  ACE has been working with Western Sydney communities through creative courses and events for decades. With a particular focus on screen and digital platforms, they develop projects that give voice to disadvantaged and minority groups, fostering cultural expression and social cohesion.

Paddington's cosiest nook Five Ways has a surprising amount of top notch eateries, retailers and creatives for its size. For Sydney Solstice the vibrant area will be celebrating its colourful community with the Five Ways Festival. Expect treats and beats galore from Five Ways businesses as the streets come alive for a day and night of revelrie. Street food and cocktails that lean in to global flavours will be pumped out of Tequila Mockingbird, Eat Thai, Vino e Cucina, Mr T's, Omeio and more. Renowned chef Phil Wood, who recently announced the opening of his first Sydney restaurant in a Paddington corner terrace, will be joining the festival with a market stall, the Paddo Bake Sale. You'll also get your fill of the local fashion and art scene with shops hosting special activations throughout the fest. Live music and DJs will provide the day-to-night soundtrack and cute as a button paper store Journals will present its inaugural Card Makers’ Market in store. The festival-within-a-festival takes over on Saturday June 19 from 11am to 8pm. Find out more here. Want more? Here's your essential guide to Sydney Solstice on Oxford Street and the surrounds.

Once is a wildly popular musical film that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and had a soundtrack that was nominated for a Grammy. The stage musical, based on the film and sharing its soundtrack, went on to pick up more awards: the Olivier Award, Drama Desk awards and Tony Awards. Once, it seems, is almost closer to being an EGOT than Elton John or Bette Midler. Now, you can soak up that award-winning, stellar songwriting with Darlinghurst Theatre Company's new iteration, coming to Melbourne's Comedy Theatre from September 17 to October 3. Once The Musical is based on the film written by John Carney with book by Enda Walsh. Music and lyrics are by the film's famously non-actor protagonists Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. This production harnesses the film's solid baseline with additional magic added by director Richard Carroll and with musical direction from Victoria Falconer. Once The Musical is also peppered with dance sequences from the local staging of Hamilton's director Amy Campbell. If you're unfamiliar, Once follows the journey of a struggling busker who encounters a gifted Czech pianist and they embark on a will-they, won't-they songwriting adventure. The two literally make beautiful music together while surfing a strong romantic undertow as they go. The roles of 'Guy' and 'Girl', originated by Hansard and Irglová are played on stage by Aussie musical theatre legends Toby Francis and Stefanie Caccamo. Prepare to fall in love with the songs all over again

There’s a reason why you’ll find a modest queue spilling out of this tiny shop front, Al Fayhaa Bakery is Lakemba’s pop-in stop for fresh manoush and zesty Lebanese pizzas. Get in early for $2 oregano flatbreads or gussy it up for the most divine of breakfasts with a rolled up package of warm halloumi and feta, juicy capsicum and tomato, just enough olives, and slaps of fresh mint.   

Chewy, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread can’t be beaten. In fact, at Afghan Sufra it is the shooting star, flying in and out of a giant mosaic oven at cosmic speeds. There’s also meat, of course, and the hunks of marinated lamb and chicken are freshly charred on charcoal to order and put to bed on the soft hot doonas of fresh Arabic bread.

Lakemba is home to Australia’s largest mosque, and the site on which it stands has housed places of worship since the 1960s. Officially known as Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque, the intricate brickwork and towering palms envelope a stunning deep purple and gold carpeted interior. The Lebanese Muslim Association hosts regular tours for groups of ten or more and you need to book at least a week in advance, gathering nine friends is easy if you show them photos of the jaw-dropping azure lightwell.

Biryani House is an essential Lakemba stop. Cooked in the style of Hyderabadi Muslims, this joint is your go-to for the popular meat and rice dish biryani. Tuck in to a mini mountain of mutton biryani and be rewarded with intoxicating clove and cardamom aromas twirling around tender lamb chunks and sticky saffron hued rice.

Take home some hard-to-find snacks at Five Star Coffee and Nut Roaster. This grocer stocks their aisles with local and Middle Eastern imported products so you’re bound to nab a treat with a help-yourself olive bar, selections of fresh and packaged dates, bottles of rosewater and gigantic jars of pickles. They also have an in-house roaster so look out for big tubs of freshly crisped almonds and pistachios and try a locally blended bag of fresh coffee.

Yayoi Kusama is known for her immersive installations that carry the viewer into a sense of the infinite. Her work's appearance at galleries all over the globe attract swarms of viewers looking to snap up a covetable Instagram pic or to simply lean in to the void and feel swallowed up by the eternal. Narcissus Garden, one of Kusama's many famous works, has had many incarnations over the years and is now floating in to Sydney on a mini tour of our city's historical buildings and museums. The installation siphons Kusama's obsession with infinity (and, well, dots) into a series of high-shine orbs that reflect the surrounding visible world and each other in a never-ending loop. True to the Greek myth that the installation takes it's title from you can see your own reflection in the many balls of Narcissus Garden and contemplate your existence – just make sure you don't fall in! Adding to the reflective concept of Narcissus Garden is the colonial contexts in which it is being shown. Sydney Living Museums (SLM) is bringing the work to Museum of Sydney until April and then on to the heritage haunts of Vaucluse House and Elizabeth Bay House (for SLM members only). The intention is for the viewers' reflections to extend beyond themselves and the room they're in to what it means for these mirror orbs to also capture the historical tastes and loaded architecture of the colonial spaces they're installed in. Catch this remarkable work from one of the world's greatest living artists at Mus

Looping around the dandelion fountain in Fitzroy Gardens the Kings Cross markets are a community shopping fave. Though smaller than most Sydney markets, the curated Sunday offerings are diverse enough to ensure you have a gloriously full basket and belly. They also pack up at a hangover friendly 2pm, meaning you can scarf a crackling spiked pork pancake and impulse buy a house plant without having to get up at sparrow’s fart.Kings Cross markets recently updated their stalls to better reflect the changing Potts Point community. Posh puppies get a look-in with sachets of dried roo ribs and doggy craft beers (yes, really) from McPets. You can also pick up jars of Zeus’s ambrosial vice from Wanderer Honey, with selections in unusual yellow and amber gradients. Or, spice-up your antipasto plates with almond stuffed olives from the Stubborn Olive – a stall that also gives you $2 off purchases if you reuse your jars. You can also crunch on a four cheese blend toastie on Pioik sourdough from Great Wheels of Cheese.The markets are great for flowers and plants, with several stalls devoted to leafy finds. Massive bunches of blooms in buckets go for pretty cheap and apartment-savvy succulents and hanging plants are de rigueur. The Green Fingers stall has been going for over ten years and is a fab stop for scoring a healthy indoor plant to take home.

Using the expanses of Orange Grove primary school, these markets fill the playground with covetable goods on a weekly basis. Farm fresh fruit and veg is everywhere here and you’re spoilt for choice for truss tomatoes, plump berries, technicolour capsicums and leafy greens. There’s also a glut of small producers for all your smallgood and fancy condiment needs; grab a fragrant saucisson (an air-dried pork sausage); or rummage through bright yellow, ice-filled eskies for some juicy free-range steaks and nab a carton of free-range eggs.The popularity of the bacon and egg rolls from Bowen’s has reached celebrity status, with queues long enough to make you think Bieber is signing autographs at the end of the line. They’re undeniably delicious. But our breakfast of choice is a steaming carton of Eat Fuh pho, purveyors of one of the most fragrant broths in Sydney. Try their vegan option, too; the broth has a rich mushroom aroma that almost overshadows the meat version. And, if the crisp crunch of an organically grown carrot isn’t your thing on a Saturday morning, the market also has tables laden with top notch baked goods. Grab a slab of Flour and Stone’s popular lemon cake or a goat cheese and zucchini savoury tart from Croquembouche patisserie, or collect flavoured seed varieties at Brooklyn Boy Bagels.Food isn’t the only thing on the menu – there’s also a range of handmade and environmentally conscious clothing, second-hand records and jewellery. Find the best markets in Sydney.

Many a cowboy boot-clad scallywag has entered Route 66 on the hunt for a perfectly aged Creedence tee or a frilly rockabilly dress. The once Surry Hills stalwart have recently swung upon their saloon doors in Newtown, ready to ply the vintage loving locals with all things Americana classic. Think bolero ties, 70s raglan-sleeve band shirts, retro sunnies and classic cut denim. You'll find all your  head to toe cowgirl, biker, summer of love fantasies under one roof at Route 66 on Enmore road.

Few smug Instagram posts are greater than pics of a whole thing you have made yourself. I'm not talking about shots of your dinner (what is this? Lockdown one?). I'm talking more in the "here's an elegantly-whittled wooden children's toy I have done in the wee hours with a rustic blade" league. I'm talking specifically about this whole sartorially-relevant-ass jumper I just finished knitting from Cardigang.  Cardigang is the brainchild of two Melburnian women, Cat and Morgan, who were on the hunt for something to occupy them during the dark winter of Melbourne's first lockdown. They turned their beginner knitting skills into winner skills with the help of YouTube and sought to demystify complicated patterns to a new generation. And demystify they did. Cardigang sends out everything you need to make a range of ultra-colourful, ridiculously fun-looking jumpers with easy-to-understand instructions.  Photograph: Supplied/Cardigang If, like me, you learned the absolute bare minimum of knitting from your granny, you'll be delighted by these Knit Kits. The Cardigang instruction booklet is made of hardy cardboard and has very accessibly-phrased instructions for every step of the way. They've thrown out the Wingdings-like symbols of your classic knitting book and have a series of simple bubbles for you to track your progress. And, if you're starting to feel overwhelmed at any point, there's a QR code on your booklet that takes you to some very calm and informative how-to videos the Ca

As much as we pride ourselves on knowing every single bar, coffee shop, and swimming spot in town, there are still some things about Sydney that baffle us to this day. Here are some things we’ve all Googled at least once... 1. “why no train to bondi” Great question, if in fact this was meant as a question. You can get to Bondi Junction, but otherwise the city's East is quite sparsely connected by train lines. Pray for the tourist who hops off at Bondi Junction in swimmers. 2. "buy new opal card where" According to the Transport NSW site, Opal card sellers are rampant in this city (did this map lick the face of a kid with chicken pox on the playground to get out of school? Because same), but they're seemingly never around when you need one. A follow up question is: Why don’t they just sell them in vending machines at the bloody train stations? On the plus side, you can just use your credit or debit card to tap on and off Sydney trains instead. 3. "buy alcohol after 10pm where" Don’t cave to Melbourne’s propaganda campaign against us, you can still buy booze Monday to Saturday in NSW until 11pm. Sure, you might want a gallon of savvy b to cry into on your lounge at exactly 11.15pm, but you can still go to a bar. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of venues trade until 5am. If all else fails, cry onto the craps table at the Star for eternity. 4. "eat fish sydney harbour safe????" Many people wet a line along the fringes of the harbour, there’s quite the line-up of potential catch

Summer festival season is all about enjoying yourself outdoors and letting loose with your mates. Here’s how to do it without being a knob. 1. Be a person of substance Drugs and alcohol are the sustenance of choice at music festivals, let’s be honest. But, use your noggin when attempting to guzzle either in a public forum. Research your legal rights up the wazoo before you enter festival season, police and sniffer dogs are always present and never not-watching, and there are a lot of ways you can avoid being harangued without breaking the law. And, of course, drug-related deaths at festivals are real and you should exercise utmost care for yourself and those around you. Don’t be afraid to go to a medical tent if you have to and be honest, they’re there to help you – not to dob on you. Being responsible is easy if you binge on Brown Cardigan videos before you get festival festy: the cautionary AV library of our time is perfect for demonstrating what you actually look like when, say, you’re vertically flapping around in the mud or drunkenly mashing an ice cream into your face. Remember, everyone’s phone has a camera on it.   "Yeeeeah we're da mud boiz, mud boys 5evaaa"   2. Stress about your dress   For many, music festivals are the perfect opportunity to wear something wacky and ostentatious. Fine. What isn’t fine, in this year of our lord 2018, is wearing traditional costuming from a culture that isn’t yours. First Nations people have been politely pleading with you to no

If you asked musical duo Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt to lock their band Nancy and Beth’s theatrical style into a genre they’d have as hard a time as any. “It’s like Pilates class gone wild,” Mullally offers about their tight and surprisingly acrobatic choreography on stage. And it is. Experiencing a Nancy and Beth show is as much about admiring physical feats as it is appreciating the music. The pair will flip over chairs while singing one minute and shimmy into a coordinated cane number the next. “I’ve learned from the best,” Hunt says of their choreographic process. “Megan has some of the best body control in the world in my opinion.” Fans who know Mullally from her role as Karen in Will and Grace might be a touch surprised to learn that she does all the choreography for Nancy and Beth herself, but her background includes years in a ballet company and many roles in Broadway musicals. “My favourite compliment that we got recently,” Mullally says, “is from when a big Broadway guy came to see us play and he said I have the best core in the business. I was so excited about that.” Admirable cores aside, the pair are musically in sync, both on stage and off. Meeting on the set of indie flick Somebody Up There Likes Me in 2012, Hunt and Mullally would sing together for fun with Hunt’s ukulele between takes. “We instantly realised that there was something to the ease of our voices together and that that was something to be continued,” Hunt recalls. Growing up in a huge musica

If you asked musical duo Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt to lock their band Nancy and Beth’s theatrical style into a genre they’d have as hard a time as any. “It’s like Pilates class gone wild,” Mullally offers about their tight and surprisingly acrobatic choreography on stage. And it is. Experiencing a Nancy and Beth show is as much about admiring physical feats as it is appreciating the music. The pair will flip over chairs while singing one minute and shimmy into a coordinated cane number the next. “I’ve learned from the best,” Hunt says of their choreographic process. “Megan has some of the best body control in the world in my opinion.” Fans who know Mullally from her role as Karen in Will and Grace might be a touch surprised to learn that she does all the choreography for Nancy and Beth herself, but her background includes years in a ballet company and many roles in Broadway musicals. “My favourite compliment that we got recently,” Mullally says, “is from when a big Broadway guy came to see us play and he said I have the best core in the business. I was so excited about that.” Admirable cores aside, the pair are musically in sync, both on stage and off. Meeting on the set of indie flick Somebody Up There Likes Me in 2012, Hunt and Mullally would sing together for fun with Hunt’s ukulele between takes. “We instantly realised that there was something to the ease of our voices together and that that was something to be continued,” Hunt recalls. Growing up in a huge musi

Born in New York City in the ’60s, ball culture is being lovingly reared in Sydney thanks to the nurturing powers of multi-disciplinary artist and mother of the House of Slé, Bhenji Ra. “I came across voguing very, very innocently, and I say that because I had no idea what voguing was,” says Bhenji, who received a scholarship to study at Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York aged 18. “It wasn’t until I got back to Australia that someone showed me Paris Is Burning that I was like ‘OMG I know these people.’” For many in Australia, the 1990 documentary is their access point to the thriving underground subculture of people of colour (POC) in the queer, LGBTQIA, gender non-conforming and trans communities of New York City that popularised the competitive art of walking, posing, and acrobatic dance. When Bhenji returned, she started to share what she’d learnt. “In New York I felt like I had a really strong community of queer POC. And I had never had that before. Growing up in a lot of different communities – the Filipino community and queer community – they have really nurtured me and molded me into the artist I am now.” Bhenji’s active ballroom competition family – the House of Slé – comprises mostly queer and trans Asia-Pacific young people from the Western Suburbs. “We realised we can perform at community events but we can also perform at galleries. It was really empowering for us to be in these institutions of value but also perform in clubs. “I slowly became

Prepare for your local Priceline to run out of hairspray, classic goth-pop band the Cure are bringing their sensory melodies and voluminous hair to Sydney. The band will be darkening the sails of the Opera House with their presence (not literally... we think) as part of Vivid Live, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Disintegration by playing it live in its entirety. Over four nights in May, Robert Smith and the full band will perform both the full suite of Disintegration tracks alongside hits from their extensive back catalogue. Lauded by fans and critics as a melancholic masterpiece, Disintegration, their eighth album, rode the new wave swells of the '80s into the dream-pop shores of the early '90s, with songs 'Pictures of You', 'Lullaby', and 'Lovesong' informing the period's rock sound. The show promises to deliver a night to experience this influential album in the flesh with the added treat of some of the Cure's many hits from their '70s-to-present-spanning career thrown in.  As with Vivid Live's past big-name shows from Solange, Morissey, Kraftwerk, and Anohni, tickets will be released as a ballot. Anticipating high demand, the Sydney Opera House has set up an application process so that everyone has a fair chance at getting tickets. The ballot opens today and closes this weekend with successful applicants notified by Thursday February 28. So, if you ever stoically sucked in your tears to 'Boys Don't Cry' or sang along with your Dad to 'Just Like He

A few weeks ago the NSW government announced it would be opening the disused tunnels under St James Station to development opportunities. Seemingly unhappy with the current lot of buildings on the land, this move is a bold new frontier for our city's visionary overlords. Imagine Sydney, but underground! It's wild. Well before the deadline for expressions of interest closes on November 6, we let ourselves imagine this very far below ground future.  They're asking for ideas that could transform the platform and tunnels into a world-renowned attraction, and, listen, you can all give up now because these are those very ideas. Taking into account the tunnel's proximity to the famed subterranean lake under Hyde Park and our city's insatiable lust for paying for things to do we present you with 23 perfect ideas for our newest destination. 1. A bottomless, bottomless brunch at the bottom. Sydney loves something with the word “bottomless” in it because Sydney loves a gluttonous bargain. Sydney also loves not wearing pants and brunch, and the murky, dimly-lit lawlessness of the underground tunnels would make an ideal venue for shovelling endless food and drink into one’s top-half with an exposed lower-half. Only $970pp. 2. Sculpture by the Swamp. 3. A subterranean-themed escape room but you can’t actually escape, giving it the edge over its competitors. 4. The Everest Race numbers projected on every flat surface imaginable, even when the race isn’t running. Actually, especially when th

I went to my first ever AFL game the other day and I have a lot of thoughts about it.  It was the 'Sydney Swans' verses the 'Collingwood [insert animal]s' match. You know the one? No? Me either. It was pretty fun, but obviously so, so confusing to me. In spite of being from a family whose 82-year-old matriarch knows all the words to the Swans club song, I've never really gotten into this particular game. It's always looked a bit too elaborate for my NRL-comprehending brain. Rugby League is an allegory for war, right? A historical cosplay battle between geographical classes. Just me? Anyway, those human nuggets run in a straight line – at least it's easy to get. AFL on the other hand is an older sport, with more time to fancify and fortify rules and here are my observations as a relative 'outsider' who is nonetheless curious to know what all the fuss is about. If you're a massive fan you're probably going to get offended (stop reading, my entire family, please), if you've never seen a game before you're probably going to be more confused than when we started. Apologies to those wanting to be educated, I tried reading the Wikipedia page but my eyes glazed over. Check out the page for Marn Grook though, because that's heaps interesting. Anyway here goes.  1. When you arrive at the AFL the most striking thing is the shape of the bloody field. They call this ‘an oval’ and it is the most bullshit thing I have ever seen. The objective of a football game is to get the ball from one E

The Domain is about to get a workout once the balmy weather hits and we're not referring to the lunch-break soccer set. Announced today, Sydney Summer Series is a new suite of outdoor concerts that will liven up the parkland throughout January. Their first offering is a real doozy, with key players of Motown and disco history coming to play all of their glorious hits back to back on January 12. The first Summer Series line-up reads like the back of a legends of disco compilation record: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon are coming, performing all the Jacksons hits like ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Blame It On The Boogie’, and 'Dance Machine', and hopefully delivered in matching sequin-lapel jackets. Gloriously cheesy party-starters Kool and the Gang will also be playing live, alongside the purveyors of irresistible hits 'I'm So Excited', 'Jump (For My Love)', and 'Automatic', the Pointer Sisters. Turning the Domain into an RSL on a Saturday night will be the Village People, YMCA-ing to your heart’s content, and absolute disco royalty Sister Sledge will be convincing everyone that ‘We Are Family’. Opening the whole soul shebang is Sounds of the Supremes, who’ll be celebrating the trio’s greatest tracks from the '60s and '70s. This is only the first of what Time Out has been told is a series of themed outdoor concerts happening throughout January – this iteration has nailed disco and Motown, so watch this space for more genre-based announcements. Tickets go on sale for the first Sydney

.... according to Grey Fisher, Taronga Zoo The birds are on performance enhancing diets"They live in flocks but they each get their own diets, because in any group you always have that one who eats a little more – like me with pizza at parties, I always eat more pizza than my fair share – so I want to make sure that doesn’t happen with these guys. They’re like athletes, if you’re underweight or overweight, you’re not gonna perform at your best."  Carnivorous birds, they’re just like us "Most of them eat mice, which the zoo breeds then culls, and freeze them and put them in bags. It’s kind of like a frozen dinner – all we have to do is thaw them out. And they also get day-old chicks, which are by products of the human food industry. Because they want hens for egg-laying and for meat, so they cull all the rooster chicks at a day old. We get chicks from that to feed to our birds and other animals. And we’ll use some quail as well, which also comes from the human food industry. Other than the mice, everything is human quality. Actually, the mice would be too if we ate mice, but we tend not to."  Be a considerate gardener – give little birds a flying chance "Everything we do has an impact on birds. Bird life in Sydney is changing drastically because of us, because of the things we choose to grow in our backyards. Local honeyeaters are fairly aggressive and so they’ll drive the smaller birds, wrens and finches, out. The best thing we can do is to make sure that when we’re planting

Bluesfest celebrates its 30th year with a roster of classic favourites and crowd-pleasing stars of the funk, blues, roots, country, and loosely-defined coastal chill pop genres. Notably, the three headliners are superstars of the festival, playing a huge part in its growing success over the years and essentially defining the sound Bluesfest would come to be known for. Jack Johnson, the Hawaiian singer-songwriter with an environmental message, is a returning fave of the festival, as are Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, who first charmed the field of punters in 1996. Both Johnson and Harper epitomise the vibe Bluesfest has perpetuated for 30 years, so it is fitting for them to return to the enthusiastic crowds who make a pilgrimage to Byron Bay every Easter. Also making their return is George Clinton and the ever-evolving Parliament Funkadelic. Clinton has announced that he will be retiring in 2019, stopping touring and performing from May next year. So, this is Australia's legitimate last chance to witness the joyful weirdness from seeing a P-funk show live. Taking place over the Easter long weekend in 2019, this year's festival will be settling into the lush grounds of the Tyagarah tea tree farm. With multiple stages, a variety of on-site accommodation options, food and market stalls and a landmark anniversary binding it all together it's bound to be a popular iteration of the festival. The line-up is also packed with other Australian and international gems. Kasey Chamb