Free things to do in Sydney today

A majestic yoga practice performed on the edge of the glistening Sydney harbour is already an uplifting experience, but you’ll feel even better about this seaside class because it’ll cost you no dollars. Throughout February and March, luxury hotel Pier One and activewear brand Lululemon are teaming up to bring free yoga classes Sydney. They’ll set up just outside the hotel on the wharf on Wednesdays, with the 50-minute practice starting at 6.30pm. It’s open to all levels, so grab your mat and come along even if you’re feeling less than limber. The hotel’s restaurant the Gantry will also be serving some not-so-free but healthy dinners and kombucha cocktails if you’re starved after class and want to stay on the health train. And if you want to focus on mind strength over body tone, you can try the free meditation sessions they’re running on Tuesday mornings from 7.30am.

If you reckon you’re a trivia wizard, a scattergories queen and gernal knowledge mastermind, you’ll probably have heard of of the television series Pointless. This game show asks contestants to find the most unusual, least-referenced answer to general knowledge questions. The more uncommon the response, the fewer points it’s worth. But rather than competing to earn the most points, it’s the team with the lowest score, that is closest to being ‘pointless’, who will come out on top. This Australian program is based off its UK counterpart which first went to air in 2009. Now onto its second Aussie season, the mind boggling trivia session will once again be hosted by Network Ten’s former Breakfast co-host Andrew Rochford and Mark Humphries, who recently departed from SBS program The Feed. Tickets to be part of the studio audience are free but only open to telly fans over 12, and they are limited, meaning you may not be selected if you apply. You’ll want a clear social plan for the day of viewing, as filming can run anywhere from two to four hours.

Whether it be issues surrounding homelessness, domestic violence, sustainable development or nomadic lifestyles, The Ideal Home finds a way to analyse the subject. The exhibition features watercolours, textile artwork, found objects and video installations which all provide commentary on the last century of evolution within Australian families and the concept of home. The Penrith Regional Gallery has partnered with the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) to produce this series of visual displays, and will house 70 objects from the MAAS collection along with newly commissioned pieces inside the historic gallery. The Western Sydney structure was originally the homestead of two artists prominent in Australian modernism, Margo and Gerald Lewers. When visiting, you’ll find detailed work by eX De Medici that explores domestic violence using tiles made of bullet casings and a wall of flowers that wilt over the course of the exhibition; Blake Griffiths will consider material possessions and home in the age of excess by weaving a blanket with waste products; and Richard Goodwin’s micro-home built out of found objects will examine homelessness and the global refugee crisis.    The Penrith Regional Gallery will host this portion of the exhibition concurrently with MAAS until March 24.

This long running, fascinating investigation into museum curation gives visitors insight into how and why historically and culturally significant objects are moved around the globe. It’s sure to tackle some controversial topics related to ownership and heritage of artefacts, but also the value of having access to items which contribute to our understanding of different cultures, social groups and histories.   Some particularly intriguing questions may also come up, like how the torso of an Egyptian statue came to reside in Sydney, while its head still calls Cairo home. But what really unveils the truth behind these stories of diaspora and reveals more about the objects, is the connections between museums themselves. The Connections exhibition, divided into connections between identities, structures, assemblages and meanings, will be the last to feature at the Nicholson Museum, before it, the Macleay and Art Gallery collections are moved to the Chau Chak Wing Museum in 2020.

Budding horticulturalists who like plants with attitude should head to the Royal Botanical Gardens from October 1 for a free exhibition of carnivorous greenery. The Calyx will be filled with 25,000 of the world’s hungriest, most clever plants. Watch as the venus fly trap lures unsuspecting insects with nectar and snaps them up in its jaws, where they’ll spend their final days being slowly digested. Or meet the drosera, who use their sticky tentacles to attract and snatch their prey before devouring them. Then marvel at the simplicity of the pitcher plant’s hunting technique, which is to lure hapless bugs with honey and let them fall into the pool of digestive enzymes in their pitfall trap. The Plants with Bite display does sound a little like a horror film, but it’s really all bark and no bite (for humans, anyway) and families can expect a very kid-friendly experience. Plus, there will be a range of themed education programs, workshops and a regular feeding display that will intrigue little greenthumbs and their grown-ups.