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What's New in NSW
April is a wonderful month in NSW, with pleasant temperatures and crisp, sunny days. It’s the ideal time of year to explore our great State and sample everything from seasonal food to festivals. Find out what’s coming up at Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. Eat local foods straight from the source by picking your own fresh produce and gear up for a Winter adventure with our guide to where to go for snow this year.
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New Food and Wine
In Sydney, the Terminus Hotel at Pyrmont has been sensitively restored after 30 years of neglect. The 170-year-old pub now has a bar lined with heritage tiles, a cocktail lounge upstairs and food with a Turkish twist. At Haymarket’s Market City, 1909 Dining Precinct has opened with eight new Asian eateries. On the water at Woolloomooloo, Alibi restaurant has opened at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel, offering a menu of plant-based food under the guidance of American chef Matthew Kenney.
In Bathurst, Sicilian wine bar Vine & Tap is a new sophisticated spot specialising in shared plates (spuntini) and Italian wine and beers. Chef Chris Brooks, has previously cooked at Darley’s, Lilianfels Resort and then Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort. In Cowra, Pott & the Pig at The Mill has opened in Cowra’s oldest building, a former stone flour mill from the 1860s, with Masterchef UK finalist Bobby Ellis behind the burners.
The innovative Birch has opened in Moss Vale with a seasonal menu driven by produce; think scallops, crab, potato, fennel, lamb neck, parsley root, peas and black mint. Meanwhile, up the coast in Ballina, the owners of The Farm in Byron Bay are opening The Beach House in July. Set on the shore at Black Head, the venue can hold up to 250 people for an event.
New Accommodation
The much-anticipated restoration of the former Paramount Picture Studios headquarters in Surry Hills has been completed with the chic Paramount House Hotel now open.
Glamp among the grapevines at Nashdale Lane Wines, home to NSW’s first vineyard glamping experience. Each of the safari-style cabins have hardwood flooring, a four-poster Queen bed, and full bathroom with monsoon shower, alongside a neighbouring herb and veggie garden.
Pop’s Hill, three kilometres from Canowindra, is a new four-bedroom property with a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside and vineyards. It’s pet-friendly, too. In Cowra, check out Macassar B&B, a four-bedroom holiday house walking distance to the famous Japanese Gardens. On the other side of town, The Shed is a former shearing shed, renovated into quaint open-plan studio accommodation with a log fire, ideal for couples seeking a romantic country escape.
Centrally located Byron Bay YHA is open again after extensive renovations, and now offers private ensuite rooms, reading room, games room, bikes for rent, a tropical pool oasis and cool resort vibes.
In Tenterfield, The Old Council Chambers have been restored into a country retreat with two
self-contained luxury suites. One of the town’s most prominent historic buildings, it was first built in 1884 and an art deco façade was added in 1939.
Image credit: Sharyn Cairns.
New Experiences
Graeme Murphy, regarded as Australia’s leading choreographer and a national living treasure, has spent 50 years with The Australian Ballet. The new anniversary dance series, Murphy, pays tribute to the dancer, the choreographer and the man, with a revival of his brilliant Firebird, alongside excerpts from his ground-breaking The Silver Rose, Air + Other Invisible Forces, Grand and Ellipse, Sydney Opera House, 6 - 23 April.
This Autumn, greet the day with a sunrise exercise class on the steps of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Sunrise on the Steps is a popular 10-week program of yoga and circuit classes until 18 May.
For a hike with a difference, take in the breathtaking NSW South Coast in Murramarang National Park, four hours’ drive south of Sydney. Region X has new three- and five-day guided Great Coastal Hikes including meals, comfortable cabin accommodation, optional side hikes, and ample time to enjoy a peaceful morning on the beach. The hikes set off from Sydney or Batemans Bay.
Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has a ‘WW2 In Australia’ four-day tour, escorted by an expert WW2 historian. Taking in sites in Temora, Cowra and Canberra, the tours include accommodation, entry fees, breakfast and driver.
Straight to the Source
Eating seasonal food close to where it’s produced, reduces food miles, is better for the environment and supports local producers. As you explore NSW, here’s where and how you can enjoy food straight from the source.
Oysters: Head south to the Narooma Oyster Festival, a huge celebration of the culinary delicacy, where you can enjoy Angasi, Pacific and Sydney Rock Oysters. The coast from Shoalhaven South to Eden is known as the Oyster Coast and offers countless opportunities to eat the fresh shellfish. At Jim Wilds Oyster Service, Greenwell Point rock oysters and pacific oysters are shucked while you wait. In Tathra, award-winning Sydney Rock Oysters are grown in the pristine conditions of Nelson Lake by the family-owned Tathra Oysters Company. Sample their famous oysters locally at Tathra Beach Café or in iconic Sydney restaurants Otto, Neil Perry’s Rockpool and Cafe Sydney. For a memorable day out, join Captain Sponges Magical Oyster Tour on Pambula Lake, and learn all about oyster farming.
Mushrooms: Autumn is prime mushroom picking season in NSW. Join Finding Feasts on its 2018 Wild Mushroom Forage, a half-day of picking Saffron Milk Caps and Slippery Jacks mushrooms in the pine forests of the Southern Highlands, followed by a cooking class. If foraging for mushrooms on your own, only pick Saffron Milk caps and Slippery Jacks as they are the safest – if in doubt, go without! Check your local state forests for accessible pine plantations - and check forest closures too— not all forests are accessible to the public on all days.
Fish: In the Snowy Mountains region of NSW, you can drop a line year-round in the lakes and dams which are well stocked with fish. From October until the June long weekend, you can also fish in most rivers and streams. Thanks to the melting snow in Spring, the clear waterways are full of trout, Murray cod and golden perch. Join a beginners’ class at Lake Crackenback Resort to learn the basics of trout fishing, or for more experienced anglers try Steve Williamson’s Trout Fishing Adventures in Jindabyne, Snowy Monaro Fly Fishing in Cooma, and Fly Fishing Tumut in Tumut.
Seafood: On a Taste of the Sea tour on the NSW South Coast, a team of knowledgeable guides will offer advice and equipment for you to snorkel and forage for your own Blacklip abalone, Eastern Rock lobster, mussels and sea urchins. The tour run by Australia’s Coastal Wilderness Adventures has a sustainable philosophy about foraging for seafood, only collecting what you need for one meal, complying to legal bag and size limits and rotating foraging locations.
Fruit and nuts: The apple season is generally from late February through to August and in the Southern Highlands you can pick or buy freshly-packed local apples at orchards including Tennessee Orchards in Yerrinbool. At Glendale Citrus and Hazelnut Orchard in Narrandera in the Riverina, you can hop aboard a vintage tractor-drawn carriage to pick oranges and crack open hazelnuts on an hour-long tour. At Pine Crest Orchard in Bilpin, apples are available for picking from January to May, peaches from December to February and walnuts and chestnuts in April and May. Come May, pick juicy mandarins at Watkins Orchard near Wisemans Ferry, and mandarins, limes, lemons and cumquats at Ford’s Farm near the Hawkesbury River.
To Market: if you would like to leave the picking to someone else, you can still buy local, seasonal produce from foragers’ markets including one at Bulli, north of Wollongong, held at the Bulli Showground every Sunday.
On the Land: At Near River Farm, in the pristine Hastings hinterland, 45kms inland from Port Macquarie, you can spend Sundays getting close to the source on the farm learning how they produce cured meats, pasture-raised pork and poultry, vegetables and citrus, eggs and soap.
Sydney
Honey: Source your own honey by learning beekeeping on a course with The Urban Beehive, which teaches the principles of backyard and rooftop beekeeping, how to light smokers, open beehives, handle bees and identify eggs, larvae, pollen and honey.
Edible Weeds: Learn about the possibilities of edible weeds on a three-hour walking Wonderful Wild Weeds – Foraging Tour at Centennial Parklands. Discover the nutritional and medicinal remedies locked inside common weeds growing in your garden, and in parks and reserves.
Where to go for the Snow in NSW
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A report by a leading Australian weather expert David Taylor claims Australia may be in for its coldest Winter on record, bringing heavy snowfall. When Winter dusts the mountain peaks of the Snowy Mountains with snow, it creates a landscape for the perfect snow holiday. All located within Kosciuszko National Park, NSW’s four snow resorts have their own style and personality. All the resorts have invested heavily in recent years to extend the Winter snow conditions and make sure skiers and boarders have optimal conditions. All-inclusive deals that bundle accommodation with transport, lift passes and equipment hire are a great way to stretch your dollar.
The season opens 9 June, with loads of fun events planned throughout the weekend. Now is the time to start planning your Winter holiday – all you have to do is decide where to go:
Perisher is the colossus, with a huge interconnected web of runs, lifts and on-snow action. It’s great for all ages and abilities, with facilities including five terrain parks, two half-pipes, 100 kilometres of
cross-country trails, plus Tube Town. Perisher and Smiggins Holes offer night skiing and snowboarding twice a week on floodlit slopes, with free family entertainment and fireworks.
Thredbo is thrilling, steep, forested and exciting, with a European-style village and a reputation for après-ski fun for beginners and experts. Thredbo offers twilight skiing twice a week, plus a Flare Run on Saturday nights for experienced skiers and boarders which creates a fantastic light show. On Thursday nights, kids get LED lights to ski gentle slopes.
Charlotte Pass is a favourite with families and club skiers and, as Australia’s highest resort, receives some of the most consistent snowfalls. Facilities include a purpose-built fleet of over-snow transport — the only way to reach the Pass — plus you can take a snowshoe tour or a ride on the snow grooming machines. Stay at the Kosciuszko Chalet for ski-in, ski-out, high teas, bingo and live music.
Selwyn Snowfields is relaxed, friendly and outstanding value for families and beginners. Slopes progress gently from beginners to advanced, and facilities include Snow Sports School Centre, snow tubing and tobogganing.
Find out more about skiing in the Snowy Mountains.
What to Expect at Vivid Sydney
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At 6pm on 25 May, Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, returns to the Harbour City. Now in its 10th year, the annual festival is a 23-day celebration of innovation and creativity. Each night during the festival, iconic precincts of Sydney such as The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Kings Cross, Luna Park, Chatswood and Taronga Zoo light up with not-to-be-missed art installations and projections. Here are some Vivid Sydney 2018 highlights to look out for.
The Lighting of the Sails – Created by artist Jonathan Zawada, known for his use of neon colour and geometric designs, this year the Sydney Opera House sails will display a series of digital sculptures and compositions that will distort and mutate in continuous motion.
The Vivid Light Walk – Stretching two kilometres, this year’s Light Walk leads from The Rocks to the Sydney Opera House and through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and includes major projections and installations at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Customs House and the ASN Co. heritage building.
Customs House – It’s been 100 years since author May Gibbs gave Australia Snugglepot & Cuddlepie, two gumnut babies who dropped out of a gumtree to become much-loved children’s book characters. To celebrate the anniversary of the creations, renowned art and animation collective Ample Projects brings May Gibbs’ immortal characters to life on the façade of Sydney’s 1845 Customs House.
Fantastic Oceans – Cockle Bay will be alive with creatures from the deep in a fantastic display of colour. Fountains will emulate corals and deep-sea flora; lasers will ripple like ocean waves and etch silhouettes of deep-sea creatures. Your walk through Darling Harbour will be a dream-like dive under the ocean.
Music Makers – At Vivid Music 2018 don’t miss jazz innovators Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling, and hear from St Vincent in a one-night-only performance. The Vivid Live series at Sydney Opera House includes performances by Solange, in her only Australian shows; Ice Cube, the godfather of West Coast rap and founder of NWA; and Dreams, a collaboration between former Silverchair front man Daniel Johns and Luke Steele from Empire of the Sun.
James Cameron – A highlight of the Vivid Ideas Game Changers and Creative Catalysts program, James Cameron, the award-winning film-maker and underwater explorer, is in conversation with Adam Spencer. The first person to descend to the Mariana Trench – the deepest place on the planet – as a solo pilot, Cameron also co-designed the unique vertical submersible DEEPSEA CHALLENGER that was built in Sydney.
Jame Cameron image credit: Mark Thiessen/Nat Geo Creative.
Find out everything you need to know about Vivid Sydney.
Save the Date - Upcoming Sydney and NSW Events
Sydney
21 March – 28 April: Australian acting royalty Hugo Weaving returns to Sydney to play the leading role in the Sydney Theatre Company’s take on Bertolt Brecht’s 1941 play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
7 April and 14 April: The Championships race day at Royal Randwick will see the cream of the riding crop vie for over $20 million prize money across two consecutive Saturdays this April.
30 April – 6 May: A celebration of writing and ideas, The Sydney Writers Festival has over 300 events held in various locations around Sydney. Festival highlights include a conversation with critically acclaimed author Junot Díaz at Carriageworks, and ‘This is not a Moment, it’s a Movement’ – a #metoo discussion with high-profile panellists including Tracey Spicer.
12 May: Worth $100,000 to the winning artist, the popular Archibald Prize is awarded to the best portrait of someone distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia.
13-19 May: Held at Carriageworks, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia and Weekend Edition provide designers with an international platform to showcase their collection to industry insiders from NSW and around the world.
25 May – 16 June: At 6pm on 25 May, Vivid Sydney 2018 switches on with The Lighting of the Sails of the Sydney Opera House and all light walk sculptures. This Lights On! Moment marks the Festival’s 10th anniversary, beginning 23 days of light art, innovative ideas and music performances.
26 May: At the Sydney Philharmonia Choir’s performance of Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, there will be a 45-minute pre-concert talk, before The Metropolitan Orchestra take up their instruments in accompaniment. One concert only, at Sydney Town Hall.
Regional NSW
13 April – May 13: Sculpture at Scenic World 2018 takes art beyond the walls of a gallery into the magical backdrop of an ancient rainforest in the Blue Mountains. Showcasing over 35 artworks from more than 40 world class artists, visitors can take part in guided tours, artist talks and workshops.
14 April: Experience the excitement of an air show by the Royal Australian Air Force’s aerobatic team, the Roulettes, at the Parkes Aero Spectacular . Celebrating 70 years of Parkes Aero Club’s aviation history, this one-off special event also boasts vintage and model aircraft displays, along with family-friendly entertainment and food.
5-6 May: Look up at Wings Over Illawarra, Australia’s best annual air show featuring solo and formation aerobatics in classic warbirds and vintage aircraft. There are also fantastic static displays, classic cars and motorbikes, and a free Kid's Zone.
19 May: Join the communal street party at the Batlow Ciderfest, which celebrates the end of the apple harvest and locally produced ciders. There are two stages with live entertainment and stalls selling delicious local produce.
17-20 May: The River of Art is a South Coast arts festival in Eurobodalla Shire, which celebrates the creative people of the community, featuring the River of Art Prize, a $2,000 prize awarded at the festival opening ceremony on 17 May.
28 May- 10 June: The NCHA Futurity is the biggest and richest indoor sporting event in the southern hemisphere, with a total prize pot of $700,000. Hosted at Tamworth’s Australian Equine, Livestock & Events Centre, the event is for three-year-old horses, but also features bull riding, rodeo and horseman demonstrations.
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