Virtual Indulgence: Nine places to visit in Austria without leaving home

View a streaming of a Vienna State Opera performance, visit the Belvedere Galleries, famous for the works of Gustav Klimt and dip into Lake Wörthersee. Or take an Austrian cooking  class, all thanks to Austrian National Tourism. Start  your journey below and see more through the portal at www.austria.info/en  Source: Austrian National Tourism ©

9 Places You Can Visit Virtually... #1 Schönbrunn Palace © Österreich Werbung/Sean Byrne; Schönbrunn Palace Take a virtual stroll through the imperial family  dining room of Emperor Franz Joseph and his  wife, continue to the breakfast chamber before  getting to the Yellow Salon – furnished in  neo-Rococo style – and on to the magnificent  Mirrors Room.  Start your journey

National Photograhic Portrait Prize winner 2020 The mahi-mahi by Rob Palmer

The mahi-mahi 2019 by Rob Palmer.©

Rob Palmer’s portrait of Sydney whole-fish chef Josh Niland is the winner of the 2020 National Photographic Portrait Prize (the NPPP). 

Titled The mahi-mahi 2019, the winning image captures the renowned restauranteur deftly handling a dolphinfish. Palmer, a professional lifestyle and food photographer based in Sydney, describes his subject as a trailblazer. “Josh is reinventing what can be done with fish and – most importantly – with every part of the fish, in a huge effort to drastically reduce wastage,” Palmer said. 

Winner of the 2020 NPPP Highly Commended prize was awarded to Hugh Stewart for his portrait of 105-year-old dancer Eileen Kramer. Judges noted, “Eileen Kramer is a dancer held on to us. The colours and her gesture made us feel the warmth of the sitter’s presence even though her eyes are closed.” 

NPG Director Karen Quinlan AM describes the NPPP as, “one of our most popular exhibitions, offering equal billing for amateur and professional photographers. This year we see works of astounding quality and breadth from across the nation – many pushing the boundaries of photographic portraiture, and each reflecting quintessentially Australian stories.”

Jason McLean, Director – Canon Imaging & Services, Canon Australia: “The NPPP is an opportunity for every Australian to celebrate excellence in the purist elements of photography – the portrait and the print. I am thrilled to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Rob Palmer, Hugh Stewart, and the 46 finalists for their achievements, and hope this collection of portraits inspires Australians to pick up their camera to capture and print moments that matter to them.”

The announcement of the 2020 NPPP winners comes a week after the NPG announced Anthea da Silva’s portrait of Australian contemporary dance pioneer Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM as the inaugural winner of the Darling Portrait Prize. Both exhibitions are currently on display at the NPG. 

Tickets are on sale at portrait.gov.au and include entry to both exhibitions.

Source: Press Release

Best of Foodie Maitland NSW: Maitland Taste 14/15 March with Chef Adam Liaw, Slow Food Earth Markets, edible gardens, sustainable living.

Maitland NSW is one of Australia's oldest heritage regional centres, built on the banks of the Hunter River and with a growing reputation for a food scene including fresh local produce, restaurants, working farms and bakers. Just the place for a foodie weekend.

Maitland Taste (March 14-15, 2020)

Grow, Create and Taste is the catchphrase for Maitland's foodie weekend, Maitland Taste on March 14 and 15, 2020. Headlined by celebrity chef Adam Liaw, the weekend includes cooking and gardening demonstrations, street food, local wines, live music and kids' entertainment. The gardening demonstrations are designed to provide insights on growing produce, permaculture, sustainable living and edible gardens. The “Farmers Table” will feature produce sourced from the region. Festival entry is free. 

For the full program, visit www.maitlandtaste.com.au. 
Where? The Levee, Central Maitland, NSW 10am – 4pm.

Celebrity Chef Adam Liaw will headline Maitland Taste March 14-15.

Maitland Slow Food Markets (first and third Thursdays of the month)

Maitland's Slow Food Earth Market is one of just 60 such markets worldwide with  freshly picked produce and the chance to meet the people who grow our food and support local growers who work hard to keep our food system “good, clean and fair for all”. The market operates on the first and third Thursday of each month from 8.30am.

More in Maitland

Get hands-on with a range of foodie experiences. Make sourdough with the iconic family of bakers at the Historic Arnott Bakehouse in Morpeth. Learn about sustainable farming practices that can be applied to apartment balconies, backyards or working farms at The Purple Pear Farm.

Sample regional ingredients at café/ bar/deli, Coquun, enjoy quality Italian with  handmade pasta at  Fratelli Roma and visit Melbourne-style wine bar, cocktail lounge and restaurant, The Rigby.

Maitland is home to the Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival in the historic setting of Maitland Gaol each November, but year-round craft beer pubs include The Pourhouse, The Old Victoria and The Whistler. Try a local brew by the Morpeth Brewery and Beer Co's at the Commercial Hotel.

Complete a foodie weekend with must-haves: brunch, coffee and sweet treats. The Icky Sticky Patisserie offers beautifully handcrafted pastry and cakes; cleanse the soul and the palate at the Organic Feast; or enjoy your eggs with a side of culture at Seraphine in the excellent Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG).

www.mymaitland.com.au 

Source info: Press Release

Loving Wollombi and Lake Macquarie NSW 2020

I've recently been rendered speechless (in print!!) by politics in general and the bushfires in Australia, particularly those surrounding me in the beautiful, historic Wollombi Valley NSW. How to support our own backyard and businesses affected by the bushfires?  Currently my comrades in the ASTW (Australian Society of Travel Writers) are busy reporting from areas including Stanthorpe in the Queensland Granite Belt, the beautiful NSW South Coast, the iconic Blue Mountains and more.  I'm on the case in the Hunter Valley/Wollombi and have been further encouraged out of my bushfire-induced apathy by some great updates from nearby Lake Macquarie, the largest coastal salt-water lake in the southern hemisphere (who knew?) with over 30 kms of coastline!

Wollombi, Hunter Valley NSW

Twine Home Store and Myrtle House (on the left), Wollombi NSW.
Photo: Ken Martin.

It's raining just now (yay!!) and everything will be open for locals, weekenders and visitors including our cafes, cellar doors on the Wollombi Wine Trail, the Wollombi Tavern, Laguna's GNTP, Panino Caffe Restaurant and Myrtle House cafe and bookshop. We have the Providore at GNTP, Laguna, for fresh produce, cheeses, oils and yummy things and the lovely Wollombi General Store and cafe for all kinds of things including delicious gelato!! There's divine shopping at Twine Home Store (above) and innovative upcycled jewellery next door at Kes Harper's Studio Gleaned.

Noyce Brothers cellar door and Panino Caffe Restaurant, Wollombi NSW.
Photo: Ken Martin.

Fossick for all manner of collectables and second hand things at The Forge, find art at the Little Yengo gallery (Aboriginal), the Fireshed and others. For a snapshot of fascinating local history duck into St Michael's Church and the Wollombi Endeavour Museum. 'Our' wildlife includes kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, glossy black cockatoos, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, gang-gangs, our celebrity lyrebirds, king parrots, eagles, tiny wrens, yellow robins, honeyeaters and heaps more. Wildlife angels are currently hard at work with feed and water stations in the burnt areas of Wollemi and Yengo national parks and in my neighbouring Corrabare Forest.

Book a Valentine weekend away in the Wollombi Valley in accommodation including 5-star indulgence and cosy cottages and cabins to explore this special place!

https://www.visitwollombi.com.au

The Hunter Valley region is famous for its vineyards and wine, but we have coastline, too. The City of Lake Macquarie is a government region within the Hunter and part of the Greater Newcastle area. So 'Lake Mac' is our neighbour for a taste of coast and country.

Lake Macquarie, NSW

Pulbah Island. Photo courtesy of Lake Macquarie Tourism.

20 reasons to Love the Lake!

1.      Lake Macquarie sand islands (swim, explore by boat)
2.      Caves Beach (extensive network of sea caves)
3.      Speers Point Park (think kids play space, flying fox etc)
4.      MACMuseum of Art and Culture (arts, culture, fresh ideas)
5.      Gap Creek Falls, Watagan Mountains (hidden in rainforest)
6.      Belmont Baths (lagre netted swimming area)
7.      Creative LAKE (sculpture trail)
8.      Redhead Beach (red, rocky headland, iconic shark tower, Cargo Espresso Bar)
9.      Float Your Boat (June, when the boats light up!)
10.   Warners Bay (9km Foreshore Shared Pathway)
11.   Catherine Hill Bay (historic mining town, wreck diving , surfing)
12.   JetBuzz (jet boating)
13.   Dora Creek (kayaking, picnics)
14.   Skydiving (Newcastle's beach skydive)
15.   Blacksmiths Beach(sheltered swimming beach)
16.   Glenrock State Forest (beach, bushwalking, skydiving)
17.   Fernleigh Track (restored heritage railway corridor for walking cycling)
.18.  Matt Hall Racing (aerobatic joyflights)
19.   Pulbah Island (only accessible by boat, bushwalking tracks, picnics)
20.   Rathmines Aviation Heritage (Catalina seaplane heritage)

Above and beyond! Phtoto courtesy of Lake Macquarie Tourism.

 http://www.visitlakemac.com.au 

Lake Mac Source: Press updates.

Dora Marr Retrospective at the Tate Modern

Dora Marr. Untitled  (Hand-Shell) 1934.
Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper 401x 289 mm
Centre Pompidou, Musee national d'art moderne, Paris. Photo © Centre Pompidou, 
MNAM-CCI, Dist.
RMN-Grand Palais/image Centre Pompidou,
MNAM-CCI. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019.

So many exciting and enthralling exhibitions on for autumn and winter in the UK. DORA MARR runs from 20 November 2019 to 15 March 2020 at the Tate Modern, London. Dora Marr's works became 'celebrated icons of surrealism' and the 200 works on show will span six decades and include social documentary photographs, commissions and paintings. Growing up between Argentina and Paris, she studied art before switching to photography. (Source: Tate Modern.)

Other exhibitions include Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at the V&A, London, Gaugin portraits at the National Gallery, London, and Vivian Suter at the Tate Liverpool, Liverpool. October is Charles Renee Mackintosh month in Glasgow, celebrating the architecture, design and arts and crafts of the great man.

See Visit Britain's list of major exhibitions around the UK for autumn and winter,  here.

Autumn in London and Paris

Oak tree in London's Richmond Park. Photo ©Alison Plummer

Autumn in the UK is a beautiful time of year for travelling, especially if you have the chance to appreciate the woodlands, which you can even do in London. Richmond Park is the largest London park, created by King Charles I as a deer park. There are still plenty of deer about today and it's a special conservation area. The oak trees are really beautiful. According to the Woodland Trust, oak forests support more life than any other types of native forest – hosting insects, birds and bats and supplying acorns for deer, squirrels and badgers. In autumn the leaf mould is home to bells and fungi.

I also have a hankering for Paris at this time of year – today inspired by news from the five star luxury Hotel Esprit Saint Germain on the Left Bank. Tempting offers include five-night packages to enjoy for autumn, the festive season and beyond!

The Church that would not Die, St Michael the Archangel, Wollombi

Book cover image photographed by Ken Martin.

Launched in Sydney last Tuesday and in Wollombi, NSW on Saturday, The Church that would not Die, St Michael the Archangel, Wollombi is a book about a tiny church with a turbulent past. Flooded many times with the water going over the top of the church in 1893, the church was moved stone by stone by the people of the village and re-built on higher ground. It was damaged in the Newcastle earthquake and then put up for auction on the same day as St Patrick's, Nulkaba. The village went into full defence mode – and the outcome was that the church became the property of a group with Trustees and a committee to oversee day-to-day matters, the Friends of St Michaels.

The church was still a church but it required huge efforts with fundraising for upkeep and restoration ... at one point a dynamited wall led to the discovery of stencilling on the interior walls, which then required restoration. I'm still investigating the provenance of the intriguing stained glass window of St Michael – the likely makers have been narrowed down to a few. I'm on the case. The idea for the beautiful modern leadlight windows by glass artist Margaret Ella was the brainchild of St Michael's treasurer, Mrs Mary Fortey.

Like the church itself, the book is the sum of the involvement of many people. Drawing on a heritage architect paper by James Phillip of Weir Phillips Heritage Architects and research into the auction years by Gael Winnick, I tell stories of those involved with the addition of early chapters regarding the arrival in Sydney of the first Catholics and Bishop Polding who laid St Michael's first foundation stone in 1840. The 'mapping' of emerging Wollombi and the incredible engineering feat of the convict-built Great North Road are also included. Also proud to have handled production and publishing, including design with my company True Blue Cockatoo.

RRP $39.95 (+p&p), published by the ACU, Sydney, the book will be available to buy in Wollombi via St Michael's Church or contact me, info@bluecockatoo.com.au for sales enquiries (proceeds to St Michael's).

Book launch, Grays Inn Garden at Noyce Bothers Wine, Wollombi.

Grays Inna nd Noyce Brothers' cellar door, Panino Caffe, (Now Tabu!), Wollombi Village, NSW.