How do you mend a broken heart? If you are Wendy Whiteley you find solace in nature and a shovel. How often is it that overseas visitors tip the locals off about treasures right on their doorstep? That happened this week as German friends enthused about the “secret garden” Wendy Whiteley has spent two decades…
The Cook Islands’ pearl industry is turning to fashion to put its lustrous lollies back on the map, reports Susan Skelly. The Cook Island’s shimmering pearls are about to have their moment in the sun as Italian designer Daniela Cicero works them into the high-end Kalia range for the Style Pasifika Collection destined for Milan and Dubai…
The Atacama Desert, in the north of Chile, is one of the world’s must-see landscapes, with its compelling colours, contours, wildlife and culture. Susan Skelly reports on a once-in a-lifetime experience. Navigating the compacted, deeply rutted sand of northern Chile’s salt flats in a perky red Jeep calls for a special kind of soundtrack. Pierre…
A new treasure trove of wearable silver is inspiration for gift hunters, collectors and connoisseurs. Aficionados of vintage Scandinavian silver are making a beeline for Christopher Becker’s shiny new pocket gallery in Sydney’s Potts Point, called Antiques-Art-Design. His seductive display of Danish, Swedish and Norwegian pieces – polished to a mirror shine – includes designs…
Seeking solitude and a true blue Australian break? A working farm in the Upper Hunter Valley has it in spades. Along with a unique honeymoon eyrie. Remote is travel’s new black. Out of mobile range, out of sight, out of this world … add to that exclusivity and a quintessential Australian experience, and a long weekend…
Art vs shopping ? Tough call. If you had just one day in Paris … The Paris shopping playground that is Galeries Lafayette came to Sydney this week to spruik its “nouveau chic” makeover and new customer treats over pastries and smoked salmon at the Sofitel Wentworth. In the hands of one family group for…
When two earthquakes hit the city of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island within five months of each other, historic buildings were among the casualties. But luck and dedicated custodians were on the side of the 115-year-old manor, Otahuna. Over martinis in the sophisticated lobby of Sydney’s Langham hotel last month, Hall Cannon introduced a…
Support for same sex marriage has taken myriad forms, none quite so functional and symbolic as the Australian Marriage Equality rings from Australian jewellery designer Nadia Neuman. Since being launched last year, Nadia Neuman’s Australian Marriage Equality rings have been shipped to Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Numerous celebrities have worn…
The problem with New York is that everyone has been there before you. Forget the excitement of the inner child – telling people you’re off to the Big Apple brings out the Inner List. Before you can say “itinerary”, your lists will be qualifying as their own New York Book Of Short Stories. Susan Skelly…
In Perth for this year’s International Arts Festival, Susan Skelly found a city busting out with new infrastructure projects and top-notch food and drink. Here’s what’s up and coming. 1. Northbridge is getting ready for its close-up as the $5.3b Perth City Link project works to bury the railway line and bus station underground, and…