Bondi Beach Markets

Bondi Beach is one of Sydney’s main attractions, so if you’re there on a Sunday, why not drop by the Bondi Beach Markets? You can find almost anything at these  stalls, from pre-loved clothing and toys to designer leather bags. There’s definitely something for everyone. The school’s canteen operates on Market Day, raising funds for the school and other local community groups.  It offers light meals and cold drinks to market visitors and, of course, the great weekend tradition of the sausage sizzle. If you’re a fan of jewellery such as necklaces and charm bracelets  you’ll want to visit the shop towards the back of the markets,  which offers a wide range of these accessories  and all  at an affordable price.

Address: Bondi Beach Public School, Campbell Parade, Bondi NSW 2006

Opening Hours: Sundays, 10am to 4pm

Kirribilli Markets

Located next to the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, Kirribilli Markets offer  shining views of the harbour. The venue is located right outside Milsons Point Station and just a  five-minute walk  from Luna Park. The markets give you  an eclectic mix of stalls that touch on both contemporary and vintage products. Live entertainment adds to the vibrant atmosphere  of the markets, giving off a vibe reminiscent of a Spanish festival. A wide array of food stalls offers different cuisines ranging from Japanese fusion wraps to classic Turkish gozlemes. Your taste buds can truly travel around the world. If you like Asian food,  keep an eye out for the banh mi or Vietnamese bread rolls.  At $6 a roll, this is probably the most reasonably priced food item at the markets.

Address: Burton Street Tunnel & Bradfield Park Bowling Green, Milsons Point NSW 2061

Opening Hours: (1) Art & Design & Fashion Markets – Second Sunday of each month, 9am to 3pm. (2) General Markets – Fourth Saturday of each month, 7am to 3pm

Glebe Markets

This is the top vintage market in Sydney and is popular amongst all ages  because it offers a huge variety of stalls selling fashion, food and crafts, as well as quirky items that are hard to find anywhere else. The atmosphere at the Glebe Markets is always bustling with chatter, live music, and the smell of tandoori chicken kebabs rising off the grills. A large lawn allows visitors to relax, devour their food, bask in the sun and listen to live music that will entice you to stay longer!  Among the various aromas, be sure to follow your nose to the scented candles (especially the heavenly-smelling soy candles), tandoori chicken wraps (fresh off the grill and warm in your tummy) and the pho noodles in a tasty broth all served in a tall paper cup. Be careful though, it’s piping off!

Address: Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037 (Glebe Public School)

Opening Hours: Saturdays, 10am to 4pm

These days, whisky has evolved into a smoother, rounder and much more sophisticated libation. Australia has not generally been renowned for whisky in comparison to Scotland, Ireland, America and Canada. This is changing, however, as Australia’s burgeoning whisky industry is now recognised as one of the world’s best boutique examples of proficiency and craftsmanship. In fact, Australian whiskies are starting to prove formidable competition to larger established distilleries the world over. Recently, three Australian whiskies were named ‘liquid gold’ by The Whiskey Bible, a world renowned compendium of whiskies that featured over 1000 types in its 2015 edition.

But it’s the island of Tasmania that has whisky connoisseurs sitting up and taking notice. Tassie’s superior quality whiskies are defining themselves as a global leader. At the recent World Whisky Awards in London, Sullivan’s Cove American Oak won best Australian single malt 13-20 years. The smooth malt impressed judges for the third year in a row with its fruity nose displaying characteristics of musky apricot and pineapple, along with slabs of heather honey. A touch of malt and oak prove a lovely combination, lightly herbal with oil vanilla and herbal spices. Tasmania’s Sullivan Cove also took out the best Australian single malt prize for their French Oak Cask. At 12 years of age, it balances oak and musk with a grape-like and fig nose. Jasmine, frangipani and tropical flowers complement a touch of pepper, chocolate and tea leaves.

Overall, Sullivan’s Cove Distillery was named Craft Distiller of the year and local legend, Bill Lark – the man behind leading Tasmanian whisky company Lark Distillery – was inducted into the whisky hall of fame for his services to the industry. Considering the many thousands of craft distillers across the globe, Tasmania has proven they are a formidable and burgeoning whisky producer. Up to 10 whisky distilleries operating around Tasmania and attracting whisky tourists for exclusive tours.

According to Bill Lark, one of the secrets to this small island producing such superior whisky is its conducive climate – Tasmania enjoys seasonal variation and diurnal changes in temperature, which aid the maturation process. Locally grown traditional brewing barley also brings a richness of malt and flavour to the whisky. Finally, much of the success is owed to the dedication of Tasmanian whisky producers who are passionate about producing a high quality product to be enjoyed the world over.

Be sure to try out one of Tasmania’s critically acclaimed malts or whisky’s and appreciate the fruits of our island state’s labour for yourself.

Hif Australia is the Health Fund of Australia, providing affordable health cover with a range of options to suit your individual needs. 

In my opinion, Groovin the Moo is the best one-day festival in the country – it’s affordable, offers a phenomenal lineup of artists and takes place at a variety of country towns around the country, meaning you get to see some unique areas of Australia during your partying. Groovin the Moo combines the international lineups featured at bigger festivals such as Big Day Out and Stereosonic, yet it leaves out the shirtless, drugged-up festival heads. It has a down-to-Earth atmosphere more akin to the smaller festivals but includes a more impressive array of artists and food and drink stalls.

Groovin the Moo 2015’s lineup is no exception to its usual grandeur, boasting the likes of Ball Park Music, Sticky FIngers, A$AP Ferg, Charlie XCX, Hilltop Hoods, RL Grime, Flight Facilities, Broods, The Preatures, Peace and Peaches. As well as these well-known artists, GTM is also an oasis of emerging and upcoming artists, showcasing the fresh sounds of DMA’s, The Delta Riggs, Meg Mac, Tkay Maidza, Saskwatch and San Cisco just to name a few. Already in my preparation for the festival I have found some incredible new artists that I can’t wait to jig out to live: One Day, You Me At Six and Triple J Unearthed Artist Yours Alone are just some of these artists I have already discovered.

Groovin the Moo kicks off in Oakbank on 25th April, followed up by Bunbury, WA the next day, then travels over to Bendigo in Victoria on 2nd May and Canberra on 3rd May. The final weekend will see the artists travelling to Maitland, NSW on 9th May and its final performance will be in Townsville, QLD on 10th May.

Tickets are just $99.90 (+ booking fee), making it the most affordable festival ticket of the calendar year. Its rural location also makes the festival the perfect excuse for a road trip through the authentic Australian countryside. GTM provides bus links to and from the festival  and also gives you many sources to find accommodation. Unfortunately, tickets to Maitland, Bunbury and Bendigo have already sold out, but if you can make it to the other venues be sure to book your tickets today.

If you’ve already secured tickets to Groovin the Moo, be sure to get listening to a Spotify playlist and book in your transport and accommodation today!

Real Changes is a training and development company that will encourage, challenge and inspire your managers and their teams to outstanding levels of performance. 

Skyscanner Reveals Cheapest Time to Book and Travel

Travel search site Skyscanner has searched through three years of booking data based on 250 million flights to gain helpful insights into the cheapest booking tips for travellers. They discovered that the best time to book a flight is twelve weeks in advance, February is the cheapest month to make bookings and the second week of November is the cheapest week. Travellers who make bookings in February will save an average of 11 per cent on ticket price and going travelling in the second week of november elicits savings of 13.3 per cent.

Thailand Bombs will Have Minimal Impact on Tourism

Two small bombs outside a Bangkok shopping mall over the weekend will, according to the Thai Prime minister, have a minimal impact on Thailand’s vital tourism industry. The twin explosions took place outside the Siam Paragon mall in a busy shopping district, slightly injuring two people. They are the first blasts since the military seized power on May 22 last year ending deadly street protests. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, “we must look after the security situation better to ensure this does not happen again.”

2014 Record Year in Tourism for Sri Lanka

2014 has proven to be a record year in tourism for Sri Lanka. According to government data, over 1.5 million tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in 2014, which was a 19.8 per cent increase from 2013. The director of Marketing at Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority says they are aiming for a tourist arrival target in 2016 of 2.5 million, a number she deems achievable because of their focus on new markets to attract tourists, such as substantial hotel investments. 

Iraqi-Kurdistan Tourism in Tatters

On the other end of the spectrum hopes of Iraqi Kurdistan tourism taking off in 2014 have reportedly been shattered as the Islamic State war continues. Tourism was a growing $1 billion sector in 2013 and was expected to become the second pillar of the economy. Yet at least 72 hotels have closed down over the last 6 months, and instead of getting tourists, Kurdistan received 900,000 internally displaced persons. Plans for a new zoo and the renovation of a UNESCO-listed citadel in Arbil – the city originally dubbed the 2014 Arab Tourism capital – have been halted. Travel agents say that although there are 700 archeological sites in Arbil and Kurdistan remains safe throughout the crisis, tourism companies are worried – but they will keep trying to market the area and reassure travellers. 

Singapore Airlines to Introduce Premium Economy Class to Sydney-Singapore

Sydney to Singapore will be the first route for Singapore Airlines’ new premium economy product to be installed on its fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ers from August. The premium economy cabin is between economy and business class and features a larger seat with 8 inch recline, high definition monitor for in-flight entertainment as well as noise cancelling headphones, champagne and choice of three meals. Singapore Airlines is part of a growing list of airlines including Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Air New zealand now offering premium economy seats to and from Australia. Premium economy will be available from Sydney to London and Sydney to Hong Kong by early september and on flights to 8 destinations by the end of Septmber. An average Sydney to Singapore flight in premium economy class would cost around $2200 compared to an economy class fare of $890.

The Carousel is a comprehensive, informative and entertaining source for all the latest in food, fashion, fitness, family and beauty. 

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The iconic Tamworth CMF!

Tamworth’s annual country music festival is an iconic Australian event. The 2015 Festival program kicked off last Friday night, beginning ten glorious days of country music. This year the organisers are celebrating their 43^rd CMF, so be sure to make it along!

The festival provides a massive boost to the economy, with increased local and international tourism. Located in the dry heart of New South Wales, the festival sees the normally quiet country town turned upside down. With thousands of revellers packing the streets, its a party-like atmosphere that is infectious and sometimes overwhelming. Musicians pack the town’s small halls and lane ways, causing the city to overflow with talent and musical culture. All in all, it’s a fantastic way to celebrate diversity and the arts in Australia!

The event culminates in the Golden Guitar Awards, traditionally given to the best and brightest performers on show. Previous winners include Slim Dusty, Kasey Chambers and Keith Urban, so it’s a not-to-be-missed cultural event for everyone.

Festival organisers expect tens of thousands of tourists to attend the festival, a figure that is growing steadily with each passing year. The festival gives local industry a much-needed booster shot of capital, but its also a big part of the local community’s identity. Locals mark the time by the coming and going of the festival, a fact that remains true to this day.

Tamworth Mayor Col Murray spoke with the ABC about the excitement surrounding this year’s festival. “We’re expecting over the next couple of days, quite a large influx,” he told the ABC. “I don’t think I’ve even seen the city look more beautiful, the grass is the absolute greenest of greens.”

Get to know the iconic culture of regional Australia and pay a visit to the country music capital of Australia, Tamworth. It’s an event you’re sure to enjoy and this year’s program is one that will likely captivate and enthrall. So don’t miss out!

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The Sydney Fish Markets. If you want to sample Australia’s exotic range of delectable seafood, then go no further than Sydney’s fish markets. Conveniently located within the inner city, the markets are nestled in along the Ultimo bay area. Inside, gourmands can find fishy delights for every palette, from gorgeous king barramundi to ‘Balmain Bugs’. Get in early, and you’ll see the catch of the day flying out the doors. Grab a spot down by the water (if you can) for an unmatched view of Sydney’s glittering harbours!

Marrickville’s Addison Road Organic Food Markets. Every Sunday morning, locals in Sydney’s inner-west gather for a leisurely lunch at the Addison Road Organic Food Markets. The organic market offers visitors a startling array of mouth-watering delights: buttery organic lamb rolls, home-made pies, mind-blowing corn fritter plates and everything else in between. There’s also plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables (grown organically) for sale, and a generous smattering of sugary sweet options.

Paddy’s Market, Flemington. No trip to Sydney is complete without a trip to Paddy’s Market in Flemington. Though there is a Paddy’s in Haymarket (beneath the market City complex on Fridays and weekends), the Flemington Markets are a cultural institution! Drop in early in the morning and score some of the best fresh produce on offer: giant sized mangoes, plump peaches, and vegetables of every shape and colour. And all of it is super-cheap! It’s a great day out and it’s not too far from the inner city (just one stop past Homebush), so be sure to make it along.

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So it was with a sense of strange interest that I decided to accept a more “behind the scenes” role in the company, one that would require me to travel the world developing contacts far and wide. I’d definitely miss the face to face nature of working with people, but it was a dream offer, and one I couldn’t refuse.

While I was finishing the last few weeks of my old role, the Human Resources department forwarded me an email containing some information. As part of the promotion, a Police Check was mandated. I’d only been subjected to one such check before, back when I was a student. But the company had taken care of it themselves. This time it seemed the onus was on me to provide the documents, as it was my career being advanced.

Fellow employees said they’d gone the State Police route, but that it had taken time. Indeed, when I began to inquire (with just five days remaining until official commencement) I figured out what they meant. The wait time was long and unnecessarily difficult. I resolved to go online and source an answer.

A few days later, with time ticking away, I made a last resort effort to fix this persistent problem. Everything else was already in place, but HR were already asking about when the Police Check might be expected. Later that afternoon, I bit the bullet and decided to call National Crime Check.

From the first conversation onwards, I felt as though it would be easily solved. They explained the entire procedure to me, letting me know all the critical information related to the search. The brilliant phone service and friendly manner helped make it easier and less time consuming. By the time our first conversation was over, I wasn’t really worried about it anymore.

With constant updates on the progress of my report, I was able to better understand how to quickly and efficiently expedite the process. I followed his instructions when I had to and eventually got it across the line with forty eight hours or so to spare. The Human Resources department was eventually sent a copy of the results, and my promotion went through smoothly.

I really recommend the team over at National Crime Check. Anyone needing a check of this sort should look no further. They give the best advice and deliver on their promises within a limited timeframe. So don’t let silly details get in the way of a dream job and create a bunch of unnecessary stress. Just get cracking on a simple solution and roll on!

Our boss took the plunge and invested in a package of corporate personal training sessions with Fitness Angels, in Sydney. Like the rest of us she knows she should be more active. Like the rest of us the thought of grinding out rep’s in the gym leaves her cold. Fitness Angels caught her eye because they offer lunchtime kayaking sessions – something that has to be more fun than the gym.

So, one Tuesday those of us intrepid enough assembled on the foreshore of Lavender Bay. Laura, our instructor, welcomed us with a big smile and an armful of lifejackets. “Who knows how to kayak?” she asked.

Silence.

Laura went through the basics with us on land. It wasn’t that hard.

I’ll be honest I really didn’t see how windmilling those paddles would improve my fitness. Any exercise, in the end, comes down to the effort you’re willing to put in – and I’m a shirker from way back. ‘At least,’ I thought, ‘it gets me out of the office.’ And there is something to that alone: Just being able to see the sky and feel the breeze is a health benefit. For me, it was health benefit enough.

I was in for a surprise.

Once Laura had taught us to paddle she got us playing games. We played these games against one another and found ourselves trying without really meaning to. We played a kind of kayaking volleyball, where the ball carrier could only make ten paddle-strokes before passing or shooting for the goal. We had short races around a series of buoys. We had races going backwards! We had a whole lot of fun.

Lavendar Bay is beautiful anytime. But floating on the cool water, in the bright sunshine, smelling the salt water and feeling your muscles relax after hard paddling is special.

After a shower, back at the office, everyone was focused and energized and ready to work.

As you’ll see from the pictures fitness Angels have corporate and social paddles all around Sydney. Get active, have fun, sign up today.

Distinguishing which classic cars will rise in value and which will fall is like predicting stock prices – there are many models you can use, none of them work all the time. And like investing in the stock market there are people who have made it their livelihood, so what tips do they have to share?

1.      Supply and demand: Cars that were initially churned out in huge numbers have less chance of becoming collector’s items through their ubiquity. Prices often rise through scarcity, so it pays to read and know what cars were produced in small numbers. With time, the number of this limited supply will dwindle further creating scarcity.

2.      Quality: There’s no getting around this. If a car was made with care then it will always exert an attraction over collectors. Just like in choosing to invest in the stock market, we’re looking for a discrepancy between price and quality. In both cases (stock market and classic car buying) price reflects desirability, not intrinsic quality. So know your stuff. If you don’t have the time to devote to research then seek the advice of those who do.

3.      Beauty: Think of the Delorean from the Back to the Future movies. The Deloreans were a heavy, unwieldy car that were produced in small numbers. Even at the time of release their sales were poor. Even though it lacked the intrinsic quality of other cars produced around the same time the Delorean is, without doubt, a beautiful car. It’s use in the three films created value and ensured its place as a classic car.

4.      Trends: Classic cars (like business stocks) can, for reasons quite unrelated to their worth, suffer drops in value because of trends in the mass market. Think about how the enmity between France and England affected the prices of old Citroens and Morris Minors in each other’s countries. Astute investors will understand and account for prevailing attitudes towards classic cars that have little or nothing to do with the cars themselves.

The trick in identifying whether a car’s price will rise or fall is a confluence of all these factors. Add in to the mix a little luck (let’s face it, there’s always something that can’t be accounted for) and you have an exciting, fascinating and lucrative industry; one with a rich history and fabulous future.

It had got down to the final two. The online world was holding their breath. And then disaster struck.

Jeffrey was a star within his alliance. He was a master swordsman of the Black Death Clan. One by one every alliance they faced had fallen before them. Each of them forced to bend he knee.

But the Black Death Clan were not alone in their rise to power. Tribe of Fury had done the same – cutting a swathe through the jumble of alliances who had foolishly opposed them.

And after six months the inevitable could no longer be postponed.

The Black Death Clan readied themselves. Each player’s online avatar was equipped with the best swords and armor the players could scrounge from the game – anything they had either won through fighting or stolen through raids. The heads of each group parleyed to negotiate terms of engagement, so that neither might be disadvantaged. Everyone thrilled at the thought of this, the final battle for supremacy.

Just as negotiations were reaching an agreement the leader of Tribe of Fury did something unexpected.

He sent a message. It read: ‘Each of our clans have waged many battles to get to this point. We have lost many good characters (avatars). And now we face the bloodiest battle of all. Why? Why must we lose so many more characters in a contest that either one of us may win? We of the Tribe of Fury issue the Black Death Clan a challenge: Our champion against your own. Winner takes all.’

And though they looked forward to the great battle many of the clan acknowledged the wisdom behind this challenge. Why risk the death of hundreds when the death of one could accomplish the same? And so the Black Death Clan looked for a champion.

There was much fighting, much posturing, and not a little manoeuvring, but eventually the honor fell to Jeffery. The news was relayed to Tribe of Fury. The time of the duel set.

The online world held its breath.

Twenty hours before the duel Jeffrey received a phone call. He was needed at an industry conference in another country. He was needed right away. This was not a hoax. This was his work boss, not some silly game. A boarding pass accompanied the email. He left in six hours.

Jeffrey was gutted. His leaders begged Tribe of Fury to postpone the duel. They refused. ‘If your champion does not attend then you forfeit,’ was all they said. The Black Death Clan began to look for a replacement, but there were none to Jeffrey’ standard.

With three hours before take-off one of the newer Black Death members produced a solution. United Global SIM offer SIM cards that operate in more than 900 networks in over 230 countries. Even better – they offered data roaming, so that Jeffrey could play the game from his laptop.

At the agreed time, groggy from jetlag, Jeffrey took control of his avatar. He was a little unsure of how his character would react. Would it be slower? Would there be drop-outs? He needn’t have worried. The United Global SIM connected to multiple networks simultaneously. It looked for networks in the host country and connected. The directions Jeffrey gave his avatar were routed in the fastest, safest possible way.

At one o’clock in the morning the hotel Jeffrey was staying in was woken by a victory cry.