Queensland

AusSpeedruns and Five Star Games team up for The Sonic State of Origins Plus clash

In honour of Sonic’s 32nd birthday and to celebrate the launch of Sonic Origins Plus, Five Star Games has announced The Sonic State of Origins Plus clash, in which Sonic the Hedgehog speedrunners will face off at Fortress Sydney on the 23rd of June. Each of the competitors and parties involved in the event will…

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Dreamworld’s Wiggles World and the Big Red Car Ride feature in US web series Defunctland

By now, most theme park enthusiasts will likely have stumbled across the US YouTube series Defunctland, created and hosted by Kevin Perjurer. The series looks primarily at the lifespan of now defunct rides at theme parks around the world – with an emphasis on North America. Though it also has produced standalone specials on TV…

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Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Queensland, with Warner Bros. Movie World’s upcoming Wizard of Oz precinct

Gold Coast theme park Warner Bros. Movie World will be putting the ‘Oz’ in The Wizard of Oz, with a brand new precinct themed around the classic film set to open in 2024. Taking over the space previously occupied by the Arkham Asylum coaster (some may also remember it as Lethal Weapon – The Ride),…

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Australia’s first Fairmont hotel to open in Port Douglas

Plans have been announced for Australia’s first ever Fairmont hotel, adding more than just a touch of luxury on the fringes of both the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The $300 million Fairmont Port Douglas will be the first new-build hotel from Accor’s legendary Fairmont brand, which is inextricably tied to the railroad…

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The Langham, Gold Coast has been confirmed, will open in 2021

After success in Sydney and Melbourne, high-end hotel brand The Langham has announced the opening of a 169-room Gold Coast hotel in addition to 170 serviced apartments slated for 2021. Located in the tallest of the three landmark towers of the gemstone-inspired Jewel development, the properties will offer direct beach access and are being described…

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Kiyomi, Broadbeach Review: Chasing perfection on the Gold Coast

It’s always exciting to re-visit one of your favourite restaurants on the Gold Coast, more so when it’s even better than you remembered. When Chase Kojima (of Sydney’s celebrated Sokyo, and the more recent Chuuka) first opened this slick modern Japanese restaurant at The Star back in 2015, reception was instantly, and understandably, enthusiastic. Sokyo…

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Queensland is mecca for music festivals this year

If all the promised festivals hitting Gold Coast and Brisbane go down without a hitch this year, we could see Queensland become the new premier spot for live music in Australia. Seeing as Gladys B (I don’t know how to spell it; not worth Googling) is running festivals out of NSW so kids can keep…

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Hotel Review: Novotel Surfers Paradise doesn’t trade location for service; turns out you can have both

Jumping off the tram from the Airport, right on Cavill Avenue on the Gold Coast, it didn’t take long to spot the towering structure that is the Novotel Surfers Paradise, which sat just meters from the spot. But if my memories of Schoolies some [REDACTED] years ago is anything to go by, a towering hotel…

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Review: Peppers Broadbeach perfects the quintessential Gold Coast lifestyle

Gold Coast hotel Peppers Broadbeach has long been one of the most sought after and established properties of the area, towering above the city’s skyline with that air of luxury apartment living oft credited to the popular holiday destination. It has everything a Gold Coast hotel should, particularly boasting the best location in all of…

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Review: AVANI debuts in Broadbeach to soak up the classic Gold Coast lifestyle

A $150 million development has birthed AVANI Broadbeach Gold Coast Residences: an ultra-slick, ultra-modern addition to the Gold Coast’s already teeming apartment accommodation scene, though not an unwelcome one. Opened in time for April’s 2018 Commonwealth Games, the debut property from the brand is one of two entry points into the Australian and New Zealand…

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Matt Moran and Solotel to open Little Big House in Southbank this December (Brisbane)

One of the country’s biggest hospitality groups, Solotel, are putting the finishing touches on their newest venture. Coming to Brisbane’s Southbank in December will be Little Big House, a dedicated house party destination slash gastropub, shaped into a heritage listed house that dates back to 1889. The house, which has gone from being a private…

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Bundaberg’s award-winning rum festival is returning this October (QLD)

The awarded Spirit of Bundaberg Festival is set on a triumphant October return this year after meeting with huge success in 2016. Once again filling the grounds of the legendary Bundaberg Rum Distillery, the festival will stretch a program of food, rum and music across Saturday 14th October, aiming the top last year’s program which…

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POPSART: Sunpac Theatre and OperaQ are taking it to the people!

I attended the opening night of OperaQ’s regional tour of Night with Opera Queensland from Sunpac Theatre Sunnybank on Friday night and was totally enthralled by the passion, talent, power and beauty of the work. Presenting Opera in this non-conventional form like a cabaret, a chocolate box of hits from Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto and Don…

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Princess Diana’s former butler is hosting Royal Afternoon Tea on the Gold Coast

You can’t get more regal than sitting down for a spot of afternoon tea with a man famous for his work with the Royal Family. Paul Burrell will be paying a rare visit to Australia to help Gold Coast’s luscious Palazzo Versace host a one day only Royal Afternoon Tea event, described as a grand…

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Brisbane’s four-day Maroon Festival set to showcase Queensland’s finest eateries

The Maroon Festival will be a hub for Queensland fans, with the inaugural event kicking off on the days leading up to the State of Origin. Running from Sunday 28 May to Wednesday 31 May along Brisbane’s South Bank, the free family event blends all things rugby league and Queensland’s booming culinary culture across four days…

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Hotel Review: QT Gold Coast is a charming reflection of Surfer’s Paradise

Within the past few years, QT Hotels & Resorts have made a massive impact on the lofty world of boutique accommodation in Australia, carving out their own lane through forward-thinking design philosophies and a desire to do things differently. Sydneysiders are in constant awe of the subversive, baroque sensibilities of QT Sydney, awards regularly pile up…

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Hotelling: QT Gold Coast transformed by performance artists; could this be the way forward for Surfers Paradise?

Award winning intermedia artist David Pledger, the team behind Gold Coast’s transformative Bleach* Festival, and QT Hotels & Resorts recently teamed up to debut a thoughtful, possibly game-changing concept going by the name of Hotelling. Apart from the annual Bleach* Festival, there are not too many who would recognise Gold Coast, and specifically Surfers Paradise,…

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QT Gold Coast to host 48 hour immersive art series Hotelling

Offbeat, charming and brimming with character are the most apt descriptions when thinking about QT Hotels & Resorts; anyone who has been a guest at one of their properties around the globe would tell you that broad thinking and artful design have come to define the chain, evidenced by Australian iterations like QT Gold Coast,…

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SWELL Sculpture Festival annouces artist lineup

SWELL Sculpture Festival, the largest outdoor art exhibition in Queensland, has revealed the 55 artists that will be taking part in the 2016 event, held in September on the Gold Coast. Over a ten day period, Currumbin Beach will be transformed into a free outdoor gallery, featuring 50 works by both Australian and international artists….

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The Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort launches High Coffee in The Fireplace (Gold Coast)

High tea is generally regarded as one of those odd activities that only the upper class seem to enjoy. Traditionally a British pastime concerned with combining interesting flavours and the art of good conversation, Australians have tentatively embraced the concept of high tea in the last few years. We don’t share the same religious zeal…

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Hotel Review: Deluxe Executive Room at Jupiters Gold Coast

As part of the most substantial and expansive changes to date for Jupiters Gold Coast, the property’s entire Executive Floor has seen a great refurbishment, bringing all rooms up to standard with modern design and features aimed at an overall better experience both inside and outside of the room. In the past, Jupiters enjoyed a…

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