It’s the strangest kind of place that makes it feel like home. For those of the café late lifestyle Newtown, Sydney is a beacon of great food and even better coffee. For those who live locally, the Saturday throngs are a chance for amusement and mischief. From the Bird-Whistle man to Old Dave, the Virgin Newtowner is assailed with a bewildering range of characters totally oblivious to a visitors finer sensibilities. Though you may be sure that Old Dave will have judged from distance whether you might be up for a blue one or even better a lobster.

With the odd poet selling their wares to the multitude of local buskers making their drinking money with a few tunes, there is always an edge to Newtown that can surprise, amaze and even unsettle but never bore. In this truly diverse suburb, the waitresses know the characters and are much more likely to give them a free coffee than shuffle them along. But put aside your prejudices and Newtown can be a truly unique experience.

And it pays to have local knowledge. While Cafes and Restaurants have bloomed in Newtown with new trade coming from outside, the cheap, cheerful and bloody marvelous have disappeared somewhat. But not quite! Avoiding the main drag on a Saturday night can bring bonuses of great food at a very reasonable price.

Love Kilimanjaro African Restaurant but cannot get in, there is the African Express Eatery, owned by the same people, beside the Duke of Edinburgh on Enmore Road. For Pakistan/Indian food, Guzzlers on South King Street is the King of Cheap Eats. And down in St Peters, the Good Wok never fails to please! For Pizza, Torino’s on Enmore Road or for Pasta, there is a cosy little Italian restaurant Mamma Maria’s upstairs from the Old Fish Shop on the corner of King and Church Street!  Who needs Norton Street?

Thai restaurants? I wouldn’t even dare to suggest but almost all of them are great so go with your mood! Taking out a Vegetarian? The Green Gormet vegetarian Yum Cha will win you a friend for life, though almost everywhere in Newtown has plenty of Vegetarian options. For beer and food, the Courthouse is great, while the Zanzibar and Soni’s give a little more up market experience with lots of Tapas to keep you happy.

Coffee has to be Campos, votes one of the best 10 cups of coffee in the world, though it does get quite crowded. A take out with a nice walk to Camperdown Park is always a possibility. Other than that, take your time and check out some of the side streets for the hidden treats or join the crowd watchers on one of the many cafés facing onto King Street.

Article written by Pauline Bleach

Be Enchanted Brides has teamed up with Bethany Joy as their exclusive designer of unique vintage-inspired bridal gowns.  In collaboration with Bethany Joy, Rhonda Martin and Reneé Amato present a new vision for the Bridal Industry.  “Our dream was to create Australian made gowns with a delicately devine vintage appeal!  Very romantic,” said Rhonda.  Read all about Bethany Joy Monsted's latest collection»

thefinderskeepers.com

The Queensland Art Gallery will be the exclusive Australian venue for a spectacular exhibition exploring the art of millinery. ‘Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones’ is the result of a collaboration between London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and one of the world’s foremost milliners, Stephen Jones. Read more about the Hats exhibition»

Internationally recognised for propelling authors into the literary spotlight, the shortlist for the regional winners from South East Asia and Pacific has been unveiled in the race to win the influential 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Offering an exceptional opportunity for new writers to demonstrate their talent and for authors already on the literary scene to strengthen their reputation – writers across the region – are in pole position to compete with the best authors from, Africa, Caribbean and Canada and South Asia and Europe to win the coveted prizes of the Commonwealth’s Best Book and Best First Book. Read who was shortlisted»

After precipitating we follow our set course to sea, starting at its Ross River dam, we slither through kilometers of gallery forests where birds chirp intrinsically.  As gravity decides our direction we can see an abundance of culture and life; joggers, strollers, rowers, water skiers, cyclists, fishers and the occasion youth trying to take it all in and show it around with a camera.  We pass Castle Hill where hiking and 360 degree views reign.  We flow through the old train yard and the smell of booming residence is rich.  Here we split the right stream meanders out to sea but the left stream pumps through the heart of the city.

By day commerce fills the Flinders Street Mall.  By night social activities take hold we can see the ever popular Palmer Street known for its restaurants and jazz bands.  Its older sister Flinders Street East resides on the opposite side of the bank where clubs, pubs and bars are frequented by the local youths, students and army population. In between these street yachts and catamarans bob up and down and we welcome their interest in us with claps against their hulls.  At day they sail out to the Magnetic Island with its green and lushes forests and beautiful beaches.

We pass the port of Townsville, pass the breakwater and drift to the left.  With a single glance we can see the Strand.  People sit on the dunes with dogs, children, fish and chips while seagulls glide in front of them in cool off-shore winds.  As I evaporate out at sea, I recognise my necessity here and I hope I will visit again.

Article written by Chris Jensen

The Australia Project is a series of creative initiatives dedicated to exploring the national Australian identity. How many of us have asked the questions; Who are we? What are we doing here? Where are we going? Do we even belong here? For each of these questions there are potentially 22 million unique responses, answers and opinions.

The Australia Project is asking Australian creatives and the general public, to engage in a national debate regarding the current status of contemporary Australian culture. They are seeking to explore and redefine clichéd national stereotypes in the hope of revealing unique and personal perspectives on Australia today.

The Australia Project is encouraging this debate by organising initiatives such as creative voices, workshops and visions. Works will be exhibited on our мебель в болгарииOnline Gallery as well as a curated selection being included in the travelling Australia Project exhibition. The results of The Australia Project will be curated and presented at the AGIdeas 2010 International Design Week, 26th to 29th April 2010.

Celebrating three years of dedication to the Australian design community, Design Federation is hosting its inaugural event on Friday the12th of February. In honour of the website’s dedicated readership and supporters from the local and web community, the Design Federation founders, Klaus and Craig, chose the theme of this Chinese New Year – the year of the Tiger – to capture the spirit of creativity, courage and tenacity.

Extending an open invitation to the followers of the site to contribute their artistic creations to an exhibition showing throughout the night, utilising the unique venue space of theclub nightclub in Sydney’s Kings Cross, in what the organisers have dubbed Friends of the Federation.

Calling out to readers for submissions of their designs, illustrations, art, graffiti, film & video, fashion, photography, industrial design, custom toys, animation or any other artistic contribution, the Design Federation have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by the tremendous outpouring of talent and generosity, making for a fascinating collection on show for one night only.

With Tiger Beer and Bogong Valley Estate Winery sponsoring drinks, be sure to arrive early so you don’t miss out. If the old worldly charm of the venue and the quirky crowd aren’t enough to peak your curiosity, Julie Doye, pop art portrait artist and newest contributor to Paris Hilton’s personal art collection will be in attendance from 7:30pm painting personal one minute portraits of guests.

Prizes and giveaways will feature throughout the night, with Design Federation’s corporate supporters Sweat-Shop Productions and iStockPhoto digging deep to make the event a fantastic occasion for all involved.

Two Flat Whites in conjunction with our friends at Fremantle Press are giving three (3) lucky people the chance to win Emmanuel Mollois’ wonderful new cookbook titled Et Voila!

Emmanuel Mollois has cooked in some of the best restaurants in France and Melbourne and now owns Choux Café in Swanbourne; a small patisserie which was recently crowned ‘best in the west’ by the Sunday Times. He has just released his first cook book titled Et Voila! Chef Emmanuel Mollois will also appear alongside Master Chef Runner up Poh Ling Yeow in her new program Poh’s Kitchen which will air on ABC1 in February 2010.

Emmanuel tells of his new book, “Well, it’s great, easy-to-follow, beautiful pictures from Karin, truly a book everyone should have and use, ha ha! The book takes you through the basics of pastry making and then has recipes for the most popular French pastries. It covers croissants, éclairs, lemon tart, crème brulée, madeleines, and cherry clafoutis plus some of my own creations. To me, there are no ‘secret’ recipes. I want to make my knowledge and the knowledge of the talented chefs who came before me accessible to the home cook”.

Please email your name, postal address and where you heard about the competition to info {at} twoflatwhites(.)com for your chance to win!

Competition closes Sunday, 14th February 2010.

Click here to view our recent interview with Emmanuel Mollois