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Entrepreneur on the go-go p.22
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Get on the art trail p.34
MIDFIELD ATTACKER, TELCO LEGAL EXPERT, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE CAMPAIGNER MOYA DODD
Sydney, Australia
Edition No 7
SMARTS
The genius of Shine p.8
I Have A Dream mural, King Street Newtown. Destination NSW. 2 2
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Sydney Shines — Edition 5
Lyn Lewis-Smith Chief Executive Officer, Business Events Sydney
HELLO. In the words of Lonely Planet: ‘It’s little wonder that Sydney causes a brain drain on the rest of Australia. Like New York, London and Berlin, this is a place that draws in anyone who’s got something interesting to say. Australia’s best musos, foodies, actors, stockbrokers and models, writers and architects flock to the Harbour city to make their mark, and the effect is dazzling: a hyper-energetic, ambitious marketplace of the soul, where anything goes and everything usually does.’
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right minds, big city, buffed galleries and bronzed beaches: Sydney shines as a well-rounded metropolis with heart, soul, intelligence, creativity, drive and a little irreverence. This is the city that we at Business Events Sydney, have the pleasure of selling to the world. That is, the business world. We bid against other international cities for the right to host strategically relevant conferences, meetings and incentive programs. This is our Sydney. We’re a city of inventors, innovators, change-makers, stereotype-breakers. We’re not afraid to break the rules and create new ones. We’re a land of opportunity for people from around the world, and all of these wonderful cultures have left their endemic mark on our city –– the world’s most multicultural city. In this edition of Sydney Shines we explore the multiplicity of
our city. The inventors and innovators, those that won’t stand for the status quo, whose passion for a better world has driven them to develop new solutions. The vibrant stamp that art has made on our cultural psyche. And, beyond the city limits to our bustling suburbs, and the richness of Regional New South Wales communities. Through our people we hone our ability to collaborate and work with broader global goals in mind. It’s essential that we maintain a culture that attracts bright minds to our shores; a destination that is ripe for successful conferences. I encourage you to immerse yourself in the stories of our city and state, there is so much for everyone –– for business and play. Welcome to Sydney Shines.
@lynbesydney 3
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Luna Park, Sydney
1 23 IDEAS
SMARTS
PLAY
8 The genius of Shine
20 Man on a mission
28 Get on the art trail
10 Levelling the playing field
22 Wool’s new fashion future
32 Chow time beyond the city limits
14 Breaking moulds
24 Entrepreneur on the go-go
34 Get going in Regional NSW
16 Making mental health digital
SYDNEY SHINES TEAM Publisher Business Events Sydney | Editor Angie Ruperto | Art direction and design Jessica Medina Contributor Fiona Pearce | Photographer James Horan
CONNECT WITH BUSINESS EVENTS SYDNEY LinkedIn/BESydney
@BESydney
facebook.com/BESydney
IMAGE CREDITS Nic Walker, James Horan, Carly Earl, ArtMarie, Robert Walker, Vivid Sydney, Destination NSW.
Disclaimer
This publication has been prepared by Business Events Sydney (BESydney) as an information source only. BESydney makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of, and you and all other persons should not rely on, any information contained in this publication. Any reference to a specific organisation, product or service does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by BESydney. BESydney disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason. Š Business Events Sydney 2017
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IT IS QUITE UNIQUE TO HAVE TWO BROTHERS WIN THE NATION’S HIGHEST PRIZE.
Professors John and Rick Shine 6
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8 The genius of Shine 10 Levelling the playing field 14 Breaking moulds 16 Making mental health digital
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BROTHERS IN ARMS REPTILIAN WHISPERER GENETIC CODE BREAKER Professor Rick Shine AM Evolutionary Biologist Professor John Shine AO Molecular Biologist
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t’s not every day that two Sydney brothers, are awarded the nation’s highest science award, the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. John Shine in 2010 for his research and leadership in biotechnology, and Rick Shine in 2016 for his work on invasive cane toads. It is one of many parallels that have mapped the course of their careers as leading Australian biologists in two very different fields. Professor John Shine was the first to clone a human hormone gene, and today is developing ways to use nasal nerve stem cells to tackle brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Professor Rick Shine has spent over three decades studying evolution and ecology in snakes and reptiles in the tropics of Australia. Now he is focussed more on effective conservation and the impact and control of invasive species such as the cane toad. The science gene, it seems, runs strong in the Shine family. Professor Rick Shine AM –– Evolutionary Biologist Rick Shine is up on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast at his family holiday house in Wamberal. It is the perfect backdrop for a biologist’s retreat –– a coastal town surrounded by lush hinterland. His son, neurobiologist James (“Mac”) Shine is downstairs with his wife and their son, Tyler. “That’s the sound of my little grandson moving around downstairs,” Rick says with pride. Watching Tyler stumble around the living room sparked a collaborative research initiative between Rick and Mac into the correlation between toddlers learning to walk and the evolution of the human brain. As soon as Rick Shine could walk, he was ‘wandering around the backyard putting small lizards in jam jars.’ “I was hooked from very early childhood,” he says. “I just thought reptiles and amphibians were absolutely elegant and fascinating creatures, and that opinion has stayed with me ever since.” Surprisingly, the Shine family was very supportive of his fascination with ‘all things scaly’. “John was certainly very supportive. The moment he got his driver’s license he drove me to find my first diamond python. It’s always been a warm, brotherly relationship,” says Rick.
Section 1 — Smarts
Even more surprising was their parents’ tolerance of the two brothers’ love of nature (John kept a large aviary of native parrots in the family garden), and their youthful pursuit of science. “John’s great passion was always chemistry rather than biology. I kept bringing home snakes that would cause some consternation for my family, but my brother did manage to partially blow up the family garage in a chemistry experiment. So on balance you’d have to say that our parents were both exceedingly tolerant of both of their sons,” laughs Rick. It was their sister, Judith, who bore the brunt of their boyhood antics –– the brothers joke that this perhaps led her into psychology. And, in true family tradition, Judith Ohana (née Shine), also had an outstanding career in her field, receiving a medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2013 for her community work with the elderly through St John’s Ambulance and The Mater Hospital.
Professor John Shine AO –– Molecular Biologist, Molecular Geneticist, Pioneer in Gene Cloning Following his love of nature, John Shine first enrolled in veterinary science but neither animal husbandry nor biochemistry engaged him. It took moving to ANU and studying biochemistry under a ‘particularly inspirational lecturer, Lynn Dalgarno’, for his career in molecular genetics to take off. While completing his PhD in Professor Dalgarno’s lab, he discovered the importance of a brief sequence of genetic code known as the Shine-Dalgarno sequence. This discovery, and his later work in genetic engineering at the University of California in the mid-1970s, helped kick-start the biotechnology revolution. Throughout his career, Professor Shine has acted as a mentor in the biotechnology sector in Australia. In 1990 he returned to Sydney and was appointed Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
Uniquely, both brothers graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) with first class honours within 12 months of each other, both completed post doctorate research in the United States, and both are Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science.
Under his leadership (1990–2011), the Garvan Institute grew rapidly in size, budget and prestige from its fundraising base of A$110,000 in 1981. Today, it has over 500 staff across 55 countries, and an annual budget of A$50 million.
Professor Rick Shine’s early career centred on the ecology of snakes and evolutionary factors that have shaped the patterns in reptile reproduction. It was 15 years ago while studying snakes in Fogg Dam near Darwin in the Northern Territory that cane toads first caught his attention.
He is Professor of Medicine and Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) and current Chairman of CSL Limited.
Native to South and Central America, cane toads were introduced into Australia in 1935 in an attempt to control the cane beetle in Queensland’s sugar cane crops, with disastrous consequences. Poisonous to predators, cane toads spread across Australia killing native bluetongue lizards, quolls, goannas, and snakes, with mortality rates of up to 95 percent. Alarmingly, the toads have evolved rapidly into longer-legged, faster moving invaders now travelling at some 60 kilometres per year. Professor Shine’s research team at the University of Sydney have come up with a strategy to combat the toad’s front line march through the distribution of cane toad sausages that induce nausea and discourage predators from eating the deadly adult cane toads. The research group, ‘Team Bufo’, has just received funding from the NSW Government to help fight the invasion.
Today, John Shine continues his research into inherited kidney disorders, using ‘high throughput genomic sequencing’ to identify disease causing mutations and help sufferers remove ‘terrible kidney diseases out of their families’, and his study of biochemical pathways in olfactory neuronal stem cells to combat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. According to John, the two brothers are not overly competitive but he didn’t miss the opportunity to point out that Rick lagged a little behind him on the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. “It is quite unique to have two brothers win the Nation’s highest science prize. I absolutely loved it, but I did remind him that he’s four years younger than me but it took him six years longer to get the prize! That’s the only time I’ve been able to win anything in that competition,” he says with a chuckle. sydney.edu.au garvan.org.au 9
Moya Dodd photographed on Allianz Stadium in Sydney. Pic by Nic Walker. Date 11 April 2014.
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Former Matildas’ Vice-Captain and leading Australian telecommunications lawyer, Moya Dodd, was named overall winner of the 2016 Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards for her impact on changing the global culture of football. She has championed reforms to boost gender equality both within FIFA and on the field, and insists plenty of runway remains to effect change on the world stage.
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THIS YEAR, BEST LAWYERS AUSTRALIA 2017 NAMED DODD IN THE REGULATORY PRACTICE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW CATEGORIES.
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t’s hard to imagine how a young girl growing up in a small suburb of Adelaide, unaware of the ‘round ball game’, rises to a position of influence in the world’s most popular sport and drives momentous change for gender equality. For Moya Dodd, it is a matter of persistence, seizing opportunity and what she calls ‘happenstance’. “I actually grew up playing Aussie Rules,” says the wonderfully relaxed and down-toearth Dodd. “When I was about nine or ten, a kid moved to our primary school from Sydney who was a great lover of the round ball game and persuaded me to play with him. So we went hunting through the shed and found a flat basketball, which we kicked around for a while, and frankly I couldn’t see the attraction,” laughs Dodd. It wasn’t until the family purchased a television (‘when colour television arrived’) that 12-year-old Dodd saw professional football (soccer) for the first time and ‘became completely mesmerised by it’. “I would scour the newspaper every day for football news and one day I found in the very fine print the results of the women’s soccer league in Adelaide. I think there were six teams in a city of a million people or so, and one of them was near enough to my house that I could ride my bike there. So that is what I did,” says Dodd. Fast forward 10 years and Dodd had made it into the Australian national women’s soccer team, the Matildas, joining the team in FIFA’s first official women’s tournament, held in China in 1988. It was a moment in history for Australian sport with a victory against Brazil (1 - 0) in the tournament’s first round. By 1989 she had completed her law degree at Adelaide University and moved to Sydney to pursue her career in media and telecommunications law, and to play ‘in the best, top competitions in Australia’.
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Dodd’s position of choice was attacking midfield, and while she points out it’s easy to stereotype people into different parts of the field, there is much to compare with her approach to life both on and off the pitch.
TAKING IT TO FIFA TELCO LEGAL EAGLE SOCIAL JUSTICE CAMPAIGNER Moya Dodd Partner Gilbert + Tobin
Playing midfield, she explains, is a game of percentages where you’re involved from start to finish. You have the task of positioning yourself in the right place for opportunities relative to your team mates and relative to the opposition, and you’re constantly readjusting your position for the state of the game. Positioning herself on the board of Football Federation Australia (FFA), Moya was ready to seize the opportunity to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee when Australia moved to the AFC in 2006. She was later elected as the Confederation’s first female Vice President –– the first woman in the world to hold such a role. She also joined AFC’s Legal Committee and the Women’s Football Committee, and in 2013 was appointed as a co-opted member of the FIFA Executive Committee, chairing FIFA’s Women’s Football Task Force where she presented 10 key principles for women’s football development to the approval of the 2014 FIFA Congress. In the same year, working with then FIFA Vice President, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Dodd was instrumental in FIFA’s lifting of the ban on Muslim players wearing the hijab. By December 2015, FIFA’s executive committee also unanimously approved at least six women to sit on the committee. “There is no doubt that a change like that [overturning the ban] is deeply significant in the region and across all Muslim women in the world, whose number is about half a billion,” says Dodd. “When the under 17 Women’s World Cup played in Jordan last year there were a few players who did wear the hijab and it meant that little girls all over the world could see that
on television and know that those players belonged to the most popular sport in the world. That is an important message of inclusion and accessibility for every kid in the world to see,” she says. Growing up in Australia where ‘every kid gets the chance to play sport by and large, and every kid gets to go to school, it makes you feel very grateful’, Dodd says, pointing out that Australian women are now out-graduating men in universities in many disciplines, particularly in law. Yet for Dodd it is our cultural diversity that is Australia’s great strength. Dodd’s mother is of Chinese descent and ‘grew up on a Chinese market garden in Sydney during the depression years’. “We’re one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse populations in the world
and that is truly to be embraced. Working in football you realise that almost every nation on earth has some residence in Australia. Whichever team comes here, they’ll find a local fan,” says Dodd. “During the Asian Cup, we saw thousands and thousands of Asian fans coming out to watch their teams play. I think football itself is evolving from a game that was very Anglo-European to one that is more modern Australian and that means it includes more Asians.” Dodd’s field of influence extends beyond the sporting arena. In her day job as Partner in the legal firm Gilbert + Tobin, she has worked extensively on broadband, mobile and NBN issues both in Australia and overseas, advising on next-generation network issues –– legal, regulatory and economic –– and has Section 1 — Smarts
authored reports for public submission by the GSM Association (Europe) on digital rights management and IP interconnection. This year, Best Lawyers Australia 2017 named Dodd in the Regulatory Practice and Telecommunications Law categories. For Dodd, positions in leadership come with wide scale responsibility, and while much headway has been gained in gender equality and acceptance of diversity, there is no room for complacency. The international sporting arena provides the perfect stage to nurture understanding and drive home change. “Sport is maybe the only field upon which all nations can meet. In the 2011 Women’s World Cup finals, DPR Korea played the USA and you saw 90 minutes of warfare and no actual body count. Where else can you see warfare
and confrontation without casualties? In April, the North Korean and South Korean Women’s teams played an Asian Cup qualifier in Pyongyang. The crowd was all in uniform, it was quite unique,” says Dodd. “I think in an ever challenging world sport is more important than ever. Because it’s only through engagement that we can promote understanding and it’s only through understanding that we can promote peace.”
gtlaw.com.au @moyadodd
Moya Dodd is a Business Events Sydney Ambassador 13
JANE JOSE Last year, Jane Jose’s award winning book Places Women Make, was published. It tells stories of 160 women, from Mrs Macquarie to Clover Moore, who have shaped cities –– the buildings, spaces, and social and political agendas. One could argue that Jose herself is one of those women. At 42, the former journalist, Deputy Lord Mayor of Adelaide, and community engagement specialist for HASSELL architects and designers, moved to Sydney. “There are not many moments in your life when the door opens and you get a chance to really change things. 2002 was one of those years for me,” says Jose.
M O U L D S Sydney’s dynamic personality continues to excite, transform and evolve. We are blessed with a long list of cultural and geographical assets, but our greatest asset is perhaps the passion and creativity of those who invest their talent in our city to make a difference. Here we explore the motivation behind three remarkable Sydney leaders who have stepped outside the mould and used their career, imagination and ideas to help community, culture and the arts.
“I wanted the experience of trying my skills in a larger city and in a place where I was less well-known,” she adds. Jose was appointed to the Central Sydney Planning Committee, later won a competitive tender to write the Village Plans for the City of Sydney for Clover Moore and played a key role in the team that delivered the Sustainable Sydney 2030 Vision. Today, she is CEO of Sydney Community Foundation, an independent not-for-profit foundation dedicated to building stronger Sydney communities through place-based philanthropy. Jane’s passion is for strong community life and design of outstanding places that contribute quality of life and a sense of belonging for everybody. The Foundation directs donations to those most in need, supporting grassroots organisations, creating positive change in people’s lives. Their major sub-fund, The Sydney Women’s Fund, aims to ‘protect, support and enable women and girls in greater Sydney to fulfil their life’s aspirations’. Under Jose’s leadership, the Foundation has attracted corporate sponsors and is now ready ‘for Sydney Corporate to really get on board and give to close the wealth divide in Sydney’. “Sydney is a place where you can come, reinvent yourself and be your best self. I think it is a place of hope and opportunity. That is the basis of our work giving everybody the opportunity to belong and participate in all this great city offers.” sydneycommunityfoundation.org.au
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MICHAEL ROSE
IGNATIUS JONES
“I am interested in fairness and equity in the community and I really get excited about new ideas and innovation,” says Michael Rose.
Vivid Sydney’s Creative Director, Ignatius Jones personifies diversity. He is a trained classical ballet dancer, opera singer, journalist, actor and he fronted the art-rock-punk-cabaret band, Jimmy and the Boys, in the late 1970s.
Previously a partner at a leading law firm, including nine years as its Chief Executive Partner, Rose now dedicates much of his time to a number of government, arts and not-for-profit organisations. He is Chairman of the Committee for Sydney, Sydney Living Museums, and the Institute for Global Development at the University of New South Wales. He is also Global Chairman of the ChildFund Alliance, a development NGO active in more than 60 countries, and a member of the Referendum Council on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. “The common thread in all of the things that I do is that I really enjoy being in an environment that is rich in ideas. The Committee for Sydney is brimming with ideas for the city as a whole; Sydney Living Museums looks at how Sydney’s past can inform its future; and in the development space we focus on critical ideas like human rights, sustainable development and social fairness and equity” he says. For Rose, ‘as a beneficiary of living in a great city and a great country’, he feels he has an obligation to participate fully in the civic life of Sydney and feels privileged to meet and work with so many others who do the same. Rose’s leadership in the legal profession and the broader community is exemplary of what he says is a ‘dynamic and healthy coalition between government, business, non-profit organisations and our universities’ that is driving exciting change in Sydney and its culture. It is this momentum that makes Sydney so exciting, and according to Rose, there is a real opportunity to harness this momentum to cement Sydney’s place as one of the world’s great cities. “Sydney has a really strong business and financial services sector; world-class education, medical research and healthcare sectors; a unique cultural offering; a great physical environment and extraordinary lifestyle. Ensuring Sydney not only stays a great place, but actually gets better as it grows, is a real motivator for me.”
Over the course of his events career, Jones directed a show in East Timor for its independence, launched the Vancouver Olympics 2010, and the Shanghai World Expo 2010, and led the opening and closing ceremonies for the Sydney Olympics 2000 alongside artistic director, David Atkins. Immensely proud of his Filipino heritage, Jones was born Juan Ignacio Trápaga in Singalong, Manila to a Basque-Chinese father and a Catalan-American mother, into a family with a 200-year lineage of Spanish musical theatre. “Growing up in a theatrical family, you’re basically growing up in the business,” says Jones, and it is his ‘theatre thinking’, he says, that drives his creative genius. Jones was brought into Vivid Sydney to give it an identity and winning strategy. His approach was to ‘take art off the walls of museums and put it on the streets’ and design a festival that celebrates the creative industries by showcasing where art and technology meet. “What we’ve done is said everyone can become an artist, everyone can understand art and experience it,” says Jones. “Vivid Sydney is a new paradigm for festivals in that most festivals are 95 percent ticket based (and might have five percent free activities). Vivid is the opposite, we’re 95 percent free and about five percent of our events are ticketed,” he says. Clearly Jones’ formula is working. Last year Vivid Sydney injected a phenomenal A$110 million in visitor spend into the State’s economy (up 75 percent on the previous year), and attracted 2.31 million attendees. And with a huge line-up of local and international technicians, architects, musicians and performers, and an extended reach to include Barangaroo and Chatswood, Vivid Sydney promises to set new records again this year when the lights go on in May.
Michael Rose is a Business Events Sydney Ambassador sydney.org.au Section 1 — Smarts
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MENTAL HEALTH CRUSADER SUPPORTING TODAY’S YOUTH VOICE OF THE DISENGAGED Scientia Professor Helen Christensen Director and Chief Scientist, Black Dog Institute
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MA KING
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hen it comes to mental health, the internet and social media get a pretty bad rap. Cyberbullying, harassment and eSafety issues dominate discussions of health professionals worldwide. Yet Scientia Professor Helen Christensen and her research team at Sydney’s Black Dog Institute, are harnessing this technology to solve youth anxiety and depression, and ultimately lower suicide risk. One in five Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year. Every day at least six Australians die from suicide and a further 30 people will attempt to take their own life. Tragically, suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 25-44 and second leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24. In Indigenous Australian communities depression and suicide is amongst the highest in the world. Through the use of evidence-based digital apps and population-based interventions, the Black Dog Institute hopes to reduce suicide by 20 percent and the number of suicide attempts by 30 percent. In 2001, Professor Helen Christensen, Director and Chief Scientist at the Black Dog Institute, led the development of the world’s first online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program, MoodGYM. The program has now been used by almost one million people across the world. Today, her research team is working with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) on the Digital Dog program, a A$5 million program that uses digital technology and social media to improve mental illness. They are also working with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on the ‘We Feel’ platform to track mood and mental health issues in real-time via Twitter.
“It’s that combination of caring and science that allows an organisation such as Black Dog to travel faster,” says Professor Christensen. It’s International Women’s Day and Professor Christensen is noticeably elated. “Happy International Women’s Day,” she says, and launches into praise for young Australian women and our future leaders. Behind her, images of ‘Sleep Ninja’ –– one of the Black Dog Institute’s latest e-Health concepts, dance across the boardroom wall. Professor Christensen grew up in rural NSW in the small town of Hay. She was one of seven children, her father was a banker and her mother an English teacher. “So while my parents were very into education, we didn’t have very much,” she says, “I always wanted to do something. I had a strong social justice streak in me. It was the kind of idea that you really should give something back.” Prior to completing her PhD in Psychology at University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Professor Christensen worked as a clinical psychologist with disadvantaged youth at TAFE. “I could see their troubles and they were really suffering. I got this idea that I really had to do research in order to make a difference,” she explains. Last year, Professor Christensen was awarded the NSW Premier’s Prize for Leadership in Innovation. The Digital Dog research program, now underway for two years, aims to ‘detect and deliver’ –– exploring what social media, voice analysis and a person’s digital footprint can tell us about their mental health. If the data shows a person is at risk, they could dive in and deliver immediate help to the person’s device in real-time. “60 percent of young people don’t seek help,” says Professor Christensen.
“The solution is to do broad scale, population-based interventions in localised areas where you can pull together all the different strategies, which include things like restriction to means, mood screening, General Practice, and offering therapy to people who aren’t able to access it” she says. iBobbly is one of the apps to come out of the Digital Dog program, targeting Indigenous youth and remote communities. The app uses Indigenous metaphors, images and stories developed in collaboration with local Aboriginal artists and performers from the Kimberley region. “Indigenous youth have a lack of trust in the health system and won’t necessarily use medical services or hospitals in remote areas, but surprisingly they do trust the internet,” says Professor Christensen. We Feel, the Institute’s current project with the CSIRO explores whether social media, specifically Twitter, can provide an accurate, real-time signal of the world’s emotional state. Within four minutes of someone making a tweet it’s processed by Amazon and the sentiment associated with the tweet is labelled: joy, love, anger, fear and sadness. “So the question is, can we determine from an individual a particular trajectory in either their blogging, tweets, voice or whatever?” says Professor Christensen. “We can pick up group sentiments with 80 percent accuracy. Picking up an individual signal is really hard. We have to get much better at personalised prediction and have a broader screening process.” The next stage, she explains, is to invite people to sign up and collect their data for scientific purposes, to examine the causes in their mood shifts. So are we getting closer to reducing the risk of suicide? Professor Christensen believes so. “There is a whole range of strategies that we can do in one space and that will be the way in which we can actually do something about suicide. Digital technologies will be able to deliver these therapies to people, particularly if they live in rural and remote areas where it is difficult to get to a GP, or if they don’t want to see somebody,” she says.
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I REALLY ENJOYED THE CREATIVITY OF BUSINESS
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20 Man on a mission 22 Wool’s new future fashion 24 Entrepreneur on the go-go
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BLUE-SKY THINKER LEADING THE WAVES OF CHANGE BRIDGING SCIENCE AND THE WORLD Dr Ben McNeil Founder Thinkable.org
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The Sydney Opera House was born out of an international competition to design a ‘national opera house’ for Sydney’s Bennelong Point. A relatively unknown Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the A$5,000 prize for his radical, sculptural curved building and disrupted the trend for cubic and rectangular shapes of 1950’s modernist architecture.
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he world’s first online marketplace for science and innovation, Thinkable.org, is disrupting traditional funding models for young researchers and accelerating breakthrough ideas.
“Thinkable.org is very different to crowdfunding platforms. It’s like the Sydney Opera House. The New South Wales (NSW) Government put up a A$5,000 prize and this crazy, young architect with a ridiculous idea won it. The rest is history. That’s essentially what we’re doing,” says Thinkable.org founder, oceanographer and climate scientist, Dr Ben McNeil. Launched in 2013, the Sydney start-up is a peer-to-peer platform for government, universities and organisations worldwide to engage Thinkable’s ‘online campus’ and offer a prize, challenge or grant for innovative ideas. Whether it is a small donor who wants to fund research, a university scholarship on offer, a large enterprise who wants to fund R&D, or a government organisation wishing to boost awareness for an international event. McNeil’s mission is to ‘democratise’ science by allowing anyone anywhere in the world to fund smart young scientists’ blue-sky research. It is his response to what he sees as the ‘broken’ traditional model of scientific funding which favours low-risk initiatives and established researchers.
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Thinkable.org is a self-funded venture (“the first A$5,000 prize money went on our mortgage and I still haven’t taken a salary,” laughs McNeil), and the IT platform was built by ‘Barry and Ernie’, two talented computer science graduates from University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) who ‘ditched their high-paying day jobs in software to join the start-up. Today the platform boasts a community of 60,000+ members and represents 400+ of the world’s top universities. Researchers on Thinkable can showcase their ideas through creative short videos, or host their own monthly ‘Thinkable journal clubs or awards’ for research conferences. “Thinkable creates a bridge between science and the world, whether it is an organisation wanting to access breakthrough ideas or universities wanting better collaboration with industry. It is like Facebook for innovation, whatever your objective is with community engagement or innovation, you can use it,” says McNeil. A self-proclaimed ‘environmental youth’, McNeil’s passion for the ocean and science, he says, was a product of growing up on the Gold Coast. At 18 he secured a research scholarship with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Tasmania
‘and discovered the Southern Antarctic Islands’, and went on to complete a PhD in Oceanography and Climate Science at the University of Tasmania. “I really loved the pursuit of discovery as a scientist and I was always driven by wanting to impact and help the world –– that’s my core. And I thought at that time my discoveries were going to do it,” he says. In 2004, following his Post Doctorate at Princeton University USA, McNeil returned home to take up the post as Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow at UNSW Sydney and completed a Masters of Economics at the University of Sydney part-time. Science and passion alone would not have an impact on climate change, he realised, it required a focus on economics and government policy, multidisciplinary collaboration and broad range stakeholder engagement. The same reasoning was the catalyst for Thinkable.org –– scientists and innovators needed a platform to be more outward thinking and open, and collaborate with other researchers and industry. “It is a cultural shift and if we do that, breakthroughs will happen much faster,” he says. According to McNeil, UNSW Sydney is the perfect hub for innovation and indicative of Australian’s willingness to have an idea, take a risk and see how it comes out. “There are certain universities that have a culture of nurturing innovation and UNSW Sydney is one of those. That’s really important in science because if you’re not taking a risk, you’re not innovating, you are just being incremental,” says McNeil. Next on the roadmap for Thinkable.org is to drive more outward thinking for the venture itself and seek out partners to help them scale worldwide. And while McNeil sees potential for affiliate offices in the USA, he is steadfast about remaining in Sydney. “There are a lot of fantastic ideas coming out of the wider tech entrepreneurial space in Sydney and that’s really exciting, and it’s why we’re proudly Sydney-based. The Sydney Opera House is the exact metaphor and symbol of how Thinkable was created. We want to provide the platform for anyone to create the next Sydney Opera House,” he says.
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n o i h s Fa wool’s new
PAVING A NEW PATH FOR AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATIONS OF AESTHETIC APPEAL DRESSING THE MILLENNIAL WOMAN Beth and Tessa MacGraw Founders macGraw
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n a chilly winter’s day in Paris, Beth and Tessa MacGraw walked into the Palais de Tokyo for the meeting of a lifetime. Fashion Designer Victoria Beckham, British Fashion Council Chair Natalie Massenet, Lanvin Creative Director Bouchra Jarrar and Harvey Nichols Group Fashion Buying Director, Anita Barr, were among a who’s who of the international fashion industry assembled in a room waiting for the MacGraw sisters to present their new fashion collection as part of the International Woolmark Prize (IWP) global final. macgraw was one of just six finalists, having beaten hundreds of fashion designers from more than 60 countries to secure a highly coveted and prestigious finals berth. “It was a very proud moment to represent Australia and New Zealand in the global final,” says Tessa. “We wanted to make sure we did our country proud. We put in everything we could, to do something nobody had ever done before.” What nobody had ever done was to create a fine guipure lace from Australian merino wool rather than cotton or polyester. macgraw worked closely with a Swiss guipure manufacturer –– a leading lace supplier to fashion houses including Gucci –– to create the world’s first lace made from superfine Australian merino wool. Success was finally achieved with a superfine 2/80 yarn that was used to create a
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lace that doesn’t crease, has a unique drape, and the warmth and comfort of merino. “To our knowledge this has never been done before and the supplier was so impressed with the results of our project that they will now be offering this merino yarn in their regular product offering to customers worldwide,” says Tessa. The judging panel was impressed with the sheer innovation and aesthetic appeal of macgraw’s six-look IWP capsule collection. Winning praise in Paris is a world away from the MacGraw sisters’ upbringing in suburban Sydney. “It was always the dream growing up that we would be fashion designers,” says Beth. “We used to play dress-ups together, do little fashion shows for Mum and Dad, and make clothes for our Barbies,” she laughs. Formal training came when Tessa studied fashion design at the Karl von Busse Institute of Design in Sydney, before working as a buyer for Paul & Joe, the Belinda boutique, and the Corner Shop. Meanwhile, Beth pursued a career in public relations and marketing. The pair then launched their eponymous label in 2012. “The macgraw woman is a millennial who appreciates good quality and has a personality,” says Tessa. “She is not afraid to wear a fun daisy print or a silk pyjama set with beetles all over it. She appreciates fine details with an irreverent sense of femininity.” Luxury e-tailers Farfetch and Moda Operandi, London’s Avenue 32, Boutique One in Paris and Lane Crawford in mainland China and Hong Kong are among the enviable list of international stockists that macgraw has painstakingly built based on quality, rather than quantity.
Since macgraw made its runway debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in 2014, the duo’s focus has shifted overseas. They regularly show their collections in New York and London, and in September 2016 took part in the Australian Fashion Chamber’s (AFC) Australian Designers Abroad showroom in Paris. AFC General Manager Courtney Miller says: “To do well on the global stage, you need your point of difference, your signature, and macgraw has found that.” Despite the overseas expansion, macgraw maintains a proudly Australian attitude that the sisters believe gives them a global advantage when it comes to professionalism and personality. “Australians in general are positive people with a strong work ethic; people overseas really gravitate to that,” says Beth. “In a design context, there is a sense of ease in our silhouettes that also comes from being Australian. We love detail but we never want it to feel uncomfortable or so fussy that you want to take it off.” The duo is also proud to manufacture entirely in Australia. “We are very hands-on people, so in terms of quality control, it’s easier for us to manufacture here in Sydney,” says Beth. macgraw will continue to court customers worldwide as part of its global expansion plan, with the sisters taking their new range to New York and Paris in 2017. macgraw.com.au Source: First published on www.australianlimited.com Author: Georgina Safe. Licensed from the Commonwealth of Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence, The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the content of this publication. 23
INDUSTRY SHAKER SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Hamish Petrie Founder ingogo
Serial entrepreneur Hamish Petrie doesn’t like to be kept waiting for service. His response? Build a better alternative. He has done so on a grand scale with creativity, imagination and smart technology.
P
etrie grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches and ‘spent the good part’ of his youth surfing, but had a strong entrepreneurial streak and a love of art and maths from a very young age.
On the advice of friends, he completed a Bachelor of Business at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), ‘so that when you start running a business you don’t end up going out of business like a lot of people do’. It was sound advice and the springboard for his business ventures in his mid-twenties. In 2003, Petrie returned from the US and wanted to buy a ticket to a show at Sydney venue, The Basement. In those days, he says, the only way to purchase a ticket was to ring up on the phone and in this instance no one answered. His frustration led him to contact the owner and offer to
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build an online ticketing platform similar to the technology coming out of the dot.com boom in the States. The owner signed a contract with Petrie who then founded Moshtix, now Australia’s leading independent ticketing provider and rival to established ticketing giants, Ticketek and Ticketmaster. After nurturing the company for four years, he sold Moshtix to News Digital Media in 2007 and stepped away from the corporate world, set up a studio and began sculpting. Within two years his work, ‘the door to happiness’, appeared in Sydney’s 2010 Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. For him, the sculpture represented ‘a way to feel being totally present in a moment’. “It was a really interesting time –– a bit like going and sitting in a cave for a year and
meditating. I came to the realisation that I really enjoyed the creativity of business, the social interaction, and the technology. Starting a business is a bit like sculpting a business,” he recalls. It was his frustration at continuously waiting for booked taxis that didn’t show that propelled him out of the studio and back into the tech business. In 2011, he formed ingogo, and re-engaged his old tech team from the Moshtix days to build a mobile taxi booking and payment platform, connecting drivers with passengers directly, powered by big data and a built-in GPS system. “It was a bit like bringing the band back together,” he laughs. Three years later the company had raised over A$16 million in private investment,
Hamish Petrie
including A$4 million from crowd funding, was valued at A$100 million and had secured 18.5 percent of the market. In this fiercely competitive market, ingogo’s point of difference is fixed-fare pricing with in-built smarts to calculate the best route based on current roadworks and hourly road tolls. Unlike ride-share companies such as Uber, his target customer is largely corporate personnel who use cab charges and typically ride with the traditional metered taxis, and who are often concerned about whether they are taken on the best route and getting the best fare. “We have a lot of corporate customers who tell us not all of their staff are comfortable getting into ride-share cars. If we can satisfy them in terms of comparable pricing, and a better application with the rich information
they get from the dashboard into their expense systems, then they’ve got much bigger coverage with our fleet across the country,” he says.
in Australia by Anthill Magazine, and was voted number one of the five companies to watch for in 2015, by Start-up Smart and the Australian Financial Review.
Today ingogo has 8,000 drivers working across all Australian capital cities. The drivers partner with ingogo directly and go through criminal history background checks. The software logs whether they turn up on time and whether they are meeting ingogo’s demand for maximum customer service. If not, the driver incurs a A$50 financial penalty.
“We think we’ve got a very big opportunity here in Australia. There’s about A$6 billion worth of taxi rides taking place here in Australia. And every year that’s growing. Ride-sharing isn’t slowing down demand –– fewer people are buying cars, the city is growing in density and housing is more expensive. All of those things create demand,” says Petrie.
“No one else in the industry is setting that kind of standard,” says Petrie.
And while he admits he did recently ‘drag the sculpting gear back out of the garage’, he insists his focus remains squarely on ingogo and their innovative roadmap ahead.
ingogo has won several awards including the CeBIT Future Payments Award and the Service Innovation Award. It was chosen as one of the Top 100 Coolest Companies
ingogo.com.au 25
BRETT WHITELEY’S STUDIO GET ON THE ART TRAIL P.28
Brett Whiteley in North Sydney house, date unknown, by Robert Walker. Source: Art Gallery of New South Wales Archive 26
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30 Get on the Art Trail 32 Chow time beyond the city limits 34 Get going in Regional NSW
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thriving cosmopolitan city and state offers visitors, and locals, much more than stunning coastlines and world-famous icons. There is an array of wonderful arts and cultural experiences to be had. From the contemporary to street art, internationally-influenced, Indigenous Australian art, and Australian art legends, there’s so much to our art scene.
GET ON THE
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TRAIL
I stress the uniqueness of the Australian landscape and its metaphysical and mythic content - Arthur Boyd
White Rabbit Gallery The White Rabbit Collection is one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of contemporary Chinese art. Opened in 2009, it focuses on works produced after 2000. Today, the gallery has approximately 2,000 works by more than 500 artists. The gallery building, a Rolls Royce service depot in the 1940s, was completely refitted as an exhibition space. Since the gallery can house only a fraction of the collection at any one time, there are two new exhibitions a year, each involving a full rehang. For this reason, the gallery closes during installations, usually in February and August. Whether you’re visiting White Rabbit’s collection, meeting a friend or just in need of a break, the gallery’s tranquil street-level Tea House is a delightful place to relax, chat, or simply read the paper as you sip. Renowned as one of Sydney’s most preeminent contemporary galleries, this is a must see for those with a little spare time in the city. 30 Balfour Street, Chippendale Wednesday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm whiterabbitcollection.org
‘Art after hours’, Art Gallery of NSW Have you ever wondered whether like in the movie, Night at the Museum, the objects come to life? There’s something magical about an art gallery once the doors have closed to the public. A reverential silence that falls, that lets the art settle for the evening. But most Wednesdays until 10 pm, Art After Hours offers a regular program of live music, lectures and celebrity talks, drawing workshops, film screenings, gallery tours and other events –– and, of course, nocturnal access to its latest exhibitions. A courtesy bus runs every 15 minutes from 7 pm until closing from the gallery to surrounding car parks and Martin Place. Art Gallery Road, The Domain Sydney Wednesdays 10 am–10 pm (Art Gallery of NSW is open daily 10 am–5 pm) artgallery.nsw.gov.au/art-after-hours
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Dunghutti-Ngaku Aboriginal Art Gallery
Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum
Nestled in parkland on the south side of Kempsey in the Macleay Valley, the Dunghutti-Ngaku Aboriginal Art Gallery, aka DNAAG, is situated inside the Kempsey Visitor Information Centre on the NSW Mid-North Coast, and houses an eclectic variety of Aboriginal Art works from the area. Established in 2008, the gallery offers an opportunity for Indigenous artists to exhibit their art works to local, interstate and international visitors. The gallery holds a number of rotating exhibitions throughout the year, and features Indigenous art including paintings, weaving, mixed media, textiles, sculptures, etchings and prints, and didgeridoos.
One of Australia’s most iconic creators, Norman Lindsay (1879–1969) was an artist, cartoonist, and writer. He is known for his ‘nudes’ sketch series, authoring the generationally-acclaimed children’s book, The Magic Pudding, and for a contemporary mainstream audience caricatured in the 1993 film, Sirens. Lindsay is beloved for his Australiana themed works, and his art depicts Bohemianism and Arcadian pantheism madly admixed in a fantasy world. The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum at Faulconbridge is the home of The Magic Pudding and displays a large collection of works. Run by the National Trust, the sandstone cottage and landscaped grounds are open seven days a week, with a specialist gift shop and café onsite.
Kempsey Visitor Information Centre 62-118 Lachlan Street, South Kempsey Tuesday–Sunday: 10 am–4 pm
14 Norman Lindsay Crescent, Faulconbridge
dnaag.com.au
Open daily, 10 am–4 pm normanlindsay.com.au
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Bundanon One of Australia’s most internationallyacclaimed artists, Arthur Boyd (1920–1999), is synonymous with Australian art. A figurative expressionist painter, ceramicist and printmaker, Arthur Boyd left a lasting impression on the direction of Australian art. Today, his works are exhibited around the world, however his lasting legacy can be found on the south coast of NSW, at the stunning Bundanon. Arthur and his wife, Yvonne’s, gift of Bundanon to the community has given Australia a unique cultural and environmental asset. It was born out of Boyd’s often stated belief that ‘you can’t own a landscape’ and the wish that others might also draw inspiration from this remarkable place. Over 4,000 works of art by Boyd and his family and peers are on view, including Boyd’s studio, which remains exactly as he left it, as well as the Bundanon Homestead. Bundanon is truly a delight for all senses. This wonderful architecturally designed gallery is surrounded by lush native beauty in a uniquely Australian bush environment, on the banks of the Shoalhaven River.
Brett Whiteley Studio An Australian art luminary, Brett Whiteley (1939–1992), was the father of modern Australian art. A true bohemian, his art has inspired generations of aspiring artists and collectors from around the world. One of Sydney’s best kept secrets, the Brett Whiteley Studio, was the artist’s home and studio from 1988 to 1992. The studio exhibits a selection of Whiteley’s work where glimpses of his private world can be seen in his sketchbooks, photographs, music collection and personal memorabilia. The studio is located close to the central business district, in the cosmopolitan suburb of Surry Hills. The gallery has changing exhibitions of the artist’s works: paintings, drawings, sculpture and graphics borrowed from the Whiteley Estate, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and private collections. There is a small shop with postcards, posters and other merchandise available. There is no café at the studio; however, visitors are welcome to return on the same day after refreshing at one of the numerous cafés and restaurants surrounding. 2 Raper Street, Surry Hills Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am–4 pm artgallery.nsw.gov.au/brett-whiteley-studio
533 Bundanon Road, Illaroo Open every Sunday 10.30 am–4 pm bundanon.com.au
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CHOW T I M E
Turkish breakfast anyone? If you’re a big fan of a long, lazy weekend breakfast don’t look any further than Efendy in Sydney’s trendy inner-west suburb of Balmain. The set breakfast is a feast for the eyes and palate. More of a tasting plate, with goodness such as havla, Turkish sausage and eggs, rose petal jam and a range of home-baked breads, this breakfast transports you to Turkish summer days of shared memories with family and friends, and has something for lovers of both sweet and savoury. Easily accessible by bus from the city centre, for a truly magical breakfast experience, don’t miss your chance to savour the magic of Efendy –– a little taste of Turkey in Sydney. 79 Elliott Street, (corner of Darling Street) Balmain
city
BEYOND THE
LIMITS Adding time before, or after, your Sydney-based business is always a good idea to make the most of your time in Australia’s global city. Once your business is done in the heart of the city we suggest heading out of the central business district to the suburbs for some of the best foodie experiences you’ll uncover.
www.efendy.com.au
Pizza by the metre? Waiters yelling to each other in Italian, people lining up to wait their turn, table seating on the sidewalk, steaming metre-long pizzas piled with prosciutto, rocket and balls of buffalo mozzarella... You could be forgiven for thinking this is a scene along the streets of Rome, but this is exactly what you will find in Sydney’s leafy North Shore suburb of Lane Cove. Head just over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and you will find Via Napoli, a favourite haunt of Sydney’s pizza connoisseurs. Rustic pizzas with traditional Italian toppings, cooked in a wood-fired oven are par for the course here. Add to that delicious morsels such as salumi boards, stuffed zucchini flowers, and for those hankering for more carbs –– delicious pasta. There are regular buses to and from Lane Cove and it’s a quick and easy journey across the bridge. 141 Longueville Road, Lane Cove vianapolipizzeria.com.au
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Greek and grilled Head deep into Western Sydney and you’ll come to one of the city’s flourishing suburbs, Earlwood. Nieo’s Grille, is at heart a charcoal chicken and burger bar, but keep walking inside and you’ll be opened to a world of mixed grill delights and traditional greek fare, including slow-roasted goat, and lamb ribs. It’s always said that the way you can tell a good restaurant is from the number of people there at any time of service. Open for lunch and dinner, there are always people at Nieo’s in abundance. Word on the street is that even the most die-hard Greek Yia Yias (grandmothers) rate their food, especially their baked veggies (it’s the small things really). This one is a little out of the way, but you just have to take our word for it –– there’s no grill like this in Sydney. 214 William Street, (corner of Bexley Rd) Earlwood nieosgrille.com.au
Hawker food’s best kept secret Along the busy main street of Sydney’s Campsie, is one of the city’s best hawkerstyle restaurants, Albee’s Kitchen. Offering authentic Malay/Singaporean food, this is a place for the ultimate foodie. Foodies know what this means –– keep-it-simple restaurant, no fancy table cloths, fast service, and above all, sensational food! There’s the very traditional Marmite fried chicken, or for those who like a bit of sweet with their savoury, the milky creamy pork ribs. And for those with a thing about deep-fried goodness there’s the lor bak, a five-spice spring roll only bigger! For the purist foodies, there’s the char kway teow (traditional spicy stir fried flat rice noodles), hokkien noodle and hainan chicken rice. Jump on a train from the city centre and you’ll be in Campsie before you know it. 279 Beamish Street, Campsie albeeskitchen.com.au/campsie
Little piece of foodie paradise in the Shire It’s no secret anywhere around the world that the best food is often found in the outer suburbs. Head to the city’s south to the tiny suburb of Dolls Point, and you’ll see just why this is the case. Foodies Café, hidden amongst a little row of suburbian shops and cafés is a little gem. Open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch this little café is much loved by locals. Offering your usual café fare, including all day breakfast (who doesn’t love that) with favourites such as giant pan breakfast, RAWnola, and for lunch delicious Wagyu beef burgers with melted brie and speck, the food here is well, just for foodies! Everything is made with absolute love and the team is generally run off their feet on weekends, such is the love of the locals, and those that will travel for a good feed. Now this one is probably going to take a bit of ingenuity in getting there, but trust us, it’s worth it. Shop 4, 29 Clareville Avenue, Dolls Point foodiesdelicafe.com.au
It’s the earl of goodness Who doesn’t like a bit of fairy floss with their breakfast pancakes? Take one busy, thriving, industrial suburb on the edge of the city, add a dash of food-porn, and an ingenious and creative menu and you’ll be right at home at the 5th Earl Rosebery. Just like the blankets they give you to keep warm when the winter chill sets in, the food here is just like a warm hug: plentiful, makes you smile, and leaves you wanting to come back for more. Trendy food meets generous portions, and great service. This is definitely one for the foodies, with Alaskan crab omelettes, Mediterranean baked eggs (yum), green bowls and brioche French toast for breakfast. Or, if you want to cruise into the day and keep your yummy goodness for lunch, how about poached chicken and pear salad, soft shell crab burger, or prawn and kale spaghetti. Let’s face it, this one is you cannot miss. Jump on a train from the city to Green Square, followed by a bus –– and you’re there! 34 Morley Avenue, Rosebery the5thearlrosebery.com
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Over seven million people call the state of New South Wales (NSW) home. The state is home to Australia’s global city, Sydney, but there is so much more to Australia’s first state. We take you on a journey beyond the Sydney city limits and introduce you to our wonderful regions. In this edition, and over the course of the coming editions of Sydney Shines, we will provide you with more insight into the stories and beauty that awaits you in Regional NSW. Here, we give you a ‘taste’ of what you can find when you leave the hustle and bustle of the city.
Images on page 34 & 35 are supplied by Destinations NSW 34
Sydney Shines — Edition 7
GO WEST
GO SOUTH
GO NORTH
Orange
Cooma
Lismore
If you’re a lover of good food and wine, Orange is the ideal escape –– with award-winning restaurants, elegant wine bars and a wealth of picturesque walks to build your appetite.
Whatever time of year, the idyllic town of Cooma –– gateway to the Snowy Mountains –– offers something for the outdoorsy. During the winter months it’s the perfect base for trips to nearby ski favourites Thredbo and Perisher Valley; while in the warmer months bushwalking is the order of the day.
On the banks of the beautiful Wilsons River, Lismore is a regional town with a thriving arts community, wonderful galleries and colourful markets.
Discover the city’s history with the selfguided Orange Heritage Trail, where you’ll take in pretty back streets and impressive colonial buildings. If you’re there in October, the Orange Wine Festival is an absolute must. A fortnight of events, workshops and activities celebrating the region’s premium wines and fresh produce.
Whenever you visit, a trip to the state-ofthe-art Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre is essential. It tells the incredible story of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, from construction to the vital role it still plays today.
Bathurst History meets natural beauty in the Bathurst region, where you’ll find colonial goldfields, limestone caves and gorgeous heritage buildings and parks. Gold discovered here in the early 1850s sparked the Australian gold rush. You can turn back time and experience what it was like to mine gold underground in colonial times at the Bald Hill Tourist Mine. Just southwest of Bathurst you’ll find the Abercrombie Caves, a series of spectacular limestone caves that you enter through the largest natural arch in the Southern Hemisphere.
Home to many artists and performers, plus students from the Southern Cross University, you’ll find a rich cultural life reflected in the number of art galleries, theatres, performing arts spaces and markets. One of the best ways to explore Lismore is simply to walk. Whether that’s the Wilsons River Experience Walk, where you’ll encounter BYRON BAY the town’s collection of outdoor sculptures, LISMORE or the Arts, Vintage and Retro Trail that takes in the town’s galleries, street art and weekend markets. Volcanic soils mean the area is rich in local produce, such as macadamia, stone fruit, coffee, beef, pork and dairy –– and you’ll find many of these delights at the weekly Lismore Organic Market.
ORANGE BATHURST SYDNEY SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS
COOMA
Southern Highlands The Southern Highlands is an easy drive south from Sydney, and here you’ll find spectacular waterfalls, fresh country air and idyllic walks. The food and wine here is, quite simply, delicious. The high altitude is perfect for cool-climate wines, and there are plenty of wineries where you can sample the local grape varieties. Food-lovers will be at home as well, with local favourites Biota Dining and Eschalot leading the local dining scene.
Byron Bay Known as Australia’s hippie home, Byron Bay is the perfect place to see beautiful beaches, enchanting rainforest and sparkling ocean. If it’s relaxation you’re after, you’ll find some of Australia’s finest sands here. But for the more active among you, there’s a wealth of activities on offer –– including kayaking with dolphins and whales, snorkelling, surfing or diving on the reefs. Or simply take it all in from above with a balloon ride above the spectacular coast. But Byron isn’t just a beach-lover’s paradise. Foodies will feel right at home as well, with its ever-increasing array of delicious cafes, exciting new restaurants and vibrant markets.
And cricket fans will be in a for real treat in Bowral, home to the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame.
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John and Rick Shine
Moya Dodd
CURATING THE FUTURE
Professor Helen Christensen
Brett Whiteley
Dr Ben McNeil
Hamish Petrie