52 Weekends Away edition
Surfer. Wicker chair. Patio. Today’s cover image by Southern Highlands artist Zoe Young is imbued with the beach-holiday vibe – you can almost feel the sand in the surfers’ hair, and see yourself on that deck with a book and a cup of coffee in hand. When Sophie Gannon Gallery sent us this painting to consider for the cover of this year’s 52 Weekends Away issue, we couldn’t resist. I hope you, too, cannot resist all the wonderful places featured in this issue, from yurts to refurbished hotels to an old chapel given a modern do-over. This issue is always a logistical challenge and we couldn’t do it without travel aficionados Julietta Jameson and Jane Reddy from our stablemate, Traveller. Thanks, also, to the writers who gave up their weekends to trial all the properties you’ll find inside (such hardship!) and to the owners of those places for hosting them. Enjoy! Editor, Katrina Strickland
52 Weekends Away: NSW
Want to make sparks fly, or sloth it out? Whether you want to get wild or get pampered, find bucolic bliss or urban buzz, max out that 48-hour window with our annual round-up of bright, beautiful escapes across the country.
52 Weekends Away: VIC
Max out that 48-hour window: whether you’re into retro hotels or converted churches, cool city digs or vineyard adjacent pads, there’s a galaxy of escape options - and quite a few outdoor bathtubs - to consider.
52 Weekends Away: ACT and Tasmania
Indulge in the serenity at an off-grid eco retreat, a wood-fired hot tub on a truffle farm, or spend a night in a restored 1920s church.
52 Weekends Away: QLD, NT, SA and WA
Experience a ’70s Australiana-meets-Palm Springs aesthetic, an oasis in the middle of the outback or a hidden cabin behind a winery.
Two of Us
For subscribers
These mates dreamt about retiring to Mexico – but found a little Aussie town instead
Peter Manwaring and Robert Carroll used to talk about retiring to a hacienda, but then they discovered Australian country town Molong.
- by Sheriden Rhodes
Dicey Topics
For subscribers
Three songs for a sexy playlist: Sarah Blasko’s recommendations
The singer-songwriter on her religious upbringing, the “cult-like” Australian music industry – and what makes her work sexy.
- by Benjamin Law
Modern Guru
For subscribers
She’s wearing her dog’s ashes in what looks like a sex toy. Should we tell her?
Best not, writes our Modern Guru, although ...
- by Danny Katz
Soul food
Suzanne stood in the kitchen, enervated by the thought of preparing another bloody meal. Had it really been 24 hours since the last time? She’d never been the most passionate cook, but these days just thinking about what to make for dinner exhausted her. Usually, when the rot set in, she relied exclusively on “30-minute meals” – which was about 24 minutes longer than it took the savages to eat them. Now that felt too long. So tonight, she decided, she’d go with a two-minute meal. Toast. A dish that these days best captured the very essence of her soul. Words by Paul Connolly. Illustration by Jim Pavlidis.
‘Life-seeing’: Could this travel trend be the antidote to overtourism?
Plus: get ready for the weekend with these fresh diversions.
- by Greg Callaghan, Nicole Abadee, Barry Divola, Sharon Bradley, Dani Valent and Damien Woolnough
Caramelised onion, apple and pork sausage rolls
The humble sausage roll gets a homemade makeover.
- by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Many mouths to feed? This make-ahead muffuletta sandwich makes it easy
The beauty of this sandwich is that it actually wants to be made ahead of time to feed a crowd.
- by Danielle Alvarez
The best bottle of bubbles to buy when you truly need to impress
Dom, Cristal, Krug … top-shelf champagnes are regarded as the pinnacle of luxurious gifts.
- by Huon Hooke
