Hilltop Hoods to play huge show in Gladstone

AUSSIE hip hop legends Hilltop Hoods are coming to Gladstone.

At least 2000 fans will flock to the Marley Brown Oval on October 19 for one of the biggest concerts in the city's history.

Tickets to see Suffa (Matt Lambert), MC Pressure (Daniel Smith) and DJ Debris (Barry Francis) are expected to disappear fast when they go on sale on Monday.

The gig is one of only six planned for the state.

Harvey Road Tavern and the ALH Group scored the concert over Rockhampton and other large central Queensland cities.

It will take 24 hours to set up the covered stage.

ALH Group entertainment and marketing co-ordinator Elaina Berg said it took six months of negotiating to get the Hoods to visit Gladstone.

"We had the facilities available to accommodate what they were looking for," she said.

"It's fabulous and we're excited to have that opportunity for Gladstone."

Hip-hop lover and musician Nick Oram said the city was lucky to score the Hoods' gig.

"There's so much hip hop around that people love but they have never really been able to see it in their home town," he said.

Illy, another popular Aussie hip hop artist, performs at Hervey Road Tavern on Thursday night.

Gladstone is sixth on the 21-stop national tour for the Hoods, who hail from South Australia.

The band, which has just released Walking Under Stars - the follow-up to the highly rated Drinking from the Sun - completed sold-out tours of New Zealand, Europe and UK this year.

The Cosby Sweater Tour will feature Blue Mountain's trio, and Triple J favourites, Thundamentals as the support act. K21 and DJ Morgs round out the bill.

The band will play Mackay and Townsville on October 18 and 26.

Aussie music icon Pete Murray will play on the oval in November.

He is expected to draw a crowd of 2000.

Source: http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/hip-hop-heaven/2368055/

History of Darling Harbour, Sydney

Darling Harbour: Cockle Bay Wharf today - night view

Darling Harbour is one of Sydney's iconic attractions, with the area covering Cockle Bay, King Street Wharf, plus Chinatown and all the way to Pyrmont.

Shells, shipping and celebrations

Image: The earliest view of Cockle Bay drawn by John Eyre c1813. SLNSW

For more than 7,000 years Darling Harbour was a frontier; a boundary between the Wangal and Gadigal clans of the coastal Eora people who used the harbour for food and transport up the Parramatta River. The Eora people called Darling Harbour ‘Tumbalong’, meaning a place where seafood is found. The shores were littered with the remnants of oyster shells and other shellfish remains accumulated over thousands of years; and it is this that led the Europeans to call the area Cockle Bay.

Image: Cockle Bay now Darling Harbour. Hand-coloured aquatint published in London in 1823,
Major James Tayor c1819-20. SLNSW

In 1788, the arrival of the First Fleet and the ailments such as smallpox, measles, colds and flu that came with it, were devastating to the local Aboriginal population. However the Eora people survived the arrival of Europeans and their diseases. Archaeological evidence has shown that they were still continuing a semi-traditional lifestyle on the peninsula at Millers Point until at least the 1840s. Today, the descendants of the first Indigenous clans to live in close contact with the Europeans still live in Sydney. 

Long Cove to Cockle Bay

In the early years of the colony, the only European visitors to the shores of Darling Harbour were the lime-burners and hungry convicts and settlers searching for mussels and other shellfish. 

The first deputy surveyor-general of New South Wales, Charles Grimes, completed a Plan of Sydney in 1800 that accurately depicts the eastern shoreline. Poorly fired bricks and a lack of lime for mortar hampered early building in the colony. The massive middens of shellfish shells in Cockle Bay were the perfect source for lime. Darling Harbour was first named Long Cove but Cockle Bay was preferred until 1826 when Governor Ralph Darling enshrined his own name in Sydney’s history.

Maritime and industrial development

The history of the harbour has been embodied in the ships which used it, the shipyards and wharves along its shores and the myriad of factories and warehouses that grew up in the surrounding streets. The Market Street Wharf (where Sydney Aquarium now stands) was built in the 1820s and is the only remaining wharf from this era.

Image: The Sydney Markets were built in 1829, on the site of the Queen Victoria Building, they
replaced Macquarie’s earlier markets. The first wharf was built in the 1820s to service these markets.
Sydney Markets, Watercolour, John Rae, 1842. SLNSW

In the 19th century the harbour was a centre for change, and particularly for the introduction of Industrial Revolution technology. It was here that the first steam engine in Australia started work in 1815, the first iron-hulled ship was assembled and the colony’s first foundries belched smoke along its shores, as did the first steamship to be launched. Other important firsts were the Australian Gas Light Company’s gasworks, fired up on Queen Victoria’s birthday in 1841, and, in the next decade, Zollner’s galvanising plant, an important innovation in a country that was to find more ways to use galvanised iron than any other.

For much of the nineteenth century, wheat, wool, coal and timber were the principal cargoes to pass across the wharves but from the 1870's wool became the prime commodity. In 1855 the railway line that ran from the old Central Station was built as part of the first line in New South Wales. A major railway goods yard was established on the Ultimo side of the harbour in the 1870s. In 1874, the world's first full iron wharf was built where Tumbalong Park now stands. The Iron Wharf was considered one of the great engineering feats of the time and was the largest steel structure in the world until the construction of the Eiffel Tower.  

Image: The Iron Wharf 1874. Illustrated Sydney News 30 Jan 1874.

In 1861, the world's first freezing works were built by Thomas Mort after the process was developed by ED Nicolle. Thomas Mort's Fresh Food & Ice Company was established on the site of today's Chinese Garden of Friendship and the company shipped its first successful cargo of frozen meat to London in 1877. 

In the 1880s the first Hydraulic Pumping Station in New South Wales opened; remnants of it still stand as part of a hotel. Around the turn of the century the Ultimo Power Station supplied electricity for Sydney’s first electric trams and its neighbour in Pyrmont supplied power to Sydney households through the first reticulated grid. 

Image: Ulitmo Power Stations c1850s. COSA.

By the 1890s there was a shift from small-scale industry to warehousing and woolstores and by 1900, dozens of wharves had been built at Darling Harbour. The rail yards continued to grow and by 1891 they were handling most of Australia’s export produce. In 1900, the NSW Government resumed Darling Harbour. The area continued to thrive as coastal steamers plied their trade along Australia's coast and across the Pacific.

Pyrmont Bridge opened in 1902, replacing a smaller bridge built in 1857, to maintain the link between the CBD, Pyrmont and Glebe. The swingspan bridge is powered by electricity, originally supplied from the nearby Ultimo Powerhouse (now the Powerhouse Museum), and remains the oldest electrically powered swingspan bridge still operating in the world.

Image: Troops departing in 1941 for North Africa. AWM.

The First World War stimulated growth but also led to the General Strike in 1917. The Great Depression of the 1930s affected Darling Harbour in much the same way as it affected ageing industrial centres around the world. It hit the casual labourers on the wharves particularly hard and the streets where they queued for the chance of a few hours of backbreaking work became known as the Hungry Mile. 

The Second World War stimulated trade and industry but by the time it ended the coastal shopping trade had disappeared and many industries around the harbour were decaying. This process continued after the war and, although the rail yards continued their growth for a few years, in 1984 the last goods train steamed out of the yards and the industrial history of Darling Harbour all but ended. 

The rebirth of Darling Harbour, 1980s onwards

In 1984 the premier of NSW, Neville Wran, announced the Government's decision to redevelop Darling Harbour and "return it to the people of Sydney" in time for Australia’s 1988 bicentennial celebrations.

Image: Aerial view- 26 June 1983. COSA.

HRH Queen Elizabeth II formally opened Darling Harbour on 4 May 1988. Sydney Aquarium was the first attraction to open and was soon followed by a host of museums, shops, restaurants, hotels and bars, as the precinct became a different kind of heartbeat for Sydney.

In 1998, as Darling Harbour celebrated its 10th birthday, Cockle Bay Wharf was constructed. The following year massive works were undertaken in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

In 2000, Darling Harbour hosted five sports during the Olympic Games and construction of King Street Wharf was completed.

In 2009, Darling Harbour celebrated its 21st anniversary with a year of activities including a multicultural birthday festival and the publication of a commemorative book, A History of Sydney's Darling Harbour.

Source: http://www.darlingharbour.com/learn-explore/history-and-heritage.aspx

Darling Harbour today - night view

Darling Harbour today - view from Entertainment Centre facing Cockle Bay Wharf

Darling Harbour today - aerial view

Looking for accommodation near Darling Harbour? 

Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour is located in the heart of the area and offers affordable serviced apartments with wonderful views of the harbour.

Visit our website today for the latest accommodation specials: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/new-south-wales/metro-apartments-on-darling-harbour/hot-deals/

New-look Westfield Miranda is weeks away

SHOPPERS will get their first look at the "new" Westfield Miranda on October 16 when stage one opens.

However, the bigger event will come a few weeks before Christmas with the unveiling of stage two, which is the major part of the $435 million project.

The final stage, a 10-screen cinema complex and six rooftop restaurants, is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

Another major change will occur by the end of this year when paid parking will be introduced, using new number plate recognition technology, instead of paper tickets. [See separate story].

Despite the opening of the first stage happening two months later than projected earlier this year, Westfield said the project was "on track".

Centre manager Kate Holsgrove said the first stage, on level one [the bottom mall level], extended from what was previously the first floor of Myer into the new building facing the Kingsway.

Ms Holsgrove said it would principally be a new fresh food section, with some fashion and homewares.

"A new Woolworths supermarket will anchor the fresh-food section and around it will be retailers like Fruit Ezy, Jones the Grocer, Costi's Seafood and Christopher's Cake Shop, which is one of Australia's oldest cake shops," she said.

"We will also have Sourdough Bakery, Bannos Brownies and Ragamuffin, which makes steam-baked muffins, and Beyond the Label, a unique wine-tasting concept.

‘‘Lindt [chocolate store] will be returning and Gelato Messina will be opening in stage two.’’

Ms Holsgrove said the fresh-food section was designed to have ‘‘a market feel’’, with a demonstration kitchen and stalls ‘‘removing some of the barriers between the customer and the product’’.

‘‘Stage one will also include a new customer service desk and new car park off the Kingsway,’’ she said.

Ms Holsgrove said stage two, to open in late November or early December, would be in levels two and three of the new building, and the majority would house fashion retailers.

This will include the opening of the new Kingsway entrance.

‘‘The final stage is the cinemas and rooftop restaurants, which we are looking to open by the middle of next year,’’ she said.

‘‘There will be six restaurants next to the cinemas, making 15 in the precinct, and we are calling it a ‘garden in the sky’, because it will have lots of lush landscaping.

‘‘It is designed to be open and outdoor, but with covers, so it is still a nice place to be in wet weather.’’

Ms Holsgrove said shoppers would be glad when the disruption caused by building work was over.

‘‘It is is certainly challenging but we wanted to make sure the whole centre had an upgrade, so [the existing section] was brought up to the same standard.

‘‘Most of the floor surfaces and balustrades around the voids have been replaced and new lighting and seating installed throughout the centre.’’

‘‘It has been designed to have a lot of natural timber and gardens and landscaping to reflect the lifestyle in Sutherland Shire.’’

PAID PARKING

New number-plate recognition technology will be used when paid parking is introduced at Westfield Miranda by the end of the year.

The first three hours of parking will be free and there will be no charge after 6pm. This is more lenient than some other Westfield centres, which allow only two hours free parking and free entry after 7pm.

Motorists will not have to collect a ticket as they enter the centre. Instead, the vehicle number plate will be photographed on entry and exit.

Shoppers will have to make a note of when they arrive.

Before leaving, if they have stayed longer than three hours, they will need to put the details of their number plate into a machine and pay a fee.

Centre manager Kate Holsgrove said Westfield had received very positive feedback after trialing the ‘‘smart system’’ at another centre.

‘‘We are not aware of it being used in any other major shopping centre in Australia,’’ she said. ‘‘We will put in a great deal of support to help shoppers through the process and we will have a trial period.’’

Ms Holsgrove said paid parking would stop people parking all day while they took the train to work.

‘‘This is about freeing up bays for genuine shoppers,’’ she said. ‘‘The majority of our customers stay less than three hours.’’

FUN FOR EVERYONE

Entertainment and children’s play areas will be features of the redeveloped centre.

‘‘There will be a number of spaces where we can have anything from concerts to buskers or DJs,’’ Ms Holsgrove said.

‘‘Miranda has a huge history of great events and entertainment.

‘‘We haven’t done as much in recent years, but we will be going back to that.

‘‘I think people want to go to a shopping centre and have some different entertainment. It’s not just about shopping, it’s about lifestyle and entertainment.

‘‘We are putting in two new kids’ play areas, one of which will have a very large climbing structure for older children.’’

Are you keen for the new-look Westfield to be ready for business?

Source: http://www.theleader.com.au/story/2512048/new-look-westfield-miranda-is-weeks-away

By Murray Trembath

Prepare to Be Spellbound by Wicked | Capitol Theatre Sydney

Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney wanting to see the biggest theatre hit of the decade Wicked, The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, opening in Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on September 25, can now book great value accommodation Hot Deals at Metro Hotel Sydney Central.

Located directly opposite the Capitol Theatre, Metro Hotel Central Sydney is the ideal accommodation choice to see this highly acclaimed production. Awe-inspiring and spectacular, Wicked is the untold story of the witches of OZ.

Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the land of OZ. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood.

The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular and the story tells how these unlikely friends grow.

Metro Hotel Sydney Central is the perfect accommodation choice for visitors to Sydney, situated right in the heart of Sydney in Pitt Street, five minutes’ walk from Central Station (for visitors arriving from the country), with an eclectic mix of restaurants nearby including Chinatown and Thaitown.

With popular local attractions such as Paddy’s Markets, Queen Victoria Building and Darling Harbour close by, the use of a car would not be necessary. Light rail passes are available from the Hotel Reception and numerous bus routes provide an excellent service to explore other parts of Sydney like Manly, Bondi Beach, Luna Park and North Sydney.

This Wicked Family Hot Deal is available to be booked between September and November are $225.00 for two adults and two children in a deluxe double/double room including daily hot breakfast buffet and chocolates on arrival.

A perfect early Christmas gift, packages during December start from $205 and has the same inclusions. The package does not include theatre tickets but these can be purchased on-line or directly from the Capitol Theatre.

Book this Wicked package at Metro Hotel Sydney Central: http://www.metro-hotel-central-sydney.bookings.metrohotels.com.au/index.site.packages.package.7142.html

AFC Asian Cup Coming To Australia 2015

The AFC Asian Cup, Asia’s biggest football tournament, is coming to Australia in January 2015.

Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane will host 32 world class football matches over 23 days, culminating with a Final played in Sydney on 31 January 2015.

It will never have been easier for families to go to the football than when the biggest tournament in Asia rolls into town in 2015.

The AFC Asian Cup organising committee has announced “family friendly” ticket packages for the tournament next summer, with kids tickets starting at $5 and families (four) from $40.

The tournament, which kicks off on January 9, will take place in five host cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle. Supporters even have the option of buying “venue packs” - tickets for all the matches at each stadium.

Tickets go on sale on May 7 for the football family, starting with the venue packs, before going on sale to the general public on  June 3.

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale in two phases, the first on May 7 and the second on June 3.

The most expensive Category One tickets are $149 for the final in Sydney on January 31 and $149 for the opening match between the Socceroos and Kuwait in Melbourne on January 9. Those prices also include the opening and closing ceremonies.

“This will be a festival of football never seen before in Australia, featuring our own Socceroos battling the best 16 teams in Asia, including Asia’s three other World Cup finalists in Japan, South Korea and Iran.

“We have deliberately kept prices affordable for families and those in multicultural communities who will be keen to attend multiple matches.”

VENUE PACK TICKETS:  This is the ultimate ticket for the passionate football fan wanting the best seat in the house. The Venue Pack is your chance to secure a place at every AFC Asian Cup fixture in your city, with savings of up to 20%. Witness seven matches live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Canberra and four games in Newcastle with your very own seat at each game: http://tickets.afcasiancup.com/venue-pricing/

INDIVIDUAL MATCH TICKETS:  Group Match tickets start from just $15.29 (Adult) and $5.10 (Children). Or secure a ticket to a Socceroos match from only $49.96 (Adult) and $24.98 (Children): http://tickets.afcasiancup.com/individual-prices/

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/asian-cup/afc-asian-cup-ticket-packages-announced-for-2015-tournament-in-australia/story-e6frf4fu-1226872359128?nk=0b37bee270a89676325370d660377fa0


Need accommodation close to the Asian Cup tournaments? 
Metro Hotels have hotels and serviced apartments in most major cities throughout Australia:

Sydney Hotels & Apartments (NSW):

• Metro Hotel Sydney Central
• Metro Hotel on Pitt
• Metro Apartments on Darling Harbour
• Aspire Hotel Sydney

Melbourne Apartments (VIC):

• Metro Apartments on Bank Place

Brisbane Hotels (QLD):

• Metro Hotel Tower Mill

Stereosonic 2014 Music Event -- Hot Lineup!

Electronic dance music festival Stereosonic - which leaves you in no doubt about its musical leanings with stages named "FULL ON" and "HARD" - has announced a big-name line-up for its travelling two-day doof-extravaganza in November and December.

The festival will boast some of the genre's biggest names including Calvin Harris (who has had a number of worldwide top 10 singles since 2009, including Feel So Close in 2011), dubstep leader Skrillex and Tiesto (the world's richest DJ, according to Forbes). Not far behind are superstar Dj Steve Aoki, Major Lazer founder and producer to the stars Diplo (who has worked with Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Usher, Snoop and Britney Spears), British techno veteran Carl Cox and the duo Disclosure whose album Settle reached number 5 on the Australian charts in 2013. Disclosure will play a DJ set.

Eight of the DJs in the world's top 20 for 2014 (as named by the respected site djmag.com) will play at the event, which begins in Sydney and Perth on November 29 and 30, before moving to Adelaide (December 5 and 6) then Melbourne and brisbane (December 6 and 7). The eight (in order) are: Tiesto (4th), Steve Aoki (8th), Dash Berlin Dash (10th), Skrillex (11th), Alesso (13th), W&W (14th), Harris (15th) and Nervo (16th). 

Several high profile Australians join the line-up including Melbourne sound leader Will Sparks; Sydneysiders Timmy Trumpet and Tigerlily; Peking Duk and The Aston Shuffle (both from Canberra) and Triple J presenter/DJ Nina Las Vegas.

The festival is able to run in two cities at once by swapping each day's line-up between them, so the first night line-up in Sydney will play day two in Perth, and vice versa. The same will happen between Melbourne and Brisbane.

Organisers have decided not to keep anyone waiting around for tickets either, with the first batch of pre-sale tickets released tonight from 8pm. General sales commence on Tuesday ,August 5.

FULL LINEUPS

Group 1

Calvin Harris, Tiësto
Diplo, Disclosure (DJ Set), W&W, DJ Snake
Duke Dumont, Will Sparks, RL Grime, Peking Duk
NERVO, Cedric Gervais, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Rayel
Tale Of Us, Destructo, Ørjan Nilsen, Nina Kraviz
Oliver Heldens, Wilkinson, Scuba, Cash Cash,
Kölsch, MaRLo, Mano Le Tough, Shogun, Uberjak’d
Mark Sixma, Nina Las Vegas, Timmy Trumpet
M4SONIC, Tigerlily, Generik and L D R U & Yahtzel

Group 2

Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki
Showtek, Dash Berlin, Carl Cox
Porter Robinson (Live) Laidback Luke, New World Punx
TJR, Ferry Corsten, Noisia, Deorro, Headhunterz, MK
DVBBS, Booka Shade (Live), Markus Schulz, What So Not
Joel Fletcher, John O’Callaghan, Foreign Beggars
Hot Since 82, Alison Wonderland, Crookers, Jack Beats
The Aston Shuffle, Route 94, Simon Patterson, Alex Metric
Deetron, Kaz James, Ilan Bluestone, Acid Jacks and Nick Thayer

Stereosonic Dates:

Sydney - Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Sydney Showgrounds

Perth - Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Claremont Showground *

Adelaide - Friday December 5th and Saturday December 6th, Adelaide Showground

Melbourne - Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Melbourne Showgrounds

Brisbane - Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Brisbane Showgrounds

Welcome to the Bingham Cup Sydney

With thousands of visitors and a host of events, Bingham Cup Sydney will be a tournament to remember.

The wait is over – the world cup of gay rugby is finally here. The 2014 Bingham Cup will be held in Sydney on August 24-31.

Over 1,000 players from 30 gay rugby teams from around the world, plus many more staff, supporters, friends and family, will descend on Sydney for the biennial tournament, which also features a week-long program of social events.

“We’re very excited to be hosting the Bingham Cup in Sydney – it’s the first time it’s been held in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Bingham Cup Week Events Manager Jon Bastin.

“We want to put on the best Bingham Cup ever – one that appealed not only to those taking part in the rugby tournament, but also the locals.

“To achieve this we’ve partnered with some of Sydney’s best known community groups to put on a diverse program of events – Queer Screen,  Harbour City Bears, the Lifesavers with Pride, Sydney Rangers FC and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras have all given us tremendous support – plus the Australian Rugby Union, Woollahra Colleagues RUFC and Eastern Suburbs RUFC have been great partners, ensuring that we put on a great tournament.”

Indeed, Bastin has program a dynamic and diverse line-up of events, ranging from drinks at popular Sydney venues to friendly matches at iconic location.

“Get out there and join in the fun,” Bastin says. “If you’re not into the footy then you can still be part of the atmosphere at one of the other events. With over 20 events and 30 gay rugby teams in town, you’ll be sure to have lot of fun.”

Bingham Cup Week is on August 24-31.