Latest news with #ClareRigden
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
TikTok meets Real Housewives in nepo baby drama
With Clare Rigden sick this week — no doubt bingeing a stack of excellent shows to report back on (between well-deserved naps) — it feels like the right time to reflect on my own go-to sick-day viewing. Watching TV while sick is a very different beast to your usual screen time. The shows don't need to grip you completely because you'll be drifting in and out of sleep, missing scenes between coughing fits and nose-blowing. There will be no Emmy nominations in this line-up, and chances are the shows will fall into either a guilty pleasure or hate-watch category. During a recent bout of the flu, I dove into The Real Housewives universe. And wow, what a world it was. We're talking handbags worth more than the average Aussie's annual salary, drama that veers from petty bickering to near fist fights, and housewives actually going to jail for real-life crimes. It's unhinged — and sick me couldn't get enough. While I'm saving the rest of RHOSLC for my next sick day, I have continued dipping into Next Gen NYC as it drops weekly on Hayu. Please don't judge me — I also watch Severance, The Studio, Hacks and all the other highbrow stuff. I have some taste. But if, like me, you need a bit of sugar with all that substance, this series delivers. It follows 'a tangled web of friends raised in the spotlight — or at least close enough for good lighting — as they stumble into adulthood one brunch, break-up and spontaneous decision at a time'. It's like if TikTok and the Housewives had a baby. Literally. The show features the children of some of the franchise's most iconic reality mums, and they're putting their parents to shame, shouting their way through their own chaotic episodes. There are characters being called 'dirt poor' because they don't get a $10k allowance from their parents, arguments over who should foot the $14k bill for a nightclub booth, and a full-blown spat over . . . something I've already forgotten (but felt very important at the time). And yet, it's all set against an iconic New York backdrop, has flashes of genuine friendship and surprising glimmers of growth. Sick or not, it's the kind of show that lets you switch your brain off — and sometimes, that's exactly what you need. Get well soon Clare! This creepy horror is currently streaming on Binge. Credit: Universal Pictures Australia / TheWest While we're talking nepo babies, this vampire horror featuring Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp and singer-model Vanessa Paradis) and Bill Skarsgard (son of actor Stellan Skarsgard) is dropping on Binge. This is one you'll want to watch at full health, phone face down with all the lights on. Everyone's favourite angry chef is back with Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service. Credit: Supplied Back bef or e there was streaming and we had to hope something decent was on TV or that our pocket money could cover a new release at the video shop, it was always a great day when you stumbled across a Gordon Ramsay show. Whether he was calling someone an idiot sandwich, saving a restaurant that didn't particularly appreciate his style of tough love or making rising chefs reconsider their career path, it was nothing if not entertaining. It's fair to say he's softened a little over the years, so it will be interesting to see how spicy his new series is. This time Ramsay sends an insider undercover at a struggling restaurant who squirrels out information back to him. What could go wrong except for, well, everything. Ingrid (Sally Phillips), Austin (Michael Theo) and Julian (Ben Miller) are all back for season two of Austin. Credit: Supplied For viewing that feels like a warm hug, it's hard to go past this lovely show starring Michael Theo, Sally Phillips, Ben Miller and Perth's Claire Lovering. Season two picks back up on Austin's Game Of Scones: Doing Britain On The Spectrum (my book club would read that!) snapped up by a publisher before the newfound fame goes to his head. Can't wait to jump in the back seat with Claudia Karvan and Steph Tisdell for Great Australian Road Trips. Credit: Supplied There is nothing like a road trip to really get to know someone — the good, the bad and the 'let me out here please' — though we can't imagine there will be any of the latter between the hosts of this new series. Claudia Karvan joins Steph Tisdell while Melissa Leong is in the driver's seat with Nazeem Hussain as they take on some of Australia's best drives, including the Great Barrier Reef Drive in Queensland to Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Perth Now
24-05-2025
- Perth Now
Autumn the perfect time to visit this pretty Victorian town
Holiday side quests — there's nothing like them. They're the holiday-within-a-holiday people (me) like to book as a change of pace from their 'main event' vacation destination. Off to Barcelona? Why not hire a car and motor up to the sunny shores of the nearby Costa Brava! London trip planned? Jump on that train to Brighton for a weekend away! Coming to Perth? A weeknight stay on Rottnest's a-calling — you get the drift. On a recent trip to Melbourne, our planned trip to nearby Kyneton, situated in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria , proved JUST the detour we'd been looking for. Hisoric Kyneton's tree-lined streets come alive during Autumn. Credit: Clare Rigden This year, Melbourne has experienced an unseasonably hot autumn, their warm spell coinciding with our planned two-week trip to Victoria's capital over Easter. So off in search of some cooler weather and pretty autumnal colour we went. Our side quest destination of choice was the Goldfields town of Kyneton. Though just over an hour from Melbourne, this pretty and historic village felt a million miles from the bright lights and bustle we had come from — it didn't take long to relax into the change of pace. By night it was also a few degrees cooler, giving us the snuggly autumn atmosphere we'd been craving. Piper Street Food Co are famed for their delicious pies. Credit: Piper Street Food Co / Instagram Coincidentally — and conveniently — we timed our long weekend to coincide with the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival, an event that runs the entire month of April every year. As the website explains, this is a great time to experience the 'autumn-inspired food and drink adventures' the region has to offer — yes, please. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. There are nine villages that take part in this calendar of events, which offers everything from tours of gorgeous destination gardens, to artisanal workshops, farmer's markets, gallery exhibitions and a range of curated 'trails'. There's the Veggie Trail (eat your way around the area's fresh produce), the Pie and Tart Trail (sample the region's best pies — you don't have to ask me twice to pop into Kyneton's famed Country Cob Bakery, or the nearby Piper Street Food Co, who do a mean pork pie), and our personal favourite: the Tipple Trail, designed to encourage visitors to neck as many fancy cocktails as possible. That bit wasn't in the official tourist information, but we improvised — rude not to. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Though this festival has now concluded, if you're headed to Victoria in the next few weeks, you'll have jagged the ultimate autumnal experience as the trees are only just starting to turn — expect fluttering yellows, golds and auburns — snow angels in the fallen foliage anyone? If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. We arrived for the weekend just in time for a late lunch at Prato, a gorgeous, recently opened restaurant on historic Piper Street, the town's hub for trendy food and drink destinations. They specialise in Mediterranean and Greek fare, and our meal did not disappoint — the succulent lamb cutlets, prawn pizza and ooey-gooey saganaki were to die for. We washed it down with a beautiful bottle of Harbinger Fiano — a perfect pairing. Josephine's House in Kyneton was a perfect base for our trip. Credit: Josephine's House / AirBNB At 3pm we checked into our accommodation, situated a street back from Piper Street, booked for its proximity to the restaurants we'd planned to visit. Originally we'd thought a stay at the retro Kyneton Springs Motel would be fun (it's got distinct Palm Springs vibes), but with six of us, we opted for something a little roomier. Within strolling distance, the delightful, newly-renovated Josephine's House ticked all the boxes, and by night we enjoyed sitting beneath a canopy of autumnal trees while we enjoyed a cheeky red beside the fire pit with the resident possums watching on. Botanik has weekly vermouth-by-the-glass specials. Credit: Botanik / Instagram We started our evening with a cocktail at the town's famous cocktail bar and bottle shop, Botanik, dedicated to rare and exotic liquor — its moody surrounds provided the perfect backdrop to our Pretty in Pink negroni. The prawn and pomelo betel leaf starters were sublime. Credit: Clare Rigden Dinner was spent at Piper Street's famed South East Asian restaurant Fook Shing, named for a Chinese detective who worked in the region during the 1850s. Situated in the historic old temperance hotel, it boasts cuisine from executive chef Danielle Rensonnet — begin with a dainty Chinese egg custard with crab and a prawn and pomelo betel leaf starter and work your way through the menu. Grab a takeaway hot chocolate from the gorgeous Malmsbury Bakery before heading to the nearby Botanic Gardens for a stroll. Credit: Malmsbury Bakery / Instagram Most of our two days in the region were taken up exploring the stunning historical towns situated near Kyneton, perusing antique shops, bric-a-brac stalls and galleries. We started on Saturday with a quick trip to historic Malmsbury, which boasts a gorgeous Botanic Garden, a flock of resident geese and a beautiful historic railway bridge — the perfect backdrop for those Instagram posts. A stroll through historic Maldon is a must-do. Credit: Clare Rigden Next stop was the quaint Goldfields town of Maldon. We stopped for a lunchtime pie at the famous Maldon Bakery. Established in 1854, it's said to be the oldest continuously running bakery in Australia — we opted for two peppered steak pies and a sausage roll, our best of the trip. Maldon boasts some delightful gift shops and antique stores, including the divine Acorn Wood which sells colonial-era furniture and objects, and has a stunning selection of old kitchenware and Goldfields-era pottery and glassware. Maldon proved the perfect pit stop before our arrival in Bendigo, the historic regional centre that plays host to our main reason for visiting: the excellent Bendigo Art Gallery. We were there to peep the Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image exhibition, which runs until July 13. The exhibition is an intimate look at one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and features an array of the artist's personal belongings, including clothing (her dresses!), make-up, accessories, photographs — you name it — all on loan from the prestigious Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico. All of these items were sealed in a bathroom for 50 years after Kahlo's death, but are now on display in Australia for the first time — it's a fascinating exhibition. The Rifle Brigade Hotel in Bendigo getting into the Frida spirit at their bar. Credit: Clare Rigden Exhausted from our adventures, we opted for a simple pub meal at The Kyneton Hotel on the way back home. This is a great art deco spot beloved by locals which serves an incredible roast, big enough to be shared (comfortably) by three people — bargain. Boomtown Wine provided the perfect post-antiquing pit stop. Credit: Boomtown Wine / Instagram As our side quest adventure was predominantly to facilitate the perusal of antique shops, Sunday meant a choc-a-block day exploring several iconic markets, including Castlemaine's Vintage Bazaar. Any trip shouldn't be complete without a side side-quest to Boomtown Wine and Oakwood Smallgoods, both housed within the same complex, The Mill. If you have time on your way back through to Kyneton, take a detour to the picturesque Kyneton Ridge winery. Oakwood Smallgoods is a must-visit when in Castlemaine. Credit: Clare Rigden Later, we travelled to Daylesford, only 15 minutes by car from Kyneton, to pop in to another antiques hub, The Mill Markets, which houses Australia's largest collection of collectables — it never disappoints. We stopped for lunch at the always fabulous Farmers Arms Hotel, long the pub of choice for foodie-loving locals. Our quick lunch — a warm mushroom salad for me, the hefty and extremely filling duck sausage for my other half plus a cheap kids' meal for the tween — was followed by a stroll directly across the road, for a peep behind the hoardings at the houses taking shape for this year's season of The Block, which is being filmed in Daylesford. I scored a tour, but the rest of you will have to wait until later this year when the show is on air for a look at how it's taking shape. Finishing a long day with a platter by the fire. Credit: Clare Rigden A quick side-side-side quest to select a nice bottle of wine for dinner from the extensive local selection from Winespeake Cellar + Deli, (Latta Rouge Deluxe 2022 Syrah Grenache was the order of the day) and it was back to our Kyneton Airbnb for a cheese platter — served on the stunning Danish-inspired wooden lazy Susan dish we purchased from the markets. Heaven!
