Wild Life Sydney Zoo's Two Newest and Cutest Residents

Come take a peek at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo's two newest and cutest residents

Ringo, our adorable bare-nosed baby wombat (pictured right) who's just 10 months old, and our yet-to-be-named baby girl koala who's just seven months old.

Visitors over the school holidays can enjoy over 25 keeper talks and animal encounters, perfect for families looking to get up close to Australia's most iconic animals.

Visitors also have the chance to come face-to-face with our resident koalas and take an amazing photo with them

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - The Beatles are back in Australia!

50 years after their first visit to Australia, Sydney welcomes George, John, Paul and Ringo again. Celebrating their arrival, The Beatles ‘walked’ in line across a pedestrian crossing in front of Sydney’s Opera House to re-enact the iconic Abbey Road album cover. 

Back on tour, just like they were in 1964, the fab four have just landed from Tokyo and will be part of an interactive exhibit at Madame Tussauds in Darling Harbour. The visit will be for a limited time only however, as the group will jet off to San Francisco for the last leg of their tour in September. 

The exhibit features the band in their late 1960s-era styling and allows fans to stand in line with the band to create their very own personalised album cover.

Just like their whirlwind tour five decades ago, these four iconic wax figures will only be on show at Madame Tussauds Sydney for a limited time. Not only can guests interact with the famous four, but can also recreate a moment of Beatles history in their very own Abbey Road album cover.
An Iconic Band

Madame Tussauds first held sittings with The Beatles in 1964, and were the first ever rock band to be featured at Madame Tussauds. 



For the new touring figures, the Madame Tussauds studio team have used a combination of the sitting measurements and additional image research including a number of image references from the 1969 Abbey Road photo shoot. The style of the figures is based on their styling around the time, not long before the band's dissolution in 1970.

Peace Train: The Cat Stevens Story

Peace Train – The Cat Stevens Story “Intimate & Acoustic”, starring Darren Coggan, is a night of music and story-telling which will strike a chord deep inside the heart of anyone who longs for something more.

A journey back in time to the well of inspiration, recreating Cat’s timeless songs as they were originally written – on an acoustic guitar and piano, seeking out the man in the music and telling the story behind the songs.

Hear twenty-four hits sung with remarkable authenticity by one of Australia’s most exciting artists.

From Moonshadow, to Morning Has Broken, Wild World, Father & Son, First Cut Is The Deepest, Hard Headed Woman and Peace Train, Darren Coggan traces the path of a man who never stopped wondering about how to make the world a better place.

When: Sun, 29 Jun 2014
Location: Stars Cafe
Time: Open 4:30 pm | Show Starts 6:00 pm
Price: from $50.00



Tickets to show available from Ipswich Civic centre website: https://www.patronbase.com/_Ipswich/Sections/Choose?prod_id=0481&perf_id=1

For more info: http://www.ipswichciviccentre.com.au/peace-train-the-cat-stevens-story/


Coming to Ipswich for the show? Need accommodation at Ipswich?

Look no further than Metro Hotel Ipswich International:

This city centre hotel overlooks city parklands and walking distance to the Ipswich Civic Centre which is next door to the Hotel and this is the premier entertainment venue in Ipswich.

The hotel has a reputation for personalised service whether this is for a hotel function or conference, weddings, business or leisure accommodation or dining at Platform 9 restaurant.

Nearby tourist attractions include the Ipswich Art Gallery, the Queensland Workshop Railway Museum and for the adventure seekers and family fun there’s balloon rides to high adrenaline packages by helicopter, airboat and paintball.

Ipswich is 35 km from Brisbane and 66 km from Brisbane’s airport. Complimentary on site car parking and lift access to all floors from the car park and reception.

Visit Metro Hotel Ipswich International website: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/queensland/metro-hotel-ipswich-international/welcome/

Bob Dylan Touring Australia & Sydney Opera House

It took a while but at age 73, Bob Dylan is set to play his first-ever concert at the Sydney Opera House as part of his upcoming Australian tour.

Dylan, who is also playing three shows at the State Theatre, ends his Australian tour at the world-famous waterfront venue in the Concert Hall on September 7.

But tickets for the Opera House show - which go on sale at 8am on July 4 - don't come cheap. Standard tickets start at $199 although for a music legend the top tier is a comparatively reasonable $249.

Comparative to say, Barbra Streisand, who is considered to be the most expensive legacy act, with her lowest-priced tickets often priced over $500 and up to $1500.

There is no indication yet that luxury or plantinum-type packages will be available.

Dylan's tour begins in Perth on August 13 and takes in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide before reaching Sydney. Tickets went on sale on June 3 and are sold out for Sydney's State Theatre shows and believed to be nearly sold out for Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Dylan's place as one of the most important innovators in contemporary music history is expected to be further underlined at a Sotheby's auction on Tuesday in New York. His handwritten lyrics for the song Like A Rolling Stone are expected to fetch over $US530,000 ($565,000).

A Sotheby's employee shows the handwritten lyrics for Bob Dylan's
 Like a Rolling Stone song that is up for auction. Photo: Reuters

Richard Austin, head of Tuesday's two-part sale at Sotheby's told AFP it was the first time a six-minute single was released, allowing people to go beyond short format, and marked one of the first cases of viral marketing.

Executives opposed its release because of its length, but an employee took it to a nightclub where it played all night, leading to DJs to clamour Columbia records for its eventual release, which came in 1965.

Austin said there was "a lot of interest" in both sets of Dylan lyrics ahead of the auction, calling them a "wonderful thing just to see."

Dylan's final lyrics for the protest anthem A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall also go under the hammer, estimated to be worth $US400,000-$US600,000 by Sotheby's.

The auction celebrates various rock performers who have gripped the world for the past 60 years.

A piano first played by Lennon when he was recording the album Imagine and later played in multiple studios by him, Dylan and Reed, among others, is valued at $US100,000 to $US200,000.

Among the other items are the infamous contract that Jimi Hendrix signed in 1965, in which he agreed to play exclusively for record label PPX for just one American dollar. It's valued at $US100,000 to $US200,000.

BOB DYLAN TOUR DATES

August 13-14 - Riverside Theatre, PCEC, Perth (All Ages)
ticketek.com.au, 132 849

August 18-20 - Palais Theatre, Melbourne (All Ages)
ticketmaster.com.au, 136100

August 25 - Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (All Ages)
ticketek.com.au, 132 849

August 29 - Royal Theatre, Canberra (All Ages)
ticketek.com.au, 132 849

August 31 - Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (All Ages)
ticketek.com.au, 132 849

September 3-5 - State Theatre, Sydney (All Ages)
ticketmaster.com.au, 136100

September 7 - Sydney Opera House (All Ages)
sydneyoperahouse.com, (02) 9250 7777


Source: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/bob-dylan-to-play-first-sydney-opera-house-gig-20140623-zsikp.html


Need accommodation in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne or Perth for Bob Dylan's Australian tour?

Try Metro Hotels - we have 3 conveniently located hotels and apartment in the centre of Sydney, boutique serviced-apartments in Melbourne and hotels in Brisbane CBD and Perth:

New South Wales (Sydney CBD):

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

Victoria (Melbourne CBD):

• Metro Apartments on Bank Place

Queensland (Brisbane CBD):

• Metro Hotel Tower Mill

Western Australia:

• Metro Hotel Perth

So whether you need hotel or apartment accommodation, Metro Hotels has got you covered.

A Beach In The Centre of Perth

Brisbane has one, Cairns has one, even Darwin has one - and Perth is set to get one within a matter of years.
A man-made beach in the heart of the city will be a feature of the Riverside Project and one that Perth-based planning expert Garry Middle welcomes.

With much of the city's focus on the Elizabeth Quay Project, the Riverside Project which aims to transform the eastern gateway to the city into a vibrant destination has not received as much attention.

The project is being overseen by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and developed by Lend Lease.
It is split into a number of different areas, including one to be known as Waterbank.

Lend Lease project director Tim Urquhart said while the master plan for Waterbank was being finalised, stage one development applications would commence later this year.

“The man-made beach is part of this development and it aims to provide a relaxed urban waterside experience with public access, including for watercraft,” he said.

Mr Middle, a Curtin University adjunct researcher, said a man made beach created as an addition to the Swan River was a good idea.

“We need to make the foreshore diverse, we don’t want so much sameness, so this is something I’d like to see,” he said.

The concept of a man-made beach worked really well in other places, he said, singling out Brisbane’s beach in the Southbank area.

“When you go there you see it’s pretty family oriented and the way it is constructed was done really well with kids playgrounds and fountains," he said.

Mr Middle said while there were a few small beaches along the river in the South Perth area, generally there was not a lot of beach area on the Swan River.

He said issues that would need to be considered would be water quality and depth, ensuring the water did not drop off too quickly.

Mr Middle imagined the water would mostly be used for wading and as a launch point for paddlers.

He said while some in Perth were wary of swimming in the river, it was mostly a preference thing.

“There’s a spookiness about the seagrass and the water is not always exactly clear, there are jellyfish as well, and a sense of the unknown about swimming in the river,” Mr Middle said.

He said that much of the river was busy with boat activity as well, so an area set aside for people to use without too much other activity would be useful.

While the exact plans for the Waterbank area have not been finalised, Mr Middle said he would like to see a grassed area near the beach included.

He said “soft edges” such as grass were a good idea considering the other nearby river areas such as the Claisebrook Cove had a lot of concrete and “hard edges” suitable for walking but less suitable for children.

Mr Middle said the area would likely be most popular with locals rather than tourists.

”Our beaches are so good so tourists would still go to Cottesloe or Scarborough, this wouldn’t be an attraction in itself for tourists, he said.

The Riverside project is expected to be completed by 2020.

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/the-beach-comes-to-perths-centre-20140619-zsf56.html

Sir David Attenborough Live in Sydney | The Third Dimension

Sir David Attenborough will appear live on stage in Sydney and Melbourne in November in a brand new show titled Sir David Attenborough – The Third Dimension.

A pioneer of the latest technological advances in program making, Sir David brings the natural world to audiences worldwide in ways not dreamt of just a few years ago.

Focusing on his latest programs, Sir David will share his most recent experiences filming the natural world, using the latest technology such as CGI and time-lapse, and showing audiences some of his programs highlights as they were meant to been watched – in 3D.

“Imagine Sir David, in person, on stage, talking about his latest filming expedition and then watching his work in 3D”, said Lateral Events CEO Simon Baggs. “This maybe the largest 3D viewing in Australia, a testament to Sir David’s continuing quest to use the latest technology to bring us closer to the natural world. It will truly be a unique experience.”

Following the sold-out tours of Australia in 2012 and 2013, the new show will provide a completely fresh look at the natural world and an insight into Sir David’s recent travels and discoveries.

PRICES:

Platinum $245.00

A Reserve $199.00
B Reserve $149.00
C Reserve $99.00
D Reserve $65.00

Payment processing and transaction fees apply

Find Nearby Accommodation at Metro Hotels in Sydney

Pre and Post Show Food and Beverages nearby at Palace Hotel Sydney

Find out more and purchase Tickets

Best Places in Sydney for Whale Watching

The National Parks and Wildlife Service's Geoff Ross shares his favourite spots for whale watching

It's that magic time of the year when Australians are privy to one of the world's largest mass migrations.

Humpback whales have started their migration up north as they travel around 5,000kms to get up to the northern warmer waters of the tropics.

Geoff Ross, Coordinator Marine Fauna Programs at NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service joined Linda Mottram to share his best whale watching locations in Sydney and the Central Coast.

The young males started their migration first, when daylight savings began, to establish breeding grounds in the warmer northern waters.

The rest of the whales have now followed suit, so it's prime time to catch these majestic animals as they make their way through the waters off New South Wales.

Thanks to Mr Ross and 702 ABC Sydney Mornings listeners, we've compiled a list of the top places to catch a glimpse of the whales making their journey north.

Sydney

* Cape Solander, Kamay Botany Bay National Park (southern side of Botany Bay)

* Cape Banks, Botany Bay National Park (northern side of Botany Bay)

* South Head at Sydney Harbour

* North Head at Sydney Harbour

* North Head at Manly

* Long Reef Headland

* Stewart House at South Curl Curl

Central Coast

* Copacabana

* Bouddi National Park - high sea cliffs

* Captain Cook Lookout

* Marie Byles Lookout

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/06/19/4029054.htm