NEW SOUTH WALES vs QUEENSLAND

Will Queensland keep hold of a 5th series?

Harvey Norman State of Origin Series 2010

GAME I – ANZ Stadium May 26th

GAME II – SUNCORP Stadium June 16th

GAME III – ANZ Stadium July 07th

SUPPORT YOUR STATE – BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL________________________________________________________________________________________________

02nd June – 14th June 2010

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Returning for its 57th year, the Sydney Film Festival will showcase a myriad of films, offer panel talks, debates, industry networking and conferences.  Films that will be boasted on the programme are the highly anticipated Australian premiers of:

* Exit Through the Gift Shop by art prankster Banksy

* The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski starring Ewan McGregor

* Mammuth starring Gerard Depardieu as a beer-bellied biker

* The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett

The full programme will be out on 07th May.

Ewan McGregor starring in The Ghost Writer

For more information visit the official website

After the shock announcement from Powder Finger that the band would be breaking up to pursue individual ventures, Powder Finger will tour Australia for the final time.  With tickets already on sale and most ticket allocations already exhausted, fans are desperate to secure their final Powder Finger concert experience.

Powder Finger will perform at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on September 18th and 19th at 7.00pm.

Visit Ticket Master for information

Listen to a song that rocketed Powder Finger to fame Happiness

For all those hard core rock fans, the long awaited return of the rock gods METALLICA is coming.  Wednesday 10th November 2010, Metallica will rock out over two hours of material drawn from their long spanning careers at Acer Arena Sydney.

Tickets go on sale through Ticketek Pre-sale Visa Entertainment from noon 7th May until 5pm Monday 10th May.

Tickets go on sale to the general public as of 9am Thursday 13th May.

For more information visit Ticketek

Watch one of Metallica’s classics

Tom Jones, the man who has women swooning and throwing their knickers on stage, is touring the country.  The Welsh singer shows no signs of slowing down even though he is in his 70th year.  The audience won’t be disappointed with Tom belting out his classic hits Delilah, Leave Your Hat On, Mama Told Me Not To Come, What’s Up Pussycat and that all too provocative smash hit Kiss.

The Sydney Entertainment Centre (35 Harbour Street Darling Harbour) will host the legend on March 03rd March 2010 commencing at 8.00pm.  Tickets are priced from $99.95.

For ticket purchasing click here

Spandau Ballet – the group that rocketed to fame in the eighties delivering music that would have them top the charts are hitting our shores on their reformation tour.   All original band members Tony Hadley, John Keeble, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp and Steve Norman are back together after 20 years ready to delight fans the world over.  They haven’t been on Australian shores since 1985,  but fans will be sure to revel in the familiar tunes of True and Gold.

Bring back the memory and listen to 

They will be performing at Sydney Entertainment Centre 32 Harbour Street Sydney on Friday 23rd April 2010 7.30pm.  Tickets for this show are now sold out and a second concert is scheduled for Sunday 25th April 2010 at 2010.

To purchase your tickets  – click here.

Spandau Ballet will be touring with Tears for Fears – another UK phenononum of the ’80’s.

Oh what a time!  Who could pass up being a spectator to this colourful, flamboyant and artistic event that aims to support the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trangender societies within our communities.

Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual event which brings national and international interest and enthusiasm to join in the celebrations for the gay pride event.

The Mardi Gras Parade takes place Saturday evening 27th February 2010 at 7.45pm.  This year’s theme is Mardi Gras’ History of the World telling the story of gay history.  You can spectate this wonderful event  commencing at Whitlam Square continuing up Oxford Street turning right  Flinders Street at Taylor Square in Darlinghurst New South Wales.  The overall length of the parade is 2.4km with the route being lengthened at its end point being Moore Park.  The cost is free.

Viewing will not be possible from Hyde Park, Liverpool Street or surrounds.  Take advantage of great viewing positions on Oxford and Flinders Streets with more room being available at Moore Park for viewing.

Due to road closures it is best to catch public transport.

The Parade Carnival following the Parade is an over-18’s event and free to parade participants, volunteers and NMG members for all others a cost of $50.00 will be charged.  It is the event that will have party goers satisfied to the early morn.  You’ll see the best floats of the night on display, take part in the awards and see a spectacular drag show.

For more information visit Sydney Mardi Gras

]]> http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/sydney-gay-lesbian-mardi-gras/feed/ 0 http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/shopping-at-the-strand-arcade/ http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/shopping-at-the-strand-arcade/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:12:06 +0000 editor http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/?p=199

The Strand Arcade  Suite 303, 412-414 George Street Sydney NSW 2000

Opened in 1892, The Strand Arcade was the fifth arcade to be built in Victorian Sydney and today is the only one remaining in its original form.  The Strand Arcade bears a remarkable resemblance to the QVB and is the epicentre of style and design making it a shoppers delight.

Consisting of three levels, each level houses and showcases many labels of top Australian designers, jewellers and unique shops and has done so for over 100 years.

The Ground Floor is a browser’s delight offering retailers in men fashion, antiques, collections and giftwares, Australiana and the nature inspired beauty salon Jurlique.

Level one offers retailers in designer fashion with designers such as Alannah Hill, Wayne Cooper and menswear from Farage.  A mod jewellery shop can be found in Love and Hatred.

Level two offers a similar retail adventure as level one with the winners and finalists of the De Beers Diamond Facets Award in Raphael Jewellers.

Once you have explored the many shops, a snack break will be in order.  The Strand Arcade offers many dining experiences from cafes to restaurants.  The choices are endless from Elixir Expresso, Pendolino, Strand Expresso, Takatea Gardens any many more.

Pendolino is an exciting restaurant located on the second level of the Strand Arcade and offers devine dining experiences.  Monday 15th March will have the Pendolino host a Wine Dinner for fine food and wine lovers.  A five course Italian menu will be teamed with Italian Varietal wines that are grown and produced in an array of cool-climate regions within New South Wales.  The price will be $150 per head.

For more information on upcoming events at the Strand Arcade click here

]]> http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/shopping-at-the-strand-arcade/feed/ 0 http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/shopping-at-queen-victoria-building/ http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/shopping-at-queen-victoria-building/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:08:22 +0000 editor http://www.flightstosydney.com.au/?p=194

The Queen Victoria Building or ‘QVB’ as it is currently known, offers a shopping experience surrounded by splendid architecture and history.  Originally built and completed in 1898 in celebration of the Golden Jubilee, the QVB has had many occupants within her walls and occupies a full block along George Street between Town Hall and Market Street.  The building houses a superb collection of 190 retailers and excellent eateries.

There are five levels to the QVB – lower ground, ground, level 1 ,level 2 and level 3. Each level has it’s own trading hours with Sunday trading offered.

Lower Ground level offers the retailers DIVA, Fossil, Industrie, Industri Kids, Kikki.K, Lush, Bijoux, Aveda, Guess, Victoria’s Basement, Coffee Shops and many more;

Ground level offers the retailers Adidas, Cue, Country Road, David Lawrence, General Pants Co, Georg Jensen, Esprit, Oroton, Pandora, Ralph Lauren, Saba and many more;

Level one offers the retailers ABC Bookshop, Crabtree & Evelyn, Blooms, Charlie Brown, Emilio Boutique for Hair, Versace Collections, Old Vienna Coffee House and many more;

Level two offers the retailers Aboriginal Art Gallery, Ayers Rock Souvenirs, Hobbyco, Cellini’s Bar & Restaurant, Carina Jewellers, Fish Fine Music, Just White, John Chen Gallery, Opal Fields Peter Nathan Toy Soldiers, QVB Gifts and Souvenirs and many more;

Level three offers Hobbyco and The Tea Room.

Getting There:  Queen Victoria Building 455 George Street Sydney NSW 2000

There is parking for 700 cars accessible from York Street and offers Valet Parking and a car wash.  General parking fees range from 1 hour $12.00 to 4 hours $52.00.  Valet parking is an extra fee of $10.00 on top of parking fee.

The nearest train station is Town Hall Station and accessible via the lower ground floor.

The Bus stops directly at the QVB on York Street.

The Galleries of Victoria Monorail is located one block from the QVB.

For more information on the QVB click here

Located on Sydney’s Darling Harbour, a visit to the aquarium is a fun day out for all.  With over 12,000 aquatic creatures, the Sydney Aquarium is an educational adventure exploring the diverse waterways, marine life and ecosystems of Australia. Walking through the displays you will see animals habitats from the icy Southern Ocean to the warm tropics of the Northern Ocean to river systems of the north and south.  Step onto the travelator to enjoy the underwater world of sharks, fish and other creatures.

One of the newest attractions is Mermaid Lagoon, where two orphaned Dugongs “Pig” and “Wuru” call home.  Both were found as calves and hand raised at Sea World on the Gold Coast.  There is something very special about Pig and Wuru, they are the only captive Dugongs in Australia and if you visit Sydney Aquarium you will experience the wonder of it all.  Want more information on Pig and Wuru click here to experience the wonder.

For a behind the scene look why not book a Guided Tour.  An experienced aquarium guide will talk you through all the exhibits and then take you behind the scenes for a 90 minute guided tour plus receive your very own guide book.  Everyday in morning and afternoon sessions, you can experience the daily activities including shark feeds, Great Barrier Reef tank feed, penguin feeds, dugong talk, crocodile talks and much more.

Want Adventure?  Step aboard the glass bottom boat that floats above the Great Barrier Reef tank.  Your guide will point out an array of sharks from lemon to leopards and for the more daring take part in the shark feeding at 1.00am daily.  For groups of up to 8 people with prices at $5 for a standard tour and $25 for a shark feed tour.  These prices are additional to entry fees.  Inquire at the front desk on arrival for bookings.

Sydney Aquarium offers a waterfront cafe with beverages, snacks and meals open from 8.30am – 6.00pm daily.  The on site gift shops stock wonderful treasures to take home as a reminder of your wonderful time.

For those that are interested in the conservation of our fresh water and marine habitats, why not ADOPT an animal in support of the Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund (SACF).  A donation of $50 will provide funding for projects to protect our environment.  You will receive a membership certificate, animal fact sheet, personalised letter, two discount admission passes, colour photo and sticker.  You can choose to adopt many creatures, inquire at the front desk.

Opening times for the Sydney Aquarium is daily from 9.00am – 10.00pm (last ticket sales 9.00am) except for Christmas Day and New Years Eve with closing time at 6.00pm (last ticket sales 5.00pm).

Ticket prices start at children $17.95 to adults $31.95.  Student concessions and family passes also available.  Annual passes and Discovery Pass Combos also available.

For more information, visit Sydney Aquarium