As she embarks on the role of a lifetime, the Home And Away icon and her husband Stuart Webb can barely contain their excitement.
As she puts the finishing touches on her newly renovated Sydney home, Kate Ritchie can’t wipe the smile from her face.
The adored actress has been over the moon since finding out she’s expecting her first baby with husband Stuart Webb. Barely able to contain her excitement at 12 weeks, Kate, 35, has been rallying up family and friends to share the special announcement.
“We have some amazing news – I’m going to be a mum!” beaming Kate confided over the Christmas holiday break. Basking in their joy, Kate has also been lucky enough to have a relatively easy start to motherhood, with no morning sickness or cravings.
“It’s not to say that won’t come but she’s feeling great at the moment,” confirms an ecstatic family friend. “It really is a dream come true for them. They’re sharing baby-name ideas, talking about how they’ll adjust to life as parents and how much time they plan to take off work.”
Read more about Kate’s baby news in this week’s issue of Woman’s Day, on sale Monday, January 27, 2014.
From a balmy Sydney summer to the snowy streets of New York City The Weekly's fashion team have travelled a long way to shoot our winter style special.
We travelled to Manhattan in the middle of a cold snap, with temperatures plummeting to -11 degrees on the day of our shoot with New York model Jessica Clements.
Jessica, 24, was chosen from dozens of girls by our fashion editor Mattie Cronan and photographer Michelle Holden to showcase the best of Australian fashion.
Michelle is a regular contributor to the pages of The Weekly and divides her time between New York and Sydney, where she grew up.
The bright winter sunlight was perfect for capturing the magic of City Hall Park in downtown Manhattan.
Fashion editor Mattie styling model Jessica, and superstar photographer Michelle Holden.
At times large crowds gathered to watch the shoot, despite the brutally cold conditions.
Jessica wore designers including RM Williams, Trenery, David Lawrence, Sportscraft, Sussan, Witner, and Esprit.
The Weekly only features affordable fashion that appeals to women of all sizes and ages.
Ms Cronan said the looks featured are perfect for an Australian winter but they were mostly unsuitable for the extreme conditions in New York.
“The look is a classic, preppy American look with a palate of red, white and blue,” said Ms Cronan.
“Each look has a new take on winter, for example, how to wear to shades of navy instead of all black.
“We have also showcased new silhouettes for the season”
The Weekly is in New York for a series of stories which will be featured in upcoming issues.
The former Health Services Union (HSU) national secretary has pleaded not guilty to 145 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception over the alleged misuse of more than $28,000 between 2002 and 2008.
But witness statements tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court claim Mr Thomson, who later became a Federal MP, spent union funds to pay for R-rated films, sex workers and travel for his then-wife Christa.
Brothel managers, prostitutes and hotel managers were among those who gave more than 30 statements to police.
Nelson Da Silva, ex-director of Tiffany’s Girls escort service in Sydney, said Mr Thomson would have visited on a Saturday night in June 2005. He confirmed that his records matched a $418 transaction on Mr Thomson’s HSU credit card.
“It stated the time frame for the booking was 1.5 hours with $190 for the room rental,” he said. “The room was RT which was a Red Turbo Spa Room – this room was one of our expensive rooms”
Diane Barker, owner of CBD Escorts and Blonde Bombshells in Sydney, said a booking was made for a hotel room where Mr Thomson was staying in October 2003. Her records showed he would have paid $240 in cash to hire “Tracie” for one hour.
In-house movie suppliers revealed porn billed to hotel rooms where Mr Thomson was staying included titles such as Women in Uniform, Sweetheart Trilogy, Perfect Pink and Sex Gallery.
Meanwhile, a handwriting expert told the court there was “very strong” evidence that signatures on receipts issued by brothels matched Mr Thomson’s handwriting.
Kathy Jackson, the current HSU national secretary who blew the whistle on Mr Thomson’s alleged offences, described how the union had been like “a cult” and a “boys’ club”.
Mr Thomson’s ex-wife Christa told police she never suspected he was using HSU funds to pay for personal expenses.
A short drive from Adelaide, a long way from anywhere else, home to some of Australia’s best cool climate wines and with pride and passion at every turn ... discover a world where local matters in the Adelaide Hills.
I’m halfway through the delicious chocovino experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery when I think that I’m starting to understand this winemaking business.
Listening to our host Christine explain the marriage of creative flair and tried-and-tested principles that underpin the boutique winery’s creations, I ask whether the delicious Gruner Veltliner in my hand is equal parts science and art.
“Good, but you forgot the most important ingredient,” she smiles. “Heart”
The chocovino experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery.
Visiting the postcard towns of Hahndorf and Stirling over the course of a warm, sunny October weekend, heart emerges time and time again as the secret ingredient that makes the Adelaide Hills one of Australia’s most charming wine regions.
Less than half an hour from the relative bustle of South Australia’s capital, the Hills rise steeply to a cooler climate where vineyards, cellar doors, market gardens and a stunning botanic garden – as well as the friendly towns around which they’re set – provide a welcome contrast to the Barossa Valley and McClaren Vale, which bookend the Hills to the north and south, and far handier for a city-based daytripper.
In contrast to many of Australia’s other major wine-growing regions, the Adelaide Hills has the strong community atmosphere of a place where people live a life unrelated to tourists. Perhaps that’s the legacy of the Prussian migrants who settled here in the 1830s and named their new village after the captain of the ship that brought them to Australia – Dirk Hahn.
Learning some of the history and culture behind the region adds further fun (and education) to tasting the wines it produces, which is a wonderful result of sharing a day touring the cellar doors with wine expert and host Jason Miller – a sober pair of hands behind the wheel is the least of the thorough service he offers through his bespoke touring company Rich & Lingering.
Jason’s tour doesn’t just ensure we taste the best of the region’s wines, including the aforementioned chocovino and the Shaw & Smith wine and cheese flight, he’s a bonafide local attuned to the latest developments, even taking us with him on his reconnaissance visit of Red Cacao in Stirling, a brand new heaven for the passionate chocolate lover hidden behind the Stirling’s understated shopfronts.
The beautiful tasting room at Shaw and Smith.
And while those newest arrivals proudly carry the torch for all the Adelaide Hills stands for, the region’s marquee institutions – the likes of Mount Lofty House and Bridgewater Mill – retain the same passion for doing the little things that make a customer’s visit special.
Bridgewater Mill’s restaurant deck provides a the perfect setting for visitors requiring respite from the wine tasting, the historic mill wheel trundling tirelessly and the occasional mist blowing from it to take the heat out of the day. The food is the equal of the setting, and for those determined to continue at pace with sampling the regions reds and whites, the wine list is all you’d imagine.
Mount Lofty House, set between a botanic garden and scenic lookout (and with an impressive garden and view of its own) is a landmark of the region and has the sort of story to tell you’d expect of its 150-plus-year history.
The stunningly situated Mount Lofty House.
Built in the 1850s by businessman and politician Arthur Hardy as a family retreat, it served as a private residence until 1983, when it was gutted by the Ash Wednesday bushfires.
Like a phoenix from the ashes, it was reborn, after a tireless restoration, as a boutique hotel. In the 30 years that have passed it has grown and developed, today offering the same historic boutique service and atmosphere despite having become a major wedding, function and dining hotspot.
That tireless hard work and commitment to providing something memorable is echoed down the road at Sticky Rice, a cooking school popular with ambitious amateurs and dedicated professionals alike looking to add an exotic new cuisine to their repertoire.
Our class is a four-hour tour de force in preparing, cooking and ultimately devouring a fragrant Thai feast. Knife skills and combining flavours, the art of getting that curry just spicy enough and the secrets of achieving restaurant flavour are all shared by a very patient expert chef.
A cooking class at Sticky Rice.
Our handiwork is impressive, and as always in this neck of the woods, a glass of wine is never far away.
The question of where to lay your head after the intensive class is easily solved by Sticky Rice’s latest development – three architect-designed villas offering Balinese, Japanese and zen themes, and each appointed in décor sourced from the country being replicated.
A night in the understated class of the Japanese villa with an open fire in the private courtyard and yet more of the Adelaide Hills’ cool climate shiraz is a fine way to end our stay in the region.
The bedroom in Sticky Rice’s Japanese villa.
The bathroom in Sticky Rice’s Japanese villa.
Must-visit in the Adelaide Hills:
Mount Lofty House
Stunning heritage hotel in a stunning location – the perfect retreat after a long day’s wine tasting.
Learn how to make restaurant-quality Asian food, eat it, and then wander over to your private and exquisitely furnished villa for a luxury stay you won’t forget in a hurry.
Lunch doesn’t get much better than a meal on the balcony of this divine restaurant, housed in an historic 1860s flour mill alongside Petaluma’s Cellar Door.
Haute couture is about drama and this year’s shows in Paris certainly didn’t fail to deliver.
A couture collection enables fashion houses to indulgently spend hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of hours on single garments to create pieces so unique and wonderful they are nothing short of wearable artworks.
Outlandishly imaginative and obscenely expensive, couture’s craftsmanship is mostly unappreciated by the average fashion fan whose style sense is more often than not dictated by the pennies in their purse and that’s fair enough when you consider most pieces are hand made to order.
While not wanting to recite the cringe worthy, but spot on Meryl Streep monologue in The Devil Wears Prada, what most people don’t understand is that the couture creations, like the ones on display in Paris, will eventually dictate the fashion to come. The styles and trends seen will eventually be recreated at a reasonable production price and then filter down to every department store’s bargain bin.
This year, major fashion houses like Dior, Armani, Versace, Gaultier and Chanel all went wild and unleashed their creativity to exhibit explosively diverse and divisive collections. Here are some of the week’s best looks.
Valentino, Atelier Versace and Maison Martin Margiela all showed wildly imaginative collections during Paris’s Fashion Week Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2014.
Masked models and intricate embellishments were the signature for Maison Martin Margiela’s show.
A model walks the runway wearing a metallic pinstripe creation at Maison Martin Margiela.
A model walks the runway during the Maison Martin Margiela show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2014.
A tattoo inspired top at Maison Martin Margiela.
Couture isn’t all ball gowns and corsets: Maison Martin Margiela kept it short and sweet with this colourful number.
Supermodel Karlie Kloss walks the runway for the Atelier Versace show.
Model Lindsey Wixson walks the runway during the Atelier Versace in a look very reminiscent of Kylie Minogue’s white jumpsuit video moment.
A model walks the runway during the Atelier Versace show in some cobalt blue couture.
Models present the colourful Stephane Rolland creations during the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2014 collection.
Delicate flowing fabrics floated down Stephane Rolland runway.
Colourful fabric, sheer panels and leather were all rolled into one garment at Stephane Rolland.
While outlandish and avant garde, Karl Largfeld’s Chanel show still manages to captivate Coco’s classic signature.
Knee pads and bum-bags where an adventurous accessory choice at Chanel.
Cara Delevingne is a creative concoction of innocence vs punk chic at Chanel.
Cara as Chanel’s bride: The model walked the runway in a sheer gown with silver sneakers on.
In a homage to couture of centuries past, Elie Saab created Cinderella-style gowns for the girls on his runway.
Elie Saab’s gowns were all ethereal elegance.
Dita Von Teese wore a burlesque butterfly creation on Jean Paul Gaultier’s runway show.
Models walked the Valentino runways in dark and heavy creations. The couture collection placed an emphasis on embellishment and texture which inspired a gothic air to their presentation.
A model shows one of the lightest-hued gowns in the Valentino collection.
Never fall asleep amongst co-stars, especially when you work on a sitcom! Sofia Vergara decided to take a nap on the set of Modern Family recently, creating a window of opportunity for her funny fellow costars.
It all started when Jesse Tyler Ferguson posted a photo of an unsuspecting Sofia to his Instagram account, captioning it “Sofia napping. 1.” An image followed titled “Sofia napping. 2”, showing himself photobombing the star as she continued to nap. Before long, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen were all in on the act.
Sofia, forever the good sport, posted all the pictures to her own instagram saying: “Never take a little nap around [these] people again!!!”
See the prank play out here!
Sofia Vergara pranked by costars.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson started the prank.
He was soon followed by Ty Burrell…
Eric Stonestreet…
And Julie Bowen.
Before her nap, Sofia posted this pic of the team shooting an episode in Vegas.
A wheelchair-bound blogger-turned-model has won a major international fashion campaign.
Jillian Mercado, a 26-year-old New Yorker who suffers from muscular dystrophy – is the star of Diesel’s latest ad campaign.
“I hope this ad gives hope to people who are maybe saying ‘my life is over’ because they are disabled,” Jillian told the Daily Mail. “You can totally do anything. Nothing should be stopping you!”
It’s not the first time Diesel has featured a non-traditional model in a campaign – the streetwear brand’s recent Reboot series showcased the beauty of a plus-sized punk girl and an androgynous former Olympic swimmer.
The past year has seen a huge increase in the number of alternative models being cast in fashion campaigns – here are some of our favourite unorthodox beauties.
Jillian Mercado is proud of her wheelchair and wanted it to feature prominently in the shot.
Diesel’s Reboot campaign featured a plus-size punk girl and an androgynous former Olympic swimmer.
Moffy, who has cross-eyes, photographed by Tyrone LeBon for POP magazine.
Debbie van der Putten, who has one arm, is having success as a high fashion model.
Kelly Knox for Think New.
Double amputee Aimee Mullins is a L’Oreal spokesmodel.
Transgender model Isis King for American Apparel.
Faye Povey doesn’t let her crutches stop her from modelling.
Jenna Talackova has made it as a fashion model after being disqualified from Miss Universe because she was born male.
Transgender model Carmen Carerra in a risque ad for La Femme fragrance.
Sophie Morgan models from her wheelchair.
Holly Greenhow, 7, has cerebral palsy and is a model for Mini Boden.
Valentina Guerrero, who has Down syndrome, modelling for DC Kids swimwear.
Seb White, who has Down syndrome, modelling pyjamas for JoJo Maman Bebe.
Six-year-old Ryan Langston (far left) has Down syndrome and models for US Target.
Ryan has also modelled for US department store Nordstrom.
Five-year-old Natalia Goleniowski (right) also has Down syndrome but models for Frugi.
Ella Kinder, a child model with Down syndrome. Photo by Carrie at photographybycarrieperez.com.
Australia’s favourite fuller-figured star Chrissie Swan has launched a new clothing collection.
The Chrissie Swan Avella collection is specially designed to fit and flatter women in sizes 18 to 28 and includes tops, dresses, pants, jeans and coats.
It is available exclusively at Big W and promises to deliver high fashion without the high price tag.
“I’m so excited to bring you this collection,” Chrissie said. “From me to you – a range that’s wearable, on-trend and it won’t break the bank. I love it!”
The Chrissie Swan Avella collection is available in all Big W stores as well as online.
This is a the first of many Avella collections Chrissie will collaborate on.
The capsule collection will focus on higher-quality pieces.
The curse of the child star has struck again, this time bringing down pint-sized pop star Justin Bieber.
Bieber was arrested in Miami overnight and charged with a DUI for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.
Police report that Bieber was drag racing on a suburban street in a rented yellow Lamborghini, was incoherent at the time of his arrest and was not able to produce a valid driver’s licence.
Sadly, Bieber is far from the only child star to fall from grace – it’s a tale that plays out again and again: once-bright futures marred by numerous arrests and multiple stints in rehab.
But it’s not all bad news for the kiddies. While some seem to get caught up in alcohol and addiction, there are success stories among the many meltdowns. Here are some of the most famous former child stars and where they are today.
Like many child stars, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber have struggled with their transitions into adulthood.
Amanda Bynes is in and out of rehab and the headlines.
Britney Spears has battled with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Drew Barrymore struggled with substance abuse issues from the age of 11.
While Haley Joel Osment may have been able to see dead people in The Sixth Sense but the actor apparently couldn’t see straight in 2006 when he crashed his car and was charged with DUI.
Edward Furlong is currently in prison for domestic abuse.
Justin Bieber’s butter-wouldn’t-melt persona is a distant memory these days.
Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin has had drug and alcohol problems.
Lindsay Lohan has had numerous stints in jail and rehab.
Miley Miley Miley. While Ms Cyrus hasn’t been in trouble with the law, we think the fashion police would like to talk to the former Hannah Montana star for some of her clothing, or lack there of, choices of late.
Christina Ricci suffered with eating disorders and self-harming.
Kirsten Dunst has spoken of her troubled youth.
Natalie Portman says she struggled with her identity growing up.
Former child star Shia LeBeouf was arrested in 2007 for refusing to leave a Walgreen’s store in Chicago.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have had drugs and mental health rumours swirling throughout their adult years.
Christina Applegate reportedly dabbled in drugs in the 1980s and 1990s.
Scarlett Johansson is another child star who hasn’t gone off the rails.
Emma Watson took a break from acting because it was too intense.
Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz has suffered a series of strokes in the past year.
Chloe Moretz has made the transition from child star to adult star well.
Ryan Gosling is another exception to the child star rule.
Dakota and Elle Fanning haven’t encountered any problems.
Abigail Breslin has also had an easy ride.
There is one Justin who has kept things together. Justin Timberlake was a Mickey Mouse Club regular and so far this Disney star has broken the mould and managed to make the transition from child star to super star in squeaky clean fashion.
Jodie Foster is another rare case of child star success – she never fell into the partying trap.
Matilda star Mara Wilson has struggled with any of the usual child star issues.
As I hop off the tram at Win Lok Street, I come face to face with Chinese opera star and actress Liza Wang, who at 66, looks sensational. There she is telling the world that bird’s nest soup is her fountain of youth. For Ms Wang is smiling, wrinkle-free, on a poster, with a spoon of her chosen elixir poised delicately in front of her mouth. And just in case you’re in any doubt about what’s on the spoon, three tiny nests orbit her beautifully coiffed head.
Sheung Wan – Hong Kong’s centre for dried seafood and herbal medicine. Pic: Mike Dolan
Still a legend of stage and screen, Ms Wang, it appears, is now the face of bird’s nest soup. In a shop window next door, seven nests (each made from the saliva of cave swifts) are priced at HKD$5000 ($720). Youthful looks, it seems, come at a price wherever you are.
Wing Lok Street (also known as Ginseng and Bird’s Nest Street) is a treasure trove of elixirs and remedies. A short walk takes you to several shops selling deer horn. Ground down, it makes “an excellent tonic for period pains”.
Certain seaweeds, it seems, reduce high blood pressure and if you suffer from motion sickness, chewing on a sweet and sour dried plum helps. But it’s the bowls of dried caterpillar cadavers (cordyceps sinensis, at around $75 a gram) that stop me in my tracks. In traditional Chinese medicine, they are used to prevent the recurrence of cancer; in the West for asthma and bronchitis.
Sheung Wan was once a fishing village and though land reclamation has swallowed up the old harbour and boats, the dried seafood shops remain.
A short walk away from Sheung Wan towards SoHo is Upper Lascar Row, where the Cat Street Bazaar has stalls selling bric-a-brac and antiques.
Ding, ding – a Hong Kong tram passes the Pawn building.
Around the corner is Hollywood Road, where dozens of high-end antique shops line the street on both sides, and tucked behind is the Man Mo Temple, circa 1842, where huge incense spirals hanging from the ceiling create swirling eddies of haze around the gods of Literature and War.
After Man Mo, head back to Wing Lok Street and rejoin the tram at Western Market, a 1906 Edwardian building built to serve local traders.
Bric-a-brac and antiques at the Cat Street Bazaar, Upper Lascar Row.
TRAMS & TRANSPORT TIPS:Hong Kong Tramways runs trams from Kennedy Town in the west of Hong Kong Island to Shau Kei Wan in the east. Our journey starts at Sheung Wan in the west and ends at North Point. All single journeys, no matter how far you travel, are HK2.30 = AUD35 cents. A return journey on the Airport Express Link (train) is HK$100 = AUD$14.28. A single taxi fare from the airport to Central is around HK295 = AUD$26.
GUIDE TIP Ding Ding: Hong Kong Tram Guide by Craig Au Yeung (HK$88/AUD$12.60, Hong Kong Tourism Board) takes in all the traditional restaurants and food stores along the tram route.
MONEY TIP: The exchange rate fluctuates, but hovers around HKD7 = AUD$1.
EATS TIP: Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant, 29 Queen’s Road West (+852 2854 4570). This famous restaurant serves the delicate cuisine from the Chaoshan region that specialises in seafood and vegetables dishes and is a good healthy option. It’s a magnet for the Hong Kong in-crowd. Great food tasting and people watching.
Sea cucumbers left to dry on a Sheung Wan street.
TRAM STOP: DES VOEUX ROAD CENTRAL, SOHO
The stop at Queen Victoria Street leads to Cochrane Street and the Mid-Levels Escalator that takes you up the hill past numerous cafes, stalls and shops.
Between 6am-10am, the escalator descends; from 10am-midnight it ascends. The Escalator is in the centre of SoHo (stands for South of Hollywood Road) – the multicultural wine and dine centre of Central. Upmarket bars and bijou restaurants fill SoHo’s narrow streets. A little walk to the east is Lan Kwai Fong, and glitzy nightlife corner of SoHo.
EATS TIP: Sing Heung Yuen, Stall No.2, Mei Lun Street (+852 2544 8368) is more than a food stall, it’s a piece of Hong Kong history. Try the Macau-style pork chop crispy bun.
Inside the Man Mo Temple.
TRAM STOP: CENTRAL
Central is Hong Kong’s Wall Street – a cityscape of glittering skyscrapers built by some of the world’s most inspired architects. It is also home to some of the city’s swishest shopping malls – temples of high fashion and luxury goods. At the Landmark, you’ll find a honeycomb of malls, interconnected with underground, air-conditioned walkways. You can walk for miles without seeing the sun.
EATS TIP: Luk Yu Tea House, 24 Stanley Street (+852 2523 5464) opened in 1933 and serves exquisite dim sum dishes in gilded Art-Deco-style surrounds.
TRAM STOP: QUEENSWAY
Just past the Bank of China tower, hop off the tram at Cotton Tree Drive and walk towards the Peak mountian with Hong Kong Park on your left. You can’t miss the Peak Tram station. For HK$40/AUD$6, you can buy a return ticket to the top of Hong Kong’s highest mountain, Victoria Peak, on a funicular tram that climbs steeply to 552 metres.
The views of mainland China, the South China Sea, Victoria Harbour the chain of islands that make up Hong Kong are sensational. The earlier you go the better, before the haze has built up and the queues have grown.
On your return, slip into Hong Kong Park, opposite that station, and explore the Edward Youde Aviary (free entry), a monumental metal netting structure suspended 300 metres above a valley of waterfalls, babbling brooks and forest. Here, aerial walkways allow visitors to see exotic bird species in a natural habitat.
EATS TIP: Tai Cheong Bakery, 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, close to Cotton Tree Drive (+852 2544 3475) serves the “best egg tarts in world”, according to Hong Kong’s ex-governor Chris Patten. This 50-year-old bakery also serves great sugar puffs.
Central’s gleaming skyline from the pool of The Hong Kong Island Shangri La Hotel.
TRAM STOP: PACIFIC PLACE, ADMIRALTY
Pacific Place is Hong Kong’s most impressive mall: a honeycomb of stores, interconnected with underground, air-conditioned walkways that are polished to perfection. It’s more reminiscent of a palatial hotel. Set over three levels, the top floors feature every designer clothes brand imaginable in outlet stores at reduced prices.
HOTEL TIP: If you stay at the Shangri La hotel on Pacific Place, you can visit several malls without ever going outside – useful on a sweltering summer’s day, wet afternoon or during a typhoon! The Hong Kong Island Shangri La Hotel is one of Hong Kong’s finest five-star hotels with rooms that offer spectacular Harbour and Peak views. Its atrium is home to a spectacularly beautiful work of art, Great Motherland of China, a landscape silk painting that rises 16 storeys. The lobby was built around a 130-year-old banyan tree at a cost of $3.4 million and its eight restaurants have won the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler accolade as one of the best hotels in the world for dining. With rooms from $400, it’s a hotel for a special occasion.
A detail of the Shangri La Hotel’s 16-storey “Great Motherland of China” silk painting.
TRAM STOP: JOHNSTON ROAD, WAN CHAI
Sandwiched between Central and Causeway Bay, the village of Wan Chai was once the haunt of service men seeking R&R, a red-light district with sleazy bars and raunchy nightclubs. How times change. Now the heritage buildings are home to bespoke outlets selling everything from fine wines form Australia’s Margaret River to vintage clothing. There are thrift stores, funky fusion restaurants, piazza-style cafés, a ceramic workshop, art galleries and food shops selling traditional delicacies.
Explore the network of lanes on the other side of Queens’ Road East and the triangle of buildings around Cross St. Back on Johnston Road, catch the tram outside the Pawn, a heritage 1888 building for pawnbrokers, but recently restored with a restaurant and bar.
EATS TIP: Prawn Noodle Shop, Shop 4, Rialto Building, 2 Lansdale St (+852 2520 0268). Prawn noodles every which way, plus curry and coconut milk laksa are recommended. You’ll never forget the aroma and the taste.
HOTEL TIP: Novotel Century is a 4-star hotel on 238 Jaffe Road with rooms from AUD$195 a night five minutes from the tram and the MTR subway and 10 minutes from the Wan Chai ferry pier. It has a swimming pool, spa, gym and two restaurants.
Vibrant colour in the signage brightens up Hong Kong’s busy streets.
TRAM STOP: HENNESSY ROAD, CAUSEWAY BAY
Be warned mainland Chinese bargain hunters don’t take hostages. Their weapons of choice are elbows and shopping trolleys. Don’t wear thongs unless you’re fleet of foot, as there’s a good chance of getting your toes run over multiple times. And don’t expect an apology. At first sight, most visitors are put off by the overwhelming ocean of humanity circulating around seemingly bland shopping centres. That said: Causeway Bay is a bargain-hunter’s paradise and most seasoned shoppers will be in their element.
You’ll need the stamina of a marathon runner, but if you begin at SOGO, the biggest and the most popular Japanese department store at 555 Hennessy Road, you’ll be off to a good start. Its 12 stories offer everything from high fashion to cosmetics to electronics to toys for kids. After SOGO, fan out with your eyes peeled for mega malls of Times Square, Causeway Plaza, Laforet, Retrostone, Beverly Island Center and newest of all, the massive Hysan Place with its 17-floor shopping area – a temple to conspicuous consumption if there ever was one.
EATS TIP: West Villa Restaurant, shop 101-102, I/F, Lee Gardens Two, 28 Yun Ping Road (+852 2882 2110). Recommended by Kylie Kwong, who loves the honey glazed BBQ pork and fried vermicelli, this Cantonese has excellent seafood dishes that attracts diners from all over the Island
EATS TIP: IR 1968, 28 Leighton Road (+852 2577 9981). Since its launch in 1968, this eatery has won over a loyal following with its authentic Indonesian cuisine.
The Wet Markets at Hong Kong Island’s North Point.
TRAM STOP: CHUN YEUNG WET MARKET
Of all the wet markets in the city, the Chun Yeung Market is king. As the tram heads to the North Point tram terminus, you’ll swing off the broad King’s Road onto a narrow street lined on either side with buzzy stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood. Here, you’ll experience the sights and sounds of old-school market business in full swing. This is the eastern terminus of the tram line and now is the time to head back west.
EATS TIP: Fung Shing Restaurant, Goldfield Mansion, 62-68 Java Road (+852 2578 4898). Just around the corner from the wet markets, this 50-year-old eaterie serves many Shunde mountain hometown dishes that have simpler but stronger flavours than mainstream Cantonese food.
Hong Kong’s night skyline and the traditonal junk Aqua Luna. Pic courtesy of Aqua Luna.
Hong Kong’s night skyline and the traditonal junk Aqua Luna. Pic courtesy of Aqua Luna.
VICTORIA HARBOUR CRUISE
After a day (or two) exploring Hong Kong Island on the tram, it’s time to take to the water. Aqua Luna is a traditional red sail Chinese junk that offers 45-minute Symphony of Lights cruises on Victoria Harbour. It’s a great way to unwind, sipping a cocktail on a lounge bed as the world-famous laser show ricochets around Hong Kong’s spectacular night-time skyline. Departs daily from Central’s Pier 9, at 7.45pm, HK$260pp/AUD$37pp.
The fishing harbour of Cheung Chau Island.
Hong Kong’s Bondi Beach – the main beach on Cheung Chau Island. Pic: Mike Dolan
HONG KONG’S BONDI BEACH: CHEUNG CHAU ISLAND
Fifty minutes away by ferry (Pier 5, Central) is the rural island of Cheung Chau. There’s not a skyscraper in sight; just a fishing harbour lined with seafood restaurants and a beautiful sandy beach patrolled by lifeguards. Not far from the ferry wharf is the Pak Tai Temple. You’ll pass the temple if you on your way to start of the walk to North Pavilion look-out with its views over the South China Sea. If you eat a fresh seafood lunch on the harbour promenade, you’ll see fisherman on their boats selling their catch direct to locals. The beach on the other side of the village is a wide sandy crescent sheltered by green headlands either side.
Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau Island.
*Kong Hong Disneyland on Lantau Island. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Tourism Board.
*
Kong Hong Disneyland on Lantau Island. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Tourism Board.
*HONG KONG DISNEY LAND
*
Ten minutes from the airport, Uncle Walt’s whimsical playground has the usual fantasy castles, Disney characters and rides. As it’s on Lantau Island close to the airport, it’s convenient to drop in for a day when arriving in Hong Kong or on your departure. A day ticket at Hong Kong Disneyland is HK$450/AUD$65 (adult) and HK$320/AUD$42 (child). There are two Disney hotels at the site, but more convenient for the airport is the Novotel Hong Kong Citygate with rooms from $185. It has a glorious swimming pool area and garden, with waterfalls, overlooking Lantau mountain, and spacious, well-designed rooms.
The swimming pool garden at the Novotel Hong Kong Citygate.
The swimming pool garden at the Novotel Hong Kong Citygate.
-(1).png?resize=380%2C285)
