When proposing to go out for a drink with your friends, it can be all too easy to suggest going to the pub or trying any one of your nearest city’s cocktail bars. But what about the humble wine bar? After all, wine is one of the most popular drinks in Australia, so why wouldn’t you want to visit a bar dedicated to the grape-based elixir to enjoy some of the finest drops around?

The answer is simple, you would want to and you should. Fortunately for residents of Brisbane and its surrounding areas, the Queensland city is home to a number of first-class wine bars just waiting to pop open some corks and pour you something you’ve likely never tried before, but might just become your new favourite.

Obviously, any of Brisbane’s coolest restaurants and hotels are going to have their own well-stocked wine lists, but a wine bar is a perfect location to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation, as staff will have encyclopaedic knowledge, so can tell you all there is to know. Wine bars, naturally, lend themselves to being the ideal setting for a date, too.

So, allow us to bring you the very best wine bars to be found in Brisbane, all of which pour some fantastic Australian red and white wines, along with some of the finest varietals from overseas.

Maeve Wine

When wanting to visit a wine bar in Brisbane, you can’t go past Maeve Wine. Founded by three friends who share a love for all things red, white and rose as well as a passion for delivering the highest in customer service, Maeve Wine will welcome you in with open and arms and have you leaving feeling like you’ve gained a new friend.

The wine list is always evolving and doesn’t necessarily place an emphasis on local bottles, but rather an emphasis on easy-drinking wines that the owners themselves love to indulge in. The food menu is equally delectable with strong inspiration from European dining and, as you’d expect, all dishes can have a wine paired to complete the experience.

Address: Level 1/39 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane, 4101
Phone: 07 3846 7783

Grape Therapy Wine Merchant & Grape Den

Just taking a step inside Grape Therapy is akin to savouring your favourite bottle. A warm atmosphere is put upon you from the off and the experience only intensifies from there. The bar’s wine list, naturally, changes on a regular basis, but the vast majority of bottles stocked (and boy, are there are a lot) will come from Australia, with the odd European influence thrown in for a touch of diversity.

Grape Therapy may be a wine bar first and foremost, but it also has a fine selection of whisky from around the world, along with sake and a healthy choice of beers. Pair any of these with some tapas, pizza, cheese or charcuterie and you’ll easily be able to spend several hours lounging on the bar’s Chesterfield sofas.

Address: 471 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City, 4000

The Valley Wine Bar

A gem within Fortitude Valley,  The Valley Wine Bar stocks an unbelievable amount of wine, offering customers a choice of 400 wines by the bottle and an additional 20 by the glass. It’s nigh-on impossible not to find a wine you like here.

Wines are sourced from all over the world, but The Valley takes extra care to ensure many of the bottles come from vineyards that are farmed organically. The result is not only a drop that you can taste the difference in, but one that is far better for the environment.

Address: 171 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley, 4006
Phone: 07 3252 2224

Mr Chester Wine

Mr Chester Wine boldly claims they are “what a wine bar should be”, and with a carefully curated menu that celebrates both local producers and those from further afield, all of whom adhere to some sustainable production methods, we’re inclined to agree.

The bar itself is staffed by some of the friendliest people you’ll ever come across, with the entire team being on hand to serve you and engage with you, to help you discover something new, fall back in love with a varietal you haven’t sampled in some time, and to suggest the perfect food accompaniment.

Address: 2/850 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, 4006

Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill

While it might have the words wine bar in the name, Moo Moo is more of a restaurant compared to the other wine bars on this list. But that’s only because its multi-award-winning wine list is an accompaniment to an incredible selection of steaks and seafood.

The majority of the current red wine menu is sourced from Australia, highlighting the country’s penchant for producing exceptional shiraz, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, among other varietals.

The whites, meanwhile, are procured predominantly from overseas, with Europe and New Zealand proving to be master producers. Whatever you choose – or are recommended by the waitstaff and sommeliers – you can be sure of not only a great glass of wine, but a great pairing with a steak.

Address: Port Office Building, 39 Edward Street, Brisbane, 4000
Phone: 07 3236 4500

Cru Bar & Cellar

Think of a wine bar and you’ll likely imagine either a small and cosy bar with an intimate setting, or something like Cru, a much more modern venue with a warming and relaxed atmosphere. Found in Fortitude Valley, Cru Bar is cleverly designed so that you can easily stroll through the door, perch yourself at the bar or nestle into a booth and peruse the 450+-strong wine menu.

Fortunately, thanks to Cru’s Coravin system, which prevents then wine from being exposed to oxygen, means at least 40 of those can be had by the glass. Wines are sourced from around the world, and the beer menu is equally extensive and international.

Address: 1/22 James Street, Fortitude Valley, 4006
Phone: 07 3252 2400

Larder Wine Bar

A well-stocked wine bar with an equally well-stocked wine shop right next is what you’ll find when you pay a visit to Larder Wine Bar. Owned by couple Stephanie and James, the pair pay frequent visits to the wine bars of Europe to draw inspiration for their own venue, and it certainly shows through both the décor, the food menu and the wines on offer.

If you fancy an evening of wine and cheese, Larder should definitely be at the top of your list, as several fine examples are available to choose from, all of which are paired with the perfect glass. Once you’ve found a wine you like, you can stock up on in the adjoining shop.

Address: 479 Waterworks Road, Ashgrove, 4060
Phone: 0491 629 101

Read Next

• Coolest Wine Bars In Sydney
• Melbourne’s Best Wine Bars You Have To Try

The post Cool Brisbane Wine Bars For Enjoying A Civilised Tipple appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Justin Theroux is one of Hollywood’s most quietly talented men. Not only is he a great actor and voice artist, appearing in films as diverse as Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, American Psycho and the new Lady and the Tramp, but he’s also a successful screenwriter, responsible for films like Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2.

He’s also an incredibly snappy dresser, as his latest outfit demonstrates. Donning a tactical-meets-casual outfit to take his beloved rescue dog Kuma for a walk in New York City’s trendy SoHo neighbourhood on Sept 2nd, Theroux effortlessly combined military boots, a studded belt, well-loved jeans and a heavy carabiner keychain with some more streetwear-inspired pieces, including a Biggie Smalls t-shirt, paisley face mask and ‘IRAK’ cap.

The cap is a particularly cool choice. IRAK was a notorious NYC graffiti crew and creative collective known for their prolific tagging during the 90s whose members have since gone on to work with everyone from Adidas to Virgil Abloh to Supreme and beyond.

Militaria and streetwear often go hand in hand, but it’s what’s on Theroux’s back that’s really caught our eyes: his Louis Vuitton bucket bag-style backpack.

Not only does Theroux clearly have his finger on the pulse of NYC fashion – the tough, ‘urban apocalypse’ outfit topped off with that IRAK cap shows he know’s what’s good – his outfit reveals a timeless truth about Louis Vuitton as a brand.

Despite being one of the most well-known names in luxury; a veritable by-word for opulence; Louis Vuitton is endlessly versatile. The brand feels just at home in a rough-and-ready, casual dog-walking outfit as it does on the red carpet or at Paris Fashion Week. Despite being a stalwart of the fashion and luxury world, Louis Vuitton continues to evolve and innovate.

Part of LV’s relevancy and comfort in the world of streetwear owes a lot to rapper and fashion icon Kanye West (the “Louis Vuitton Don”) as well as his protégé – artist, designer, walking cultural bellwether and current LV menswear creative director Virgil Abloh, who effortlessly blends high and low culture as part of his signature style. Indeed, Abloh was spotted wearing an IRAK cap like Theroux’s at Nike’s 2020 Forum runway show earlier this year.

Another reason LV remains so timeless is that their leather goods are built to last. While these days LV might be just as renowned for their couture and accessories, the 166-year-old brand was founded as a malletier; a manufacturer of luggage and suitcases. Theroux’s backpack has been part of his everyday wardrobe for many years now – we wrote about him cycling with it back in 2018.

RELATED: Justin Theroux Shows Us The Secret To New York City Cycle Style

Whether or not you’re bold (or well-heeled) enough to pull off a Louis Vuitton bag as part of a dog-walking ensemble, you have to admit that Theroux looks cool as hell. Guess fashion’s just another feather in his cap…

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The post Justin Theroux’s ‘Apocalyptic’ Ensemble Demonstrates Timeless Truth About Louis Vuitton appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

For most gym-goers, the end goal is muscle. Whether you want to become a bodybuilder like Arnold Schwarzenegger or just gain some definition and a six-pack is entirely down to you.

But simply lifting weights isn’t going to get you across that finish line. Half the battle, as they say, is in the kitchen. Nutrition is an incredibly important factor to consider when it comes to putting on muscle (otherwise known as bulking) and, while nutritional diets will be different for different people, there is (usually) a right and a wrong way to go about it.

Instagram user and online fitness and nutrition coach Adam Pfau has brought to light what can happen when “bulking goes bad.”

In a post comparing two versions of himself just one year apart, Adam explains that he went from “skinny fat with no muscle to lean with a bit of muscle after approximately 10 months of lifting,” shown in the 2006 image on the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Adam Pfau: Fitness & Nutrition (@apfau) on Aug 18, 2020 at 6:59am PDT

Adam explains that during this time he was in a “caloric deficit” – system where you consume fewer calories than you burn – but was consuming “sufficient protein.” He confesses, however, “I didn’t know I was doing this at the time. I was on a full body routine because I was copying someone at the gym.”

“I had no idea what a caloric deficit was but I wanted abs so I tried to eat less [sic] calories.”

“I actually did everything right in those 10 months despite not knowing what I was doing. It went downhill after that.”

Deciding that he wanted to start gaining some muscle, and coming across the term ‘bulking’, Adam, listening to The Internet, believed he needed to “get fat and then worry about losing the fat later.”

“My goal was to gain 1-2 pounds per week. Some weeks I gained 2-3 pounds. I didn’t count my calories but I ate ‘clean’ and just tried to eat as much as I could.”

“In 6 months I went from about 140 pounds to 195 pounds. I developed nasty stretch marks and made my physique worse.”

“It took me a long time to cut (lowering your body fat percentage by following a strict diet to make muscle more visible) after this and I eventually got down to about 150 pounds although not as lean as when I started the bulk.”

“I did gain some muscle but there was no need to gain 50+ pounds for 6-8 pounds of muscle.”

“It’s a mistake I still regret to this day because although I learned a lot from the experience, it caused the nasty stretch marks that will never go away.”

So, what should you do if you want to bulk up the right way?

DMARGE spoke to Lean Performance Personal Trainer Bronte Zeiher to get the full low down. She starts by telling us, “Nutrition plans should be tailored specifically to each person based on their energy expenditure, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), and what their goals are.”

“Following nutrition advice based on what has worked for someone else or having a rough guess at your daily/weekly nutrition targets can move you further away from your goals.”

“The most efficient and factual way to find out your BMR is through a body composition scan.”

“For a client wanting to build muscle, a gradual surplus in calories should be applied. The client’s calorie and nutritional needs will be determined by their BMR, energy expenditure and dietary requirements, amongst other things, and will need to be continuously assessed and re-evaluated depending how well or how poorly progress is being made.”

“Calorie tracking is necessary to make sure nutritional and calorie targets are being met. How can you expect to hit your targets if you aren’t accounting for anything? Not tracking your intake is the same as taking a wild stab in the dark and hoping for the best.”

“A diet high in protein is needed and aids in muscle recovery, growth and repair, and should be factored into the calorie and nutritional breakdown of each client. And remember, any changes to your diet should be consulted and guided by an allied health professional”

So, there you have it, the definitive guide of what to do, and what not to do if you want to bulk up and start filling out your t-shirts.

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• Fitness Coach Reveals Exact Daily Intake Of Protein You Need For Optimum Gains

The post How Bulking Can Go Wrong For Blokes appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

2020 has been a challenging year for the Swiss watch industry. Not only were the two largest conventions – Watches & Wonders Geneva and Baselworld – forced to physically close, but the very future of Baselworld seems unlikely after big names like Rolex and Chopard having pulled out of the show entirely due to disputes over refunds. The pandemic has hurt brands’ bottom lines and things have looked mighty uncertain.Against the odds, a ragtag group of brands banded together to hold Geneva Watch Days, a new and wholly alternative event that’ll be the only physical salon in Switzerland this year. It’s a seismic shift in the balance of power in the watch world, and saw over 200 new products presented from the likes of Breitling, Bulgari, Ulysse Nardin and many more.One of the most exciting releases Geneva Watch Days heralded was from independent manufacturer H. Moser & Cie., who debuted their new Streamliner Centre Seconds – a ‘retro-futurist’ masterpiece that might just be the most interesting all-steel watch in a very long time.

This new 40mm timepiece is only the second model in the Streamliner collection, a follow-up to January’s sportier Streamliner Flyback Chronograph. Where the Flyback evokes old-fashioned motorsports instruments, the simpler Centre Seconds lets the case design stand out more. The problem with many steel watches is that they can feel derivative of icons like the Patek Philippe Nautilus or Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (ironically, both are the work of legendary Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta). However, the Streamliner doesn’t fall into that trap.“Streamliner” is actually a reference to the first high-speed trains from the 1920s and 30s that sped across swathes of the United States: modernist masterpieces of design and technology that helped power interbellum 20th-century industry. That said, we think the stylish Streamliner brings to mind a more science fiction aesthetic – something driven home by the effervescent ‘Matrix Green’ fumé dial. We’ve previously talked about how 2020 seems to be the year of the blue dial, but perhaps green is a bigger theme this year.The fully integrated, lug-less steel bracelet is a particular highlight. Like the bio-mechanical armour of a futuristic android or the tendrils of H.G. Well’s tripods from War of the Worlds, the sleek brushed steel Streamliner looks quite unlike anything else on the market.Other features worth drawing your attention to include its gently domed sapphire crystal and see-through caseback; its 3D hands formed of two sections with inserts made from Globolight, an innovative ceramic-based material which contains Super-LumiNova; the in-house HMC 200 self-winding calibre which offers a minimum power reserve of 3 days, and the elegantly designed bi-directional crown.Many of the other watches exhibited at Geneva Watch Days were complication-heavy: technically superior but rather busy timepieces. H. Moser & Cie.’s more restrained Streamliner, however, offers a real point of difference for anyone shopping for a new steel watch this year. The green dial is a particularly juicy feature, and we’re excited to see one of these in the flesh.

Technical Specifications

• Ref. 6200-1200
• 40mm steel case (height without sapphire crystal = 9.9mm)
• Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”
• Water-resistant to 12 ATM
• ‘Matrix Green’ fumé dial with sunburst pattern, applique indices, hour and minute hands with Globolight inserts
• Movement = HMC 200 self-winding calibre
• Power reserve: minimum of 3 days
• 21,900 USD (~29,930 AUD)

Read Next

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The post H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner: Independent Watchmaker Unveils New Model appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s been a turbulent year for travel, and Australia is no exception. Thanks to The Pandemic, the Land Down Under’s normally healthy tourism industry has suffered an $11.7 billion hit. But that doesn’t mean we’re not travelling at all. In fact, as international jaunts have been curtailed, we’ve seen a number of new trends crop up domestically.Figures from flight booking service Webjet, which show the most booked hotel locations through webjet.com.au (as well as a list of the most popular domestic flight bookings by destination) reveal Australians are heading ‘back to the future’ when it comes to holiday bookings.How so? We’ve always been a nation of surf trips and beach holidays, but in recent decades, with the help of ever-cheaper international flights, have moved somewhat away from that ‘up the coast’ mentality in search of more ‘cultural’ experiences. The logic? Why have a ‘basic beach sunrise’ as your Tinder profile picture when you can have a selfie with steaming Gyoza at an underground Anthony Bourdain themed Tokyo restaurant in Tokyo?You get the gist.However, as COVID slams the door on international travel, the ‘hipsterisation’ of the restaurant and travel industries has been forced to take a break (on an international level at least) as Australians return to their more humble roots, looking for warm, coastal, natural destinations.

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A post shared by E L I S E (@elisehalina) on Jul 23, 2019 at 4:10am PDT

The current top 15 hotel booking locations (according to data drawn from Webjet hotel bookings made between the 1st of June and the 23rd of August 2020) are as follows.

• Noosa Heads
• Cairns
• Surfers Paradise
• Broadbeach
• Hamilton Island
• Broadwater
• Queenstown
• Cable Beach
• Brisbane
• Port Douglas
• Sydney
• Wolgan Valley
• Byron Bay
• Palm Cove
• Darwin

Webjet flight bookings (for the same date range) back this ‘beachy’ trend up, with the following 15 airports taking out the top spots.

• Brisbane
• Sydney
• Cairns
• Melbourne
• Townsville
• Adelaide
• Gold Coast
• Perth
• Darwin
• Mackay
• Ballina
• Broome
• Rockhampton
• Canberra
• Proserpine (Whit Sundays)

This comes alongside a reboot in Australia’s motor home industry. As The Australian Financial Review reports, there has been “a substantial lift in campervan and motorhome rentals in states outside Victoria,” although it hasn’t been enough to offset the loss of international tourists.Luke Trouchet, chief executive of the ASX-listed company Apollo Tourism & Leisure told the AFR the mini-boom (in Western Australia and Queensland from locals) has been a pleasant surprise.“People do want to get out and do something. They want to escape the crowds,” Mr Trouchet said on Wednesday. “You’re kind of self-isolating by default.”Until our politicians can work out a safe way of opening borders between states, these kinds of destinations (and trips) will likely remain popular due to the dearth of overseas options (if we can’t figure out a way to co-operate domestically, it just goes to show how tough an international bubble would be to implement).One little known tropical island is currently open for West Australians to visit. But other than that the rest of Australia will have to cross their fingers confirmed cases go down (and that the proposed travel corridors with New Zealand and certain Pacific Islands become a safe reality), before spreading their wings any further.Watch this (air) space.

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The post Australian Beach Holidays: Most-Favoured Destinations Revealed appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Despite being a relatively small market, Australia is chock-full with car brands from all corners of the globe. Naturally, all the big Japanese marques have a presence here, as do most of America’s big names. Yet there’s some European brands that Australians have access to that even Americans don’t: Renault, Škoda, Peugeot, KTM, Citroën…It didn’t used to be this way. While British cars used to be incredibly common on Australian roads, a vestige of our colonial past – British Leyland also manufactured vehicles here locally, like the P76, Mini and Morris Marina – European cars were exceedingly uncommon and widely viewed with suspicion for most of the mid-20th century. They just weren’t built to withstand the tough conditions Australian roads threw at them. Did you know that FIAT stands for ‘Fix It Again, Terry’?While high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari have a long history in the Australian market, and the humble Volkswagen Beetle and Kombi were common on Australian roads (to be fair, they were common everywhere) most cars were either locally-made sedans from the likes of Holden, Ford or Chrysler, or cheap imports from Japan like Datsuns or Toyotas.It was a simpler time, when cars were dangerous but sexy. Where the average man aspired to a comfy Kingswood instead of some highly-strung piece of Germanic engineering. Just take a look at this photo of Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach in 1979 that was shared on Reddit and you’ll see exactly what we mean:

Aside from an MG and a few VWs, most of the cars in the photo are locally made sedans and wagons. Also, notice how everyone’s managed to reverse park ok and there’s not someone taking up two spots? The cars are in a whole array of attractive shades, too: blues, reds, greens, browns… Aussies these days are far more conservative when it comes to car colour.RELATED: Why It’s Time For Australians To Rethink Their New Car Colour Choices

1979 was an interesting point in time for Australian motoring history: the Holden Commodore was introduced just a year before in 1978, Toyota was locally manufacturing alongside the American brands, XW Falcon GT-HOs and Monaro GTS350s were battling it out on Mount Panorama, and good-looking cars dotted Australia’s shores.Compare that to 2020, which has seen Holden finally die after a slow and painful slide towards death, Ford giving up on selling passenger cars, and the Toyota HiLux continue to dominate Australia’s best-seller lists.These days, the carpark at Bondi Beach looks very different. Gone are the handsome sedans, wagons and coupes. It’s all mostly European SUVs and crossovers, in various shades of white, black or grey… Range Rovers, BMW X5s and the like. Indeed, we’ve contributed to the problem by parking a new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupé (a beautiful beast, mind you) down at that very same waterfront.

These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a single non-hatchback or Toorak tractor down there, let alone the increasingly endangered Aussie sedan. You’d have to go to Summernats to see those types of cars now.The ‘affordable luxury’ of a big Australian motor isn’t something that exists any more, sadly. It increasingly feels as if you either go for a cheap Korean or Japanese hatchback, an SUV (most of which are boring), or you fork out big dollars for a European whip.They’re at least better made these days. Volvo put their cars through a ‘kangaroo test’ and manufacturers do a better job than ever of tweaking their vehicles to suit Australian conditions. Local manufacturing may be a thing of the past but we’re hardly starved for good cars.We just wish Bondi was a little more glamorous. Or maybe we just miss the smell of carbies and John Player Specials.

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The post Bondi Beach History: Timeless Photo Reveals Bygone Era Of Australian Motoring appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Bat Kiss has meant that many of the world’s biggest cultural events have had to be cancelled or postponed. In the music world, Coachella has been pushed back to October, Glastonbury went virtual and local big-name festival Splendour in the Grass had to skip a year. Art exhibits, performances of all varieties, sporting events and awards ceremonies have also all fallen victim to social distancing requirements.Thankfully, the Venice Film Festival – the world’s oldest film festival and arguably also the world’s most glamorous – albeit in a “more restrained format,” according to its organisers, the Venice Biennale – is still going ahead. The 77th Annual Venice International Film Festival, currently being held from the 2nd to the 12th of September, has seen the rich and famous descend upon the City of Bridges to enjoy a spot of cinematography, Venice’s particularly good weather and always-pleasant sights, and we’re sure a cheeky Negroni or two.Film festivals like Venice’s are always a great chance to see the latest fashion trends, as exhibited by well-heeled attendees. Indeed, that’s another casualty of COVID: fashion. No events means no reason for people to dress up, therefore there’s been a drought in fashion news. So we’re doubly excited to see what attendees whip out for the occasion.A clear sartorial highlight of the Venice Film Festival so far has been Alejandro Speitzer. The Mexican telenovela and film star isn’t well-known in Australia, but he bloody ought to be: the man’s one of the crispest dressers out at the moment and might just be Latin America’s most underrated style icon. Speitzer’s Venice red carpet look is a perfect case study in his understated, classy taste.

Putting a spin on the classic tux, Speitzer’s blazer features a subtle, dark navy pattern, contrasted by textured lapels and a rather exxy floral diamond brooch. He also keeps things smooth with a rose gold Bulgari Octo Finissimo ultra-thin dress watch.It’s a debonair look that combines traditional red carpet style with just a hint of Latin flamboyance, that wild diamond piece a particularly unexpected but refreshing accessory.The 25-year-old screen star doesn’t just scrub up for big events, either: he’s a pretty consistently good dresser.Take this photo he shared to Instagram where he’s in ‘quarantine’ enjoying a glass of red, relaxing at a vineyard. Wearing a tank top under a light linen button-up noragi (a Japanese-style shirt), with a long skull pendant and horn-rimmed glasses, Speitzer’s surprisingly elegant yet comfortable warm-weather look is a masterclass in 2020 fashion.

 

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A post shared by Alejandro Speitzer (@alejandrospeitzer) on Mar 24, 2020 at 3:11pm PDT

One advantage that Australians enjoy from a fashion perspective is that because our seasons swapped with the Northern Hemisphere, we can see how Europe / North America / Asia / etc. is dressing six months ahead, and pick and choose the winning looks for when the weather comes around here.However, maybe we ought to be paying more attention to other Southern Hemisphere fashions, too – like those in Latin America.If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to constantly be expanding your style inspirations, looking across the globe for tips and tricks. Add Alejandro Speitzer to your lookbooks ASAP.

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• Jason Momoa Swims Upstream In Style With Daring ‘Salmon’ Outfit

The post Alejandro Speitzer: Latin America’s Most Underrated Style Icon appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Ice cold Bintangs. Perfectly reeling waves. Temples. Palm leaf offerings. Monkeys. Incense. Cigarettes. Many tourists – particularly Australians – see Bali as little more than a place of cheap villas, complimentary banana pancakes, watered down orange cordial and Nasi Goreng. If it weren’t for the influencers you could almost imagine you were in some eternal summer of Australia in the 80s.

However, though the stereotypes may be loving, they are also lacking. This is one big mistake almost every tourist – whether they’re into Bintangs or guided tours – makes in Bali – projecting their vision of what Bali should be like on it (both in terms of in-person interactions and photography).

This is demonstrated, among other places, by the Instagram hashtag ‘Uluwatu’ – a social media rabbit hole which demonstrates our tendency to train the lens on ourselves rather than the places we visit.

Take for instance the ‘top posts’ featured at the top of the page on Instagram when you seach ‘Uluwatu Temple’ (165,970 images have been posted to Instagram with this hashtag, at the time of writing). The hashtag shows the most popular current posts are mostly tourists posing, rather than images of the temple itself.

Similarly, the top posts for the hashtag, ‘Uluwatu’ are telling in what we associate Uluwatu with. Out of 1,482,826 images with the hashtag, ‘Uluwatu’ the first six featured show: resorts, villas, pools and surfing.

To be fair, given the experience most tourists have in Uluwatu, it’s not far off. Also, every photo has a subconscious agenda and framing, whether it’s taken in Bali or Bondi: insert the hashtag ‘Sydney’ into your Instagram search feature and you’ll be shown photos of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, not cafes and activewear (the ‘real’ Sydney…).

But it does open the door to important questions: how does one go about engaging with local cultures in an authentic way? Are you always obliged to interact with local traditions? Does listening to house music at Single Fin count as culture? Is it better to go ‘full basic’ than pretend to pay tribute in a meaningless way? Also: what constitutes, ‘meaningful’?

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A post shared by sophia (@soph.walsh) on Aug 4, 2020 at 7:53pm PDT

This is a topic a DMARGE correspondent explored recently when visiting the most Instagrammable day club in Seminyak – Mrs Sippy.

“I quickly realised: this is not Fear & Loathing in Seminyak. Much as I wanted to find the dark, superficial heart of Australia’s influencer scene, it’s not there in that way.”

“The sad thing is, while Australians may rave about Mrs Sippy to their close friends, due to the ~basic~ reputation of sipping cocktails with other tourists rather than doing a boutique grass roots guided tour around Ubud… most are sheepish to admit they went to The Land Of The Gods and got drunk by the pool.”

“Perhaps there’s a good reason for this. But there’s also a good reason to celebrate honesty, which is why we’d rate Mrs Sippy over anywhere that pretends to offer a true local experience to assuage your conscience, then offers you much the same inauthentic, touristy experience (see: the token spiritual ceremonies provided in most high end Bali hotels).”

On the other side of the coin, in its sustainable tourism kit, UNESCO recommends “talk[ing] and listen[ing] to the host community and business, identify[ing] and comminictin[ing] sustainable economic local opportunities and empower[ing] the host community by telling their story in the site.”

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A post shared by The Bali Bible #thebalibible (@thebalibible) on Jul 3, 2020 at 8:00pm PDT

Why? The theory is, when done right, community engagement on the behalf of tourism operators and hotels can help protect – and exist in a healthy symbiosis with – local culture.

That said, as an article by the World Travel & Tourism Council points out (citing Uluru, Mount Everest and Kyaiktiyo Pagoda as examples), in many places this is not the case, and travellers should do their own research before blindly doing what may be legally allowed (the case study of Uluru demonstrates how legislation often lags behind – or ignores – culture).

“The role these locations play in the lives of locals is far more significant than the fleeting satisfaction a tourist receives from engaging with a place outside of the context locals desire.”

“Travellers committed to responsible and sustainable travel must commit to respecting local cultures in ways both large and small. Respect should be the guiding principle behind all of your actions. Even if you don’t agree with a custom or a request, honour your role as visitor in someone else’s home and follow their lead, allowing local actions to guide all of your behaviours.”

Uluru is a pertinent example. As World Travel & Tourism Council pointed out in 2017 (while Uluru was still open to climb – something which changed on the 26th October 2019), “While even Parks Australia recommends that travellers refrain from climbing, the route remains open to tourists and about 30% of visitors choose to make the climb, according to one of the park rangers. Some of these tourists feel entitled to the view from the top, with one traveller noting ‘I just wanted a good photo,’ while others visit the site and opt against climbing once they learn of the cultural significance to the indigenous people.”

“Uluru presents a challenge for travellers who see even though that climbing is clearly against the wishes of the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the climb is still open to the public and many other tourists each year make the climb. As a responsible traveller visiting a new location, the code of etiquette means that even if it’s permissible to take part in an activity, your actions should align with those for whom the site holds a deep significance.”

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It’s a kecak dance ! . An evening of cultural appreciation should leave a memorable experience on your Bali travel diary. And doing so is like a picnic, for there are countless nightly traditional Balinese dance performances such as the Kecak Dance held on many corners of the island for you to come and watch. . Follow @thebaliflocation_ and use hastag #thebaliflocation for more adorable Photo by @thebalichili . #kecakdance #baliindonesia #thebaliflocation #wonderfullindonesia #bali #uluwatu #uluwatutemple #exploreasia #wonderlust #lovebali #balilife #thisisbali

A post shared by Thebaliflocation (@thebaliflocation_) on Sep 2, 2020 at 4:29am PDT

Likewise, in Bali, though there is no legal requirement to learn about the local culture, it pays to authentically engage with it. Not only will it benefit the Balinese community, but we’d argue it will make for a much better trip, too. To do this (beyond just sitting passively and watching what your resort has prepared), this podcast episode has some excellent, offbeat pointers and ideas.

Just do your research: there are some morbid rituals tourists have specifically been warned to stay away from, too.

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The post Bali Hashtags: Embarrassing Mistake Most Tourists Make In Bali appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s easy to forget that there was a time before eBay or Amazon. Buying things online used to be a crapshoot – not only was the shopping experience unwieldy and tedious, but the chances of getting ripped off, having your purchase lost or damaged in the post, and the Sisyphean task of trying to return something all made online retailing a bit of an ask. 20 years ago it would have been unimaginable that you’d buy anything other than printer paper or t-shirts online.But the pace of change has been enormous. These days, consumers are spoiled for choice and convenience: buying goods online, from groceries to Gucci slides is a doddle, many sites offering free, same-day shipping; seamless and quick online returns; significant savings and exclusive offerings, not to mention how much better virtual visualisation of goods has become. Buying luxury goods online has become second nature to many consumers.Perhaps the most significant sign of how far things have come is this recent product offering from UK-based online luxury fashion retailer Farfetch – a Richard Mille RM67-01 Rainbow 50mm timepiece bedazzled by well-known watch customiser MAD Paris with rainbow-coloured diamonds, worth a startling 975,636 AUD (605,000 USD).Richard Mille watches are already incredibly expensive and exclusive – the cheapest new/unworn Richard Mille on leading online watch aftermarket Chrono24 comes in at just under 95,000 AUD and the cheapest RM67-01, a titanium piece, is selling for almost 164,400 AUD if you include shipping to Australia. Adding a bevy of diamonds to an already outrageous piece of Swiss excess is just gilding the lily at this point.We’re not quite sure who the target market for this watch is, or who would be crazy enough to even consider buying basically a seven-figure watch online, but the fact that you have the freedom to do so is astounding.Whether it’s actually worth that much is another question. Customised watches don’t tend to hold their value, and indeed, adding diamonds to a watch can actually devalue your watch, particularly if they were added by a third party, according to Bob’s Watches. We’d argue that the less-than-subtle rainbow look actually detracts from the watch – the rainbow-obsessed New York rapper 6ix9ine might disagree with us, however.All we’ll say is if people think this Richard Mille is too much, wait until they see this Patek Philippe 5531R-001 Rose Gold Grand Complications selling for almost 2 million AUD…Putting the debate about the aesthetic or literal value of these watches aside for just a second, that you can even buy something like this online speaks to the state modern online retail. 2020 has further accelerated the move towards online retail, as physical stores have had to close and people are homebound during The Pandemic.Physical retail was already struggling before 2020: the dilemma is that in order for physical locations to remain relevant in today’s market, they have to offer an experience; something that sets them apart from online. They’ll never win on the price front, as brick-and-mortar has overheads that online doesn’t. The reality is that the benefit to consumers of buying in-store just isn’t as strong as online these days, whether that’s shopping for men’s shirts on UNIQLO or Jaeger-LeCoultre watches on MR PORTER.RELATED: The Fashion Brands That Will Survive 2020For Australians, that you can buy luxury goods like this MAD Paris custom job is particularly useful, as the tyranny of distance and our comparatively small market means we often miss out when it comes to luxury experiences. Case in point, there are only 37 Richard Mille boutiques globally, and none in Australia (the closest to us is in Jakarta).While we’re still confident that brick-and-mortar retail still has a role to play in the market (if done properly and intentionally), this insane offering on Farfetch should be a warning sign for luxury retailers: the future is here – and it’s rainbow-coloured.

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The post Richard Mille Rainbow: $1,000,000 Watch Highlights Change In Online Retail appeared first on DMARGE Australia.