The rugged, windswept terrain of Tasmania has experienced something of a renaissance in the last decade or so. Putting aside its appeal just a top-tier destination for nature lovers and weekend travellers, Tasmania has also shaped itself as a low-key mecca for Australian golfers.

With a climate and terrain reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands that bred the game in the first place, we suppose it only makes sense that Australian golf has found a new home in Australia’s increasingly trendy little offshoot. So once you’ve checked out Sydney, Melbourne and the world’s best golf courses, it’s time to hit up Tasmania.

Barnbougle Dunes, Bridport

Green fees: $109 (18 holes), $140 (all day)

Aside from being our absolute favourite looking golf course that we’ve covered so far, Barnbougle Dunes has racked up a healthy list of accolades since its opening in 2004 that trump esteemed golf clubs ten times it’s age. Voted the finest golf course in Australia this year by the Golf Course Guide, it was also ranked number four by Australian Golf Digest and was Golf Australia’s runner up. US Golf Digest even proclaimed it the eleventh best golf course in the world.

The best part? It’s completely open to the public.

Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bridport

Green fees: $109 (18 holes), $140 (all day)

The younger twin of Barnbougle Dunes and another stunning example of links golf, Barnbougle Lost Farm sits at number three in Australian Golf Magazine’s Top 100 courses, and twenty-third in the world by US Golf Digest. Slightly more open and forgiving than the Dunes, Lost Farm interestingly boasts 20 holes which are playable in any given round of golf, meaning you can shake things up every time you play there.

Cape Wickham Links, Wickham

Green fees: $150 (18 holes), $195 (all day)

Nestled at the very northern tip of Cape Wickham on King Island (situated about halfway between Tasmania and the mainland), Cape Wickham boasts some of the most stunning views in Australian golf. As the sounds and sights of the tumultuous Bass Strait crash around you, you’ll be treated to eighteen holes of spectacular links golf that has earned Cape Wickham a reputation as one of Australia’s finest public access golf courses (if not the finest). Can’t get much better than that.

Ocean Dunes, Currie

Green fees: $150 (after September 1st), $100 (before September 1st)

If the green fees have you scratching your head in confusion, rest assured that there’s a simple answer. Ocean Dunes isn’t exactly, well, finished yet. Situated on King Island, Ocean Dunes is out to challenge the turf once dominated by Cape Wickham, and assures any prospective players the “ultimate in links golf” once it’s completed. The first nine holes were completed late last year and can be played now, with the back due for completion in September.

Royal Hobart Golf Club, Hobart

Green fees: Members & Guests Only

We’ve come to accept by now that none of these lists would be complete without a golf club with ‘Royal’ in its title. As is standard with any of these courses, Royal Hobart is a strictly members only affair – although it would appear the process for getting a membership is a little less rigorous than some of the more prestigious clubs in Sydney or Melbourne. Situated in a city of just over 200,000 people, we can’t say we begrudge them for that.

Tasmania Golf Club, Cambridge

Green fees: $75 

Like many upper-tier courses in Tasmania, Tasmania Golf Club a true championship level golf courses, yet it can be played by anyone with a spare $75 handy. Located smack bang in the Barilla Bluff, Tasmania GC is surrounded on 3 sides by the waters that separate Hobart’s outskirts with the rugged east coast of the island. Expect a more undulating, Australian style golf course that makes for a refreshing break from the links-style play that characterises Tasmanian Golf.

Launceston Golf Club, Launceston

Green fees: TBD

Launceston gets a mention not only because it’s Tasmania’s oldest eighteen-hole golf course (opened in 1899), but because we firmly believe there’s far more to Tasmania in general than just what lies around its capital. Despite being members only, Launceston GC stress on their website that they’re open to all visitors. Even so, they don’t list any green fees or any real information about the course itself, which serves no other purpose than to make my job difficult. Golf Australia has it in their top 100 courses though, so who am I to argue with that assessment?

Ratho Farm, Bothwell

Green fees: $40

Tasmania Golf FAQ

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The post The Best Tasmanian Golf Courses To Play This Year appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As other countries’ hospitals groaned, Australia had beds sitting empty.

Now, three months in, we’ve flattened the curve and are on the brink of loosening restrictions.

However, financial expert and The Barefoot Investor author Scott Pape reckons there’s another dangerous curve we need to flatten – one that has only just begun.

The Financial Crisis Curve.

“Make no bones about it: we are at the start of a very, very steep curve,” Scott wrote in a recent Barefoot Investor blog article.

“And when we reach our peak rate of infections — in, my best guess, five months — it could be financially devastating.”

To understand this curve it helps to break it down. Why? Because like most fears, understanding them can remove their fear factor (or at least help you deal with them better).

That in mind, let’s go through the three phases of The Financial Crisis Curve. Phase one: false sense of security.

This is basically the stage where everyone is working from home, saving money not eating out or commuting, and online shopping like demons.

Either that or they’ve lost their job, but are yet to eat through all their savings (Jobseeker etc.).

Suffice to say: this is the stage where the financial ruin scene is set, without us really being impacted (yet).

On top of that, Scott says, “almost everyone I speak to is planning on taking $20,000 tax free from their super over the next few months [despite his protests].”

Not to mention house payments are cheaper now, there has been a temporary bankruptcy proceeding ban on individuals for amounts up to less than $20,000, rent is negotiable and mortgages are too.

As The Barefoot Investor puts it: “The banks have warmly embraced the narrative that they are the ‘financial doctors’ of this economic crisis, and they’ve been handing out mortgage pauses — but not interest rate pauses — like Pauline Hanson hands out how-to-vote cards on election day (lots of colourful drawings, not a lot of words).”

“Cast your memory back to when Scomo was weighing up whether he’d go to the footy one last time … that’s the stage of the financial crisis curve we’re at now.”

Scott wrote this three weeks ago. Since then a whole lot has happened in the money space. Warren Buffet, famous for picking up stocks when the market crashes, said he was nervous to invest. Sydney’s property market has done loop the loops. It’s been a rough time.

Now we’re in phase two: the climb (or from a financial point of view), the fall. This is where we’re about to start coming out of lockdown – a moment The Barefoot Investor says investors have been “waiting for excitedly.”

“Having initially panicked and seen the market drop by a third last month, they’ve ‘shaken it off’ like Taylor.”

“The US market has had a swift bounce, soaring 20% on the hope that things will get back to normal in no time,” he added.

The problem is, this hope is mostly hot air (economically speaking, anyway). In fact, experts have more or less reached a consensus that a recession is imminent.

Why? We’re screwed (economically) either way. We either go back to work full bore, and fall prey to second and third waves of The Virus, or move back to work so slowly we reach recession before the second and third waves even hit…

This means most businesses won’t re-employ all their workers. “Instead, they’ll likely move gingerly and re-employ just a small number of people,” The Barefoot Investor says.

“In the best case, workers will be back to the same hours with no pay increase for a long time. More likely, though, their hours will be reduced … or, in the worst case, they’ll lose their job.”

This leads us to what The Barefoot Investor calls The Peak (economically, the trough), which is when unemployment peaks — and when the economy falls into a deep recession.

This is also when the Government has said, The Barefoot Investor claims, it will switch off JobKeeper, and cut the JobSeeker supplement back to half.

“With an economy in recession, the banks — our self-proclaimed ‘financial doctors’ — may lose their gentle bedside manner and start flicking off the financial life support for many people and businesses.”

Though your physical health always comes first, this financial curve is a devious one to look out for.

How do you guard yourself and the nation against it? Get your financial shit together. Save. Invest wisely. Don’t take out your super unless you really have to.

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The post Financial Crisis Australia: Barefoot Investor Warns Of ‘Curve’ Australia Must Flatten appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

"White Lightning", better known as Mick Fanning, is known for his moves on the surfboard, but on land he is known as a beer baron business owner, top bloke, and now a mental health advocate, playing a pivotal role in the start-up of Mentemia.

The retired 3-time Championship surfer has pledged his...

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The post Surf Legend Backs Mental Health App Hitting Australia At Most Crucial Time appeared first on DMARGE.

Would you fly to a pandemic scourged country to holiday with The Famous? Whether it’s a yes or no, you now can.

Why? Hotel Pellicano, one of the most coveted stretches of sun in the world, plans to offer its signature sprezzatura once again in June.

Earlier this month, Marie-Louise Sciò, CEO and Creative Director of Pellicano Hotels told The Telegraph “we are planning to open our hotels at the end of May/early June.”

This morning’s post by luxury magazine Type 7’s Editor In Chief Ted Gushue confirms this has been pushed back, as well as providing a specific date for the re-opening.

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Heaven on Earth @hotelilpellicano has announced it is re-opening June 26th

A post shared by Ted Gushue (@tedgushue) on May 12, 2020 at 1:41pm PDT

“Heaven on Earth @hotelilpellicano has announced it is re-opening June 26th,” Gushue wrote this morning.

Hotel Pellicano, for those who don’t wear Orlebar Brown swimmers and drive vintage mopeds, is one of Europe’s most iconic hotels, often frequented by celebrities.

Located in Tuscany’s Maremma region, Hotel Pellicano was a source of inspiration for the late Slim Aarons, whose images of the rich at play remain the benchmark of Cultured Luxury.

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Best feeling in the world pelliboattrip #hotelilpellicano #pellicanohotels @laurenswells

A post shared by Hotel Il Pellicano (@hotelilpellicano) on May 2, 2020 at 2:40pm PDT

As for the place’s history: Hotel Pellicano began in 1965, when two lovers, a charismatic American socialite and dashing British aviator, created a romantic hideaway in a secret cove.

Glamorous friends came to bathe in the delicious azure sea and party by moonlight, soon the gorgeous Tuscan home was transformed into Il Pellicano.

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A post shared by Exclusive Italy Weddings (@exclusiveitalyweddings) on May 10, 2020 at 7:52am PDT

“There was nowhere else like it, the pristine cove sheltered by rugged cliffs, the romance and spontaneity, Hollywood and high society came to relax in privacy,” Hotel Pellicano tells us.

“1979, Roberto Sciò fell in love with the hotel’s beauty and bought it. Today, his daughter and creative Director Marie-Louise keeps that Pellicano style right up to date, a combination of freewheeling spirit and old school polish.”

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A post shared by Hotel Il Pellicano (@hotelilpellicano) on May 6, 2020 at 9:56pm PDT

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The post Hotel Il Pellicano: Your European Summer Dream May Not Be Dead Yet; This Celebrity Hotel Proves Why appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Every timepiece aficionado wants the perfect watch for every occasion. But what happens when your dream watch becomes a scratched, second-hand accessory?

Whether you have a lower class timepiece or an iconic Rolex, keeping it in pristine condition is paramount. Many enthusiasts can admit that whe...

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The post Horologist Reveals The Painful Consequences Of Removing Your Luxury Watch Strap Incorrectly appeared first on DMARGE.

As you bake yourself your third dry chicken breast of the week and litter it with salad, you might start to miss dining out. Why? Besides human interaction, restaurants have a number of positives beyond non-Sahara-savaged poultry.

On that (and in a turn of good news for all of us), one restaurant in the Netherlands has found an innovative solution to social distancing while dining – and as Australian lockdown restrictions gradually lift, the timing couldn’t be better.

Especially given experts are warning we may not return to normal until 2023.

Anyway: Mediamatic ETEN, a restaurant in Amsterdam, is offering “a four-course vegetarian menu for diners – served to guests while they sit in their own personal quarantine greenhouses.”

 

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Serres Sépparées is one of our new dining concepts. With the current situation it’s difficult to open a restaurant with limited space. So why don’t we add to our location and create a safe and intimate home for partners to reconnect, with the outside world at their own leisure. ⠀ ⠀ Our signature plant-based cuisine will be available for guests to enjoy in one bubbles or in the newly renovated main restaurant. ⠀ ⠀ #gastronomy #smartdining #diner #plantbased #food #restaurant #mediamatic #dijksgracht #oosterdok #amsterdam #sunset

A post shared by Mediamatic ETEN (@mediamatic_eten) on Apr 29, 2020 at 4:05am PDT

As CNN  reports: “the trial service is only being offered to family and friends of staff, and all upcoming reservations are sold out.”

“As many places begin to loosen restrictions on social distancing, this type of greenhouse dining could take off,” (CNN).

“Waiters wear gloves and face shields to alleviate any risk of infections,” CNN added. “They also use long boards to bring dishes into the greenhouses to diners.”

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The post Netherlands Social Distancing: Dutch Solution Could Change How We Dine For The Next 3 Years appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="255207" img_size="medium" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://www.toddsnyder.com/products/timex-liquor-store-watch-hunter-green"][vc_column_text]You should be all too aware that here at DMARGE, we're big fans of stylish and fashiona...

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The post This $249 Todd Snyder x Timex Watch Is The Collaboration Horological Dreams Are Made Of appeared first on DMARGE.

The current climate has put many of us out of work. Businesses have been forced to close and some have even had to go into administration because of the financial repercussions the pandemic has had. For those who are out of work, finding a job once the global situation improves may not necessarily be an easy task.

So, rather than trying to get a job within the industry you’ve already settled in, could you use this lockdown period to think about changing it and trying something new? Obviously, for some, that won’t be an option, especially if you’ve studied for years to land that medical or law degree, for example, but for others, it could be the catalyst they need.

To weigh in on the argument, we reached out to Joe Ryan, a partner at Sydney-based 4Twenty consultancy and expert within the Australian recruitment industry, to get his professional opinion.

Joe started by being blunt with us. “Trying to get a job right now is going to be hard. A lot of our clients, for example, have battered down the hatches just as much as we have as a business.”

“Even finding a job in tech, which I see as one of the industries that are well poised to survive the pandemic, is going to be hard.”

“Finding a job is a job in itself.”

Regardless, you’ve decided to take on the challenge, how do you go about securing something new?

Joe recommends “Starting with your LinkedIn profile, ensure that it’s up to date and it looks Schmick, then start building your network. If you want to get into software, for example, start having conversations with people who already work in it, such as hiring managers and HR staff etc.”

“We’re all at home, we all have that bit of extra time to do these things. I think it’s about being proactive at this point and not putting too much pressure on yourself.”

“That’s especially true if you keep getting knockbacks because there are so many other people in the same position right now. The majority of businesses aren’t in a position to be taking on any new staff at the moment.”

We asked Joe what he would do if he were in a position of having no job right now. His response?

“If I was an entrepreneur or could code, I would be looking at trying to build some sort of video calling software. Watching the news, some of the big names have struggled to adapt to the number of using flocking to use it.”

“Those big names will definitely come out of this [pandemic] stronger, but I wouldn’t be surprised if competitors are trying to get a piece of the market.”

Ian Whitworth has had a similar train of thought to us and in his piece, he suggests how those of us who have been stuck in the same career for at least five years more than likely undervalue the skills we’ve attained. He admits that changing careers won’t happen overnight, but that this is the best time to make it happen.

“If you want it, may as well start now while all the rules are out the window.”

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The post Changing Careers: Now Could Be Australians’ Best Chance To Find Their Dream Job; Here’s Why appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As Virgin Australia took one last gulp before it plunged into administration, the rest of Australia looked on with bated-breath.

While satire mags took the piss (see: “‘Just Tragic,’ Says Joyce“), everyone else wondered: what could rise from Virgin’s ashes? A leaner and meaner version of the same company?

A foreign upstart?

A unionised behemoth?

Though the whole ‘government-owned’ idea now appears unlikely (see: “Friday deadline for Virgin Australia’s billion-dollar buyers“) everything else is firmly on the table.

The big-name bidders at the moment are said to be: BGH Capital (a Melbourne based private equity firm), the Macquarie Group and Wesfarmers.

WA mining magnate Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forest, Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek, Bain Capital and Indigo Partners are also reported to be in the mix.

Friday’s initial bids will be coaxed into binding offers by mid-June, from which the winning bid (or potentially bidders) will be chosen.

 

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A post shared by Virgin Australia (@virginaustralia) on May 11, 2020 at 12:27am PDT

But what then? What will Virgin Australia look like in five years time? The answer depends on which investors walk away with Branson’s baby.

There are, however, some constants, which give us anchor points to mount a few predictions.

For instance, no matter how this plays out, “Qantas would, at least for some months, have a monopoly in what is expected to be a mostly domestic-flying market amid… travel bans,” (ABC).

It is also widely accepted Virgin (and all airlines) will have to become leaner and meaner to survive the coming years.

However, various aviation experts say Virgin’s situation is not as dire as you might think.

Indeed, some have predicted a number of intriguing silver linings to come out of Virgin Australia’s voluntary administration for domestic Australian flyers.

One among them is Professor Rico Merkert, Chair in Transport and Supply Chain Management at the University of Sydney (and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Air Transport Management).

Though Professor Merkert told DMARGE it’s “way too early” to say what a post-pandemic world will look like (“while I see domestic aviation commencing operations in the not so distant future, I am less certain about international”) he also told us what it would take, in his eyes, for Virgin Australia to soar to (or at least, get back on trajectory towards) the lofty heights they once envisioned.

“If Virgin gets one strong holder and a clear strategy that focuses on a simplified domestic network then I would see them as a profitable, economy supporting and job generating enterprise in 5 year’s time.”

Professor Merkert also said that administration may offer a smokescreen for hard (but smart) calls to be made.

“As [Virgin Australia] had accumulated $1.6bn worth of negative equity and a too complex business model with an even more complex board room, they were in dire need for change.”

“COVID-19 may speed up that process and may in fact force one or two of the shareholders out, which may in fact not be a bad thing if the remaining shareholder has a clear strategy toward commercial viability.”

“Having the fleet currently grounded due to COVID-19 is actually good and potentially a perfect time for a take over as there would be no disruption to the operations and as it will take at least another 2-3 months before the skies are open again, there would also be some time for re-branding campaigns etc.”

Not only that, but as The Sydney Morning Herald recently pointed out: “Administration triggers the opportunity to renegotiate everything from the current enterprise bargaining agreements to fuel hedging contracts, lease rentals from the airport owners and catering.”

“It is not only the Virgin 2.0 balance sheet that will look much healthier having cut a swathe through the $5 billion debt pile, the resurrected airline will be able to establish a new cost base – one that will be significantly lower than that of Qantas,” (SMH).

What happens then? After all: even if Virgin Australia is on the receiving end of some supposed silver linings, realistically, Qantas still has ample opportunity to establish dominance right now.

Here is Professor Merkert’s prediction: “I suppose the worst case scenario for Qantas would be if somehow Singapore Airlines [or similar] would be allowed to take over the VAH assets cheaply and without the dept (perhaps together with a strong capital partner and a financial injection but no other airline partner). This would put a re-emerged and simplified Virgin in a fairly strong position.”

Qantas, however, even in this scenario, “would still dominate the domestic market and would benefit from regional networks once we get to the other side of COVID-19.”

A leaner Virgin Australia, however, “would become a formidable competitor on the core domestic routes (operated by VAH) and also international (operated by SIA)” in this hypothetical.

“Tigerair would remain shut and potentially sold to another party as would Velocity or incorporated into Krisflyer. Whether that happens (and Singapore Airline has long been trying to get into such a position) remains to be seen though, as there are those other airlines (i.e. Etihad and HNA) still in the mix.”

This could be great for Australians, potentially driving prices down without the associated race to the bottom that usually comes with it. Hopefully, it would even get Qantas focussing on refining Qantas, rather than stripping away services and trying to make Jetstar ever more profitable (assuming whoever takes over Virgin focuses on competing on that plane, rather than putting all their energy into Tigerair).

DMARGE also got in touch with the owner of Flight Hacks and points hacking expert Immanuel Debeer, to see what those who make a living flying flat are expecting from Virgin Australia 2.0.

“I think Virgin Australia will be restructured, streamlined and be put back in action domestically if potential buyers can get it at the right price and have the right vision, this is probably the best scenario,” Immanuel said.

“Alternatively I would love to see foreign airlines move in to offer fifth freedom type routes connecting the east and west coast. It could be a logical move for players like Singapore Airlines to have flights with a stopover in Perth on the way to Sydney. This will probably never happen but one can dream!”

 

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Throwback to what was and hopefully will remain the world’s best domestic business class product. Thanks to @virginaustralia and all the amazing crew for the memories

A post shared by Immanuel Debeer (@flighthacks) on Apr 20, 2020 at 10:11pm PDT

“If another airline happens to buy Virgin Australia, it’s likely they will either keep the name or rebrand to something new.”

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The post Virgin Australia Future: Aviation Experts Reveal What Airline Could Look Like In Five Years appeared first on DMARGE Australia.