Latest news with #MoretonBayFoodandWineFestival
Sky News AU
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Looks so different': MasterChef Australia fan favourite Julie Goodwin shocks fans with dramatic new slimmed-down physique
Beloved MasterChef Australia winner Julie Goodwin has surprised fans with a fresh new look, debuting a dramatically slimmed-down appearance in a recent social media video. The 54-year-old chef, who won the very first season of the hit cooking show back in 2009, took to TikTok on Tuesday to promote her upcoming appearance at the Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival. Filmed casually in her garden, Goodwin wore a bright pink jumper paired with dangly pink floral earrings and bold red-rimmed circular glasses, beaming as she shared her excitement for the event. "Hey fellow food lovers, Julie Goodwin here, and I'd like to invite you to join me at the kitchen presented by Ausbuild this August at the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival," she told fans. "I'll be taking to the stage to share my passion for simple, soulful food that gets you and your family and friends together around the table together." She added that she'd be doing demonstrations "across the whole festival along with a whole array of fantastic demonstrators". "I can't wait to meet you, chat with you, do some demonstrations, share some tips and have a great time." But while many were excited to hear about her upcoming appearance, it was Goodwin's striking transformation that really caught fans' attention. "What happened to Julie? I don't recognise her," one user wrote, while another added: "Omg you look so different!" A third fan commented: "I've just seen this post and wowsers, I was shocked!" while another asked if Julie could share her weight loss tips. "Omg! Julie! I barely recognised you! Loved you when I first saw you on MasterChef and love you now! All the best for demos. Would you mind sharing how you've slimmed down?" they asked. While most users agreed the MasterChef star looked "happy and healthy", the video also attracted negative remarks, some of which had to be deleted by festival organisers. "Unfortunately, there have been some negative ones that we have had to remove," organisers responded after a fan asked: "Where are all the missing comments?" Several users chimed in to say it was "inappropriate" to comment on someone's weight at all. Since her rise to fame on MasterChef, Goodwin has become a fixture in Australian households, building a successful career as a cookbook author, Australian Women's Weekly columnist and TV personality. Based on the NSW Central Coast, she's returned to the MasterChef kitchen twice, once for All Stars in 2012, and again as a contestant in 2022. She also opened her own cooking school, Julie's Place, and co-hosted the Central Coast radio show Rabbit and Julie Goodwin on Star 104.5 from 2015 until 2019. But behind the scenes, Goodwin faced serious personal struggles, including a drink driving offence in 2018 and an attempt on her life in 2020. After receiving care at a mental health facility, she courageously shared her journey with fans in an open letter, and has continued to speak out to raise awareness and support for others. In 2024, she published her memoir Your Time Starts Now, chronicling her path to recovery. She also returned to television as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Dancing with the Stars, a guest judge on My Kitchen Rules, and even joined Sunrise earlier this month for a cooking segment with host Matt Shirvington. Thankfully, she recently revealed to Nine Honey that she's in a good place. "I'm good, I really am," she said.
The Advertiser
16-05-2025
- The Advertiser
The beloved Australian destination everyone's escaping to this winter
As the weather cools down, Queensland is coming out as the clear winner for trending domestic travel destinations. According to Airbnb data, half of the top-10 destinations this winter by search are in Queensland: Whitsundays, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Southport and North Stradbroke Island. Winter in far north Queensland offers prime temperatures for camping, hiking and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. In Brisbane and the Gold Coast, winter is home to festivals including the Brisbane Festival, and the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival. NSW has also been popular for winter holiday planning with Sydney, Newcastle and Pokolbin in the top 10, along with the southern mainland capital cities of Melbourne and Adelaide. Airbnb Australia and New Zealand country manager Susan Wheeldon said winter is a popular time for Aussies to travel with the June long weekend and school holidays. She said it was "no surprise" Aussies wanted to escape the cold to the warmer climate of the "sunshine state", but they were also looking for experiences beyond the beaches. "Wine regions like Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley and the many wineries in close proximity to Adelaide and Melbourne are also trending - all perfect for a winter tipple," Ms Wheeldon told Explore. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Tasmania is luring Aussies to Hobart and the north-west of the state to experience winter in full force during its "off season". Discover Tasmania is encouraging Aussies to don their winter wollies and get a bit wild out in nature. Off season adventures include the Kuuma Nature Sauna, Australia's first sauna boat styled on a floating escape popular in Nordic countries where participants spend time in the on-boat sauna and then jump in the cold sea. If getting out in nature is more your style, kayaking tours of Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain continue on through the colder months, weather dependent. When it comes to overseas travel this Aussie winter, Airbnb data shows Asia is proving popular, with its proximity to Australia and warmer climate. "Vietnam is emerging as a go-to destination probably because it's a direct flight, the time difference isn't too bad and it's affordable," Ms Wheeldon said. "We've also seen Italy really having a resurgence - potentially since the popularity of The White Lotus." As the weather cools down, Queensland is coming out as the clear winner for trending domestic travel destinations. According to Airbnb data, half of the top-10 destinations this winter by search are in Queensland: Whitsundays, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Southport and North Stradbroke Island. Winter in far north Queensland offers prime temperatures for camping, hiking and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. In Brisbane and the Gold Coast, winter is home to festivals including the Brisbane Festival, and the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival. NSW has also been popular for winter holiday planning with Sydney, Newcastle and Pokolbin in the top 10, along with the southern mainland capital cities of Melbourne and Adelaide. Airbnb Australia and New Zealand country manager Susan Wheeldon said winter is a popular time for Aussies to travel with the June long weekend and school holidays. She said it was "no surprise" Aussies wanted to escape the cold to the warmer climate of the "sunshine state", but they were also looking for experiences beyond the beaches. "Wine regions like Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley and the many wineries in close proximity to Adelaide and Melbourne are also trending - all perfect for a winter tipple," Ms Wheeldon told Explore. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Tasmania is luring Aussies to Hobart and the north-west of the state to experience winter in full force during its "off season". Discover Tasmania is encouraging Aussies to don their winter wollies and get a bit wild out in nature. Off season adventures include the Kuuma Nature Sauna, Australia's first sauna boat styled on a floating escape popular in Nordic countries where participants spend time in the on-boat sauna and then jump in the cold sea. If getting out in nature is more your style, kayaking tours of Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain continue on through the colder months, weather dependent. When it comes to overseas travel this Aussie winter, Airbnb data shows Asia is proving popular, with its proximity to Australia and warmer climate. "Vietnam is emerging as a go-to destination probably because it's a direct flight, the time difference isn't too bad and it's affordable," Ms Wheeldon said. "We've also seen Italy really having a resurgence - potentially since the popularity of The White Lotus." As the weather cools down, Queensland is coming out as the clear winner for trending domestic travel destinations. According to Airbnb data, half of the top-10 destinations this winter by search are in Queensland: Whitsundays, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Southport and North Stradbroke Island. Winter in far north Queensland offers prime temperatures for camping, hiking and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. In Brisbane and the Gold Coast, winter is home to festivals including the Brisbane Festival, and the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival. NSW has also been popular for winter holiday planning with Sydney, Newcastle and Pokolbin in the top 10, along with the southern mainland capital cities of Melbourne and Adelaide. Airbnb Australia and New Zealand country manager Susan Wheeldon said winter is a popular time for Aussies to travel with the June long weekend and school holidays. She said it was "no surprise" Aussies wanted to escape the cold to the warmer climate of the "sunshine state", but they were also looking for experiences beyond the beaches. "Wine regions like Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley and the many wineries in close proximity to Adelaide and Melbourne are also trending - all perfect for a winter tipple," Ms Wheeldon told Explore. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Tasmania is luring Aussies to Hobart and the north-west of the state to experience winter in full force during its "off season". Discover Tasmania is encouraging Aussies to don their winter wollies and get a bit wild out in nature. Off season adventures include the Kuuma Nature Sauna, Australia's first sauna boat styled on a floating escape popular in Nordic countries where participants spend time in the on-boat sauna and then jump in the cold sea. If getting out in nature is more your style, kayaking tours of Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain continue on through the colder months, weather dependent. When it comes to overseas travel this Aussie winter, Airbnb data shows Asia is proving popular, with its proximity to Australia and warmer climate. "Vietnam is emerging as a go-to destination probably because it's a direct flight, the time difference isn't too bad and it's affordable," Ms Wheeldon said. "We've also seen Italy really having a resurgence - potentially since the popularity of The White Lotus." As the weather cools down, Queensland is coming out as the clear winner for trending domestic travel destinations. According to Airbnb data, half of the top-10 destinations this winter by search are in Queensland: Whitsundays, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Southport and North Stradbroke Island. Winter in far north Queensland offers prime temperatures for camping, hiking and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. In Brisbane and the Gold Coast, winter is home to festivals including the Brisbane Festival, and the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival. NSW has also been popular for winter holiday planning with Sydney, Newcastle and Pokolbin in the top 10, along with the southern mainland capital cities of Melbourne and Adelaide. Airbnb Australia and New Zealand country manager Susan Wheeldon said winter is a popular time for Aussies to travel with the June long weekend and school holidays. She said it was "no surprise" Aussies wanted to escape the cold to the warmer climate of the "sunshine state", but they were also looking for experiences beyond the beaches. "Wine regions like Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley and the many wineries in close proximity to Adelaide and Melbourne are also trending - all perfect for a winter tipple," Ms Wheeldon told Explore. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Tasmania is luring Aussies to Hobart and the north-west of the state to experience winter in full force during its "off season". Discover Tasmania is encouraging Aussies to don their winter wollies and get a bit wild out in nature. Off season adventures include the Kuuma Nature Sauna, Australia's first sauna boat styled on a floating escape popular in Nordic countries where participants spend time in the on-boat sauna and then jump in the cold sea. If getting out in nature is more your style, kayaking tours of Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain continue on through the colder months, weather dependent. When it comes to overseas travel this Aussie winter, Airbnb data shows Asia is proving popular, with its proximity to Australia and warmer climate. "Vietnam is emerging as a go-to destination probably because it's a direct flight, the time difference isn't too bad and it's affordable," Ms Wheeldon said. "We've also seen Italy really having a resurgence - potentially since the popularity of The White Lotus."
