Latest news with #SouthernHighlands
Forbes
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Where To Eat And Drink Off-Strip In Las Vegas Right Now
Michael and Jenna Morton, the Las Vegas hospitality power couple behind La Cave, Crush and One Steakhouse, have opened their first neighborhood restaurant. And what a neighborhood restaurant it is. At Morton Group's Nudo Italiano in Southern Highlands, chef William DeMarco celebrates his Long Island roots with crowd-pleasing, family-friendly Italian-American food that you want to eat again and again. The top-tier meatballs and stellar sausage pizza (with ricotta, chili flakes and the kind of crust that fights back just enough when you bite into it) are wondrous reminders of what can happen when a talented chef bets the house on red sauce. Nudo's bucatini with shrimp scampi pops with Calabrian chili and a generously correct amount of garlic. Habit-forming chicken Francese over linguine is perfectly egg-battered, strikingly lemony and delightfully buttery. For dessert, there's raspberry cheesecake 'spaghetti and meatballs' with chocolate truffle orbs and white chocolate that's grated like Parm at your table. This place is a lot of fun. In recent years, powered by chefs including James Trees of Esther's Kitchen and Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf, Las Vegas has seen its off-Strip dining and drinking scene get bigger and bolder. At the Town Square development, where Howard had an eclectic restaurant called Nu Sanctuary 15 years ago, you can now eat comforting Vietnamese food at a new outpost of Pho Kim Long or enjoy theatrical cocktails and chef Todd Mark Miller's contemporary steakhouse fare at the vibey new Guest House. At Town Square's new Tamba, chef Anand Singh has a live-fire kitchen with a charcoal grill, Josper oven, tandoor and wok station that he uses to make modern Indian food and a lot more. You can and should come here for juicy fire-kissed kebabs and standard-setting curries like butter chicken and achari okra dopiaza. You should pair your meal with wine, sake or Giuseppe Gonzalez's cocktails that are inspired by Indian royal history. But you should also know that Singh's life and travels have taken him to destinations including the Maldives and Mexico. So there's deeply personal all-over-the map food here, including a fierce Madras tuna laap that very much tastes like top-tier Thai street food but is an original creation all its own. Another transporting all-over-the-map destination in Las Vegas is the new Doberman Drawing Room in the Arts District, the neighborhood where Trees recently relocated Esther's Kitchen to a larger location and also opened Bar Boheme. At Doberman Drawing Room, a moody cocktail bar and members club that feels like an old mansion with curios from another era, famed mixologist Juyoung Kang is serving show-stopping drinks like the sweet, savory, spicy and creamy tom kha fizz and the Marilyn and Madness combo with two different Rosa vermouth cocktails side-by-side. (For a extra hit of cheekiness, see if you can find the photograph of Corner Bar Management boss Ryan Doherty in an antique cabinet.) You can also come here for martinis with caviar-stuffed olives and the Nine Countries cocktail that merges mezcal with yuzu kosho. Like New York's Double Chicken Please and buzzy Los Angeles newcomers Daisy Margarita Bar and Bar Benjamin, Doberman is adept at creating drinks that taste like dinner and also drinks that taste like dessert. If you want to eat here for real, tinned mussels and sea salt kettle chips with terrific sour cream and caramelized onion dip are nice ways to start. You can get caviar with your dip, too. Casual off-Strip dining is also leveling up at hot spots like the new Southwest Las Vegas outpost of Nana's Green Tea, a popular Tokyo-born cafe with beautiful matcha parfaits and soul-warming dishes like soboro don and chicken katsu curry. The cutlet game is also strong at the new Cheongdam Food Hall on Spring Mountain Road at Durango Drive, where Namsan Tonkatsu serves Korean cutlets right next to where Curry Ya serves Japanese cutlets. There's a lot to explore at this food hall including Broken Coffee (which makes lovely signature lattes like a mocha latte, an organic hojicha latte and a strawberries-and-cream latte), the buzzing Smile Shota all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, grab-and-go Korean food at Market Green Table and machines where you can make packaged ramen. As always, a lot of the fun in Vegas is about choosing your own adventure.
The Australian
01-08-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Southern Highlands: $4.7m Bowral Lodge joins luxury property surge
A spate of big-ticket homes are about to hit the market following the recent $26m sale of Linden Hall in Bowral, the Southern Highlands district that's become Sydney's answer to the Hamptons because it offers luxurious real estate, high-end shops and fine dining. Sydney eastern suburbs-based corporate executive Alan Stuart-Grant has reluctantly listed his luxury Bowral Lodge with a price guide of $4.5m-$4.7m, saying he is now more tied to Sydney because of his children's sporting interests and doesn't get as much time as he would like to visit the Highlands. Billed as a showstopping Hamptons-style retreat in landscaped gardens, the 13 Hamilton Avenue property is positioned in the heart of Old Bowral and, apart from being occupied by the Stuart-Grant family as a weekender about once a month, is also a popular short-stay luxury rental. Positioned on more than 4600sq m, the property is presently managed by Contemporary Hotels. According to the marketing agents, Drew Lindsay Sotheby's Samuel Lindsay and Lisa-Marie Cauchois, the five-bedroom and four-bathroom Bowral Lodge ranks as the most sought-after Airbnb-style listing in the Southern Highlands, being regularly booked as a luxury weekender for city dwellers. Mr Stuart-Grant told The Australian his family were selling the property, which has three ensuite bathrooms, because of his children's commitments in Sydney, adding: 'Life has taken over.' Expressions of interest close through Drew Lindsay Sotheby's on August 7. Mr Lindsay said Contemporary Hotels had listed the property as one of its best earners in the region. 'A range of prospective purchasers have expressed interest, including a number of locals,' Mr Lindsay said. He said the property was attractive to a mix of locals who understand that the position was very good. 'It's a short walk to town, and is very quiet and private. Local prospective buyers recognise the area is great. It's a cute house,' he said. Buyers from outside the area, mostly hailing from Sydney, are either investors looking for a weekender that has a proven return, or a property that is an easy lock-and-leave. According to publicly available data, Mr Stuart-Grant purchased the Bowral property for $4.05m in January, 2023. Other recent big-ticket sales include the $26m sale of Linden Hall, the Southern Highlands mansion that was sold by restaurateurs and developers David Graham and David Kunde. The sale set a record for the Southern Highlands township of Robertson. The property had a price guide of $25m-$27m when it hit the market 12 months ago. The Covid pandemic might be long over, but the super-rich and middle-class homeowners alike continue to flee Sydney's prime postcodes for the Southern Highlands, whether moving permanently or using a property as a weekender. Agents said there was a raft of homes about to come on the market for the spring selling season. Mr Lindsay said every year there was an expectation that, come spring, there was a lot more property coming on the market. 'But whether it's the seasonal gardens coming into bloom, we do as much trading, listing and selling through winter as we do in spring,' he said. 'Spring is a good time to buy, there's more property on the market, more buyers come out and look, and of course the real buyers who are active if the right property comes up – they will buy. 'We will probably see more property coming on the market come spring.' Another local agent added that most residential sales were negotiated with extended settlement periods allowing Sydney purchasers time to sell their city property before moving to the Highlands. Read related topics: Luxury HomesWealth Lisa Allen Associate Editor & Editor, Mansion Australia Lisa Allen is an Associate Editor of The Australian, and is Editor of The Weekend Australian's property magazine, Mansion Australia. Lisa has been a senior reporter in business and property with the paper since 2012. She was previously Queensland Bureau Chief for The Australian Financial Review and has written for the BRW Rich List. Business Jon Adgemis' financial fate was set to be decided on Friday before a late intervention from the tax office and bankruptcy regulators. AFSA said in a letter bankruptcy trustees may have not satisfactorily investigated Mr Adgemis' financial affairs. Companies The casino company has been left reeling after the deal which would have extracted it from the troubled Queen's Wharf precinct collapsed, leaving it to deal with hefty debts.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Aussie couple slam local council after $560 road incident: 'Do something'
A couple has called out their local council after saying they had to cough up $560 for a new tyre after their car's wheel allegedly "popped" as it drove over a large pothole in a local road. A fight to get compensation hit a dead end, however, with the council telling Yahoo News there are no grounds for compensation as it had no idea the pothole even existed. Nila Mezei was travelling along Sallys Corner Road near Exeter in the NSW Southern Highlands when she spotted the large pothole in her lane. With oncoming traffic, she had no option but to drive over the hole. The tyre of her Range Rover Evoque popped immediately, she recalled. "That ditch has been there for a while, clearly, but the council responded with legal jargon, saying they believe because they were not notified of the hole in the road, that they're not negligent," Nila's partner Bruce Randall told Yahoo News. The spare tyre was replaced by roadside assistance, and Nila was late for work. The Bundanoon couple later filed a complaint and compensation claim to Wingecarribee Shire Council. However it was swiftly denied. Bruce claims the response from the council was generic, and it was "crazy" to suggest the incident was the first time it had heard of the deep, established pothole on one of its roads. He is concerned someone might not be as lucky to get away with just a popped tyre next time. "It feels like they've just wiped their hands... It's disappointing... It is time they do something about the roads," he said. Council defends its decision not to pay for damaged tyre Wingecarribee Shire Council pointed Yahoo News to Section 45 of the Civil Liability Act 2002, which "provides council, as the roads authority, with protection from liability where it had no actual knowledge of the specific risk that caused damage". It is on these grounds that the council will not provide Nila any compensation for the new tyre. "Since 2019, the Shire has been impacted by 16 declared natural disasters (a rate of one every five months), which has caused more than $43 million in road damage, with $24 million in outstanding claims still subject to complex state and federal funding processes," a council spokesperson told Yahoo. "Council acknowledges that potholes can pose a risk to road users, particularly after severe weather. Community safety is a priority, and Council works to identify, prioritise, and repair road hazards as quickly as resources allow," they continued. The council confirmed the pothole in question has now been filled. 👀 Mystery motorist hunted after filling huge pothole with concrete 🎄 Man's hilarious - and festive - solution to potholes ⚠️ Sydney resident's pothole warning divides drivers Councils look after 85 per cent of NSW roads The road network in NSW is over 180,000 kilometres in length and councils are responsible for maintaining more than 85 per cent of it. Councils can request grant funds from the NSW $50 million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round, however, it is largely left to local authorities to handle potholes on their roads. Potholes continue to be an annoyance for drivers across the country. Some people angered by persistent potholes have taken to vandalism to draw attention to the problem. Phallic-shaped graffiti was sprayed around a pothole on a road in Inverloch, Victoria last year, and the words 'fix it you lazy pricks', with an arrow pointing to an uneven kerb at a roundabout, was spotted in Adelaide in 2023. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie pet owners warned over hidden risk after four dogs die within a week
Pet owners on the east coast are being warned to be on alert amid a spike in cases of a nasty disease that can kill dogs if left untreated. Four have reportedly died in the space of just days this week. The four dogs died in the NSW Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven regions as a result of canine leptospirosis — a serious bacterial disease spread through contaminated water. Humans can contract it, and it's known to be fatal in dogs if not detected early. It targets vital organs — most commonly the liver and kidneys — leading to potentially lethal complications, said Dr Bing Zhu, Internal Medicine Specialist at SASH Bladder and Kidney Centre. In an interview with Yahoo News, she explained that symptoms in dogs can include vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, lethargy, muscle tenderness, and in severe cases, jaundice or kidney failure. She said leptospirosis is most commonly spread through water or soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals, particularly rodents. What is leptospirosis, and how does it spread? Zhu warned the disease is more common in warmer, wetter climates, especially following periods of heavy rainfall. Vaccination is available and strongly recommended in high-risk areas. "If I saw my dog walking along and there was a puddle on the ground, especially in an area that had rodents, I wouldn't let them drink from it," she said. "I'd try to discourage it. But at the same time, you can't clean every single surface. They're going to go on the grass — rats are going to pee on the grass as well — so you can't completely avoid exposure. "The best thing that pet owners can do is make sure their dogs are vaccinated." Vaccination is not going to stop the disease from taking hold, Zhu said. However, it can significantly reduce how sick they get from it. "So it means that if they're vaccinated, they might be in the hospital for a few days with antibiotics," she said. "But if they're unvaccinated, they might go into really bad kidney failure, where you need dialysis to survive. That's the difference between being vaccinated versus not. "Take your pets to the vet earlier — don't wait. If your pet's unwell, especially in the rainy season, and you've got rodents around, don't wait a week or two of them being off-colour." Zhu recommended requesting a blood test if the dog has been off for a day or two. "The earlier you get this disease diagnosed and start antibiotics, the better chance you have of essentially getting through without anything major," she said. The specialist said that while leptospirosis isn't considered a common illness, it is present across much of Australia and tends to appear in seasonal spikes, coming in waves, often during rainy periods. "When rainwater collects and dogs sniff, lick, or flick at the ground, that's when cases start to rise," she said. At her clinic alone, Zhu estimates they treat between five and 10 cases a year, noting that many more are diagnosed at other veterinary hospitals. "It's not something we should dismiss as rare,' she said. 'It's uncommon and unfortunate, but any vet seeing a dog with kidney failure should have it high on the list of things to test for." What is the survival rate among dogs? In Australia, while official data on canine leptospirosis outcomes may still be limited, Zhu said information shared within the veterinary community suggests the fatality rate could be as high as 80 to 90 per cent. She said that many dogs are euthanised, often because the disease is detected too late, or they've progressed to a dialysis-dependent state. In some cases, dogs are treated with IV fluids but without a full understanding of how to manage kidney failure effectively. Zhu said excessive IV fluids can actually worsen the condition, pushing dogs into dialysis dependence. "Ideally, the moment a dog shows signs of illness, they should be taken to a vet," she said. Pet owner's warning after common mishap leaves dog fighting for life Aussie vet's stark warning to pet owners after 'terrifying' spike in cases Aussie woman's desperate $20,000 act to save beloved cat "Even the slightest changes in bloodwork should prompt a referral to a specialist — even if treatment isn't pursued there, early intervention improves the chances of recovery." She added that the cost of dialysis remains a major barrier. "Many of these dogs could survive if we had the resources to support them through dialysis, but the financial burden (around $30,000) is just too much for most families in today's economy." Yahoo News Australia has contacted the Southern NSW Local Health District for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
11-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Residents 'outraged' by appeal over rejected Plasrefine plastic recycling factory
Community members on the New South Wales Southern Highlands say they are "outraged and distressed" a decision not to allow a plastics recycling facility to be built in Moss Vale will be appealed. Plasrefine, now rebranded as Repoly, commenced an appeal in the Land and Environment Court on Thursday against the Independent Planning Commission's (IPC's) decision to reject its recycling facility in January. The proposed factory was recommended for approval by the Minns Labor government, and would have aimed to process 120,000 tonnes of plastic per year, about 10 per cent of the state's total plastic waste. It was ultimately rejected by the IPC, which found the negative impacts outweighed the benefits, and received almost 3,000 submissions from the community, On Friday, dozens of residents gathered in Moss Vale, saying they were blindsided by news of Plasrefine's challenge, lodged just 15 days before the appeal process was due to expire. "I was completely gutted, astounded, I couldn't believe it," said David Baxter, who has lived at a property adjoining the site for more than 50 years. "We were going to have a celebration picnic at our place because we thought it was over, that we had won and then bang, one email and we're back to square one." Anna Phillips, one of the main organisers of opposition group Moss Vale Matters, broke down in tears. "Our community is outraged, we are absolutely distressed that this is what Plasrefine has done," she said. "It's really, really hard because now everyone has to rally again. "The state government has done this to us and someone will be accountable because it's not fair." In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said it was aware of the appeal and would not make further comment while the matter was before the court. In its decision to shut down the state significant project, the IPC drew particular attention to the risk a fire at the plant would pose to the neighbouring Australian BioResources medical research centre. Plasrefine relaunched as Repoly on a new website set up this year. The company declined the ABC's request for comment. In a mission statement on its website, the company described its plastics recycling process, which converts waste into products like flakes and pellets, as "a necessary waste management infrastructure to meet Sydney's future waste management requirements". The IPC issued a statement confirming the appeal, in which it indicated impacted parties could join the legal process if they wished. Ms Phillips said Moss Vale Matters was seeking legal advice and considering its next steps. "We are here to fight, and we are here to win, and they are absolutely never ever going to be bringing Plasrefine to Moss Vale," she said. Local MPs including the Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan, Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman as well as the Wingecarribee Council all formally opposed the planned facility and on Friday reaffirmed their support for the community in opposing the project. Wingecarribee Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick said he was optimistic the appeal would not be successful. "The case was so strong against [it] we really did think it wasn't coming back up," he said. "People have been fighting this for many years and hopefully this is the last hurdle."
