Must-see entertainment in Australia

The glamorous jewel of Australian performance, Sydney's famous Opera House has five main stages. Opera may have star billing, but it's also an important…

Ground zero for live music in Adelaide, 'The Gov' hosts some legendary local and international acts. The odd Irish band fiddles around in the bar, while…

During the Dry, the Darwin Film Society runs this fabulous outdoor cinema below the southern end of the Esplanade. Watch a movie under the stars while…

You could spend all day going from room to room now that the beloved 'Espy' is back, after a $15 million renovation. Antiques complement its Victorian…

During the cricket season (October to March), the stately SCG is the venue for interstate cricket matches (featuring the NSW Blues), family-friendly Big…

Adelaide's riverside stadium (capacity 53,000) hosts major sporting events through the year, including national AFL (www.afl.com.au) and state-based SANFL…

Melbourne's original outdoor cinema hits the Royal Botanic Gardens from the end of November through March, screening current releases and retro classics…

The tiny hamlet of Swanpool – population 207 – is a blink and you'll miss it kind of place 38km north of Mansfield en route to Benalla, but the village's…

Billed as Australia's longest-running play (it celebrated its 25th anniversary in Strahan in January 2019), this 1¼-hour, two-actor performance tells the…

In what was once the Sydney HQ of Paramount Pictures, a heart-warming small cinema occupies the former screening room downstairs. It shows old favourites,…

Based on the classic configuration of the 19th-century European concert hall, this custom-built 1200-seat venue boasts near-perfect acoustics. Catch top…

The Republic is a raucous art-deco pub hosting live music every night (often with free entry). It’s the number-one live-music pub around town, with an…

The action at Sydney's most famous racecourse peaks in April with several high-profile races, including the Queen Elizabeth Stakes; check the online…

Saved from the wrecking ball in the 1980s, the 11-screen State (built in 1913) shows independent and art-house flicks. There’s a great cafe and bar on…

Roomy and decadently decorated with erotic ceiling paintings, Lazybones has live music nightly and a decent line in cocktails and food. At weekends it…

One of Melbourne's most iconic live-music venues, this divey pub has been hosting a roster of local and international punk, heavy metal and hardcore bands…

This atmospheric 1½-hour musical performance evoking the spirit of the outback with didgeridoos, drums and keyboards, plus wonderful photography and…

For a piece of real country nostalgia, head to this old-school drive-in cinema, the only one left in Far North Queensland. It screens two mainstream…

In a quiet corner of Surry Hills, this intimate venue, with two small stages, is the home of an often-experimental and consistently excellent theatre…

The Metro is easily Sydney’s best midsized venue for catching alternative local and international rock acts in intimate, well-ventilated, easy-seeing…