Three Weeks in London and an Album He Wasn’t Sure He’d Make
Most people assume a good album takes years. Long stretches in the studio, songs written and rewritten, a release date that keeps slipping. Dan Sultan wrote and recorded his new one in under three weeks. Little Miracles came out on Friday 23 October through Mushroom Music, and Sultan is calling it his greatest work to date. He co-wrote and produced it in London with Guy Chambers, the British songwriter behind a long list of Robbie Williams hits who has also worked with Kylie Minogue and Tina Turner. It was mastered at Abbey Road. Sultan has described his partnership with Chambers [...]
Halloween Used to Be “Just an American Thing”. Melbourne Kids Didn’t Get the Memo
Ask anyone over 40 about Halloween in Melbourne and you’ll probably hear the same thing. It was something you saw on American TV. Knock on a door back then and you’d get a puzzled look, maybe a muesli bar if the neighbours felt sorry for you. Try that now and you’ll come home with a bag full of lollies. Whole streets are getting into it Somewhere around the late 2010s, Melbourne decided it was in. Now there are plastic skeletons propped against letterboxes and inflatable pumpkins on front lawns, plus that stretchy fake cobweb stuff draped over hedges until they [...]
Mental Health Month: What Disconnection Actually Looks Like Up Close
Some Australians are having more conversations at the self-checkout this month than with friends. This sounds like a joke, only up until you realise that there may be more people experiencing than you realise. The theme for October Mental Health Month in Australia is, “Together we Thrive”, directly relating to this exact problem. How disconnected are Australians right now? Mental Health Australia opened the month with a survey that makes for slightly grim reading. Only 21% of Australians feel very connected to friends, family, neighbours or community, and 64% think society is drifting further apart. One in five. Not great. [...]
Why Australians Are Rethinking Their Balcony Balustrades
Balconies have become one of the hardest-working parts of the modern home. In cities where land is tight and apartment living is the norm, that slab of outdoor space is often the only fresh air a household gets. It has multiple uses including a spot for a coffee, a barbecue, or just watching the world go by. But the thing standing between you and a very long drop rarely gets a second thought, until something goes wrong. That's been on people's minds in Sydney this week, after a 32-year-old man was seriously injured falling from the third floor of a [...]
Why Google Reviews Are Becoming More Important
A shopper looking for a plumber in Frankston used to skim the top three Google results and pick whichever had the nicest-looking website. Now they're just as likely to ask ChatGPT or Google's AI Overview "who's a reliable plumber near me," and get an answer built partly from what other customers have said about that business. Reviews haven't just stayed important — they've started feeding a second search system most business owners haven't fully clocked yet. From Nice-to-Have to Ranking Factor Google has used reviews as a local ranking signal for years, but the weight they carry has grown alongside [...]
Hidden Gem: Ashwood’s Parkhill Primary Posts Outstanding 2026 NAPLAN Results
While NAPLAN results across the state have raised fresh concerns about students slipping on the basics, one small Ashwood primary school is quietly doing the opposite. Parkhill Primary School has posted 2026 results that sit well above local network and similar-school averages, according to figures published this month. The numbers are hard to argue with. In Year 3, 83% of students landed in the Strong or Exceeding proficiency bands for Reading, 89% for Numeracy, 83% for Writing, 78% for Spelling, and 72% for Grammar and Punctuation. Year 5 results push further again: 100% of students in Strong or Exceeding for [...]
Golden Voice Christian O’Connell Launches New Book
For almost three decades, Christian O'Connell has made a living without a script. No autocue, no safety net, just a microphone and whatever happened to walk through the studio door that morning. Now the voice behind Gold FM's national breakfast show is putting that same instinct into print — and the result is called, fittingly, Unscript. The book launches on 29 July 2026, and it's a departure for a man whose entire career has been built on live, unscripted radio. Writing a book means sitting with a sentence long enough to get it right, rather than riffing past it in [...]
How the Right Support Coordination Can Improve NDIS Outcomes
Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be overwhelming, especially for participants managing multiple services, providers, and goals. This is where quality support coordination can make a meaningful difference. For individuals with more complex needs, accessing professional assistance through specialist support coordination can help simplify the process and ensure they receive the services that best support their circumstances. Support coordination is designed to help participants understand and implement their NDIS plans. Rather than navigating the system alone, participants can work with experienced professionals who assist with connecting services, coordinating providers, and building the confidence needed to make informed decisions. [...]
Why More Melbourne Locals Are Skipping the CBD for Their Dentist
Parking alone should be enough to put anyone off. A two-hour meter, a $20 Wilson lot, or a brisk 12-minute walk from Flinders Lane to a dental chair is a commitment most people quietly resent — and, apparently, are increasingly opting out of. Something has shifted in how Melbourne residents choose their dentist. For years, proximity to the office drove the decision. Your dentist was wherever you worked, squeezed into a lunch break between a chicken wrap and a 2pm meeting. The CBD was convenient by default. But default has a way of eroding when the alternatives get good enough [...]