I sat down with the iconic Richard “Spine” Macionis and Rudi “Vlad” Testa from Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant to talk about performing, comedy and Dracula’s new show, Sin & Tonic. We get a little deep, but if you’re interested in theatre or you love Dracula’s, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the new show. You can also check out the review we did on Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant’s new show, Sin & Tonic, last week.

Q: How long have you been working at Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant?

Richard: We’ve both been on the Gold Coast for 7 years, I worked for the company in Melbourne three years before that, Rudi did some time there as well.

Rudi: Yeah, a small amount as an understudy in Melbourne a couple of weeks before I came up here.

Q: What did you do before you were at Dracula’s?

Richard: I come from a performance background, mainly working in bands, a bit of music theatre, a lot of television and television production. I’ve worked for a few of the main networks and have done some artist management, representing artists in both music and in television.

Rudi: I have an amateur theatre background playing in cover bands, that sort of thing, with 10 years working in theatre restaurants in Melbourne.

Q: So a lot of dinner theatre and that sort of thing?

Rudi: Yeah

Q: And how many shows at Dracula’s have you been a part of?

Rudi: At Drax? This is seven.

Richard: Yeah seven.

Rudi: Well you’ve done more.

Richard: Oh yeah, I’ve done more. I’ve done seven up here, but yeah, nine? Nine full ones and understudied a few others.

Q: God damn

Richard: It’s like becoming part of the furniture.

Rudi: It’s a few shows when you think about it.

Richard: Someone came up to me the other day and she said “Did you used to work in the Melbourne place?! We went to the show yeeeaaaars ago and you were in it!” and I said ‘Oh okay’. She said “It would’ve been about nine years ago!” ‘Shit is it that long ago?!’ I kept thinking oh no, it’s a similar costume – it must be one of the newer cast and she says “No, it was you!”

Q: Sin & Tonic was released on the 4th of June – what goes into the creation of a show like this?

Rudi: The show itself is developed in our Melbourne venue. It will do a twelve month run in Melbourne after being developed, then it waits about 18 months until it arrives in our theatre when we take it over. So what happens is we tend to…what’s the word for it-

Richard: Embellish it?

Rudi: Yeah, embellish it. Make it our own, ‘soup it up’ a bit.

Richard: Well the beauty with here…I don’t know if you have been to the Melbourne venue?

Q: No

Richard: It’s pretty much half the size of this one. Both physically and with the staging, so when a show does come up here, they’ve had a chance to run it in and they can look at the product, compare our market to the Melbourne market and audience, understanding that we have got a much bigger setup here, technology-wise, music-wise and cast-wise, so we can look at the basic canvas, flesh it out and make changes. Maybe change songs, update it, or, an act that might not work here they might take out. We’ve got a bigger cast here too-

Q: What is the difference in size?

Richard: I think they are sitting on five cast members.

Rudi: And it’s a 350 seat theatre?

Richard: 350 in the audience is full house, where as we come in just under 600.

Rudi: and we’re a cast of 7.

Q: And how many would be working on any given show night?

Rudi: Including floor staff, bar staff…?

Q: Well because the whole thing is such a great performance, it all does seem to contribute.

Rudi: There are lots of people involved. Well you’re probably looking at 40?

Richard: More than that.

Rudi: 50? Yeah, it might be more than that. I couldn’t give you the number.

Richard: We’ve got the downstairs bar that you don’t even see – that’s just the mechanical bar – there’s the upstairs bar, two kitchens…

Q: Almost a staff member for every ten people.

Richard: Yeah, something like that. Probably up to 10 of us working the theatre.

Rudi: Sound, wardrobe, photos. When I first started we were employing 150, and that was across the Dracula’s banner. That’s 150 employees running the shop in Surfer’s Paradise, the development facility in Burleigh, where will build props and make costumes, have storage and all the merchandise.

Q: How have the shows developed since you guys started? Have they gotten edgier and edgier?

Richard: Edgier definitely. Bigger is another description. In the time that we’ve been here, the theatre and the venue has grown considerably. Half of the building that is here now used to just be carpark. They went through a refurbishment of the venue that included the main theatre, the auditorium, they built a new roof and ceiling ontop of the existing one that was there. I think we took one night off and they removed the old ceiling to reveal the stadium style seating that now exists. What was only about six rows upstairs now extends to twenty, isn’t it?…

Rudi: Yeah.

Richard: …from the front to the back. And that meant they also had to extend the stage, which only had the lower levels. It had three, but they were all lower levels, so they had to build all the higher levels and the [ceiling] tracks. So they had to take the theatre and make it three dimensional, because there were people sitting right up the top who weren’t necessarily going to get the same impact.

Rudi: We had to bring the show to them, so to speak.

Richard: Yeah, so in our time that has increased and changed for us. We’ll get a new challenge, you know they say “You’re going to be flying through the room, or you’re going to be submerged in a water tank” and you say “Woah, okay, there’s another one! Didn’t think I’d be doing that!”

Rudi: And certainly the live music element. Five or six years ago the music wasn’t as live. We relied a lot more on the backing track whereas now we try and play as much live music as we possibly can. It increases the energy and the sound in the room. It’s just raw and bigger and better.

Richard: Yeah that’s true. It has changed. In my early days we would usually have a live guitarist because that’s such a visual thing, but we certainly had no other live musicians. It was all on the backing track – we even had some vocals on the backing track. So if you weren’t the lead singer or the performer on stage, you didn’t have to sing. You’d be in the wings, getting ready for the next number, whereas now we do a lot of what is called booth singing, which is where you might be in the wings waiting for the next act or you might be in the dressing room changing but you’re actually singing a harmony or along with the performers on stage, live. And that’s changed – it’s become more regular for us.

Rudi: We used to have backing tracks that had full production with drums, bass, guitars, had some vocals in there, whereas now a lot of our backing tracks are just a tick-track to keep us in time and help with the arrangement.

Q: And in terms of the show’s content? Has the comedy that you go become edgier?

Richard: We’ve always been edgy, but it is getting edgier.

Rudi: I’ve always said, due to the themes and the horror theme, it’s a “license for murder” as I’ve called it. We can get quite morbid in our style of humour, where you couldn’t get away with it normally.

Q: I’m sure 5 or 10 years ago it was easier to shock people.

Rudi: Yeah, well you could get away with different things five or ten years ago. We are certainly more PC these days with certain things, but not with others.

Q: What does Sin & Tonic bring differently to Transfusion, your last show?

Richard: It’s a whole new format. That’s one thing. We get a lot of return customers who have been before in the first couple of weeks, and they’re all commenting on the new format, the running of the night. They’re enjoying it. We have amped up the comedy, and I think it’s a more visual show as well. There is a lot of beautiful burlesque style imagery in all of the aerial work that we do and I think that the sensuality and the sexuality is there, it’s always been there but it’s more prominent. One of the directions that we get as performers on stage together, all of us on stage, they want us to have in our mind that ‘yes, we’re vampires, but we’re all in bed together-

Q: Haha, right

Richard -and we’ve just got up to put on a show’ and that’s where our sexuality comes off amongst all of us.

Q: Those are definitely the comments I’ve heard from others who have been before, that it’s edgier, it’s more vulgar and it’s more sexual.

Rudi: It definitely sparks the imagination. Certainly the costumes “look” a lot less, like the girls are more scantily clad, but they’re very well made the girls feel very safe inside them. It’s the look that helps it become edgier.

Q: What are your roles behind the scenes in terms of development?

Richard: Well we, more than other cast members, just because we have been doing it so long, and we’ve been working together so long – particularly with the standup – we do sit down with the producer/writer of that material, Marc Newman, separate to the main rehearsal process, and discuss his vision for it. He just has the material and we go away and produce it up from there. And then we will come back and present it to him. It’s something we are very hands-on with. I suppose, being senior cast members, we try and take new cast members under our wing, show them how things work. We have to try and remember, for their sake, what this beast is like. There is a bit of mentoring as well. And Rudi gets the opportunity to play bass and work with the musicians in that area.

Rudi: We are given some material before we begin a very intense, three-week rehearsal period to get our heads around some dialogue, so then when we can start blocking things and working on running the show. A lot of things go into the theatre over that three weeks. Being senior members of staff, we’re performing the night show as well as rehearsing during the day.

Richard: This week we are still in opening mode. Even though it’s our second week. I call it “diving into a washing machine that is on heavy load”. You’re suddenly in rehearsal period. You’re doing rehearsals from nine to five, then you’re in show mode from five to twelve, you go home, sleep, try and learn stuff, come in. And you do that for three weeks and then “Bang!” suddenly you’re open, and then you still have days of clean ups, and touch ups and then there are media calls. I think this will be our first weekend of being back to normality, where we were five weeks ago. We don’t have to think about it anymore-

Rudi: To a certain extent.

Richard: Yeah. The physicality is more relaxed, our bodies are used to it. With every new show, everybody loses a lot of weight during rehearsal. We all find new injury points too. “Why does my thigh hurt suddenly! Why is there a bruise there?” But once you settle into it, it all disappears and becomes normal. And that’s what we look forward to.

Rudi: We get what you call performers fitness. Your body comes to the party, your voice comes to the party, and everything is oiled, well working – it’s got grease. 

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I’ve never been to Dracula’s before. In fact, by the sound of things, I might be the only person who came to the Gold Coast never having heard of it. To be honest, a visit to the 30 year old cabaret restaurant wasn’t really something on my radar – really? Dinner theatre? That’s why checking out Dracula’s new show, Sin & Tonic, with uncertain expectations left me blown away by the exceptional, dark comedy and unrestrained vulgarity that was served to me alongside dinner.

From the moment you walk onto the parking lot, you’re surrounded by a dark atmosphere curated by committed, costumed staff. The men are pierced and acrobatic and the girls are gorgeous and flirtatious – it doesn’t take long for you to get into the mood. It helps that nobody takes themselves too seriously – nothing feels forced and you really are drawn into the night without even realising it.

Actually getting into Dracula’s is a performance in itself. One moment you are outside chatting with fanged staff and the next you’re locked in a dark room where animatronic creatures come to life before being let through into a cocktail lounge fully decked out in vampiric décor. Deep house music welcomes you as you reach the bar and there is plenty of eye-candy – from the wall features to the cage dancers – to look at while you relax, have a drink and mingle with other patrons. This area is cool in its own right, and definitely one of the only themed “night clubs” that I’ve been in that didn’t feel tacky.

One room that piqued my interest was the ‘Oxygen Massage’ area which I only learned about after the show. At the bar you can request a hospital grade nasal tube to hook into a giant massage chair. Lesbian vampire porn plays on the screen infront of you and you enjoy a massage while oxygen is pumped through the tube into your nose. Awesome.

After hanging in the bar a while, it’s time to head to the theatre. Making our way down some grim looking stairs, with ghouls banging on the doors behind us and faint screaming off in the distance, we board the ghost train that would take us to the theatre itself. It’s short, but the train definitely sets the mood for you to enter the dining area, where scantily-clad waiters and waitresses are busy serving drinks, taking orders and joking with the crowd.

The show is broken up into segments, and it’s an absolute riot. It’s glam-rock at points, it’s dark, it’s hilarious and it’s incredibly vulgar. As I said, with the words “cabaret” and “dinner theatre” in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect (I cringe very easily), but Sin & Tonic is funny, it’s rude and it’s definitely sexy. With a mixture of live music, straightforward stand-up, prop gags, burlesque, semi-nude contortionism, airborne acrobatics and a backflipping guitarist suspended in mid-air, it’s an incredible mixture of different elements but, by the end of the night, it all seems to have blended perfectly together. The music is live, the show feels polished where it should be, raw when it needs to be and, just to top it off, the food was great too. My seared eye fillet of beef with bacon and bernaise sauce was the best bit of cow I’ve had in quite a while.

Sin & Tonic is the new show at Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant that opened on the 4th of June. Even if you’ve been to Dracula’s before, maybe to see the last show, Transfusion, during its run, it’s enough to warrant another visit. It’s raunchier, the comedy is edgier and it’s a dark turn from the glam of previous shows

If you’ve never visited Dracula’s, or you’ve been a little hesitant about checking it out, go. Just go. It’s a great time and one of the best nights out in the Gold Coast. If you know somebody who has never been or if you have friends and family visiting, it’s a fantastic show and the perfect experience gift for anyone with a sense of humour. Show are running from Tuesday till Saturday at the moment, so there is plenty of opportunity to check out Dracula’s on a night that suits you.  You can find tickets to Dracula’s new show, Sin & Tonic, online at Gift It Now. B Reserve tickets are standard, while A Reserve tickets guarantee you early entry, one of the best seats in the house, complimentary champagne, canapés and VIP treatment throughout the night.

If you’re in Melbourne, you can check out the latest production, ‘Spiderlash‘, a thrilling show that features a mix of live rock music, novelty comedy acts and everything essential to the perfect Dracula’s experience.

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My partner has been pestering me about visiting a zoo to cuddle a Koala for months. Coming from Canberra (where Koala cuddling is no longer allowed), she has been excited by the opportunity to give one of her favourite little marsupials a hug. Our friends at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary gave both of us the chance to make the drive to Brisbane and visit over the weekend, meet the animals and, more importantly for Siobhan, cuddle a Koala.

The park itself might not be the biggest in terms of acreage, but it certainly does feel open and very friendly. As a New Zealander with very little experience encountering some of Australia’s more iconic wildlife, I was quite excited to put faces to names – maybe even figure out the difference between Taz the cartoon and a real-life Tasmanian Devil. With the sounds of native birdlife in the air and armed with a map to guide us, we set off to find a Koala to cuddle; Siobhan getting more excited with every step we took.

The first thing you’ll see when entering the zoo is the colourful array of parrot, cockatoo and the iconic kookaburra near the entrance to greet you. It might be little more than a novelty to some of you Australians, but I was quite excited by the kookaburra (which looked just like a stuffed toy that I had when I was younger; fat and fluffy-headed) and the cockatoo that welcomed me with a croaky “hello” when I got close. 

The first Koalas we came across were in the male enclosure. With purpose-built branches and trees offering plenty of room for climbing and sleeping, the open-air enclosures are cage-less and bar-less, letting you get very close to the animals. Early in the morning, most of the koalas were still sleeping, dozing or lazily looking out at the visitors to the sanctuary.

Koala Cuddling

In the middle of the park, the Koala cuddling and photo area already had a few people milling around at 10am (just an hour after Lone Pine opens) with plenty of hugs being given by some very friendly Koalas. I don’t know if I’ve made this clear enough, but Siobhan really loves Koalas. She has been so excited about hugging one and so emotional that it reminded me of Kristen Bell’s Sloth obsession. When she saw other people hugging Koalas and she realised that she would have the chance to do so soon she started hyperventilating and told me that she wasn’t mentally prepared yet so we would have to come back later. I found this hilarious, and we continued on to meet some of the younger animals in the Koala Kindergarten enclosure and to find a Wombat so that I could learn what they were.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary also features a huge number of activities and presentations throughout the day. If you follow their schedule, you can meet all of the animals and learn about them and the park from some very knowledgable keepers.

Timetable

• 9:45 – Wild Lorikeet Feeding
  
  

  One of the Kangaroos at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

• 10:00 – Barn Animal Encounter
• 10:30 – Sheep Dog Show
• 11:30 – Wildlife Encounter
• 12:00 – Koala Presentation
• 12:30 – Bird of Prey Flight Show
• 12:45 – Bird of Prey Photographs
• 1:00 – Sheep Dog & Sheep Shearing Show
• 1:45 – Snake & Crocodile Photographs
• 2:00 – Koala Presentation
• 2:30 – Platypus Feed & Presentation
• 2:45 – Tasmanian Devil Feed & Presentation
• 3:00 – Barn Animal Encounter
• 3:30 – Sheep Dog & Shearing Show
• 4:00 – Wild Lorikeet Feeding

All of the keepers in the park are great – they’re friendly, helpful and incredibly knowledgable about the animal’s and the park’s history.

Kangaroos and Wallabies

After snapping a picture of a very sleepy Wombat, we headed to the 5 acre Kangaroo and Wallaby reserve. There are Eastern Grey and Red Kangaroos, Red Neck and Swamp Wallabies and a few emus wandering around as well. I was even able to learn the difference between a Kangaroo and a Wallaby – quite an achievement for a New Zealander! You can pick up Kangaroo feed from the general store and get close to a few of the animals in this big, open area. We hung out with a couple and Siobhan even faced her fear of birds and touched an Emu.

We arrived a little late for the Sheep Dog Show, but we spent some time with the barn animals before we headed back so Siobhan could finally meet and cuddle a Koala.

It was a very emotional five minute wait in line, but she made it and finally got to cuddle the adorable little Koala named Utopia with a huge grin on her face.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary really does offer a great day out and some of the coolest animal encounters and wildlife experiences in the country. If you’re looking for tickets to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and the perfect experience gift for anyone who loves animals, you can find them online at Gift It Now. Don’t forget to check out Lone Pine’s Facebook, Twitter, and the Gift It Now Facebook and Twitter too.

 

By Josh Armstrong

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Welcome to the fifth post in our series ‘How to Give a Perfect Gift’. Worried that your boyfriend is planning on leaving? Scared that your child is going to take that job overseas? Convince them to stay with a “gift that keeps on giving”, or one that requires a significant ongoing financial commitment from them!

With just a bit of Guilt & Coercion, in your gift, you can keep anyone around for as long as you like.

 

Basic: Gym Memberships

Nothing quite tells your loved one that they need to lose some damn weight while simultaneously binding them into a longterm financial commitment than faking their signature on a gym membership. The longer the term, the more expensive it will be for them to get out of it! All you need to do is “borrow” a couple of pieces of ID and a recent bank statement – then it’s a simple signature forgery and they’re all signed up; it couldn’t be easier! They’ll lose weight and, with any luck, the financial obligation will allow you to keep them a little more firmly under your thumb.

 

Intermediate: Pets

There’s a pet suitable for any occasion depending on how long you need to keep your loved one around. Don’t want your husband to head off on that stag weekend with his buddies? Just pick him up a goldfish to keep him home for the weekend. Worried that your child might head overseas when they get out of high school? Buying them a puppy a few months before graduation will form an emotional bond that they’ll have a very difficult time breaking!

But what about the ultimate pet? The perfect solution to keeping them committed and stationary for the long-term?

 

Buy them a Sugar Glider.

A Sugar Glider might be the pet that requires the most significant commitment EVER. They live for ages, typically 12 but often as long as 15-17 years, and they require constant attention. They are highly social and require and abundance of ‘bonding’; owners practically have to carry them around in a pouch for twelve hours of the day. What’s even better is that they’re illegal to keep in a number of countries around the world, meaning future travel plans come grinding to a halt. They won’t be able to leave once they’ve formed an attachment to their new, furry little friend!

Did I mention that they’re one of the cutest little things in the world? Perfect, right?! They won’t even realise that they are trapped until it’s too late. Once their new little friend is in their life, they’ll feel far too guilty to ever leave the house, let alone the country! It’s the perfect idea for someone who can’t say no to a cute, furry little animal.

 

Hard Mode: Fake a Pregnancy

What could guilt someone into sticking around better than life’s greatest gift? If you’re worried that a boyfriend is about to take off – maybe you’ve noticed he looks flighty when you spend time together or maybe you’re just paranoid and insane – either way, it doesn’t take a much to fake a good pregnancy!

The first couple of months are the easiest, but what happens after month three? There are two popular routes you can take.

• The pregnancy prosthetic is easiest – just start small and keep upping the size as time goes on! There is literally no commitment, but you do run the risk of being found out. If you’re worried about being caught in a lie, you could always look to the alternatie…
• Eat more, walk less. Seriously! It’s that easy. Push your stomach out a bit and eat as much wheat and carbohydrates as you can to keep you looking bloated. He probably won’t notice a bit of extra flesh around your face and thighs when he’s busy worrying that his life is falling down around him, so putting on a bit of weight on probably won’t raise his suspicions as long as your stomach keeps getting bigger.

BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENS?!

This is where the plan jumps up from Hard Mode to Extreme. If 9 months isn’t long enough, what do you do when there’s no baby? That’s when it’s time to adopt! They’ll think the kid is theirs and you will have successfully guilted them into hanging around without having gone through any pregnancy at all. What could possibly go wrong?!

 

Looking to Shower Them in Love Instead of Faking a Baby Shower?

Of course, if you’d rather not ruin their life, you could give a Gift It Now experience gift for the two of you instead! Faking a pregnancy too much effort? Why not treat him to a V8 Race Car Experience in Brisbane? Hesitant about bribing your child with a commitment to a pet? Why not give them something fun like a dolphin swim in Adelaide or a skydive over Great Ocean Road. Don’t strap on the prosthetics and forget trying to guilt them into sticking around – nobody likes crazy! Find the perfect gift idea at Gif It Now and give an experience gift that says “you’re awesome” instead of one that screams “DON’T LEAVE ME!”.

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We caught up with Brendan Kelly, Operations Manager and one of the Shark Dive instructors for Shark Dive Xtreme at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary. A perfect opportunity to ask some questions about one of the coolest adventures in Sydney!

What is your role at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary?

My role at Shark Dive Xtreme in Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary is to take people diving with our 3.7m critically endangered Grey Nurse sharks (also known as Sand Tiger sharks or Ragged Tooth sharks), sea turtles, stingrays and a vast array of other marine life.
I educate guests as to why it is so important to have these creatures within aquariums such as ours and show them first hand up close and personal, that sharks should be respected and not feared, and that they are not the ‘man eaters’ popular media would have people believe.

What is usually on the day’s itinerary for you and other divers?

Our usual itinerary consists of a daily toolbox meeting to discuss the day ahead and highlight any special events we may be undertaking such as VIP or media dives, we ensure that our dive manifest is complete and we are aware of how many divers we will be introducing to the sharks that day. Safety checks are carried out on all of our emergency/first aid equipment and by 830am we are setting up all the scuba equipment in readiness for the first dive at 9am.  Generally we carry out three or four dives a day. Although in the event that we are not diving there is always something to be done around the dive shop, whether that be routine maintenance of scuba equipment, archiving of recent dive imagery, managing our Facebook and Twitter accounts or writing our blog. There is never a dull moment at Shark Dive Xtreme.

Who are some of the most interesting inhabitants in your tanks?

Sea Biscuit is a juvenile Green Sea Turtle who is just over 2 years of age and one of the most gregarious animals we have in the aquarium. She was washed ashore on a local beach with a severely injured left flipper following stormy weather in April 2009. At this time she weighed just over 80 grams and was brought to Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary where she has been rehabilitated. Unfortunately, she lost her left flipper due to it being so badly damaged, but with the encouragement of food as a reward and the patience of Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary staff, Sea Biscuit has learn how to dive and swim using only her three remaining flippers. As sea turtles use their front flippers to propel their bodies through the water, Sea Biscuit has to work a little harder with her right flipper to dive, but she is able to do so extremely well. She currently weighs in excess of 30 kg but as she continues to grow, she will be re-assessed for suitability for release.

Murdoch is one of our newest Grey Nurse Shark pups, born on 6^th February 2007. He was named by a couple who were married on Scuba, here in our aquarium. Murdoch means ‘keeper of the sea’ in Scottish and is therefore a very apt name. He measured 110cm long at birth and was the first born for his mother Pallas. This birth was a very rare event – Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary is one of only 3 aquariums worldwide to successfully breed Grey Nurse Sharks in captivity. He now measures approximately 2.4 meters in length.

I know you guys do breeding and rescue work – what kind of programs does Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary have in place for marine animals?

The key messages for all of Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary visitors is that we are striving to become a leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of injured wild marine animals as well as a pioneer of breeding programs to help safeguard the future of some of our most endangered species;

BREED: Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary has had some great success with breeding, and we’re hoping to continue our impressive breeding record with our new penguins, as well as many more sharks and other species. We’re one of just three aquariums around the world that has successfully bred the critically endangered Grey Nurse shark in captivity, and we’re hoping Murdoch (born here in 2007) and Freckles can continue our breeding success. We have bred a range of sharks which can be seen from egg stage, to babies and through to adults in various areas within the Sanctuary. SEA LIFE aquariums worldwide are also forerunners in seahorse breeding programs, and we are hoping to breed many more of these beautiful creatures.

RESCUE: Many of our favourite animals here at SEA LIFE were rescued, like Sea Biscuit & Buoy the Sea Turtles and Tassie the Smooth Stingray. Over the years our team has responded to many calls from the public to assist animals in the wild. Some of these calls involve untangling animals, or helping them back to the water. Others require us to bring the animals back to Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary to provide care and treatment. We’ve rescued and rehabilitated a range of turtles (fresh and marine), eagle rays, sharks and sea snakes. Our new and improved facilities will help us take in more sea turtles and seabirds, as well as helping our local penguin colony right here in Manly Cove

PROTECT: By protecting local habitats as well as educating people about their contribution to conservation, we’re hoping to protect both animals and their homes. Through our breeding programs we hope to protect genetic diversity within the Little Penguin population, and work together with penguin wardens to look after our local residents. Our tours and informative displays also teach people about their impacts on the ocean and its wildlife.

Guests will get up close and personal with critically endangered Grey Nurse sharks, the largest of which is 3.7 meters in length.  They will also encounter Port Jackson sharks, Wobbegong sharks and a plethora of other marine creatures such as turtles, huge stingrays and countless other fish species.

How long is a shark dive and what does one involve?

The entire experience takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete and is broken in to three distinct parts.  The first being a tunnel tour or dive briefing where we introduce our guests to the sharks and other marine animals from the safety of the viewing tunnel and explain exactly what they can expect on the dive itself. For the second section we bring guests into our classroom to complete some necessary paperwork and to commence training on the use of scuba equipment, introduce the skills that will be completed during pool training and cover safety aspects of the dive.  Finally we make our way down to the changing area and issue guests with thermal protection in the form of wetsuit before entering the training pool to learn how, and become comfortable with, breathing underwater. Once everyone is happy and comfortable we enter the aquarium to meet the sharks on a 30 minute dive.  Once the experience is complete and we are back in the Shark Dive Xtreme office we begin a slideshow of pictures and video that the instructor has taken during the dive.  This is a fantastic opportunity to relive the experience and to see some amazing images of huge sharks cruising within inches of the guests. 

Your favourite part of the job?

Without doubt my favourite aspect of the job is the interaction with our guests, to be able to take people diving with sharks and to help them overcome anxieties and fears, whether those are imagined or otherwise is amazing.  In particular to see their smiling faces once the experience is complete – the exhilaration and excitement people feel is second to known and guests always leave with an unforgettable memory.  It is also a great privilege to be able to interact with these critically endangered marine creatures in such close proximity, it gives me great insight into their behavior and mannerisms.

Why should people check out Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary in Sydney, and what makes a shark dive one of the best experience gifts in the world?

There is so much to see and do here at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary, our interactive rock pool is filled with weird and wonderful critters all within arms reach.  Feeding times at the aquarium are a highlight of the day for everyone involved, these encompass everything thing from our smallest Seahorse to the largest Grey Nurse Sharks, Rays and Turtles…  Visitors can also meet our resident colony of Little Penguins at ‘Penguin Cove’.  This is an area where visitors can see and learn about Little Penguins all year round. The Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary penguin colony is made up of captive bred and surplus animals from other institutions in line with the Australian species management plan for the Little Penguins.

Diving with sharks at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary, is an exhilarating experience, and one of only a few experiences worldwide where you’re guaranteed an underwater encounter with sharks. Our colony of Grey Nurse Sharks range in size from 2 to nearly 4 meters in length and when diving with us, you get to enter their domain – without cages…  …and if anyone is feeling even more adventurous, then we also offer Shark Feed Xtreme which provides an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have ‘in-water’ front row seats while our sharks, stingrays, turtles and fish are hand-fed by our experienced staff. Shark Feed Xtreme is also suitable for first time divers, as well as being an amazing thrill for divers with experience.

 

Thanks Brendan for a glimpse into life at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary and a very cool, in-depth look at the work that they do, shark diving and why a visit to the aquarium is one of the best things to do in Sydney. A Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary Shark Dive Xtreme is one of the most exciting experience gift vouchers that we have available from the Gift It Now online store, and it’s a great present for anybody who loves animals or has a fascination with life underwater.

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Welcome to the fourth post in our series ‘How to Give a Perfect Gift’. Looking to give a gift with that personal touch? Hopefully you’ll find a few ideas in this week’s blog.

This week we’ll be taking a look at five gifts you can make with parts of your body.

Cushions and Pillows

The bedroom is one of the most intimate places in the home. It’s warm, cosy and safe – so why not weave a little bit of yourself into the bedroom of your recipient? Collect hair clippings, shaving stubble or even just go bald for a few months and give them the perfect bedtime gift by using your own hair as pillow stuffer. It’s luxurious, soft, comfortable; to be honest, bedtime couldn’t get more personal!

Books

Writing a short novel, a book of memories or a collection of poetry or short stories can make for a great gift, but why not “wrap it up” in something a little more unique? Borrowing from the idea of 19^th century highwayman James Allen, bind your book with your own skin instead of leather or paper for something that really says something about you. A book, or anything bound in your own skin for that matter, is sure to serve as a great conversation starter even if nobody wants to touch the thing!

Scale Models

What better use for those toenail clippings you’ve been saving all of these years than for a scale model? Recreate your favourite landmark, a ship if they enjoy sailing or a car if they have a favourite. With a bit of super-glue and several years of twisted, gnarled nail clippings, you can make a semi-permanent sculpture that will be hard to look away from! If they’re the creative type, you could even provide the materials and leave the work up to them.

Give a Kidney or Your Appendix!

Turn your useless organs into wonderful gifts! Your appendix isn’t up to much and, unless you’re planning to run around a lot in the future, you can probably do without a kidney. The truly committed might want to give a bit of liver, but you never know what the future holds so it’s probably best to start off small. All you need is a bit of formaldehyde solution for treatment and some ethyl alcohol in a jar for preservation, and then they’ll get to enjoy a piece of you in their home even when you’re not around.

 

 Jewellery

Jewellery doesn’t have to be expensive to make an impact! You can find anything, from bones to teeth, suitable to push a string through! It’s easy to make a fashionable necklace or a gorgeous set of earrings with nothing more than a hammer and some determination.

 

Fond of Your Organs?

Don’t want to give up too much of yourself too early? Of course, you could always just give an experience gift voucher from Gift It Now. With everything from shark diving in Sydney to dining in Melbourne, you can find the perfect gift voucher for anyone from our online gift store, without having to knock a tooth out of your mouth.

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Just like Melbourne, Queensland’s capital has plenty going on. Brisbane is a huge city with plenty to offer visitors and locals who are looking to have some fun. As it’s nestled in between the Sunshine Coast to the north and the Gold Coast to the south people often forget that Brisbane is one of the most exciting destinations in the country.

Make sure you check out a few of these Brisbane activities and attractions during your stay and get the most out of the city while you’re visiting. You’ll find a few Brisbane experience gift ideas from the Gift It Now store below, and some of the ‘absolute musts’ as well.

Check Out the Story Bridge

As well as the Brisbane Story Bridge Climb, the river loop walk takes you through the Botanical Gardens, over Goodwill Bridge and up to the Kangaroo Point Cliff stairs. It’s a bit of an ‘urban hike’ if you like, and it’s absolutely beautiful during the evening.

Visit Southbank Parklands

With plenty on for free, public beaches, lagoons and picnic areas, Southbank is the perfect place to explore for an afternoon. When evening comes, check out Little Stanley’s cosmopolitan strip where you’ll find bars, restaurants and a few boutiques as well.

See a Screening at the Moonlight Cinema

Located in New Farm Park at the Brisbane Powerhouse, the Moonlight Cinema is an open air cinema where you can see contemporary, classic and cult movies during the summer. If you’re in Brisbane during the warmer months, packing a picnic and enjoying a movie in the park is an absolute must.

Enjoy the Exhibitions at Milani Gallery

Specialising in contemporary Australian art, the Milani Gallery on Logan Road is often cited among the best in the city. Take some time to check out the latest exhibitions and enjoy some local culture.

Get the Most Out of the Night Life

Brisbane’s renowned club, The Zoo, is one of the longest-standing venues in the city. It’s the best place to catch a gig and a highlight of the city’s nightlife.

 

Spend the Day on a Wine Tour

Relax and unwind on a wine tour of top vineyards like Sirromet Winery. You’ll find a number of award-winning wineries and cellar doors throughout the region.

Meet Australian Wildlife

There are plenty of opportunities to meet the cuddliest, most ferocious and the most iconic Australian animals in Brisbane. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s first koala sanctuary. With Australia Zoo in Beerwah, the most impressive in the country, not far from Brisbane there are plenty of opportunities to get close to some of the most interesting creatures on the planet.

 

Give a Great Brisbane Gift Ideas

Of course, at Gift It Now, experience gifts are what we do. With a huge range of Brisbane gift ideas, gift vouchers and gift certificates, you can find a number of very cool day trips, activities and best bits of Brisbane to give to friends, loved ones and family.

Give someone a cool Brisbane experience gift, and help them get the most out of their stay in the city.

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Welcome to the third post in our series ‘How to Give a Perfect Gift’. Got a gift but forgot the wrapping paper? Don’t want to pay for expensive wrapping from the store? These tips should help you in the right direction.

Today’s gift-giving guide topic is alternative gift wrapping.

Newspaper

The obvious, go-to alternative wrapping solution is newspaper. With the print media industry currently halfway flushed down the toilet, why not take that daily subscription you never read and put it to good use? Newspaper is cheap, it’s accessible and it isn’t transparent! You might look like you’re gifting an order of fish and chips, and it is true that newspaper is commonly used by the homeless as makeshift blankets, but if you have it lying around the house then why not put it to good use?

Raid the Recycling Bin

I actually found this tip on some hippy blog. If they won’t mind potentially inappropriate documents, maybe bank and credit card statements, as well as the occasional piece of gum, why not just raid your recycling bin and use whatever you find in there to wrap the gift? The best part is, if you don’t have any tape, you can use the gum to stick it all together too!

An Old T-Shirt

Have an old t-shirt that you don’t use? Don’t give it to charity – use it to wrap up a gift for a loved one! You can use a stapler or you can just tie knots over all the holes, tape isn’t even necessary for this ideal solution to a modern-day inconvenience. If you’re trying to be eco-friendly, make sure you don’t waste the laundry detergent and water washing it either.

Use the Earth

Literally! Use the earth. If you don’t want to spend money on paper wrapping and all of your clothes are just too precious, you could always head outside to find a gift wrap solution. Rip the leaves off some trees and stick them together around your present – Mother Nature won’t care and the recipient will think you were trying to be artistic: they probably won’t have any idea that you were too much of a cheapskate to buy giftwrap.

Old Magazines

The genius of this idea is that they don’t even have to be yours! A lot of Doctors’ waiting rooms have complimentary magazines on the tables: just rip a few pages out during your next visit and save them for your next gift-giving occasion.

Reuse Old Boxes

Another trip to the recycling bin will yield at least a few cereal boxes if you’re anything like me. They’re great for books or pretty much anything else you can fit in them, and, if you managed to take care of the box during use, you can just use the flip tab to secure it closed too!

Just Use a Plastic Bag
And treat yourself with a little something from Coles while you’re at it.

Use a Tea Towel

Everybody has a few extra tea towels lying around that they wouldn’t mind losing! If you don’t have any of your own, pocket one of your friends’. With just a couple of safety pins, it’s easy to make the perfect wrapping for any gift!

 

 

Want to Leave a Better Impression?

Of course, you could always grab an online gift voucher from Gift It Now. Our online gift store offers a huge range of fantastic experience gifts, gift baskets and gift certificates. You won’t have to worry about the wrapping – and with Sydney gift ideas, Melbourne gift ideas, Perth gift ideas and gifts all over the country, you can find the perfect gift from us every time you need one. Instead of a pair of socks in a plastic bag, what about shark diving in Melbourne? Instead of a 3D puzzle wrapped up in leaves, what about an Australia skydiving experience? With a huge range of fantastic gift ideas, you’ll always find something perfect from Gift It Now.

And, for Mother’s Day…

Because we know you might not have gotten Mum a gift yet, you can go in the draw to win a $100 Gift It Now gift certificate! Just like us on Facebook and click here to enter.

 

By Josh Armstrong

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Victoria’s capital is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia – people from all over the world make their way to Melbourne every year to check out the culture, the arts and the excitement in one of Australia’s coolest cities.

Looking for a great Melbourne gift idea or experience? Check out some of the best places to visit in Melbourne.

Shark Dive at Melbourne Aquarium

Melbourne Aquarium is impressive enough, but what’s really cool is their shark dive. Jump in for some one-on-one time with the ocean’s swiftest predators.

Hot Air Ballooning

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? It’s an incredible experience, and one of the best views you’ll get of the city.

Check Out Mornington Peninsula

South of Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula offers spectacular views. Hang out on the beach or even give horse riding a try – it’s not just about the city you know!

Learn to Surf

Learning to surf is a must for tourists – how could you visit Australia without giving it a go?

Great Ocean Road

Nearby Melbourne City, Great Ocean Road makes for an excellent day out. Check out Bells Beach, home of the Rip Curl Pro, the longest running surf competition in the world.

Skydiving

Do we mention skydiving enough on this blog? But seriously! If there’s a place to do it, it’s Melbourne. The view of the coast, the city, the water all comes together to form an incredible experience.

See the City from Eureka Skydeck 88

Head up to the 88^th floor of Eureka Tower in the centre of Melbourne and check out and impressive 360 degree view of the city.

Queen Victoria Market

Iconic of Melbourne the Queen Victoria Market features a huge variety of produce, meats, seafoods as well as clothing, jewellery and crafts stalls. Open every day of the week except Mondays and Wednesdays.

Melbourne Museum

Incredible exhibitions, over 8 galleries and new displays all the time – Melbourne Museum is one of the best.

Bourke St Mall

Home to literally hundreds of businesses, Bourke St Mall is impressive to say the least. If you’re looking for a busy and eclectic place to shop, there’s nowhere better to be.

Golfing

If you enjoy a round of golf, you’ll find plenty of courses to spend a day on like Settlers Run in Cranbourne South.

Caving at Yarra Valley

Yarra Valley, around an hour from Melbourne City, is an excellent place to take a guided cave tour. It’s definitely challenging – one of the most exciting natural adventures available.

Festivals

Time-sensitive, but if you get the chance to visit one of Melbourne’s annual festivals, make sure you check them out. Melbourne International Arts Festival, International Film Festival, Fringe Festival, the International Comedy Festival and Moomba, Australia’s largest free community festival, to name a few.

Visit Federation Square

Host to more than 2000 events a year, Federation Square is a must-visit for arts, culture, festivals, performances and films. There’s always something on, cafes to visit and art galleries too.

Eat

Melbourne is home to a number of fantastic restaurants and dining experiences. Top restaurant Attica, in Ripponlea, is ranked 63 internationally – if you get the chance, it’s an absolute must.

Drink

Err – not to excess? Victoria does boast a number of top-rated and award-winning vineyards and wineries. Check out the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula regions in particular.

With so much on, so much to see and so much to do, Melbourne has to be one of the most exciting destinations in Australia. If you know someone who is living in or visiting Melbourne, why not treat them to a Melbourne experience gift voucher from Gift it Now? We have gift certificates for some of the best things to do in Melbourne – make someone’s day with a unique gift idea from us!

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With Mother’s Day coming up, we thought we’d create a neat little Gift It Now infographic on Mother’s Day, what it costs and how the money flows. Boasting a pretty nifty range of gifts for Mother’s Day in Australia, we think we’re definitely the best place for the annual $14.6 billion dollars that goes toward Mum!

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