Good Weekend newsletter
The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Good Weekend podcast
Behind GW’s best features: we go deeper into our most intriguing issues.
Daily Sudoku
Challenge yourself with today’s four difficulty levels.
Is the Mickleham quarantine facility a $200 million white elephant?
NSW’s move to effectively end quarantine for most travellers by opening up international borders to those who are vaccinated has raised questions over the future of the centre being built in Melbourne’s north.
How COVID-19 amplified Australia Post’s parcel boom
This is what it’s like to work at Australia Post during the busiest period in its history, with 10 million parcels delivered a week.
US to allow vaccinated foreign visitors: White House
Restrictions on non-US citizens were first imposed on air travellers from China in January 2020 without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.
Trick or treating to go ahead as hopes soar of a near-normal Halloween
Halloween celebrations will proceed under loosened COVID-19 restrictions, providing a much-needed event for kids to focus on after weeks of lockdown.
Nation’s biggest super fund in battle over Melbourne golf course development
The nation’s biggest super fund wants to turn a golf course in Melbourne’s south-east into housing. Residents, the local MP and Kingston Council aren’t happy.
‘Reckless use’ of E-scooters and powered skateboards turn footpaths into accident zones
Electric transport devices such as e-scooters are cluttering Melbourne’s footpaths, creating obstacles for pedestrians - especially the vision impaired.
Australia’s winemakers feel the frostiness in China relations
High on the foothills of Helan Mountain two of Australia’s biggest winemakers went looking for a way around China’s blockade.
Diners in a dash to eat out again as tables fill up fast (plus where to book right now)
Pent-up demand and diner caps have created a perfect storm that means tables are hot property. Advice from the pros? Get organised, be flexible.
The meaningless word that regularly embellishes wine labels
If you assumed wines with fashionable phrases on the label were of especially high quality, you’d be mistaken. In Australia, there are no laws that govern its use.
Likely No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis already feels like a North player
Jason Horne-Francis is the firm favourite to be the first player picked in the 2021 AFL national draft. He said he is coping with the attention and hype.
‘Stars align’ for Giddey to shine as Aussie basketball’s premier rookie
Rookie Josh Giddey ion fire heading into the new season, while the Brooklyn Nets will be grateful to have Patty Mills.
Updated
Caulfield Cup
Triumph and tragedy: Incentivise’s commanding Caulfield Cup comes after death of Sir Dragonet
Incentivise made a mess of his rivals for owners Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir on the same day their Cox Plate champion Sir Dragonet died.
Analysis
Glasgow summit
Morrison the pragmatist leads from the back on net zero
A net zero pledge from Scott Morrison is now all but certain as the political winds have shifted. But whether voters will reward the PM is an open question.
Opinion
Ask an expert
My children will inherit my estate, but I want to help a charity first
I will soon receive $400,000 following the death of a relative, and would like to use it in an altruistic manner.
George Cochrane
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello still pushes musical boundaries, from his mum’s basement
Cut adrift from his creative outlets, Tom Morello found a life raft with new album The Atlas Underground Fire.
Halloween season is the best TV season – here’s what to watch
The best viewing offers a warm, comforting tone, as well as the dark, frightening and macabre.
A cosmetic doctor’s three essential skin products
“Less is more,” according to Joseph Hkeik, who counts Rita Ora, Elle Macpherson and Cliff Richard among his clients.
weekend reads
It’s time to start dreaming our Delta Dawn
The emotional, physical and mental loss of freedom has left many of us depressed. But there are positive steps we can take to help ourselves change.
While we’ve been sleeping: art offers guidance in the last days of lockdown
From nocturnal drawings to tantalising hints of telepathy, mysterious things have happened during our long and strange slumber.
Local
Police arrest 57 people as Melbourne protests fizzle; NSW hits 80 per cent double-dosed target
Police have swarmed parks across the inner north, including Princes Park, in a bid to prevent a repeat of violent anti-lockdown protests that erupted across Melbourne last month.
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
15yo girl among Victoria’s latest COVID deaths as state records 1993 new cases
Victoria has recorded 1993 new local cases of coronavirus and seven deaths as changes to border rules mean vaccinated NSW travellers will be able to visit Victoria without quarantining before Melburnians can escape the city.
Outdoor lessons, air filters and face masks: Victorian schools ready for staged return
Schools will juggle a long list of safety measures when Melbourne’s youngest students return on Monday.
SES receives more than 375 calls as wind, rain hits Victoria
Minor landslides have been reported after rain and winds as high as 78km/h hit greater Melbourne and Victoria overnight.
Updated
Australian Grand Prix
Australian F1 Grand Prix pushed to April 2022 in bid to ease restrictions
The Australian F1 Grand Prix is listed as the third race on the 2022 calendar as authorities give the country more time to ease travel restrictions.
SEE & DO
★★½
Set on a remote farm, Lamb is more than a shaggy sheep story
Dialogue is kept to a minimum in Valdimar Johannsson’s film about a childless Icelandic couple.
From steampunk dress-ups to cyborg lovers, films capture our growing unease
This year’s SciFi Film Festival looks at life beyond the everyday.
Politics
Mandate EV charging points in new homes and offices, experts say
The uptake of electric vehicles will stagnate if apartment dwellers and those without off-street parking don’t have access to charging infrastructure.
Business
‘Jedi mind tricks’ on regulators: Ex-Boeing pilot charged over 737 MAX crashes
A former Boeing pilot has been charged with deceiving US regulators in the first prosecution related to the 737 MAX air crash tragedies.
World
‘Oleg, take it easy’: Surprise Russian thruster firing tilts space station out of position
It was the second such emergency on the station since July, when an unexpected firing of thrusters on a new Russian module briefly inverted the outpost.
Opinion
Enfolding grief within the joy of life
Kate Halfpenny
Regular columnist
Now he’s been shamed into going, Morrison must take more than spin to Glasgow
Kevin Rudd
Former Australian prime minister
Explore
Got a news tip?
Share information with our journalists securely and confidentially. Learn more
Property bydomain
Toorak home with surprising bedroom feature fetches $2m at auction
Three bidders fought it out for the stylish home in Melbourne's most expensive suburb, and one of them had not even seen the pad in person in advance.
Simple ways to invigorate your home with these new shades of happy
The launch of a new paint colour library, with an emphasis on feel-good tones that make us feel happier to be indoors, offers a chance for a refresh.
Lifestyle
Don’t expect a happy ending, Succession is sliding towards a bloodbath
As the hit HBO show launches into its third season, Australian star Sarah Snook hints at the dark twists to come.
Culture
‘The most silent of all silences’: Port Arthur massacre film opens in Tasmania
Against the wishes of some survivors, Nitram opened in Tasmania this week, at two cinemas only.
Sport
Updated
Caulfield Cup
Triumph and tragedy: Incentivise’s commanding Caulfield Cup comes after death of Sir Dragonet
Incentivise made a mess of his rivals, saluting for owners Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir on the same day their Cox Plate champion Sir Dragonet died at Moonee Valley.
Likely No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis already feels like a North Melbourne player
Jason Horne-Francis is the firm favourite to be the first player picked in the 2021 AFL national draft. He said he is coping with the attention and hype.
Updated
Australian Grand Prix
Australian F1 Grand Prix pushed to April 2022 in bid to ease restrictions
The Australian F1 Grand Prix is listed as the third race on the 2022 calendar as authorities give the country more time to ease travel restrictions.
Renegades live on the edge before grabbing first-up WBBL win
The Melbourne Renegades have begun the new WBBL season in style with a - victory over the Hobart Hurricanes.
Anderson hits back at Paine: Let’s keep Ashes chat respectable
James Anderson has called for Australians to keep the Ashes phoney war “respectable” and says that the insults can be “dangerous” for mental health.
Hickey hopes for a ‘leap of faith’ for AFLW senior coaches
Former Geelong captain Mel Hickey is a coach on the rise but admits there will need to be change in an AFLW competition that this season does not have one female senior coach.
Analysis
Spring racing carnival
Disaster and triumph in hours as Incentivise takes the cup
Ozzie Kheir and Brae Sokolski woke to news their Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet had been euthanised that morning. Hours later Incentivise helped ease their pain.
Have Your Say
Jumping the Ashes gun: let’s end the phoney war now
Do we really need two months of firing blanks at one another? The Ashes series doesn’t start until December and there is a whole World Cup in between.
Greg Baum
Sports columnist
