Mantra Blog

Arts lovers from all over Australia are set to descend upon the Gold Coast this March as the famous Bleach Festival gets underway. It's the biggest arts and culture extravaganza on the Gold Coast, welcoming a vast audience of all ages to 17 days of fun and festivity. There are more than 50 events taking place throughout...

Entires are now open for the 2015 Mooloolaba Mile, which is the second event of the Queensland Ocean Swim Series. Never fear, though - if swimming isn't your strong suit, you're more than welcome to come along and cheer on the other competitors. Taking place on 21 February, the event is a significant one on the state's ocean swim calendar. It pulls in swimmers from all over the country with its accessible 1.6km course, which is well suited to beginner and novice ocean swimmers, as well as becoming popular...

Get set to eat, drink and be merry at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival this February and March. The festival has grown to include more than 200 events each year, employing a core team of 18 staff and ringing in hundreds of volunteers to help ensure the festival is a success. It attracts a huge audience from all around Victoria and Australia each year, making it one of the biggest and best events in Melbourne, and it lights up the city's laneways, restaurants, basements and rooftops with an array of spectacular events...

Prepare yourself - one of the biggest musical acts in the world right now is coming to Australia. That's right, One Direction is heading to our shores, and you could be part of the action. The British pop act are bringing their On The Road Again tour Down Under, lighting up ALLIANZ Stadium on 7 February. The gang will then travel around the country, stopping in at Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth throughout the month. It'll be the first time in two years the loveable band has been on Aussie soil, and fans will...

Just when you think the silly season festivities are over, the Chinese New Year comes around and presents another opportunity to celebrate. The Cairns Chinese New Year Festival is organised by the Cairns and District Chinese Association Inc and has been lighting up the city each year since 2004. Along with highlighting the Chinese zodiac and its animals (2015 is year of the sheep), the festival also presents the rich cultural diversity in north Queensland. The area's Chinese heritage is...