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When you work at The New York Times, you’re spoiled for expert opinions.

Need a wine tip? Ask Eric Asimov, our chief wine critic, who was just roaming Australia earlier this month. For restaurants in Australia, there’s always Besha Rodell, our restaurant critic and columnist, who is responsible for an ever-growing list of places to try.

Then of course there are our culture critics and also our sources — the subject-specific authorities we rely on for casual guidance.

But why keep that all to ourselves?

For this week’s Australia Letter, we wanted to try something different that lets us share the love and the fun.

Below you’ll find a collection of informed tips for what to do, eat, see, drink and more over autumn in Australia, from Times journalists and local friends of The Times.

If you like it or have suggestions for how we can add to or improve a seasonal guide like this, let us know and we’ll roll out some more editions in future newsletters.

Oh, and send in your tips for what to do over autumn if we missed something worth sharing.

You know how to find us: [email protected].

We’ll put a selection of your recommendations in the next Australia Letter.

Enjoy!

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If You Stay In …

What to Eat (and Take Home):

Stracciatella from La Latteria

104 Elgin Street, Carlton, Melbourne. lalatteria.com.au

“Lately I’ve been obsessed with their stracciatella, the (very) soft cheese that is basically like the center of burrata without the more solid stretchy exterior. I love to grab a loaf of bread, a tub of stracciatella and then go sit on the median on Canning Street and have a little picnic. (What’s more Melbourne than a median picnic?)

“I also love that La Latteria sells milk in reusable glass jugs that you wash and bring back to them to refill. It’s a tiny blip in my personal quest to cut down on plastic, but it’s something.”

— Besha Rodell, Australian restaurant critic for The New York Times

What to Drink:

La Violetta Das Sakrileg Great Southern Riesling 2017

laviolettawines.com.au/order

“Australia makes a lot of excellent rieslings, but few bottles offer the succulence, minerality, tension and extraordinary texture of this wonderful, energetic riesling from Andrew Hoadley’s virtual one-man operation.

“And if you need something smart to say about it at a party: ‘Name me one other barrel-fermented, unfiltered Australian riesling from Denmark.’”

— Eric Asimov, wine critic for The New York Times

What to Read:

“How We Disappeared” by Jing-Jing Lee

In stores now, Bloomsbury.

“Set in the present day and World War II, ‘How We Disappeared’ tells the story of Wang Di, a woman forced to confront the horrors of her past when the death of her husband leaves her alone with her memories and loss. A heartbreaking but hopeful story about memory, trauma and ultimately love, ‘How We Disappeared’ explores the impact of the Japanese invasion of Singapore on the local people, in particular on the hellishly misnamed ‘Comfort Women.’

“It is an illuminating and moving account of an aspect of World War II that took place on our doorstep, the consequences of which still reverberate today.”

— Jo Dyer, director of Adelaide Writers Week

What TV to Watch:

“Turn Up Charlie”

Netflix, March 15.

“Idris Elba, a.k.a. everyone’s first pick to be the next James Bond, plays a one-hit-wonder D.J. who, strapped for cash (and desperate for another chance at success), takes on a job as a ‘manny’ to his best friend’s troublesome 11-year-old daughter. The premise is old-hat, but if you’re an Elba fan and enjoy comedies about the music business, parenting (or lack thereof) and bachelorhood, you should give this a try.

“And Elba’s a D.J., IRL! Yup, when he’s not busy being an actor, he’s playing clubs and festivals as D.J. Big Driis.”

— Aisha Harris, assistant TV editor for The New York Times

If You Go Out …

What Film to See:

“Island of the Hungry Ghosts”

Screenings across Australia from March 3. christmasislandfilm.com/screenings

“A refugee film like no other. Managing a surreal poetry and a political certainty, Gabrielle Brady’s work is an extraordinary vision of a place where nature, politics and folklore collide head on, an otherworldly vision of migration and detention, movement and limbo, and one of the most striking and accomplished Australian documentaries I’ve seen in years.”

— Al Cossar, artistic director of the Melbourne International Film Festival

[It was also a New York Times critic’s pick this week.]

What Art Exhibition to See:

“Janet Laurence: After Nature”

MCA Australia, Sydney. March 1 to June 10, 2019. Free. mca.com.au/artists-works/exhibitions/829-janet-laurence

“This is the first major survey show of one of Australia’s most interesting contemporary artists. Janet Laurence’s art, including her alchemical works of the early 1990s, is intricate, detailed and often breathtaking in its beauty. She comments above all on nature and the environment: how as humans we use it or destroy it.

“Plus: Laurence’s range of materials run the gamut from metal plates to minerals: In 2006 this stretched to taxidermy birds, which are shown hung upside on an acrylic ring surrounded by audio, for her work ‘Birdsong.’”

— Clarissa Sebag Montefiore, arts contributor for The New York Times

What Art Festival to See:

Wall to Wall Festival

Benalla, Victoria, April 5-7, 2019. walltowallfestival.com

“A beautiful little street art festival that quite literally takes over the entire township of Benalla in northwest Victoria. Despite the obscure location, Wall to Wall always draws an impressive collection of local and international artists. It’s a really fun, community-orientated event that encourages everyone to get involved.

“Keep an eye out for the work of the young Melbourne artist Kitt Bennett. He paints these incredible murals which, due to their immense scale, can only be viewed in their entirety from an aerial perspective. I hear he has something quite special in store for this year’s festival.”

— Rone, street artist based in Melbourne (Check out Rone’s current exhibition in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges, “EMPIRE,” here.)

What Comedy to See:

“Douglas” by Hannah Gadsby

March 27 to April 7, Arts Centre Melbourne. hannahgadsby.com.au

“The Tasmanian comedian Hannah Gadsby has become a household name — jointly winning the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Comedy Award for her show ‘Nanette,’ which later streamed on Netflix, leading to heated debates on sexism, homophobia and mental illness. After conquering the U.K. and the States, she is now back on home turf to launch her new show, ‘Douglas.’”

“In 2017 Gadsby declared she was retiring from comedy. She hasn’t, thank goodness. And later this year fans have more reason to rejoice with the release to her new book: ‘Ten Steps to Nanette.’”

— Clarissa Sebag Montefiore, arts contributor for The New York Times

What Live Music to See:

Cub Sport, national tour

Touring Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle and Adelaide in April. cubsport.com/live

“The Brisbane synth-pop outfit’s third and latest album is simply called ‘Cub Sport,’ a statement that the band has never been more sure of itself and what it wants to say. It’s also the first release since the marriage of the band members Tim Nelson and Sam ‘Bolan’ Netterfield, and we can expect the live show to be a tender triumph of love, identity and sexuality.”

“Also, the ‘I’m Good’ singer Wafia is on board for the whole Australian tour. Will she step in for Mallat’s verse in ‘Video’?

— Tacey Rychter, audience growth editor for The New York Times Australia bureau

Do you have a suggestion for autumn in Australia? Email us: [email protected]. For more recommendations, don’t miss our Australia gift guide and monthly Netflix guides.

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