Smoke on the water: Fire disaster for Evian

The delightful French town of Evian-les-Bains is known both for its mineral springs and its grand, historic casino.

Opened in 1912, the casino is Evian's most iconic building, located on the French side of Lake Geneva, just across from Lausanne in Switzerland.

Earlier this month, however, the spa town's casino was engulfed by a devastating fire, just two years after a major renovation had been completed on the complex, new hub Travel Mole reports.

The building, a Belle Époque masterpiece, has long served as a cultural and social hub for visitors drawn to Évian’s famous thermal waters.

For over a century, it has received aristocrats, high society and international gamblers.

The structure is crowned with a Byzantine-inspired dome, which firefighters managed to save in a dramatic effort involving 130 personnel.

The blaze began in a restaurant roof and quickly spread to the casino, threatening the emblematic dome.

The fire, fuelled by strong winds, prompted the evacuation of around 100 people, including staff, guests, and nearby residents.

Firefighters battled the flames for more than 10 hours, focusing on preserving the dome.

“Our priority was to vent the hot gases accumulating under the roof, which is heavily insulated and acts like a lid,” explained Commander Jean-Noël Chapuis of Sdis Haute-Savoie to French news station FranceInfo.

But the complex’s gaming halls, administrative areas, and dining sections were largely destroyed.

The casino fire happened the year Evian is welcoming the G7 Summit to be held from June 15-17.

The conference will go ahead at the nearby Hôtel Royal.

Image: Travel Mole  

From camel skewers to squidlipops: Dark Mofo's Winter Feast to push boundaries

Dark Mofo's Winter Feast is promising to dish up a mixture of old favourites and rising culinary stars.

The the food and drink element of the winter solstice festival will returns to the Nipaluna/Hobart waterfront for eight nights of feasting next month.

The waterfront location will welcome over 70 stallholders along with music, firelight and community vibes.

‘The Winter Feast is the warm, beating heart of Dark Mofo," says Dark Mofo artistic director Chris Twite.

"Gathered around fires and feasting by candlelight, it’s where we come in from the cold to share stories of where we've been and what we've seen. Eating together - friends, strangers, locals, visitors - is an important festival ritual, and the staggering array of incredible food on offer means there is always something for everyone.’

The Feast will welcome guest chef Niyati Rao from acclaimed Mumbai restaurant Ekaa, who will collab with Craig Will, Bianca Welsh and James Welsh from Stillwater in Launceston.

Other food collaborations include Thi Le + Fat Pig Farm, which sees award-winning Melbourne chef Thi Le teaming up with locals Fat Pig Farm; Salvage Drink Co. X Braised presenting infused cocktails paired with spiced offerings from Hobart's premium lamb providore; and Marla Singer X L’Appel Wines pairing an octopus slider with pinot noir.

Chef Analiese Gregory makes her return to the fires of the Feast, this year bringing a taste of the Tasmanian sea. She’ll be serving up skewers of baby abalone, shiitake and black garlic, grilled over fire (top image).

New Feast stallholders include Dark Dogs, serving their take on dagwood dogs; wine bar South will presents a slow-cooked possum bao; Elle’s Pantry will have pockets stuffed with seasonal pickles, tabbouleh, and green harissa hummus; and Bass Strait Seafood & Co by Sabina Newton will offer dishes ranging from creamy chowder to buttery marinara.

Joining the new stallholders will be familiar favourites, from Lilly Trewartha’s katsu sando, to Queen Sheba’s injera with slow-cooked chicken; Soufra & Co’s folded layers of filo pastry and custard baked fresh to order, to the famous squidlipop from Formosa Bites (above).

Fresh from his appearance on ABC’s Eat the Invaders, Mona’s executive chef Vince Trim is back with Heavy Metal Kitchen, eating the problem with a feral feast: fire-charred camel, skewered and served with an array of spiced and braised condiments.

Visitors can wash the dishes down with new offerings from New Norfolk’s Welcome Swallow Brewery, fizzy blush from Common Wine, or a Pressing Matters pinot noir.

Mona’s own wineries - Moorilla and Domaine A - will be on site, along with Moo Brew.

Amanda Vallis, the Winter Feast curator, says: ‘The food community in Lutruwita/Tasmania is one of the best things this island has to offer, and nowhere is it more pronounced than when everyone comes together to feast around the fires in the depths of winter.

"Whether it’s a hot take on a dagwood dog, or the flavour explosion offered by a guest chef all the way from India, the Winter Feast is sure to fill your cup and feed your soul.’

A number of events will celebrate the power of music, storytelling and First Nations cultures.

The Winter Feast takes over Salamanca Lawns and Princes Wharf Shed 1 and runs and runs on both weekends of the festival: Thursday June 5-8 and June 1-15.

Season passes are available via darkmofo.net.au/winter-feast

As part of the Winter Feast’s commitment to reaching zero waste, all stallholders will use compostable crockery and cutlery, with reusable cups and schooners available for beverages. The Feast is also a completely cash-free event.

# Dark Mofo is Tasmania’s mid-winter festival celebrating the dark through large-scale public art, food, music, fire, light, and noise, in Hobart.

Images: Dearna Bond, Dark Mofo  

Airport chaos from Heathrow to Bali

From London to Denpasar, flights around the world are being delayed and rescheduled.

London Heathrow Airport (above) will be closed all day Friday as emergency services deal with a significant fire in the vicinity, local media reported.

All flights in and out have been cancelled or diverted after a fire at a nearby substation caused a major power outage.

In Bali, meanwhile, flights have been cancelled due to a volcano erupting.

"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience," Heathrow Airport said on Facebook.

At least 120 flights bound for Heathrow have been diverted, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 recorded.

Flights were to land at nearby airports, including Gatwick.

Meanwhile, travellers have been stranded after flights to and from Bali were cancelled and delayed due to volcanic ash caused by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi on the south-eastern part of the remote Indonesian island of Flores.

The volcano was sending rocks, lava and ash about nine kilometres into the sky, Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said.

Visitors and tourists were ordered to maintain an eight-kilometre distance from the volcano.

There is also a threat of rain-induced lava floods in rivers that originate at the mountain's peak. 

As of Friday morning "several international flights had been cancelled, six of them Jetstar flights bound to Australia and one Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur,” Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport spokesperson, Andadina Dyah, said in a statement.

Several other flights - domestic and international and including to Thailand, Singapore and Australia - had been delayed.

New Perth festival celebrates indigenous culture

A new festival in Perth (Boorloo) will celebrate Western Australia's Aboriginal culture.

EverNow will run from October 4-9, promising five nights of sound, light and fire.

The event will celebrate during the Noongar season of Kambarang - when an abundance of flowers and colours change the land.

The series of free evening events will be held at locations across Perth - including the Supreme Court Gardens, Government House Gardens and Kings Park (Kaarta Koomba).

Kings Park will host the reimagining of Boorna Waaginy: The Trees Speak, transforming the park with a display of light, sound and projections - telling the stories of Noongar culture and the beauty and biodiversity of the region.

Nearby, the doors to Government House Gardens will also be opened to the public as it is transformed into Fire Gardens, described as "a dreamscape of leaping flames and shadows".

Inspired by conversations with Noongar elders, the fiery wonderland will be set alight by international flame experts Compagnie Carabosse.

The city's Supreme Court Gardens, overlooking the Swan River (Derbal Yerrigan) will play host to Song Circle, a live performance and celebration of Noongar song and dance.

The three events will all be free to attend, with some requiring a ticket to gain entry, and will be held at different times across the five-night festival.

Song Circle: Supreme Court Gardens, October 4-8
Fire Gardens: Government House Gardens, October 5-8
Boorna Waanginy, The Trees Speak: Kings Park, October 6-9

Developed by Perth Festival, and supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism WA, EverNow will run for an initial two years, with the intention for the new homegrown event to become an annual staple on the state's major events calendar.

Find out more at evernow.com.au.