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When I first began re ading The Secrets of the Huon Wren, [1] I was reminded of my grandpa. Claire Van Ryn’s award-winning debut novel interweaves the paths of journalist Allira and Nora Gray, the mysterious elderly woman whose story she gradually uncovers. How did she come to be alone, no family to keep her company? What is the significance of the baby doll she clutches so fiercely? How can Allira piece together these rambling fragments into a whole story? The book depicts

She was ranting about how her friend always loses their vape when she happens to have cherry blueberry on her, that every time she takes it out she’s like a microcelebrity. Once it apparently turned into a full-blown argument, so I eyerolled to show my interest. Then I remembered I love cherry blueberry, so I asked for a hit or two. I’ve been meaning to get it but I can’t get it at my local, and the one two blocks over is too expensive anyways, and I always forget to buy a ne

The air is warm when I step into the garden. A tentative summer splays out before me – jasmine and honeysuckle and freshly-cut grass, damp concrete, soil, and salt. I bundle up my dress, holding it off the ground as I tenderly make my way down the concrete stairs. “Hello, my darlings!” I call out through a smile, glancing down at the birds in between steps. Soft, affectionate honks float through the air. As I reach the lake, I feel around in my basket and produce a ha

Jane could hear the annoying alarm from John’s phone. “Come on, we’ve been waiting forever.” Then John’s urging joined the annoying choir. “We really should leave it for another hour. The pavlova needs more time to cool down.” “It’s been nearly three hours – I can’t wait another hour. It should be fine, right?” “Baking doesn’t work like that,” she said but she privately agreed that it took too long for a few pastries. “I mean, you could’ve told me it’d take that long in t

Jeremy Hinkle hated three things. Rats, family reunions, and pavlovas. And putting them all together meant only one thing: disaster. You see, last night was the annual Hinkle family reunion at Aunt Theodora’s house. All of Jeremy’s uncles and aunts and cousins — even his parents — had been there. As usual, Aunt Theodora had prepared her famous pavlova. But little did any of his uncles or aunts or cousins or even his parents know that Aunt Theodora had been dealing with a ra

01 Promises – Luke Hemmings 02 Untouched – The Veronicas 03 Riptide – Vance Joy 04 Slow Motion – Ullah 05 Clementine – grentperez 06 Earth And Sun And Moon – Midnight Oil 07 Minivan – The Rions 08 Lift – Shannon Noll 09 Que Sera – Justice Crew 10 I Said Hi – Amy Shark 11 A Moment in Time – Lokhee Nyx 12 Familiar Flavours – 700 Feel 13 Aussie Aussie – Birdz 14 Rager teenager! – Troye Sivan 15 Black & Gold – Sam Sparro 16 The Boy Prince – Winterbourne 17 Settle – Vera Blue 18 A

By Kayleigh Greig and Beth Nicholls ARIES 21 March - 19 April You can courageously conquer the goon bag all by yourself and I will happily watch from the sidelines. TAURUS 20 April - 20 May Whenever you say “crikey” it just makes people think of Steve Irwin. And in that comparison, I can tell you who comes out looking cooler. GEMINI 21 May - 20 June Okay, I know you are OBSESSED with trying out new combinations, but I think at some point you need to realise the Crocs migh

Sophia Kearns opens the cover on the Australian artifact that is Michael In Pictures Richard Simpkin shrugged off his beige coat as he sat down across from me, a Boston Red Sox cap pulled low over his brow and Michael in Pictures tucked under his arm like a skater with his favourite deck—scuffed, treasured, never far from reach. Into a cozy café in Bondi Junction, he moved a little slowly, careful on his feet, a quiet concession to the diabetes he has lived with for a lifeti

Penguin Random House provided Grapeshot a copy of After the Siren , in exchange for an honest review of Darcy Green’s debut novel. Editor-in-Chief Beth Nicholls gives their thoughts on this queer romantic comedy. (Note: the book contains descriptions of anxiety and depression, including panic attacks and references to a previous self-harm attempt. There are also infrequent mentions of homophobic comments/language.) Now, I’m a rugby league lover until the end, and to be honest

Niamh McGonnell-Hall sits us down for a mug of Milo with a side serving of Australian-authored books. Please note that these reviews contain minor spoilers. Hear ye, hear ye. I come bearing even more reading recs for all you bibliophiles. For this issue, I will be leaving the phallic fantasies behind (partly) and giving you some Aussie recommendations to go with your healthy helping of pavlova. The Hating Game - Sally Thorne 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰/5 Now, I know I mentioned this las

Martha Florence remembers how Australian Modernism got its groove back: in typical Aussie style, two army boys took fake-it-‘till-ya-make-it to a whole new level Now we find, too lateThat these distractions were cluesTo a transposed versionOf our too rigid state. — “Palinode” Ern Malley It’s no secret Australia isn’t exactly up to speed with the rest of the world. We’re not the fashion capital or the literary publishing epicentre. We don’t have Hollywood and we’re seriously

How much do you really know about shark nets? Editorial Assistant Imogen Grebert takes us through the pros and cons of this invention. Australia—a land of golden shores that meet city, rainforest and desert. Known for its remarkable beaches and people who just can’t seem to get enough of them. Fun fact: if you were to go to one new Australian beach every day, it would take you 32 years. However, despite all these things being said, beaches in Australia often encounter a probl

Section Editor Chantelle Mackintosh overviews the reasons behind the halting of shipments from AUSPost to the United States. Australia Post has suspended most postage to the United States of America in retaliation against new tariffs on low-value parcels. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump details that from Friday 29 August, parcels valued under AUD$1,230 will attract tariffs. However, letters and documents with no commercial value and gifts valued under USD

Follow the journey of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as Editorial Assistant Siya Pujari uncovers the meaning of “pink collar” jobs. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have achieved an increase of 400 per cent to their salaries, following years of failed lawsuits and public criticism of the pay structure that the Cheerleaders were subjected to. The first notable financial dispute raised by a former cheerleader was in 2018 when Erica Wilkin launched a lawsuit against the Cowboys

Editorial Assistant Siya Pujari discusses the cancellation of The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert and the political and economic reasons behind it. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled by CBS’ parent company Paramount with this change attributed to being a “purely financial decision” [1] in a statement provided by Paramount executives. They further iterated that this decision was made with distinction to the show’s “performance, content or other mat

Section Editor Chantelle Mackintosh covers Charlotte Walker’s historic election result while discussing what this generational shift means for Australia’s future . Please note: this article was written in August 2025, shortly after Walker officially joined the Senate Every birthday is a day of celebration, and Charlotte Walker’s 21st was no different. Celebrating not just her birthday, but her victory in Australia’s 2025 election, earning her a spot in history as Australia’

Editorial Assistant Anirudha Dash reports on the idea of “Thinking in American” as social media has become the second highest news source Australia wide, and the problems that come with it. TikTok and Instagram aren’t news apps, but they’ve become the main way people get their news. In between the array of different media on our timelines, politics slips in; Trump’s indictments, Roe v. Wade, etc.. American headlines arrive fast, framed for maximum attention and made widely a

Editor in Chief Beth Nicholls covers ex-AFL player Mitch Brown’s coming out and why it is so important in the overwhelmingly masculine industry. In the 129-year history of the AFL, no male player (either present or past) has publicly identified as gay, bisexual or queer. On 27 August 2025 , this changed with ex-West Coast Eagles player, Mitch Brown, coming out as bisexual in an exclusive interview with The Daily Aus (TDA). [1] Mitch Brown played 96 games for the Eagles fro

Deputy Editor Kayleigh Greig gives readers a comprehensive guide on Sydney snakes and busts some common snake myths, drawing on her expert knowledge as a volunteer for Sydney Wildlife Rescue and a resident snake lover! As a snake-catcher, I’ve heard every myth in the book. So, I figured it’s about time to finally do a full article on our scaly friends in Sydney, and clear up some of those misunderstandings surrounding a creature that is truly fascinating and beautiful. Myth B

Editorial Assistant Juliette Allen reminisces on the Australian Classic TV Show, My Place, and how it artfully depicted what it means to grow up Australian. On learning that issue 5’s Pavlova was going to be the annual Australian issue, I knew straight away that I wanted to write about something that felt super nostalgic, that explored a colourful array of historic national identities and cultures. For me, that something was undoubtedly My Place, a series that I watched in

Editorial Assistant Elizabete Lasmane discusses how Australia’s proclaimed acknowledgement of its colonial history is not what she expected national accountability to look like. Australia’s self-awareness regarding the actions of erasing Indigenous history and muting Indigenous voices. Is it considered an act of strong self-awareness or an act of shame? Australians. Whenever you hear Australia, I’d assume you imagine deserts, kangaroos, snakes, sharks, basically any wildern

Inspired by heated online discourse, Paige Petrou investigates the origins of the ubiquitous and beloved Flat White. Can Australia or New Zealand victoriously claim ownership? Pavlovas, Lamingtons, Anzac biscuits—what do all of these things have in common? Both Australian and New Zealand residents claim to be the origin of these delicious treats, but this simply cannot be! Thus, the multi-generational battle began as to who gets to claim these treats as theirs. One debate tha

Online Editor Vanessa Bland investigates the origins of a common Australian phrase and uncovers a long-lost Australian Bush tradition. ‘What do you think this is, bush week?’ is a phrase well known in Australia. It implies that you are trying to get something past somebody, taking them for a fool. I always wondered where the phrase came from, so I did some digging into historic newspapers and learned the interesting origins of the saying. Would you believe Bush Week was a re

Contributor Ra Blikslager outlines how Australian schools side-step Indigenous history. We see them in all the schools we attend, we hear them from the mouths of strangers in the streets, feel them in the expectations from our families; all around us are these slogans and chants—‘your future is so bright you have to wear shades’—about being a part of the bright new world. But is the bright future so achievable? Can we as young Australians sit here and say with full-belly con