George Woodyard, Owner of Bart Jr. Credit: Destination NSW
George Woodyard sitting outside BART-MART at Bart Jr. Redfern
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Bart Jr’s lockdown lobster rolls were meant to be just a one-off special, but after their first batch sold out in just one hour, chef and owner George Woodyard realised the people of Sydney needed more. “I had about 50 people on Instagram message me asking if they could pre-order for next time, and so many people came by afterwards and said, 'please do it again’,” Woodyard says.
Since this most recent lockdown began, Bart Jr, Redfern’s slick neighbourhood wine bar, pivoted from a nighttime diner to the lunchtime BART-MART, selling ready-to-eat dinner meals, natural wine, takeaway cocktails and groceries from midday to 3pm. To capitalise on this lunchtime window, Woodyard introduced takeaway toasties and daily lunch specials as an extra enticement for those picking up dinner. Though intended as a one-time thing — “something a bit decadent, a treat for lockdown” — the lobster rolls can now be pre-ordered for lunch every Friday, preventing the queues that stretched around the block the first time.
With lobsters selling cheap due to the pandemic’s drop in international trade, this was Woodyard’s chance to sell a lobster roll and make it accessible for the community. “Lobsters have probably dropped about 30 per cent in price, which for us means I can do this roll and charge $28 instead of $38,” Woodyard says. With the sweetness of the lobster and the pop of saltiness from NSW’s Clarence River king prawns, plus a saucy hit of horseradish, mayo, tarragon and chives, the rolls sell out on her pre-order system in just 24 hours and Woodyard has had to cap them at 110 orders each day. “There is big demand. We could do them every day but having them only on Friday works for us,” she says.
Bart Jr's Lobster Roll Credit: Destination NSW
Lobster Roll from Bart Jr. Redfern
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Bart Jr's Lobster Roll Credit: Destination NSW
Lobster Roll from Bart Jr. Redfern
Bart Jr's Smokey Marg Credit: Destination NSW
Smokey Marg from Bart Jr., Redfern
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Bart Jr's Smokey Marg Credit: Destination NSW
Smokey Marg from Bart Jr., Redfern
Now with a cult following, the lobster rolls are making up about 20 per cent of Bart Jr’s weekly revenue. Bart Mart has also seen great success with its ready-to-eat meals: their lasagnes get snapped up fast; their weekly date-night packages (a three-course meal with two cocktails) sell out every Saturday; and they’ve sold nearly 600 jarred cocktails over the past two weeks. “My bartender says he's making more cocktails than he's ever made. I get him in on Wednesday for a day when we're not open and he spends the whole day just making jarred cocktails,” Woodyard says.
But it’s the lunchtime specials that have garnered the most Instagram fame, and Bart Jr’s latest special, the Filet O’ Fish, has already become a fan favourite. Inspired by the fish burger at Sixpenny in Stanmore, Woodyard created a decadent fish sandwich — panko-crumbed market-fresh ling, Bart’s tartare sauce, smoked cheddar and iceberg lettuce. After posting about it on Instagram that morning, they sold out in just 15 minutes. “We had such a strong reaction. There was a line at 11.30am, we opened at 12pm and we had sold out by 12.15pm,” she says.
Woodyard plans to increase the number of fish sandwiches in the future, and has even had to order another deep-fryer to speed up cooking time. “As Covid goes on we've gotten busier and busier; you adapt and you get smarter,” Woodyard says. “As much as I need the customers, I also think they need us. People are really grateful that we are open.”
Bart Jr. Redfern Credit: Destination NSW
Shop exterior of Bart-Mart at Bart Jr., Redfern
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Bart Jr. Redfern Credit: Destination NSW
Shop exterior of Bart-Mart at Bart Jr., Redfern
bartjr.com.au
Bart Jr, 92 Pitt Street, Redfern NSW 2016
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The NSW Government via Destination NSW is sharing a series of NSW Success Stories – businesses of all types that have adapted their offerings to face the current environment and continue serving their community with a fresh approach and shining success. These innovative initiatives are nothing short of inspiring.
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The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
#feelnewsydney
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
#feelnewsydney
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.