Santos Tour Down Under

Kick off the 2013 on wheels! Cyclists of the world, Tour alert! Fans of the sport have a date with fate in Santos Tour Down Under on 20 January. A new race route has been announced with a number of firsts including a stage start in Mount Barker and an inaugural stage finish in Rostrevor. Amongst high expectations, passion and excitement, the exhilarating event will conclude on 27 January 2013.

The Santos Tour Down Under was first held in 1999 and has grown every year to become the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere. The event showcases a number South Australia's towns and wonderful countryside.

For a whole week, the top World Tour professional cycling teams ride across the streets of Adelaide and South Australia each January. On its 15th anniversary, new aspects comprise a novel King of the Mountain climb and a spread of stages catering for both sprinters and all-rounders equally.

In 2008, the Santos Tour Down Under became the first event outside Europe -cycling's traditional home- to join the world-renowned UCI WorldTour. This is remarkable as the UCI WorldTour brings together the most prestigious teams and the best riders in the world to compete in the best races.

During the event's eleven years of trajectory, some of the best road cyclists have competed at the Santos Tour Down Under. These include Tour de France winners Oscar Pereiro, Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre who have competed alongside Aussie myths like Stuart O'Grady, Robbie McEwen, Cadel Evans and Allan Davis.

Much more than just a race, the Santos Tour Down Under is a festival of cycling. A colossal party atmosphere and a range of events across Australia constitute the festival's soul. Likewise, the race is not reserved for legends; amateur cyclists can also participate with the SKODA Breakaway Series, which gives people the opportunity to ride part of the WorldTour race route.

concludes with Adelaide city street circuits, with Stage 1-5 being held in regional South Australia. The Santos Tour Down Under is also significant for the tourism industry as it showcases the attractions of South Australia to the world through global television coverage.

Sydney's top weekend markets

Arts, gastronomy, fashion, places and people make up a city's identity and weekend markets have long been an intrinsic part of Sydney's local colour. Their clothes, food stalls, music and ambience are the perfect escape for the people's daily routines and the perfect excuse to get together with friends and have a joyous time. Each market has its own identity and offers products for all tastes and whims. Here is a list of outstanding weekend markets:

1) Paddington: is a popular and eventful market located on Oxford Street. In this place, visitors can eat food that are treats to the palate, or even get a good neck massage. Also, shoppers can get handmade clothes, apparel and jewellery from local designers.

2) Glebe: is located in the inner area of Sydney, thus it enjoys the city's vibrant spirit. This market is one of the most established markets of the city. Nevertheless, far from being traditional, conventional and mainstream, its character and style are actually alternative. This market is the meeting point for local fashion designers, and visitors can find clothing and jewellery, and is widely known for its vintage clothing. For those looking for another kind of shopping, CDs and books are also available.

3) The Rocks: is located at the north end of George Street. This market offers a large range of arts and craft that are mainly directed to tourists. In this market, visitors can buy dresses and bags designed by the stallholder, original artworks and prints.

4) Bondi Beach: offers similar items to Paddington but cheaper and at a lower quality, and there are no food stalls. However, for people looking for local designs and vintage clothes, this is the place to go. This market is located at Bondi Beach Public School.

5) Rozelle: is a second-hand market located at Rozelle Public School, Darling Street, Rozelle. Its origin dates back to 1991 and since then it has developed a reputation for being Sydney's favourite antique, collectable and second-hand market. Here, people can find all sorts of things from furniture, bric a brac, records and books to vintage clothing and jewellery. For the visitors' pleasure, they can also get a massage there, eat international food and have someone read the tarot cards for them.

The Killers to Rock Down Under

The Killers will shine on in the hearts of Australian music lovers. To kick off 2013 in the midst of bliss and neon lights, the Vegas emperors will fill theatres from Down Under this month with their explosive and awe-inspiring rhythms. The emotion was electric and the stars aligned last year with the release of the band's new album Battle Born, followed by a world tour that finally brings The Killers back to Australian shores.

The last time The Killers performed on the soil of Oz was a few years ago while they were promoting their third album Day & Age as headliners of two festivals –the V-Festival (2009) and Good Vibrations (2010).

The joy ride started months ago when they announced they will headline the festival Big Day Out alongside bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Vampire Weekend- in five different locations: on January 18th in Sydney, then the festival will take them to Southport (QLD) on January 20th, in Adelaide on January 25th, Melbourne on January 26th, and finally Claremont on January 28th.

After the release of Battle Born, the American rock band announced two sideshows that will complement their appearances at Big Day Out in January. These shows will take place at intimate venues in Sydney –Metro Theatre- on January 16th, and in Melbourne –Palace Theatre –January 22nd.

Magic fills the stage when The Killers play. Their gigs are known for being breathtaking, mind-blowing, spectacular and marvelous. On this tour, Brandon's pedestal for the microphone is in the shape of a lightning bolt as the icon of their new album, from which they play many songs live.

Along with their new singles Runaways, Miss Atomic Bomb and Here With Me, they have been playing hot classics like Mr. Brightside, Somebody told Me, taking the audience on a journey across the galaxy with Spaceman, proclaimed time, truth and hearts on All these things that I've done, filled our eyes with tears with the line moon river, what you do to me from A Dustland Fairytale and burst out the seams with an explosion of adrenaline propelled by When you were young.

The music lives through Brandon Flowers' powerful and astounding vocals, Mark Stoermer's captivating bass, Ronnie Vanucci's powerful drums and mythical Dave Keuning's soul-filling guitar. These legendary band's performances more than ever sweep audiences off their feet… just as promised.

No… We can't wait till tomorrow.

Sculpture by the sea

Since Australia's population is mainly lives on the coastal areas, their lifestyle is highly influenced by the beach. This influence also permeates to artistic expression and it is indeed an original invention to display works of art by the sea.

This is what Sculpture by the Sea is about. Australian and international artists make use of their genius and talent to transform Bondi beach into a sculpture park. Over a hundred outstanding sculptures are displayed along a 2km coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama.

The coastal walk begins at the bottom of Notts Avenue, which runs off Campbell Parade, Bondi. There are also many other access points to the walk along the exhibition route at Hunter Park, Gaerloch Avenue and Pacific Avenue. The exhibition ends at Tamarama Park, Marine Drive, Tamarama.

For a limited time, visitors can enjoy magnificent sculptures bewitching the landscape of the beach. 2013 is the event's 17th year and, even though the information about happening is yet to come, locals in Sydney look forward to the conjunction between sea and art.

Visitors can also find refreshment along the way. There are two cafes along the coastal walk where snacks and refreshments are available. You can either stop at the hub of the exhibition at the Marks Park Café or if you prefer to relax while overlooking Tamarama Beach, the Tamarama Café is the place for you.

If you have more appetite, there is a large rage of restaurants at Bondi such as Bondi Trattoria Café Restaurant (34b Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach), Icebergs Dining Room and Bar (1 Notts Avenue, Bondi), and Ravesi's (118 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach). There are a few others nearby in Paddington like Buon Ricordo (108 Boundary Street), Lucio's (47 Windsor Street).