A wave of openings, management changes and product launches across Australia’s food and hospitality sectors is reshaping local travel and dining options ahead of the spring season.
Highlights include the second outpost of a long-running Western Sydney Lebanese bakery famed for a tightly guarded chilli sauce, a boutique adults-only hotel in Byron Bay, a decade-spanning management change at Sydney’s Opera Bar, the country’s first lake-edge “floating” bathhouse in the Gold Coast hinterland, and a luxury made-to-measure tracksuit aimed at high-end travellers.
Guildford institution Yum Yum Bakery, founded in 1989 by Lebanese refugee Toufic Haddad, has opened a second venue in Concord, about 20 minutes from Sydney’s central business district. The expanded footprint continues to draw local crowds for traditional Lebanese fare and a suite of updated weekend brunch plates.
Najib Haddad, Toufic’s son, now runs the bakery and retains many original recipes and methods, including the hand-built masonry oven used at the Guildford location. Menu staples include awarma, egg manoush and mixed plates that pair shawarma with fresh flatbreads and labneh. Manager George, who attracts a following on social media, said weekday customers favour smaller items such as halloumi spring rolls and lamb shawarma tacos, while larger brunch plates dominate on weekends.
A central draw for visitors and regulars is the bakery’s chilli sauce, which staff describe as a closely guarded family recipe. The condiment, not yet bottled for retail, has prompted numerous customer requests to take it home, according to on-site staff.
In Byron Bay, a new boutique property called Hide has opened as a strictly adults-only retreat minutes from the town’s main beach and café strip. Designed by architect John Burgess, the property aims to combine “barefoot luxury” with minimal interiors and personalised service. Room types include options marketed as The Canopy, offering treetop outlooks, and The Soak, which features an outdoor bath. Nightly rates start at about $319.
On-site wellness facilities are a selling point: the property offers a Wellness Bathhouse with a heated magnesium mineral pool, outdoor spa, infrared sauna and ice bath. Guest feedback posted online has been strongly positive; one review said, “If I could give this 100 stars I would,” while praising the renovation standards and staff.
In Sydney, the Opera Bar will enter a new management era after 24 years under Solotel and chef Matt Moran. The Sydney Opera House Trust has awarded a 10-year contract to Applejack Hospitality, the group behind venues such as The Butler and The Botanist. Applejack will take over Opera Bar in mid-September and assume management of the neighbouring House Canteen in November, with refurbishments planned after the 2026 summer season.
“We’re thrilled to have appointed Applejack Hospitality to run the Opera House’s popular harbourside venues,” said Jade McKellar, chief customer officer at the Sydney Opera House. Applejack co-founders Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts said they were “humbled and inspired” by the appointment and described it as “a dream come true.” The appointment followed a comprehensive tender process that began in September 2024.
On the Gold Coast hinterland, SOL Elements has opened what its founders describe as Australia’s first floating bathhouse on Tamborine Mountain. The circular timber-and-glass structure sits at a lake’s edge and houses an Earth Suite and a Botanical Scrub Bar that features 111 hand-carved bowls and a selection of natural ingredients for guests to create custom body scrubs. Communal facilities include three magnesium thermal pools heated to 38 degrees, two 12-degree cold plunges, two bookable magnesium float caves infused with concentrated salt, a cedar wood sauna with a glass-faced lookout, a silent steam room and a Himalayan salt cave.
Russell Raven, who developed the concept with his partner Shae, said the project took four years to realise and that every element was “crafted with intention” to create an experience not previously available in Australia’s wellness sector. SOL Elements also offers two secluded suites, one of them dog-friendly, each equipped with private mineral baths and optional indoor saunas or ice baths.
In fashion, Sydney-based bespoke tailor Miles Wharton has teamed with premium bourbon brand Woodford Reserve to produce a limited run of a luxury take on loungewear: the “Traxedo.” Described as a tailored two-piece tuxedo tracksuit, the ensemble merges soft wool jersey and Dormeuil fabrics with classic tailoring details such as a shawl lapel. The made-to-measure garments are priced at around $2,000 and will be available by appointment at The Bespoke Corner in Sydney and Melbourne from August 20.
Miles Wharton said the Traxedo blends bespoke tailoring with loungewear ease and is a design the company had not attempted before. The offering has already been marketed to a selective clientele through private fittings.
Culinary figures also featured in the week’s coverage. Australian-Vietnamese chef and restaurateur Luke Nguyen, known for venues including Botanic House and Red Lantern, discussed the endurance of certain menu items and cooking priorities for home cooks. Nguyen highlighted masterstock chicken as a long-running signature dish because of its layering and comfort-food qualities and advised home cooks to focus on sauces to bind flavours. He also recommended lemongrass as an underrated ingredient and said his time in France influenced his emphasis on refinement and balance.
The developments underscore continuing demand for curated hospitality experiences — from neighbourhood classics to bespoke luxury — as operators respond to both local loyalty and traveller appetite for distinctive food, wellness and design-led stays.