Check out the best from this weekend's Weekender liftout. Click the image above each story to access the full version.
Hennessy toast of the town
To the many fans of her books, podcasts, make-up range and comedy, Tanya Hennessy is the best thing since sliced bread.
Her new pun-heavy and carb-loaded (in name only) make-up range was released last week and is selling out nationwide, she has a new movie out on Stan, and her latest children's book Pink Santa is about to become a best-seller. But the icing on the cake? Hollywood studio executives have expressed interest in making an animated feature film based on the book.
A childhood fantasy come true
"Right now, at the top of the Myall Lakes on the Barrington Coast, on a partly-cloudy late autumn day, I am about as close to fulfilling a childhood fantasy as I will ever be," writes Daniel Scott.
"Today, thanks to former science teacher and surfboat rowing champion Mic Evans, and an Australian-developed electric hydrofoil board, I am on my knees, flying across the top of the water like a modern-day Aladdin."
Wickham's Flotilla unveils new wine bar
Flotilla will next week introduce a new wine bar to Newcastle.
It's called Vecina, which is Spanish for "neighbour" or "place adjoining", and it officially opens at Wickham on December 6.
Aaron Gocs: suburban humour and Henny Penny
DON'T be surprised if later this month you spot Aaron Gocs tucking into one of Henny Penny's roast dinner packs.
The Brisbane comedian - a self-confessed fast food connoisseur - has long been a fan of Hunter's famed chicken franchise.
Whenever Gocs is on the road he makes a point of checking out the local offerings.
On December 22 Gocs is bringing his Christmas Showcase to the recently-revamped Royal Oak Hotel in Tighes Hill.
History: why Orrett's Paddock is a name worth remembering
BENEATH every clump of earth in Newcastle there's often a piece of hidden history.
Take, for example, historic "Orrett's Paddock" on The Hill, in inner-city Newcastle, to the west below the Obelisk.
Never heard of it? Little wonder, as memories are fading fast as to the origin of this once common name.
