Off season? Not in sparkling Sydney

Winter blues don't stand a chance in Australia's capital of conviviality
Any time is a good time to have a quick fling with Australia's leading lady, but Sydney is especially adept at busting the winter blues. And this winter is shaping up to be extra-special in the big city, with a feast of entertainment spectacles ready to roll.
If you're heading across the ditch in the next few weeks, make a date with Vivid Sydney, the annual illumination extravaganza which casts the city in a very different light.
Now in its third year, the festival transforms the harbourside district into a sweeping canvas, with large-scale light installations and projections splashed across the city's most recognisable landmarks, starting with the Opera House. The festival runs until mid-June and it will leave you glowing.
Warm yourself up indoors by experiencing two must-see blockbuster musicals.
After rocking Melbourne's socks off, Broadway's smash-hit musical, Jersey Boys, is cutting a swathe through Sydney. The production charts the rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, four blue-collar lads from the wrong side of the tracks who became American pop sensations. If ever there is a musical in which the showcase songs become lodged long and hard in your head, this is it - Walk Like a Man, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry and Can't Take My Eyes Off You all feature.
Currently onstage at the Theatre Royal, I would rate this show as one of the best musicals ever. Oh what a night indeed.
For a complete change of scenery, the magic of Mary Poppins has been sprinkled with a fresh coating of Disney dust and has just started its run at Sydney's Capitol Theatre as a roof-raising musical.
Here's a bit of Poppins trivia for you: the original story was written by an Australian, P.L. Travers, before Disney produced the film classic in 1964. The star-studded Sydney cast includes Verity Hunt-Ballard and Marina Pryor. If you're travelling with children, be sure to book ahead for this toe-tapping theatrical triumph.
If you've ever admired the way New York celebrates the winter season, with the likes of the outdoor ice-skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza, Sydney's sure to impress. In a few weeks' time, the Sydney Winter Festival bursts into life with a seasonal platter of sights and delights.
Bondi and the CBD will be turned into a winter wonderland, with a delicious array of gourmet seasonal food, glittering action on the ice, authentic apres-ski experiences and the Cubic Light Bar. Now in its third year, the festival will also offer ice-carving demonstrations and workshops. It's quite remarkable what you can create from a whopping block of ice when armed with a chainsaw!

TOP TIPS
* Jersey Boys and Mary Poppins are the talk of the town, so book your tickets to these musicals well in advance.
Visit www.jerseyboysaustralia.com.au,  and for a spoonful of sugar, www.marypoppinsthemusical.com.au.
* The Sydney Winter Festival runs in Bondi throughout July and the Sydney CBD from late July  until mid-August. For full details go to www.winterfestival.com.au
* Jetstar flies daily to Sydney from Auckland and Christchurch, with winter airfare specials  on sale from $149 ex Auckland, one-way.
For the  best available deals, visit www.jetstar.co.nz
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
* The Vivid Sydney Festival certainly casts Australia's biggest city in a very creative light. If you want to give yourself a virtual tour of the spectacular lighting exhibition as it unfolds, follow the events online at  www.vividsydney.com.