People travelling along Melbourne’s St Kilda Road won’t be able to miss the fact that a Yayoi Kusama blockbuster is on at the National Gallery of Victoria over summer:65 of the plane trees that line the thoroughfare have been wrapped in Kusama’s trademark polka dots. Designed by the 95-year-old Japanese artist especially for the show, Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees is one of several free artworks that will live outside the ticketed show (NGV International,December 15-April 21;tickets from $16). The others includeNarcissus Garden,1400 silver balls massed beside the gallery’s famed waterwall (also polka-dotted) andDancing Pumpkin,the five-metre-high bronze sculpture the gallery bought from Kusama’s studio that has pride of place in the NGV’s central court. The exhibition proper will feature nearly 200 works spanning painting,sculpture,collage,fashion,video and installation,including a new iteration of Kusama’s mind-bending mirror rooms. Katrina Strickland

WEAR/ GOLDEN LOBES

Trees are an obvious decoration destination for satisfying festive impulses,but you can save on tinsel trimmings and pine needle clean-ups by adding sparkle to your ears instead. As the ’80s revival moves into accessories thatDynasty’s Alexis Carrington would slap you to get her hands on,earrings are becoming bigger,badder and more extravagant. We love these dramatic,gold “Wish Hoops”,crazy-paved with pearls and stones in green,red and blue ($475). A present to yourself? Damien Woolnough

SHOP/ HERE COMES THE SUNNIE

Lolling al fresco may be a national pastime at this time of year,but there are always vexing alignments of arms,neck,sun and wind direction (not to mention sand) to navigate in the pursuit of long-range comfort. Which is why we’re powerless to resist the easy charms of The Kooshie,a comfy,ultra-lightweight beanbag masquerading as a rucksack (there are pockets for essentials). We love that its filling is made of 100 per cent plant-based beans (which produce 80 per cent fewer greenhouse gases to manufacture than the usual polystyrene),its six,come-hang colourways (Sunnie pictured) and its groovy logo typeface,which just makes us smile. Whatever your chill sesh – a day at the beach,a picnic in the park –The Kooshie,literally,has your back ($140). Readers of Good Weekend can get a further 10 per cent discount on the Christmas Sale by using code THEGOODWEEKEND,reducing the price to $113 (free shipping).Sharon Bradley

TRAVEL/ QUITE THE SCENE

Newcastle native Glen Moroney dropped out of accountancy to found a business taking coach tours along the Great Ocean Road. That was in 1986. Since then,his Scenic Group has taken European river cruising by force and,more recently,launched two sleek,ocean-going cruise ships,Scenic Eclipse I and II. The latter arrived in Australian waters earlier this year – with an emotional Moroney on board for a symbolic dawn cruise into Newcastle harbour – and will spend a good part of next year in the region,visiting the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef before sailing around the Top End and along the West Australian coast. It will also visit Indonesia,Japan,Fiji,New Zealand and Antarctica before heading back to Europe,via the Caribbean,in 2026. The 114-suite ship is equipped with two helicopters,a submersible craft,snorkelling equipment,paddleboards and kayaks. For the less energetic,there are several pleasant bars with ever-changing views. Or you could sit on your suite’s private balcony and watch the world go by;your butler will bring you a drink.Jane Cadzow

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