IAN & GILL'S ADVENTURES

23/08/10

Hello there!

On the 7th July, Gill and myself visited the RACQ Motorfest in Brisbane. We went 2 years ago, but this years event was well down on numbers of cars exhibited.

The cars on display were mainly American, Australian and British cars. One notable car was an Alfa Romeo G1 which is the oldest model in existence to carry the Alfa Romeo name. It is valuable to say the least!

On the 8th August I went to Lakeside race circuit which is North West of Brisbane. It was a Touring Car legends event and featured a wide variety of cars.I think the Ford Mustang owners club were also present as Mustangs were everywhere!

Notable cars there included the 1992 Bathurst winning Winfield Racing (Mark Skaife/Jim Richards) Skyline and the 1988 Bathurst winning Benson & Hedges (Tony Longhurst/Tomas Mezera) RS500 Sierra.

The Winfield Skyline is worth over AUS$1 million but still competes regularly and was by far the fastest car in the races it competed in at Lakeside. Its owner and driver, Terry Ashwood, was certainly giving it the beans!

Hope you enjoy the photos

Regards
Ian and Gill

23/05/10

Hi there!

From the 15th to 18th May, Gill and I visited Adelaide, South Australia.

The weather forecast beforehand looked quite dodgy but we were blessed with blue skies for almost all our visit.

Adelaide is pretty quiet in comparison to Brisbane but it is much more European in character having many original 19th Century buildings, churches and European trees. It is these trees (planted by the original settlers to remind them of home), both in Adelaide and the surrounding areas that give the Autumn colour you see in the photos. Australian native trees are almost all evergreen and do not show any Autumn colour in their leaves.

The people of Adelaide are incredibly friendly (as almost all Aussies are) whether you are in a shop, hotel, cafe or restaurant. As I mentioned before, Adelaide has quite a European feel to it whereas Brisbane has a, well, Australian feel to it!

We took a tram to the beachside suburb of Glenelg and also did a full days coach tour of the Barossa Valley (to the North East of Adelaide) and Hahndorf (to the South East). There is a big German influence in these areas as many German Lutherans were invited to settle the land in the 19th Century.

Regards to you all
Ian and Gill

27/10/09

Hello there!

Not too much to report from Down Under but thought you would like to some photos of where we have been recently.

In September Gill and I went to the Mini Muster in the Brisbane suburb of Carina. There was a great display of Mini's old and new. The condition of some of the older cars was quite amazing. The earliest Mini I saw was from 1963 but there may have been even older ones.

Also in September we all went whale watching. This was my birthday present from Gill and also an early birthday present for Michelle. Gill had been whale watching before but Michelle and I had not.

We travelled up to Redcliffe (about an hours drive north) to catch the catamaran 'Eye-Spy'. The sea was quite choppy as we crossed Moreton Bay and after about 45 minutes sailing we were in the Pacific Ocean. Before long we began to see Humpback whales in the distance. Taking photos was a challenge! Camera in one hand, the other hanging on as the boat pitched up and down in the swell and then trying to guess when a whale would breach the surface. Not easy I might add! As the day progressed the whales, including a 2-week old calf, came in much closer and began to congregate around the boat.

By this time the sea was getting very choppy indeed and a visit to the main cabin for lunch saw many people with their heads in their hands groaning! Gill and Michelle were not too well either but it wasn't bothering me luckily! I enjoyed my lunch but was one of the few who did!

By early afternoon the sea was picking up and we headed back to Redcliffe at high speed. The wind was now up to 30-35 knots with a 3 metre swell. I stayed on the open top deck hanging on with a few others as the journey home began to resemble a roller coaster ride. I got absolutely soaked twice as large waves began to fall over the top deck. It was great fun! Gill and Michelle would disagree as they were having a rotten time of it and were mightily relieved when we eventually docked. Despite all this we had a great day!

In October we travelled up to Mount Tamborine which is in the Gold Coast Hinterland. It is a nice place to visit and is full of craft shops, gardens, wineries, 2 breweries and a cheese factory amongst other things. I was particularly impressed to see the Lotus race car in the brewery! On the way down, we called in at the Fox & Hounds pub at Wongawallan. Although it only opened in March 2008 it was built in a traditional style by an Englishman. Inside it is a bit OTT but is still very reminiscent of an English/Irish pub. The beer is good too ( I had a pint of genuine English Bombardier ale) but still too flippin cold for my tastes! We both enjoyed a really nice Sunday lunch at the pub before travelling back to Shailer Park (with Gill driving!).

That's all for now folks.

Regards to you all
Ian and Gill

07/09/09

On the 4th, 5th and 6th September Gill, myself and friends went to watch the Repco Rally Australia 09 and the Festival of Speed on Tweed.

The rally took place in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales not far from the Queensland border. We stayed with friends for 2 nights down the coast at Hastings Point.

Friday 4th saw us spectating on SS9 and SS10 Castrol Edge East. The car park was on a field and we were then taken by coach up to the stage viewing area. The weather was good for the most part with just a sprinkling of light rain. The first stage was delayed due to SS6 being cancelled (we later found out that eco/green rally protestors had being throwing large rocks onto the stage and at the rally cars. Stupid idiots).

After completion of SS10 we travelled the short distance to Murwillumbah to watch the night SS14 and SS15 Super Special around the streets of the town.

On Saturday 5th we travelled through Murwillumbah on the road to the town of Kyogle, around which many of the stages were being run.

We had not been travelling long when a WRC car went past in the opposite direction. It was the (very long) road section to SS19 and the service area at Kingscliff. We pulled over into a layby and waited for the next car! It duly arrived and we noticed photographers in the bush waiting for the cars. A few minutes later Loeb and Elena went passed and stopped on the opposite side of the road to change a wheel. Fantastic! What an opportunity to see the World Champion! People came out of nowhere to take pictures and I was soon taking photos myself. I did refrain from taking a photo while they both had a pee! They were soon underway and so were we.

The road runs through the Great Dividing Range and it is a quite spectacular part of the world. On the road we kept seeing signs of the rally protestors with many 'No Rally' signs painted onto walls and on the road. There were, however, the odd 'Pro Rally' signs. The area is noted for its hippy population and we saw a few of them! By this time we noticed that many of the rally cars had police motorcyclists in attendance and before long we came across a large group of protestors on either side of the road waving placards, Most look like 'normal' people. They assumed that every car on the road was rally related and they were shouting and waving their signs at us. I just gave them all a two-fingered salute and mouthed suggestions where they should go. Having previously learned of the rock throwing incidents I had little time for them.

We eventually arrived in Kyogle which was full of rally enthusiasts. The rally would be a massive boost for the local economy and everyone was very friendly. After some lunch we travelled the short distance to SS21 CTEK West. There was only one road into the stage and it was packed with cars. There were spectators everywhere, hundreds of them. Due to the nightmare of getting out we left after the first dozen or so cars. As did everyone else! It took ages to get out. Whilst waiting in the car, motorcycle legend Mick Doohan passed us. We waved and shouted at him (nothing abusive!) and he smiled back but I wasn't quick enough with my camera!

Once we managed to get out we travelled for nearly 2 hours back to our digs before going back into Murwillumbah for the SS24 and SS25 Super Special. This time Gill and I went to a different spot on a 90 right. It was a brilliant view. You could easily recognise the rorty sound of the Citroen C4 compared to the very subdued Ford Focus. The insides of their exhaust pipes were glowing bright orange and the sounds of the anti-lag was great! <>That was our last view of the Repco Rally Australia as we spent most of Sunday watching the Festival of Speed on Tweed in Murwillumbah. This is like a mini Goodwood and is great to watch. I have attached a photo of Sir Jack Brabham who was present at the event.

That's all for now folks, we hope you enjoy the photos.

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

31/05/09

On Sunday, May 31st Gill and I went to Mount Coot-tha on the east of Brisbane to watch the Cootha Classic hillclimb which was part of the celebrations to mark the founding of Brisbane 150 years ago.

There was quite a variety of cars and motorcycles on display although not all were actually doing the hillclimb.

The guy next to the GT2 Porsche is Jim Richards, twice Australian Touring Car Champion and seven time winner of Bathurst.

I am also attaching some photos of the event along with photos of Michelle's boyfriend, Craig's, Ford Roadster hot-rod. She does like posing in it!

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

25/04/09

Well Gill and myself are just about getting into the swing of things a week after returning from our UK adventure. We had little or no jet-lag when we arrived in Manchester but it's hit us a lot since we returned!

We had a brilliant time in the UK and for almost all our visit the weather was very kind. It was wonderful to see so many different things.

Our hire car was a Kia Cee'd (don't laugh!). I had asked for a Ford Focus (or similar). I got the similar! I was not impressed on seeing the car (to put it mildly!) but over the course of 3 weeks driving I have to confess that the Kia Cee'd is damn good car for what it is. Its well put together, the 1.6 engine pulls well from low-down and it is well balanced in the handling department (much better than the new Toyota Corrolla (Auris) I had in Tasmania). I even had fun in it driving down some country lanes! The Kia is a basic car but a very good one for what it is.

After arriving in Manchester we went to my motor club's car rally near Blackpool over the weekend before returning to Manchester for 3 days. While in Manchester we stayed with our good friend Andy to whom we extend our grateful thanks for putting us up. Cheers Andy!

We then went to Durham (a great city) and Fife in Scotland before 2 nights in Bowness -on-Windermere. Bowness is a lovely place but, unfortunately, is a bit like Blackpool. Hoards of day trippers (lots of Chavs and orange people!) up for birthdays, hen parties etc etc. However, the Lakes on a sunny is just the best. Utterly beautiful.

We arrived back in Manchester for two nights before setting off to the Cotswolds for 3 nights. The Cotswolds were beautiful although Bourton-on-the-Water where we stayed does get busy on a nice day. After returning to Manchester for one night we ventured to Horncastle in Lincolnshire to stay with friends for 3 nights. Its a nice part of he world and a much more relaxing place to be than the suburbs of a city.

After returning once again to Manchester for a night we caught or flight back to Brisbane. Our flight was delayed by an hour and three quarters so we got the train into Wilmslow to get something to eat before returning to the airport.

The flight back was OK apart from having to walk for 22 minutes (Gill timed it!) at Dubai airport to catch our connecting flight!

That's all for now folks

Bye for now
Gill and Ian

01/03/09

On Sunday 1st March 2009, I went to the Willowbank Tarmac Rally Challenge organised by the Brisbane Sporting Car Club.

Gill was working that day so I managed to catch a lift to the venue at Willowbank, which is to the west of Ipswich, Queensland.

The venue is actually in the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct which incorporates Willowbank Raceway (a drag strip), Queensland Raceway (which hosts a V8 Supercar race) as well as a kart and autocross circuit.

The event was more of a fun event than a proper rally. There were only 22 entries with a mix of circuit racers, forest rally competitors and novices.

8 stages were run during the course of the day although the stage was exactly the same for each run! No stage turnrounds here!

I was hoping to help out at a control but was instead asked to be a spectator marshal. It certainly wasn't what I had in mind but what few speccies there were very friendly and very talkative. One fella, who was there with his young son, had lived in the UK and loved the motorsport there. 'There is so much motorsport in the UK, but there is hardly anything here in comparison' he said. He also enthused about visiting the Goodwood festival.

The winning car was an Ultima GTR followed by a Skelta G Force, which is based on the Honda S2000 and is built here in Queensland. The Ultima was very much a point and squirt machine but its V8 sounded spectacular.

Third place, (best of the rest to be honest, as the Ultima and Skelta are very fast racing cars), went to the Holden Torana XU-1 (of 1970's vintage) of Brad Stratton and co-driver Barrie Burr. Brad is a circuit racer who also drives the course car at V8 supercar races. Barrie is a pommie and a huge Manchester United supporter. Good lad!

That's all for now folks!

15/02/09

Hi Everyone!

Not too much happening here at the moment so I will have to bore you with some pics I took about 3 weeks ago of the construction of the new premises for the company I work for - Cook Australia.

We are due to go into the new building sometime in March. The official opening ceremony will be 2nd April. I will be in Manchester at the time!

The pink arrow on one of the pics shows the approximate location of where I will be sat when we move in.

There are also some slightly more interesting photos below!

Ian and Gill

16/11/08

Hello again!

At the end of October and into November Gill and myself spent 11 days in Tasmania.

Everyone we knew who had been to Tasmania said we would love it, especially me who would enjoy the scenery and history.

With great anticipation (more so myself who was longing to see varied scenery and historic buildings again) we landed at Hobart airport on Thursday 30th October.

Day 1. We were shocked to see the airport. Hobart is the state capital of Tasmania but the airport looked like some pre-war airfield! You could call it quaint! It was quite a shock!

After booking in to our hotel we proceeded to have a look at the centre of Hobart. It was a bit gloomy when we arrived and that did nothing to brighten our initial view of Hobart. The shopping area looked like Stockport town centre in the 70's (mind you Stockport town centre wasn't much better when I left). The whole place looked tatty and in need of big investment. It felt like we were in the back of beyond! It got even worse when it started to rain. The place was really grim!

Day 2. The next day we got a bus up to the Cascade Brewery in South Hobart. We had a really good time and as the tour finished the sun came out! Hobart looked better in the sunshine but it still felt like a backwater. That evening I had a walk up to Queens Domain from which there are terrific views of the Tasman Bridge and River Derwent.

Day 3. The day was bright and sunny and so e spent an hour or so looking around Hobart's famous Salamanca Markets which are really good. We then had a good look around the waterfront. It was really nice to see all the boats in the harbour. Mount Wellington dominates the backdrop to Hobart and you can see it on most of the photos. It is often covered in cloud and is noted for its fast changing weather and strong winds at the top. Hobart did look much better but whoever sanctioned the horrific concrete tower blocks that blight the Hobart skyline, should be severely thrashed! Just before mid-day we picked up out hire car from Europcar. I was dreading getting a Hyundai but in the event it was a 1.8 litre Toyota Corolla sedan. Unfortunately it was an automatic but it was certainly good enough. Gill kept telling me 'no need to change gear' as I reached for the gearstick for downchanges!

From Hobart we drove to Richmond which is an old colonial town. It has some lovely old buildings and the oldest surviving freestone bridge in Australia, dating from 1823. Just after leaving Richmond a solitary passing car flicked up a stone which put a nice crack in the windscreen. Bugger! It was only small but I had not taken out windscreen cover (I've never had a cracked windscreen in 25 years of driving) but was wishing I had!

After checking in to our hotel at Eaglehawk Neck we visited the Port Arthur Historic Site. The ruins of the former penal colony are really interesting to go round. The whole site has a dark history from its penal colony beginnings to the terrible shootings of 1996 when a lone gunman shot dead 35 people at random the youngest of whom was just 3 years old. That evening we went on the Port Arthur Ghost Tour which takes in the ruins. It was quite spooky at times!

Day 4: We left the Lufra hotel at Eaglehawk Neck early and drove up the East coast of Tasmania to the Freycinet National Park. Here we did a quite tiring climb up to a viewpoint looking out over Wineglass Bay. You see this view on loads of Tasmania books etc, but the view is a little underwhelming when you see it for real. Most of Freycinet is only accessible to walkers so we didn't bother staying around too long. That is one of the advantages and disadvantages of Tasmania's great wilderness areas. They are unspoilt and quite unique but you just can't get to see them unless you are prepared for a long hike (sometimes days).

We then proceeded to our accomodation at Swansea. Like most small towns and villages in Tassie is doesn't have much going for it but it was better than most. Our B&B at Meredith House was fantastic. It is run by two guys, Noel and Neal who were great hosts. Noel is an Aussie but Neal is from Manchester! They both lived together in Sale. We had a good time chatting about it! What a small world this is!

Day 5: After leaving Swansea we drove inland and did a detour South to the small town of Ross. This has many old buildings and a very English feel to it. We then drove northwards to Longford. Again, this whole area is very English with many hedgerows and English trees. We would have liked to stay longer in Longford (!) but we spent most of our time waiting to be served at the slowest cafe in town. Our next stop was the city of Launceston (pronunced Lawn-ces-ton) where we were to stay for 2 nights. We had a quick look around and quickly decided it had more going for it than Hobart.

Day 6: A lovely sunny day in Launceston. We went to the Cataract Gorge just out of town. It is a really pretty area and has lovely Victorian gardens. Launceston itself has some really nice public gardens. We had a good look around the main shopping area which was really quite good. The pubs there aren't bad either and (like Melbourne's pubs) have some character to them.

Day 7: We left Launceston early and drove westwards to Westbury. Again this is a very English looking town (in parts) with a lovely village green and nice hedgerows (I really miss hedgerows,. How weird I am!). From there we drove through a green and verdant land very reminiscent of English countryside. At one point I could actually convince myself I was back home! It was great to see. For me, very uplifting. Almost all Tasmanian roads are superb - nice smooth tarmac and hardly another car in sight - but in this area they were just brilliant! Beautiful ribbons of tarmac gently weaving up and down through the countryside. Just fantastic! Heaven! Next time I'll have to rent a Mini Cooper S or a V8 Commodore!

Our next port of call was Sheffield which, according to the guide book, had its buildings covered in murals. We stopped for a coffee and a look around. Indeed, many of its buildings have murals painted on them, but it lost some of its appeal when we found out that they had all been painted on in 1985 to try and attract tourists to a town in decline.

We were now entering mountain country and eventually reached Cradle Mountain in the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park. The road to Cradle Mountain is a dead end road that stops at Dove Lake. I was initially very concerned at our wooden cabin accomodation. I had read glowing reports on Trip Advisor about it but our first impression was of something out of Deliverance. We were waiting for some HIll-Billys to suddenly jump out. I opened the front door with some trepidation but was greeted by a wonderful, immaculately clean cabin. Fantastic! It even had log fire (we used it that evening). We journeyed to Dove Lake twice as, when we arrived it was cloudy and cold. The sun came out in the afternoon so we went back. It was great to see proper mountain scenery again and the air was lovely and cool (cold according to Gill!). We stopped for a drink at Cradle Mountain Lodge and watched the TV with others as John McCain conceded defeat to Barack Obama (or Barack Biden Osama as Gill thought he was called!)

The highlight of our stay in Cradle Mountain was seeing a wombat (Gill also saw a Tasmanian Devil - I missed it!) and the frequent visits to our cabin of a Tasmanian Pademelon (pronounced paddy-melon!) family, baby and all. Magic! We both wished we could have stayed longer there.

Day 8: A cloudy day saw us driving to the remote port of Strahan (pronounce Strawn) on the far west coast. It's really remote and, unless you are doing the West Coast Wilderness Railway or Gordon River cruise, has bugger all going for it. We got instantly bored there and drove the 40 minutes (really bendy road!) to Queenstown. That was just as bad so we drove all the way back to Strahan!

Day 9: An early rise saw us repeat the drive to Queenstown although, this time, we didn't make the mistake of stopping. The drive out of Queenstown is straight up the side of a mountain. Incredibly twisty with plenty of fresh air drops. Gill wasn't looking! The road eventually takes you through real Tasmanian wilderness. It is a World Heritage Area and is almost all unspoilt. Its erie driving through wilderness forest with no signs whatsover of any human habitation. I had planned a break at Derwent Bridge (I almost booked a night there) but on stopping at the petrol station and cafe we realised that this WAS Derwent Bridge. Apart from the accomodation lodge opposite there was absolutely nothing! So we continued on to New Norfolk where we had booked a B&B. The roads were quite superb. Again New Norfolk sounds great in the guide books (like Kent in England it said) but the reality is a bit different. Sure it has some nice old buildings and is very 'English' in parts but it has an incredibly ugly main street and, again, bugger all to do. The B&B was fantastic though!

Day 10: After a half hour drive back to Hobart we dropped the car off at Europcar. The staff were great and said my 'cracked' windscreen could be filled. Fan flippin tastic! This cost me just $67 rather than a potential $330. It was a lovely day in Hobart and we again went to the Salamanca Markets and walked round the harbour area.

Day 11: We flew back early afternoon. It only took 2 1/4 hours back to Brisbane which was much less than we thought. Tasmania is, like most of Australia, in drought and you can clearly see all the brown fields in the view from the aircraft. This really surprised us. We thought Tasmania was a green and pleasant land but on our first drive to Richmond and Port Arthur we realised it was very dry.

Tasmania is a great place to visit. It has great, varied scenery which changes almost around each bend of the road. It has history and lovely old buildings and churches. The climate is very like the UK at times - changeable weather and very cool at times (Snow in winter!). Many British people live there and you can see why. However, for me, you can get all that scenery and history and a whole lot more right where you are now - Britain. Tassie is great to visit but I could not live there. Too remote, too quiet, a bit backward and not a whole lot to do or see between places. However, compared to what I have seen so far of mainland Australia, Tasmania is on a completely different level. Way better. If ever you come to Australia you must go to Tasmania.

Thats all for now folks.
Ian and Gill

16/11/08

Hi everyone!

At the end of October, Gill and myself spent 4 nights in Melbourne prior to our holiday in Tasmania.

We both really enjoyed our visit to Sydney in August and Melbourne was, by all accounts, supposed to be much better than Sydney.

It certainly is far busier than Sydney and extremely cosmopolitan. There is a real hussle and bussle about the place - hoards of people of all nationalities, beggars, horrible smells from the waste bins in alleyways, police attending incidents, traffic etc etc. Hugely different from Brisbane which is very laid back (too laid back if you ask me). Also, I have never seen so much graffiti in all my life. If you thought Manchester was bad check out Melbourne! Having said that, much of it is really 'street art' but it still comes as a shock!

The big difference between a British city and Melbourne (and all of Australia for that matter) is the almost complete absence of litter. Despite tens of thousands of people walking the streets it is very near litter free. Fantastic! Apart from the litter there really isn't much difference (to me) between Melbourne and a major British city.

Melbourne has a great tram system which is very extensive and extends into the suburbs. The City Circle tram is free and is a good way to see the centre of Melbourne.

Melbourne has a Docklands area just to the west of the CBD. It is undergoing a lot of development (apartments etc) and there you will find the other sporting stadium of Melbourne - the Telstra Dome. The area still needs a lot of work to make it attractive. The Salford Quays is much better to me.

I think the main attraction of Melbourne could be the suburbs which have a lot of character. We took a tram to St. Kilda and we both enjoyed the place. From there we walked back through Albert Park (where the Formula 1 race is held) and through South Melbourne where we caught a tram back to Flinders Street Station. Much of the architecture we saw on our walk was quite familiar to me (there is a lot of art deco) and the whole feel of the area reminded me of elements of Didsbury or Chorlton - there was life and character.

We also visited the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or 'the G' as it is known. It is a vast place where both Cricket and Aussie Rules Football is played. It was built in 1853 and, obviously, has radically changed over the years. It now hold about 100,000 people in seats that have way more legroom than those at Old Trafford. Most of the ground is modern and well equipped but the facilities for the cricket and AFL players is more Fog Lane Park than Old Trafford! You should see the dressing rooms! Basic they are! They make those at Old Trafford look like a penthouse at the Ritz!

Melbourne is renowned for having 'four seasons in one day' and that was certainly true while we were there. It can cold, windy and wet in the morning and then hot and sunny in the afternoon. You can see the difference in the way people dress in Melbourne as compared to Brisbane. In Brissie the kids are always in board shorts and thongs (flip flops!) whereas in Melbourne it is mainly jeans etc. Be prepared for all weathers!

I have to say that, compared to Sydney, overall,we were a little dissapointed with Melbourne. Gill really didn't like it. At least with the city centre. I can understand people moving from say Manchester to Brisbane or Sydney IF they are looking for a complete change of lifestyle. But Melbourne is little different than if you were in a British city. I'd rather stay in Manchester! Having said that it has life, energy, a certain character and a buzz (like Manchester!) which, to me, is a good thing.

We will send our Tasmania picures in due course.

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

While I remember I have attached a couple of pics of the statue of Lachlan Macquarie outside Parliament. House who was the governer of NSW many years ago. I very significant person by all accounts, his influence is everywhere. I was reading the plaque below his statue and was quite surprised to see where he is buried. Check it out next time you are in Mull!

20/09/08

Hello there!

Below are some pics taken on 20th September 2008 at Speed on Tweed. The event takes place in the town of Murwillumbah, Northern New South Wales, about 1 hour 15 minutes from here in Shailer Park.

This years featured over 220 cars of all ages and categories competing on the short street circuit through the town. Almost 30,000 people attended the event. The oldest competing car was a 1921 Amilcar CS while the 500+HP Wortmeyer SCV of Peter Gumley has won more State and National titles than any other car in any form of motorsport in Australia.

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

31/08/08

Hello there!

On Sunday 31st August I went to see the Mini Muster at Carina, Brisbane (Gill was at work so couldn't make it). It was sponsored by car dealer Motorline Mini hence all the new Mini's on display. It was great to see Mini's of all ages on show although I suspect some of the 'traditional' enthusiasts were grumbling over the new Mini's being there. Tough! I didn't realise, until later that, 176,000 original Mini's were made here in Australia. I've never seen so many Mini's in one place, there must have been a hundred or so on display.

There was even a rolling road for those brave enough to rev their cars to the limit. Hope you enjoy the photos. I particularly like the one of Gill's Mazda with a rather nice Mini that happened to park next to it!

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

05/08/08

Hello there!

Last weekend Gill and myself went for a two night stay in Sydney. Obviously I had never been before and Gill had not been there for over 20 years.

Our flight was at 6.20am from Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta, about an hours drive away. Just as we set off in the dark at about 4.15am Friday morning the car didn't feel at all right.''Feels like a puncture" I said to Gill. "Ah" she said "i ran over a plank of wood on the motorway yesterday". Bugga!. I reversed down the road back to the house and told Gill to see if Michelle could run us down to the airport. In the darkness (they're not big on street lights here) and with a plane to catch I really couldn't be bothered trying to change a tyre at that time in the morning. Luckily, Grumblebum (Michelle!) said she would drive us to the airport. Phew!

Our flight went smoothly and we landed at Sydney at 8.00am. We got a train from the airport to Museum Station, Hyde Park, Sydney. The trains are double-decker trains which is a novelty. We got on board the packed train and began our journey. Inside the train I have never seen so much graffiti in all my life. Every square inch (or cm over here) was covered in it. A lot of it had been scraped into the paintwork.

Our hotel was right in the CBD area and was decent enough. We did tons of walking while we were there (too much!) and saw loads of sights. Sydney was not quite what I expected. It was much better! As it was the first place to be settled in Australia it retains many of the old buildings. Some are quite magnificent. It all felt very familiar in parts and I felt quite at home. I had to keep reminding myself I was in Sydney, Australia and not London (or Manchester for that matter after a shower of rain!). Some of the buildings looked very similar to ones you would see here. One building bore a striking resemblance to the Refuge Building in Manchester. However, you know you are not in England because the streets are amazingly clean. Some chewing gum yes but almost zero litter.

We did a tour inside the Opera House (its more interesting inside than out) and took a ferry ride to Manly. We also did an evening ferry ride which is a great way to see Sydney by night (as long as you don't have two amazingly irritating Japanese girls taking millions of photos of themselves against the Sydney lights right next to you).

Taking of Japanese, Sydney is just like London in that respect. They are filppin everywhere! Chinese tourists aswell are everywhere. In fact, Sydney has huge ethnic diversity with those of Chinese/Japanese origin forming a huge part of the population.

We also took a trip to the top of the Sydney Tower. In the lift (probably the most cramped and slow lift you are ever likely to be in) the fella next to Gill said to her "Are you from Manchester? My grandfather still has his Manchester accent". "She's from near London" I said, "but I'm from Manchester so you're close!"

Best wishes to you all
Ian and Gill

18/07/08

Hello all

Well, not too much to report from Down Under.

Gill and I are both busy working. Me working during the day and Gill working mornings, afternoons and evenings with her shift work!

Talking of work, at todays Friday morning get together at Cook Medical (who I work for) the boss announced that Bill Cook (the company founder and big boss) said he was giving every Cook employee in Australia (and a partner) free tickets to see John Mellencamp in concert in Brisbane on 25th November. Wicked! It transpires that Mellencamp lives in Bloomington, Indiana where Bill Cook also lives and where Cook has its head office. Perks of the job!

The weather here is good as usual. Almost always sunny. We had quite a bit of rain a week ago but it's all back to normal now! It's still cold in the mornings (although this week has been mild with a record 17 degrees overnight one night!) but in the low to mid 20's in the day. I try and go for a walk each lunchtime at work and, weather wise, it feels like an English summer at its best. Except it's winter here!

Last weekend Gill and I went up to Mount Tamborine again. Its the one place I really like and we had lunch at St Bernards hotel. Its a really nice place and the terrace at the back overlooks with Guanaba Gorge with views out to the Gold Coast. Very pleasant. I got some extra hot chili sauce from one of the shops up on Mount Tamborine. It's called 'Smack my arse and call me Cindy'! I just had to try something called that!

Thats all for now folks.

Hope all is well in the Motherland.

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

07/07/08

Hello all!

At the end of June I visited Eagle Farm racecourse near Brisbane airport. The RACQ (RAC Queensland) were holding their annual Motorfest which is a huge gathering of veteran, vintage and classic cars. There were hundreds of cars on display mainly British, American and Australian. It was great to see the old British cars. It made me feel really nostalgic!

Last weekend, Gill and I had a drive up to Brookfield Pony Club showground which is in Brisbane's western suburbs. It's a bit posh around there! There was a display of French cars but I was really disappointed not to see any Peugeot 205GTI's there. Afterwards, we went for a drive but ended up going the wrong way down a seemingly endless dead end road into the bush. Mind you, we did see a British red telephone box along the way!

The piccy of Gill is a sneaky one of her 'acquiring' a plant from a friend's garden!

Bye for now
Gill and Ian

23/05/08

Hello again!

Below are the latest installment of pics from myself and Gill's adventures here in the convict colony.

There are some general pics of Brisbane along with pics of a visit to Movie World on the Gold Coast. As theme parks go its very lame with nothing really going on and what acts there are, are really cheesy. If you are ever in this part of the world don't waste your money going there.

Later on in the day (a Sunday) we drove up to a new 'English' pub that has recently opened in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Its called the Fox and Hounds and the building really stands out. Its a bit OTT with the red telephone box and way too many ornaments inside but its a breath of fresh air compared to the usual 1980's bingo hall style Aussie pubs. I felt really at home on the place despite there being an Arsenal scarf above the bar. I shall wear my Man United shirt with pride when we next visit! So what about the beer! Well, its brewed nearby at Mount Tamborine and the bitter is absolutely great. A really good bitter. Hallelujah! Trouble is, its served at -2º for Aussie tastes and so is way too cold! I sat there with my hands around my pint pot trying to warm it up a bit, much to Gill's amusement!

There are also a couple of pics of a burst water main here on Camena Street taken a few weeks ago. It was at next doors house (who were out for the day!) and there was a huge amount of water coming out of it. By the way, the cream coloured fence in the pics is Gill's house.

That's it for now. Best wishes to you all.
Ian and Gill

11/05/08

On May 11th (it was Mother's Day so I thank Gill for her patience!) we travelled up to Willowbank (Queensland Raceway) to help out on a Motorkhana run by the Holden Sporting Car Club of Queensland.

The event was the second round of the Queensland Motorkhana Championship and attracted 44 entries and consisted of 10 tests. The tests are part of a set range of tests published by CAMS (the Australian MSA) and are used in all Motorkhanas.

There were 2 test areas and Gill and I did the timing on one of the test areas all day. Timing is by electronic beam. This time there was no manual stopwatch back-up which I thought was a bit risky. In the event there was only one malfunction of the timing beam all day which entailed the competitor doing the test again.

The event was won by an old Datsun 1200 with a Mazda Eunos (shown in one of the piccies) second. Halfway down the results was a Toyota Chaser driven by a young lad wearing a brightly coloured baseball cap with a propellor on top! He was into drifting and so was spectacular but not that quick! The video shows him in action. Please excuse the turn of phrase towards the end of the video. No prizes for guessing who it is!

Thats all for now folks!
Ian and Gill

17/04/08

Last Sunday morning, 13th April, Gill and myself went into Brisbane to have a look at the markets at South Bank.

We stopped off at the Plough Inn for a drink and some lunch. Our food was ready within about 2 minutes of ordering which was bit quick for my liking but it tasted just fine!

There were no bargains to be had at the markets so we had a walk into the CBD to do some 'proper' shopping! Gill was in her element!

We will hopefully try and get out again this weekend and so I will endeavour to take some more snaps.

Hope all is well in the 'Mother' country.

Best wishes
Ian and Gill

23/03/08

Last Sunday, over the Easter weekend, myself and Gill drove up to Mount Tamborine in the Gold Coast Hinterland which is plateau about 8km long and 525m high.

It is probably our favourite place around here (there really arent that many to be honest!) and we have been a number of times before. It takes about 1 hour to get there and, for once, the raods make some some nice driving although you have to be careful as always as the local traffic police have a tendency to hide themselves away in the bushes to snap speeding motorists.

Once there, you climb through rainforest up a tight, twisting road which requires careful attention particularly on the descent. At the top it all flattens out and a network of roads lead to all manner of tourist attractions such as forest walks, art galleries, antique shops, cafes, pubs, wineries and even a cheese factory. Its really nice as it is cooler than the surrounding area and, visually, I find it much more appealing as, sometimes, it reminds me of the British countryside. A little bit anyway! There are some spectacular views inland and to the Gold Coast and it does get very busy up there, particular over a holiday weekend. You can often watch the handgliders taking off from the side of the plateau which does draw the crowds.

Gill and I came away with an ornamental frog and a 'bug' along with some rather strong cheese (which is now getting a wee bit smelly!).

I have attached a few pics from Mount Tamborine. The olde worldy cottage looks very English (I could almost imagine myself back in deepest Cheshire!) and there was even a mock black and white cottage behind it. Its strange what you see Down Under.

Bye for now
Gill and Ian

16/03/08

After this years St Patricks day parade on 15th March the sun came out and I had a good, long, walk taking the attached pictures of Brisbane which I thought you may like to see.

Best wishes to you all

Ian and Gill

Saturday 9th March 2008 saw another visit to the Mount Cotton hillclimb to watch the first round of the Tighe Cams hillclimb championship. There were over 100 entries taking part. The weather was showery at first which made the going very slippery but it eventually brightened up. There was a wide variety of cars taking part - some very quick and others achingly slow! The red Subaru WRX in one of the pictures was very quick and eventually finished 4th O/A only beaten by single seaters.

24/02/08
A day out down Under:

Last Sunday (24th February) myself and Gill headed out for a drive to the west of Brisbane.

After a relatively short drive through the western suburbs of Brisbane we began to ascend the steep and twisty Mount Nebo Road up into the D'Aguilar Range. Jolly's Lookout is the first vantage point with great views to be had. The road ascends higher and higher to Mount Glorious and then begins a treacherous descent to the Brisbane Valley. On the way down we encountered a recent accident involving a Subaru Impreza whose driver had been over enthusiastic going down. His car was a wreck but he appeared unhurt.

Once down to valley floor we drove around Lake Wivenhoe which is about 20 miles in length. Wivenhoe is the main water source for South East Queensland but is currently only 25% full despite recent torrential rains. The road around the Lake is a really good one, very fast and flowing. I was having a great time until Gill decided I should back off a bit!

We stopped in the small town of Esk for lunch but unfortunately the pub was packed out so we had to settle for a pie from the bakery. After a brief visit to the Wivenhoe visitors centre we made our way home to Shailer Park. The drive took us 5 hours but it barely registers on a map of Queensland. It makes you appreciate what a vast country this is.

Thats all for now folks

Best wishes to you all

Ian and Gill

03/03/08
Car Wash:

This weekend we were actually allowed to use a hosepipe for the first time in a couple of years or something like that! As an even numbered house we could use it for one day only on Sunday between 4 and 5pm. So I washed Gill's car! I loved it! I was getting severe car wash withdrawal symptoms so this was great!

TTFN

Ian

24/02/08
A day out down Under:

Last Sunday (24th February) myself and Gill headed out for a drive to the west of Brisbane.

After a relatively short drive through the western suburbs of Brisbane we began to ascend the steep and twisty Mount Nebo Road up into the D'Aguilar Range. Jolly's Lookout is the first vantage point with great views to be had. The road ascends higher and higher to Mount Glorious and then begins a treacherous descent to the Brisbane Valley. On the way down we encountered a recent accident involving a Subaru Impreza whose driver had been over enthusiastic going down. His car was a wreck but he appeared unhurt.

Once down to valley floor we drove around Lake Wivenhoe which is about 20 miles in length. Wivenhoe is the main water source for South East Queensland but is currently only 25% full despite recent torrential rains. The road around the Lake is a really good one, very fast and flowing. I was having a great time until Gill decided I should back off a bit!

We stopped in the small town of Esk for lunch but unfortunately the pub was packed out so we had to settle for a pie from the bakery. After a brief visit to the Wivenhoe visitors centre we made our way home to Shailer Park. The drive took us 5 hours but it barely registers on a map of Queensland. It makes you appreciate what a vast country this is.

Thats all for now folks

Best wishes to you all

Ian and Gill

17/02/08
Tales from the colony:

The pic of Gill was taken on her birthday on 6th of January and the Brisbane International Motor Show ones are from early February. Gill and I were quite taken by the bright green HSV Maloo R8 ute! The pic of me was taken as I tried out a Land Rover. It's so cramped in there! I have no idea how they go long distances overland in them!

The V8 Supercar pics are of a recent test day at Queensland Raceway to the west of Brisbane. Only various Ford teams were there when we arrived which didn't impress me. When it comes to the Red (Holden) v Blue (Ford) battle I am firmly in the Red camp! The racetrack is very open and you can see the entire circuit from almost anywhere. The downside is that it is by far the most uninteresting racetrack I have ever seen. The facilities are also very basic with the pit 'garages' being just glorified bike sheds. The circuit holds a V8 Supercar race each year but it sorely needs a major revamp.

Andy Turner has obviously been keeping his Australian enterprise quiet from you guys!. The premises are just across the other side of the Pacific Motorway from where we live. I particularly like the logo which looks just like Andy in his baseball cap!

I shall be keeping my eye on the entry list for the SMC Stages and hoping the weather is kind this year! We have been having tons of rain here (summer, what summer!!?) and 2 days ago the town of Mackay in North Queensland received 624mm in 10 hours! 180mm of rain fell in just one hour alone!

Best wishes to you all

Ian and Gill

07/12/07
Hello again!

Went to the Mount Cotton hillclimb again on Saturday. It really is an excellent venue and so close to home (Aussie home that is!).

Last week Gill and I went up to Redcliffe, which is a bayside suburb just north of Brisbane. The SV6 Commodore in front of us had a number plate that a certain S061 Chairman would envy!

I have just finished a 4 week work assignment which was really good. Gill is back doing shifts at the hospital. I will be picking her up at 11pm tonight!

Thats all for now folks

Best wishes

Ian & Gill

04/11/07
Hello again!

Well I've been to yet another motorsport event! This isn't a bad place for seeing motoring action. Mind you, we see it almost everyday on the roads around Brisbane!

This time I went about 15 minutes down the road to the Australian Hillclimb Championship event at Mount Cotton Hillclimb. The venue is owned and run by the MG Car Club of Queensland. Although it is a hillclimb it has as many downs as ups as you can see in the video I took. There were about 120 entries with vehicles ranging from MG"s, Triumph's and Escorts to Westfield's, Pilbeam's, Gould's and Van Diemen's. Spectating is great as you can see the whole course from almost anywhere. It's great to have such a venue so close to hand.

Thats all for now folks

Cheers

Ian and Gill

29/10/07
Myself and Gill have just spent this Sunday a short distance down the road at a Motorkhana which is very similar to an Autotest.

The event had over 30 entries and a wide range of cars ranging from and old Mini Cooper S, Lotus Europa and Alfa Sud to various specials and even a V8 Holden Commodore!

There were just 8 tests all run once through. They were quite easy compared to an Autotest and it was a very relaxed event. The youngest competitor was just 12 years old!

I ended up doing the electronic beam start and Gill helped with the back up clock timing.

Although the tests were quite straightforward I dont think Gill fancied doing the event in her Mazda!

Bye for now
Ian and Gill

22/10/07
Myself and Gill have spent the weekend down at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast watching the Indy 300 event.

There were numerous types of cars competing over the weekend such as V8 Ute's, Porsche's, V8 Supercars and Champ Cars. The atmosphere at the street circuit is fantastic. Very Aussie! You can get exceptionally close to the track which makes for some ear splitting spectating!

The Champ Car race was won by Frenchman Sebastian Bourdais which meant he had won the Champ Car World Series for a record fourth consecutive time.

The V8's are the most exciting to watch and they sound brilliant. Their 5 litre V8's are pushing out nearly 650 bhp. There were 3 races over the weekend although we only saw one of them. The first two were won by Garth Tander in his Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore and the last was won by Steven Richards in his Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon. There are a few British connections with the V8 Supercars. The Holden Racing Team and Toll HSV Dealer Team are run by the Walkinshaw Performance Group, Ford Performance Racing is run by Prodrive and Team Vodafone (Ford) is run by Triple Eight Race Engineering who run the Vauxhall BTCC cars in the UK.

Hope you are all well
Best wishes
Ian and Gill

01/10/07
We went out on Sunday (30/09/07) to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland (inland area) and saw some interesting cars. The Ultima pulled out in front of us in the distance and I just managed to keep up so as Gill could get some pics of it. I like the reg on it! I didnt know for sure what car it was but I thought it could be an Ultima. I checked some pics of similar cars this morning and it WAS an Ultima we saw.

The flower lined 'avenue' is the Arbour Walk in South Bank, Brisbane. It goes on for quite a long way and i call it the T-Rex pens! The MINI was also in Brisbane. I couldn't resist taking a pic! The Story Bridge is in Brisbane aswell.

Hope all is well in blighty?

Ian & Gill

10/09/07
We went for a drive on 09/09/07 to Murwillimbah just over the border into NSW. There was a festival of speed on which had all sorts of cars racing around the streets: old sports cars, Mk1 and II Escorts, Jenson Interceptors and loads of others including the old Beatrice F1 car. The website for the event is www.speedontweed.com

The street shot is Murwillumbah and you can see a racing car going up the hill in the background. The 2 racing car shots were taken by Gill while balanced on a fence taken one handed! The other shots were taken on the journey home through the hills. Thats Gill's blue Mazda in the foreground of one of the shots.

We passed through a place called Dungay which is, apparently, where they film 'I'm a Celebrity get me out of here'