IAN & GILL'S ADVENTURES

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'