Gold Coast Party House 1994 was like a magnet for people who loved sex drugs & rock & roll. I never bothered with the drugs, bourbon was my weapon of choice. 🙂 The photo above is a typical gathering of party animals. The two guys holding cigarettes are Barry Kemp on the left & Andre Buzek on the right. Sadly within the next year or so Andre was killed in a car accident in Cuba, RIP old friend.
What time can we start having fun?
Right about now I imagine. 🙂
Gold Coast babes
I don’t remember all the names, however that’s tricky Vicki Foster on the left, & 2nd from the right is Carolyn Clark who was my girlfriend at the time.
I need lemon for my Stollies
Thanks Alan, I knew I could rely on you. 🙂
This is the way to suck a lemon
Who said sucking lemons would wipe the smile off your face?
Visitors from Argentina
These gorgeous got me thinking I should visit South America soon. 🙂
What a fabulous smile
Absolutely beautiful.
I asked the question earlier
What time can I start having fun?
My late great friend Andre
Andre was the complete party animal, he had a dental practice on Chevron Island & all the pretty girls got a huge discount. 🙂
The original & the best
What a character.
Coffs Harbour NYE.
Visiting Coffs harbour, that’s Tony Murphy on the left with his girlfriend Anna, aka the Bean. Carolyn Clark is in the centre.
Murphy’s Moke
December 28 1994.
Bonneville Coffs Harbour
A magnificent golf course.
If you gottem, flaunt em. 🙂
How sexy is this?
I feel like a rose between two thorns
That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.
A weekend in Sydney
I took Sonya to Sydney, she was a Gold Coast meter maid.
A happy girl
Until she had one drink too many then she was very hard to handle. 🙂
The Greenwood hotel in North Sydney
Very popular for after work drinks.
Drinks with Hoggie
It’s now 2021 & I have lived in Thailand for almost 10 years, I must see what Hoggie is up to these days.
This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history, you may describe it as the melancholy musings of an old man. My answer to that is simple, it’s far better to be a “has been” than a “never was”. 🙂
Pretty woman stop awhile, Pretty woman talk awhile, Pretty woman give your smile to me, Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah, Pretty woman look my way, Pretty woman say you’ll stay with me, ‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right, Come with me baby, be mine tonight. It seems fitting looking back on a random selection of some of the Pretty women I have been lucky enough to know, that Roy Orbison should help me recall some of those wonderful memories.
That’s Karen Smith in 1985, my 3rd & last fiancee, I have never known a nicer girl.
Carol Aboud in 1978
This was taken on my birthday which fell on 7-7-77, Carol & I were an item (on & off) for around 4 years.
Sing it for me Neil. 🙂
Carolyn Clark 1994
I still see Carolyn when I’m on the Gold Coast, in fact in July 2019 we made a little promotional video for her boyfriend Andy Sims.
Next we have Glenn Frey sing a beautiful song, ok I know the song is Caroline as opposed to Carolyn, but you get the picture.
Now this definitely is a pretty woman.
Kelly Davis hailed from Tasmania, we knocked around together for a few months in 1991.
Kelly was a huge fan of Van Morrison so here is another one of my favourites.
One of the sexiest of all the girls I knew.
There is something about those Kiwi girls, hot, hot, hot. Karen Greenwood & I had an on & off relationship for over a year in 1991. She stuck around mainly because I lent her a car. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Now here we have a real wild child.
Allison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. 🙂 If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. 🙂
As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. 🙂
Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. 🙂
Great company sober, but give her a couple of drinks too many & she would turn into a nightmare. This was 1989 on the Gold Coast.
Time to feature a triple treat.
Meet Kitty, Di Parko & Helen Burke, before you ask the answer is yes. 🙂
They don’t come any hotter than Donna Turner.
This was 1996 & she still looks fabulous today in 2019.
Marlene Cuthbert
Around 1983 Marlene worked for Ansett Airlines, she had a very sexy voice on a microphone, that’s why Ansett used her to make all the announcements at mascot airport. 🙂
Looking back I sometimes regret I chose Karen Smith to be my 3rd fiancee instead of Marlene. Don’t get me wrong, Karen was one of the nicest person I ever knew, our personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Lee Gregory was my 2nd fiancee.
Lee was from Adelaide where met, then we reconnected again in Melbourne in 1974. We had a fairly hectic dramatic short time together, travelled to Singapore & Bali & saw Frank Sinatra in concert in Melbourne on my birthday 7-7-74.
This is one of my all time Sinatra favourites, I can think of no better song to play when I think of Lee.
And they did…..
Teresa Hamilton-Smith & Helen Burke, we had a lot of fun together in 1982 & 1983.
Barbara Manneli aka the Gypsy.
The classic island romance, we celebrated the millennium on Koh Samui, 3 months later I flew to Italy to re-kindle the affair. Guess what? I didn’t make 1st base. 🙂
This one’s for you Gypsy.
Tall & tanned & young & lovely
This is Mel, we me on Copacabana beach, she had green eyes & was 6′ tall, say no more. 🙂
Bebel Gilberto will sing the song for us.
Someones knocking at the door.
Do me a favour open the door & let em in.
This is Emily at the Sheraton Mirage.
Was a Gold Coast meter maid.
Then there was Jill….
Cool, sexy & a lot of fun. Last time I saw her was in Sydney in 2102.
Back to the 60s
Veronica Crocker was my 2nd serious girlfriend, we dated for a couple of years when I was a teenager until the wanderlust took hold of me & at the ripe old age of 20 I sailed to England.
Dion DiMucci was a huge artist in the 60s, here are two of his songs. Both bring back great memories of my time with Veronica.
Teenager in Love
Take good care of my Baby
My first serious girlfriend
What incredible memories I have of this gorgeous girl Elizabeth Wiggington, better known as Beth. She lived on the corner of Wellington Rd & Antwerp St & I would ride my bike 3.3 Km from my home at 58 Kihilla Rd. It was much easier when I got my drivers licence & bought my little Morris Minor, except for the night I was driving home from her house & collided with a horse on Cumberland Rd. 🙂
Now here is one of the reasons I love Facebook, it was 1960 when we were together for 1 to 1.5 years, then I never really saw her again. It’s now September 2019, 59 years later & we have re-connected on Facebook, in fact Beth sent me quite a few photos, because way back then for some stupid teenage reason I had torn up all the ones I owned. 🙂
Johnny Burnette can remind us how it was back then.
The old shipboard romance.
I needed to get over my long romance with Veronica & Leanne Scott on the ship to England seemed like the perfect solution. 🙂
Sing it for me Bobby……
Wendy Winspear, tall & gorgeous.
A lovely Dutch girl on the Gold Coast, sadly she passed away far too young around 2017, RIP.
My first fiancee, Melbourne 1970.
Paula Wills was an Adelaide girl living in Melbourne & working as a an hostess for Ansett. After 3 months living together I think we just ran out of things to say.
Dianne Parkinson in 1975
To say Parko bought some dramas into my life is a gross understatement. Read about some of it on THIS LINK.
The sweetest Diane of them all.
Adelaide 1973 Diane Butson was one of my neighbours in a condo block on Anzac Highway. She was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray dance studio. A great girl & absolutely gorgeous. Follow THIS LINK for more old photos.
Great song from the Bachelors in 1964.
The Bachelors ~ Diane ~ 1964
Another beautiful Adelaide girl.
Jan Seagers was another neighbour, we had some terrific times together. We caught up again in 2015, I had not seen her for 40 years. Check out THIS LINK.
Pretty woman stop awhile
Helen Burke from Melbourne, we really had some fun, played backgammon all through Hawaii & the California coast in 1982.
Linda Ronstadt will tell you about the coast.
Well by now you are bored silly by the memories & musings of an old man. But make no mistake, Glenn Frey will describe exactly how I feel today.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia which is officially known as Flagstaff Beach, is the northernmost beach in New South Wales. It’s at the mouth of the Tweed River and the rocky headland Point Danger, which also marks the Queensland-New South Wales border.
Sand transport system
The Project is a sand transport system that collects sand from the southern side of the Tweed River entrance at Letitia Spit, and pumps it under the river to outlets on the northern side. From there the sand is transported by waves and currents to nourish the southern Gold Coast beaches.
Great view of the beach
We are standing on a cliff in QLD looking across Flagstaff Beach to NSW.
Surfers waiting for a wave.
There seems to be many personal and indescribable experiences in their lives that keeps them paddling out again & again. Plus the willingness to wait for them often defines a surfer more than his or her individual ability.
Bring it on.
The waiting is really worth it.
Everyone loves the beach
Not just surfers, kids with their mums & dogs as well. 🙂
My friends from England
Joan Baptist & Bill Austin from Wiltshire visited Australia in 2010 & naturally I took them sightseeing along the coast. The following week we drove down to Sydney.
They actually got married in England yesterday August 3 2019 after being together for over 20 years.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
It’s not just the board-riders who love to surf. Kite-boarding is an action sport combining aspects of wake-boarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding and sailing into one extreme sport. A kite-boarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water, land, or snow. Wikipedia
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
I’m guessing he is heading for a cold beer.
OK, I’ll meet you at the pub. 🙂
This is what the Beach Boys call a “surfer girl”.
Thanks for visiting my Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia photo blog.
Two weeks Gold Coast 2019 provided a welcome relief from months of hot weather in Thailand. Caught up with some old friends & celebrated another birthday at Melbas on the park. Most days were overcast with scattered showers which suited me just fine. Above is Marine Parade Labrador.
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Talking about Labrador…
There is a nice restaurant next door to the Aqua building called The Lazy Lobster.
Lunch with an old friend.
I have known Shane for around 30 years, he took me to lunch for my birthday.
I chose the baby Barramundi
The dish was very nice however I must admit my favourite place for seafood is on Chevron Island.
Chevron Island Seafood
Always fresh & the price is right. If you go make sure you say hi to Frank & Wozza.
Malcolm Kennedy
Coffee on Chevron Island with Mal, another guy I have known for 30 years. Mal originally owned the Typsy Prawn restaurant on the corner of Upton St & Ashmore Road. He moved to Phuket around 2001 & opened a restaurant on the beach with the same name. Then after a few years he moved to Jomtiem & bought a venue called Simon’s Fish & Chips, he now resides on Chevron.
Melbas 38th birthday
Beside me is Dave Allen, Adrian, Greg Craig & Graham La Roche. More birthday photos on THIS LINK.
Check out this new illuminated LED menu idea.
Now you can throw away your glasses. 🙂
Breakfast at the Island Cafe.
Excellent food & coffee here.
Australian lamb price is at all time record levels.
To be fair this is at the Brickworks in Ferry Rd Southport, both the seafood & butcher shop are known for their over the top prices.
Meet Sam Murphy
I stayed with Tony & Nikki Murphy at their lovely home in Sorrento, Sam however is totally in charge of the house. 🙂
Burleigh Heads Surf Club
A very good breakfast here, more photos of Burleigh on THIS LINK.
Avanti St Mermaid Waters
My brother Ian & his wife Sandra just demolished their home & built duplexes. They sold one & live in the other. 50% of the homes in this street are now duplexes. Incredibly there is one a few doors down from Ian that just sold for $1.8 million.
Drinks at Melbas
Caught up with the usual suspects.
Two weeks Gold Coast July 2019
Thanks for visiting my Two weeks Gold Coast 2019 photo blog, I hope you enjoyed it.
Gold Coast birthday celebrations in July 2019 bought back many wonderful memories for me. Thursday 4th was the 38th birthday for Melbas on the park, & Sunday 7th was mine.
On the left above is old friend Lloyd Ross who without a doubt has spent more money in Melbas than anyone else by a country mile. In the middle is the general manager Dave Allen the son of the legendary Melbas founder Paul Allen.
For a look at some of the great Melbas memories just follow THIS LINK.
I recall my first visit to this iconic restaurant/nightclub was January 1st 1982. This was the start of an amazing year, just check out THIS LINK.
July 7 another birthday.
Great to catch up with friends at my favourite Gold Coast venue. From the left is Mike Nidrie, Graham LaRoche, aka “Biff”, yours truly, Renata & Nick Partridge.
The usual suspects
From the left we have Phil Thomson, aka Baldrich, Greg Craig, aka Noodles, David Robertson, aka Chocolates, & Tony Murphy, aka Murph the Surf.
You gotta love the oysters
A dozen Tasmanian oysters is a weekend special for $24.
Three amigos
Gold Coast birthday celebrations David Herd, Dave Allen & Bruce Grady.
Say hello to Belle Reed.
The smiling Melbas Mamasan. 🙂 What is a Mamansan you may well ask? well follow THIS LINK.
Gold Coast birthday celebrations
Many thanks to my friends & Melbas staff for helping me celebrate my birthday, & thanks to you for checking out my Gold Coast birthday celebrations photo blog. The huge glass in my hand is called a Fish Bowl, give me Jack Daniel’s any day. 🙂
Omeros Gold Coast Restaurant has been a favourite of mine for around 30 years from back when it was known as the Paragon. A fabulous on the Broadwater looking towards Southport.
I usually sit inside with the air conditioning. 🙂
However if I’m dining with a noisy mob outside is better. 🙂
Lunch with friends
Ross & Mariana Kennedy are legends in their own lunchtime. They now live 5 minutes away at Paradise Waters.
A couple of drinks at the bar first is a good idea.
Omeros Gold Coast Restaurant, inside is a little more formal.
Ok, I guess it’s time to show you some food. 🙂
Seafood Chowder
Absolutely delicious.
Omeros Gold Coast Restaurant Curried Prawns
This is an entre size however a main course size is available if you are hungry. I’m a creature of habit & usually have the above 2 dishes after my oysters natural. 🙂
Manager Robert Rank.
Robert has been there more years than I can remember. 🙂
Flashback to 1992 with one of my favourite photos.
On the left is Henry Geller from California sitting beside Kelly Davis who was my girlfriend at the time. My old mate Harley Bradstreet is on the right sitting beside Tony Seures from Minas Gerais in Brazil. Tony’s Brazilian girlfriend has her arm around the neck of my late great friend Andre Buzek, RIP old buddy.
A final photo….
Ross the boss Kennedy & his lovely wife Mariana & myself say farewell from my Omeros Bros Gold Coast Seafood Restaurant photo blog.
Friends from Brisbane
Clinton & Duncan caught up with Robert on November 3rd 2019.
This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history. It seemed like Groundhog day. 🙂
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
Surfers Paradise Party Animals, 1992 was just another year of fun & games on the beautiful Gold Coast. I was certainly among the main party hosts, I had a great home for entertaining & I loved have lots of beautiful girls around.
Some of the usual suspects.
Naturally when there were pretty girls around the competition between the guys was fierce. 🙂
A rose between two thorns, I don’t think so. 🙂
I guess there is no need to say I was enjoying life to the max.
Occasionally some of the girls would relax in the spa.
Naturally I always had my camera ready.
These girls loved nature
And Dr Evil was always there with the camera. 🙂
Roslyn & Jill looking good
I remember spending some “quality time” with both these lovely ladies.
Jill & Sharon
Another “daily double” I’m happy to say, (that just means I bonked them both. 🙂 )we saw a show that night at Jupiters casino, I think it was Barry Humphries.
Andre Buzek dentist extraordinaire, (I don’t think so)
Sadly my great mate lost his life soon after in a car crash in Cuba.
Girl of the year Kelly Davis
I was lucky enough to spend a few months on & off with this lovely lady.
Here we are on New Years Eve
Naturally Harley is locked & loaded once again. 🙂
My favoute song from 1992
Big Steve Bristow (son of Tim) & Greg Johnston.
Now in 2018 Greg lives in Pattaya & runs a bar on the dark side, & Steve still lives on the Gold Coast.
The late great Paul Allen, a Surfers Paradise icon.
Talking about icons…………
Daryl Beattie is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, those bikes however all belonged to Mick Doohan the living legend who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. The guy in the middle is a legend in his own lunch time, my good mate Ross Kennedy aka “Shoeless Joe”.
Talking about legends…
Here I am giving my boat a good wash. 🙂
A good looking bunch of babes
It was Xmas day 1992 and we all had a great lunch at my home in 106 Upton St Bundall. My main squeeze at the time was Kelly 2nd from the right, & my occasional squeeze was Jill standing beside her. 🙂
Another night another dinner at Upton St
Harley & his gay flatmate naturally came dressed in their army outfits. 🙂 Tat’s Kandice on the left & Nicola on the right.
That night produced one of my favourite photos
This is a true classic.
Another classic from 1992
Lyn Goss & Roslyn provided the glamour & Tony Murphy & I contributed with a truck load of style. 🙂
Chiang Mai Doi Suthep, this temple is often referred to as “Doi Suthep” although this is actually the name of the mountain where it’s located. Perched on top of the mountain 15 kms from the city.
You have a choice
Climb the 300 steps to the top or take the tram. I compromised by taking the tram up & walking down. 🙂
At peace among the trees
Our driver told us there were 2,200 temples in Chiang Mai province.
Lots of gold here.
Featuring a photo of the new King.
Lots of Thai people paying respect.
As well as Thai there seemed to be a lot of Chinese tourists.
Lots of steps
Lots of steps & it was a very hot day, like most days in Thailand. 🙂
A view of Chiang Mai
The view from the Temple.
Posing with the bell.
My friend Steven Bates & I taking a photo opportunity at the Chiang Mai Province Sacred site.
Naga decoration
Background on Thailand: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict.
Chiang Mai Doi Suthep
Steve has found a new friend.
More elephants
Magnificent animals, magnificent statues. 🙂
Shame about the advertising.
The signs do seem out of place here.
It’s a long way down.
As I said earlier I took the steps. 🙂
I really like this shot. 🙂
The children look great in their traditional clothes.
Coffee time before heading to our hotel.
The coffee here is quite famous, sadly I prefer Starbucks. 🙂
Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure, our hotel the Dusit Princess is the white building on the left. Without a doubt this is the very best location in Chiang Mai.
A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINKfor a discounted room rate.
Across the road from our hotel
Burger King & Hard Rock Cafe are there if you don’t want to eat Thai food. 🙂
Of course sometimes it rains.
When it rains in Thailand it really rains. 🙂
Opposite the Dusit Princess.
Only 50 meters up the road is the famous night market.
Entrance to the night market
Not just a night market but lot’s of bars & restaurants, many specializing in live seafood.
Forty winks
Relaxing at the night market.
LadyBoys everywhere. 🙂
It looks like Patrick has found some soul mates. 🙂
Of course if you want a massage
There are many available not as suspect as this one. 🙂
Three Aussies
Here are 3 of the 4 Aussies on this trip besides Patrick, Steven & Justin Bates & yours truly David Herd.
Patrick is around 200 cm tall. 🙂
He returned to his home in Singapore for his 51st birthday on October 8.
Another great location, for a terrific room rate just book through THIS LINK.
The Meridien has an excellent Italian restaurant.
So many food outlets
In fact I’m doing a separate blog on some of the great Chiang Mai restaurants we found, including David’s Kitchen & Whole Earth which were both excellent.
Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure
We flew Nok Air return from Bangkok & I must say it was an absolute pleasure, the best budget airline I have flown with.
Dusit Princess good rooms & great location
A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINKfor a discounted room rate.
Thanks for visiting my Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure photo blog.
Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand, Wat Ban Den is the most impressive I have ever seen. It was totally renovated in 1998 after the new Abbott Kru Ba Tuang raised huge amounts of money from people all over the country.
Work is still in progress
As you can see from the first 2 photos work is still in progress. 🙂
Incredible works of art
The detail and the beauty really takes your breath away.
They could be twins. 🙂
Patrick Taylor is an Aussie living in Singapore, he loves having his photo taken & is fully certified selfie expert. 🙂
The Tigers are here.
Everywhere you look there is another fabulous statue.
Totally spectacular
As I said before Wat Ban Den is the most impressive Thai Temple I have ever seen.
Absolutely brand new.
It’s a huge credit to Abbott Kru Ba Tuang & all the generous Buddhists who donated money to completely renovate the original structures as well as adding new.
Magnificent dragon
This would be a great location for an Asian version of “Game of Thrones.” 🙂
Renovated in 1804 & 1998.
In 1804, Kruba Thueang Natsilo, a former abbot, also had the temple renovated. It became far more exquisite with Lanna-style architecture. The abbot intended to turn it into a beautiful place of worship with religious teachings. He hoped this would attract more people to the temple so that they would have a chance to learn about the religion.
Ring the bell folks. 🙂
The temple stands prominently on top of a small hill and can be easily seen from afar.
Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand
As you can clearly see this Temple is a photographer’s dream.
Attention to detail…
Perfection is everywhere you look.
My favorite shot
I think I captured a special moment here.
Reach for the sky
Surely this has to inspire you? 🙂
Patrick & I enjoying Wat Van Den
As you can see Pat is a very tall happy character.
I have found a new friend.
Many thanks for visiting my Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand photo blog.
This is Suzy. 
This is Donna.
