Sensational life Sydney 1983 is no exaggeration, in fact the 80s was probably my favourite decade. A harbour side condo with my Bertram cruiser moored outside, my very own liquor store & a white Mercedes Sports.
Above are two of my best friends at the time, Wolf Wottke & Ross Ansell, we spent a lot of time in my boat on Sydney harbour & lunching at Doyle’s on the beach at Watson’s Bay.
Sydenham Cellars
Located in Unwins Bridge Road next to the railway station. I opened it in 1980 & sold it in 1984 with a tax loss of $150,000. Luckily I owned the freehold which showed a profit of $180,000 which was tax free. That’s Madison sitting at the front door. ๐
Boats, babes & booze
What more could a man want in life. ๐ I feel so lucky having the fabulous life I had in the 80s, + lucky I was always a photo fanatic, & have thousands of shots to display on my photo blogs.
Marlene Cuthbert
Great lady with a sexy voice, workrd for Ansett airlines & did their announcements at the airport.
Boxing Day 1983
The start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, we used to follow the boats out to sea.
A crowded harbour
Throw in the choppy water & you had to be very careful to avoid collisions. ๐
Ross Ansell with his 2 daughters Tanya & Fiona, Marlene Cuthbert & I stayed at Ross’s pub in Curzon St North Melbourne.
The Black Prince
Doesn’t look too special but we had some great nights there.
Back to Sydney for a Drummoyne BBQ.
I lived in Wrights Rd Drummoyne for 6 years from 1979, & wow! Diddn’t we have some parties there. Here I am with Dirk Kammerling, aka Dirk Suave.
View from my apartment
Life was very good for me in the 80s.
This gorgeous babe live just around the corner.
A well known Sydney model Yolande did a popular toothpaste commercial in 1969.
Macleans Toothpaste Advert 1969
Meet Helen & Roylene
Two of my favourite party girls.
Lets have a closer look
One of the many dinner parties at my apartment.
Sensational life Sydney 1983
It seemed like the end of an era, meet Karen Smith who became my 3rd & final fiancee, we moved to 31 Herbert Avenue Newport & parted 3 years later. So I packed up my belongings & moved to Surfers Paradise. ๐
Thanks for visiting my Sensational life Sydney 1983 photo blog.
Sydney Chinese Food can be found at the very trendy Mr Wong in Bridge Lane not far from Circular Quay. Focusing on Cantonese food in a French Colonial setting, with a large selection of dishes including a huge dim sum selection.
Wonderful decor & atmosphere
A very impressive venue as you can clearly see, with a seating capacity of 240 people.
Rather expensive as you can imagine
Around $100 per head which is probably not over the top for Sydney.
Too much duck is never enough. ๐
Just looking at this photo makes my mouth water.
An ideal setup for lone diners like myself
They cater for all requirements from large parties to lone diners like myself.
Large selection of Dim Sum
Other than Japanese Dim Sum is my favourite way of eating.
Waiting to be cooked
For all you amateur chefs out there who want to cook Cantones roast, just follow THIS LINK.
Sydney Chinese Food
Always nice to see the busy chefs working.
Mr Wong is owned and run by the Hemmes family, who for over 60 years, began as an iconic fashion house started by John and Merivale Hemmes. Merivaleโs fashion beginnings were soon followed by the hospitality business, opening a Thai tea cafรฉ within their Sydney CBD fashion building in 1970. From here, Merivaleโs hospitality roots were firmly planted.
Merivale is now led by CEO Justin Hemmes, whose creativity and knack for pushing the boundaries has made Merivale what it is today. Hemmes has become a pioneer within the Australian hospitality industry, growing the ever-expanding Merivale portfolio to over 70 brands and venues.
Sydney Chinese Food That’s all folks
Thanks for visiting my Sydney Chinese Food photo blog.
Shuck more oysters please they taste wonderful, and did you know that American and Italian researchers found they are rich in amino acids, which trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Consequently their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone. This photo blog will feature many of the places in this wonderful world where I have indulged my love of this incredible delicacy. The photo above is from the Surf & Turf restaurant in Pattaya Thailandwhere I enjoyed lunch on Friday August 24 2019.
Look at these beauties
I was in Sendai in Japanin June 2018 at Ostra de Ole restaurant & found that the Monday special offered half price oysters, I thought I was in heaven, sitting in a great little oyster bar drinking ice cold beer, listening to Abba singing Dancing Queen, & waiting on my 10 oysters to arrive. And as I said, tonight they were half price, 300 Baht or $12 AUD, priceless.
I’m a very happy guy.
My waiter Ryuichiro Yamamoto a nice young university student who was studying Space Engineering, rolled up with a bonus 3 oysters on the house. Shuck more oysters please Keep them coming buddy, I’ll tell you when to stop. ๐
My old friend Dennis Young from the 70s & I are enjoying Coffin Bay oysters. Coffin Bay is a 700 km drive from Adelaide via Port Augusta or a 50 minute flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln Airport.
Two dozen oysters = two days food poisoning on Copacabana Beach
I was totally out of it for 48 hours after eating these oysters on the beach, this was way back in 2006.
The Evil eye
The look on his face should have warned me about eating his oysters. He even had madman printed on his cap. ๐
Back in Brazil in 2009
And back on a beach in Florianopolis pigging out on oysters au naturel.Oysters are good for your heart. They are high in omega โ 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure.
This is the best seafood shop on the Gold Coast, that’s my old friend Frank who always looks after me.
Shuck more oysters please
I have been eating oysters here for 30 years.
El Mercado in Bangkok
Currently the best value oysters in the northern hemisphere. ๐
Oysters from Cancle in France
A huge selection from the Brittany coast. For prices & information please check out THIS LINK. Renowned for its oyster production, the commune of Cancale is located in Brittany, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Fishing port, it takes place at the western end of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, on the Emerald Coast, about fifteen kilometers from Saint-Malo. Prices at El Mercado From as low as B35 or $170 AUD each.
June 2022
A huge jump in prices.
Do I enjoy the oysters at El Mercado?
You bet your bloody life I do. ๐
Finally we are at Port Macquarie on the west coat of Australia.
People either love them or hate them. If you love them, head to the NSW mid-north coast, where a string of oyster farmers have opened up their doors to oyster lovers who know that fresh from the farm is best.
First trip to Tokyo in 2007
The quality of food in Japan is wonderful.
Dining with Phil & Junko
This was my first trip to Japan & I was very lucky to have my friends show me the ropes.
Life does not get much better than this.
Add a stunning view, excellent decor and very efficient staff to the great food and you have all the ingredients for a perfect lunch in Cape Town.
The Kitchen Pattaya
Oysters from France delivered fresh every Thursday & usually sold out by Friday.
$42 AUD per dozen
They add ++ in Thailand for tax & a service charge, very annoying being forced to tip 10%. Thanks for visiting my Shuck more oysters photo blog. I’m planning to visit Canale in France in 2020 to totally pig out on their wonderful oysters fresh from the sea.
Pattaya seafood market
Thai oysters at B40, or $1.30 USD.
Large Thai oyster
I only tried one & it was better than I expected, even without lemon etc. We will include in our next oyster night.
Oysters at Central Festival Pattaya
These oysters were on special, B360 or $11 USD for 9 & they tossed in one for free. ๐ Certainly the best value I have found in Thailand.
Tuesday oysters special in Pattaya
The Beach Club at the Pullman hotelfrom 3 pm every Tuesday they serve fabulous oysters from France for B30 a piece. Of course being an upmarket hotel the Pullman adds ++ to the price, 7% VAT & 10% service which brings the price to B35 or $1โ60 AUD. About $19 per dozen making it the best value I have found in Thailand.
Great value here…
At L’Auberge in Pattaya fine de claire from France are on special, B570 per dozen, or $23 AUD.
Belon oysters
February 11 2022 & L’Auberge were sold out of fine de claire so I ordered the Belon oysters. Belons are the native oyster of Europe. They are an entirely different genus from the rest of our oysters. They act different, and they taste different. Way different. Love โem or leave โem.
Menton on the French riviera
Many of the oysters I eat here in Thailand come from France. Here are some I actualy ate in France. ๐
Hamish Elton
Hamish eats more oysters than I do simply because he has more money than I do. ๐ Consequently I have christened “The Oyster Man”. Check out Hamish Elton “The Oyster Man”.
Beachfront restaurant Pattaya is aptly named Surf & Turf & is rated number 100 out of 1187 restaurants in Pattaya. For far better food photographs than in this post just check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.
Location
On the beach next door to the Long Beach Garden Hotel.
Beachfront restaurant Pattaya
A fairly ordinary front entrance.
Air conditioned inside section
It’s much nicer inside which you can clearly see.
Catering for the smokers
The further away from me the better. ๐
Inside in the aircon.
Especially during the day the front area beside the beach is the most popular part of the restaurant.
Another outdoor area
There is quite a number of different sections in this popular Beachfront restaurant Pattaya.
This is the beachside section
No aircon but they have plenty of fans & there is usually a beautiful breeze coming off the ocean.
An unusual dish
My friend ordered snapper, as you can see the portion was rather small & there was a skewer of beef with it.
Here is the seared tuna
Rather delicious.
Chicken Satay
The peanut sauce was excellent.
Oysters from France
Delicious, rather expensive here, around B500 or $24 AUD for 6, double what I pay at El Mercado in Bangkok.
My 2 Australian friends
Ian Fraser-Smith & David Robertson from the Gold Coast in Australia are regular visitors to Pattaya. They were both impressed with the food at the Surf & Turf.
For far better food photographs than in this post please check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.
Thanks for visiting my Beachfront restaurant Pattaya photo blog, Surf & Turf has good food in a great seaside location.
Click bottom right hand corner for full screen. There is also a zoom facility.
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”. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐ ๐ ๐
Now here we have a real wild child.
Allison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. ๐ If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. ๐
As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. ๐
Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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.
Boys must have toys, it’s ingrained in our DNA. I have searched through my photos to find nearly all of the cars & boats I have had the pleasure of owning throughout my life.
They don’t come much prettier than my yellow canary shown above, I owned this beautiful Mercedes 350SL for 17 years from 1990 till 2007.
Here’s what you do with a beautiful carYou fill it up with pretty girls of course. ๐
When you own a beautiful Mercedes….
Naturally you need a Porsche to keep it company. ๐
When you drove a Porsche on the Gold Coast……..
Good things seemed to happen.
My first Mercedes 350 SL
I purchased this classic in 1980, it was the ultimate chick magnet. ๐
When you have a Mercedes & a Porsche…..
Naturally you need a boat. ๐ This is a 22′ Fraser with a 200 HP Yamaha.
Next you need a crash test dummy
This keeps the birds away when the covers are off. ๐
My previous boat.
19 foot long with a 150 HP Suzuki.
Life is hard, then you die.
Joking of course, life is wonderful, when you die you can take a rest. ๐
A little runabout to get me around Pittwater & Scotland Island. Do you like the name?
Here is my Bertram 25
A terrific flybridge cruiser with twin 165 HP Mercury inboards. It was moored outside my Drummoyne apartment in the early 80s & spent most of the time visiting Doyles at Watsons Bay.
When you own a boat…..
Good things seem to happen. ๐ ๐ ๐
Loading the team on board
Off to Doyles again.
Gluttony at it’s very best. ๐
So many memories of long lazy lunches at Doyles.
A typical Sunday at Doyles
Huge crowd at Doyles & the Watson’s Bay hotel next door.
Back to the cars
Early 80s I drove a Ford Marquis for a while.
You gotta love a Benz. ๐
This was my Mercedes 280 E in 1989.
My beautiful Jaguar XJ 6.
It came with 2 petrol tanks & 2 gorgeous girls.
My first car
Sorry about the photo quality most of my photos were damaged when my home in Melbourne was firebombed in September 1977. But that’s another story, it & others are on THIS LINK.
Next car was an iconic FJ Holden.
My girlfriend Beth washing my FJ Holden outside my home at 58 Kihilla Rd Auburn.
I was lucky to survive some of the things I did in this car. Looking back, I was a typical teenager in the 60s who knew no fear.
Then came the Volkswagen
I can remember floating it on the flooded highway at Ballina in the floods. I just pushed it 50 metres to the dry road.
When you owned a VW in the 60s……
Good things happened, for example “Veronica Crocker”.
EH Holden station wagon.
This was my next car after arriving home in 1965 after 18 months in England & Europe, including a 4 month stint as an officer on the La Maria.
A 1970 MGB, my first new car.
It set me back just under $3000, worth every cent. Purchased in Melbourne, relocated to Sydney for 2 years then moved to Adelaide in 1972.
A 1971 E Type Jaguar
Forget the photo quality the car was magnificent. I remember driving from Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of the night in 5 hours 45 minutes.
When you drove an E type good things happened.
Meet Jan Seagars & my Doberman Ziggy, this was Lexton Grove Windsor in 1974. Three thoroughbreds together.
My two sports cars
One was a little faster than the other, but I loved them both. Madison was guarding the fleet.
The work horse
My Commodore station wagon initially was my 2nd car, in 2003 I took 3 Japanese students on a road trip which started in Surfers Paradise & went through Broken Hill NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia. The next leg took us to Uluru aka Ayers Rock.
Boys must have toys
You may think this Lexus is a little out of character, I owned it for 3 years prior to moving to Thailand in 2011. Without a doubt it was the best value out of all the vehicles I ever owned. Paid $7,500 in 2008 & sold it for $7,000, it was as smooth as silk.
Well, that’s all folks.
Many thanks for visiting my Boys must have toys photo blog & indulging me in truck loads of nostalgia.
This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history. It seemed like Groundhog day. ๐
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. ๐
A rose between two thorns, I don’t think so. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐ )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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
Another night another dinner at Upton St
Harley & his gay flatmate naturally came dressed in their army outfits. ๐ 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. ๐
On the road between Hornsby & Sydney is The historic Roseville Cinema on the Pacific Highway, noted for its art deco facade. It became Traynor’s Picture Palace in 1919, but did not become a full-scale cinema until 1936. Roseville Cinema was renovated & updated to two screens in 1995.
Approaching the Harbour Bridge
Not too much traffic on a Sunday morning.
World famous Sydney Opera House.
A fabulous iconic Sydney landmark.
Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour
Huge ships dock at Circular Quay because they are too tall to go under the Harbour Bridge.
Naturally Bill had to climb it. ?
Being an ex Para Military man who has made over 500 parachute jumps my friend Bill Austin naturally had to climb to the top of the bridge, and what an amazing view he had from there.
Sydney Harbour Ferry
Circular Quay ferry terminal.
The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Opened in 1933 it is certainly Australia’s best known landmark.
ORIGINALLY BUILT BY TOOTH & CO. IN 1938 & RECENTLY RESTORED TO ITS ART-DECO GLORY, THE ROBIN HOOD HOTEL IS LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF BRONTE AND CARRINGTON ROADS IN WAVERLEY (CHARING CROSS).
Wonderful antique pub signs
When I was growing up I remember these great signs were on most Australian pubs.
Typical old Australian home in Waverley.
I would hate to think what it’s worth today, Sydney prices are outragious.
House prices in Waverley
As you can see you need plenty of money to live in Sydney. ๐
My road trip from QLD has ended
My Honda rental car never missed a beat, time to head to the airport.
Apex Car rental
It’s worth checking their promotional prices, ofter you can get a terrific rate to relocate one of their vehicles. In my case I rented for 6 days at $19 aud per day. Picked it up at Surfers Paradise & dropped it off at Sydney airport.
Road Trip South Australia reminds me of the last frontier and the road trip I took in 2003. Three Japanese students, Yukako, Megumi & Noriko & I travelled from the Gold Coastin Queensland, through Broken Hill NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia, a fascinating opal mining town where most of the population live in underground houses, then on to Ayers Rock and back home to the Gold Coast via Hervey Bay where we went whale watching. On our marathon journey all through the Australian Outback we traveled 7,300 kilometers which was around 82 hours behind the wheel.
The above photo is at Tenterfield on the New England Highway.
This famous Australian singer son writer was born in Tenterfield. For a discounted room rate just book through THIS LINK.
Listen to Peter sing one of his famous songs about the Tenterfield sadler.
The first stage
Across NSW to South Australia.
Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia
Our first day on the road, we will overnight in Broken Hill.
Trades Hall in Broken Hill.
The Trades Hall is Broken Hill’s most historically important building.
Broken Hill in outback NSW.
Broken Hill over 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Sydney and surrounded by semi-desert.
For a very good discount on a Broken Hill hotel just book through THIS LINK.
Typical outback building
In the 19th and early 20th century Broken Hill was home to a community of Afghans. Afghans worked as camel drivers in parts of outback Australia, and they made a significant contribution to economic growth when transport options were limited. The camel drivers formed the first sizeable Muslim communities in Australia, and in Broken Hill they left their mark in the form of the first mosque in NSW (1891).
Wilmington South Australia
Wilmington is a farming community, known for sheep, wheat and barley, but more recently for the planting of olive groves.
Road Trip South Australia, the general store
Wilmington is 305 kilometres north of the state capital, Adelaide.
This was at Byron Bay near the start of our journey.
Such lovely young girls, Noriko Megumi & Yukako. Thanks for visiting my Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia photo blog. Next stop is Coober Pedy.
Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip seeing lots of friends & in particular caught up with Karen Greenwood an old girlfriend from 1991, 26 years ago. As you can see see still looks fantastic. ๐ So many great memories came flooding back, it was certainly wonderful week Surfers Paradise. We are at Franks seafood cafe on Chevron Island.
I first visited this iconic bar on New Years Day 1982, 35 years ago. The reason I am so sure of the date is it was the day after my unforgettable NYE on Sydney harbour with my overloaded boat being showered by sky rockets.
First stop Kingscliff only a 40 minute drive.
Just a quick stop for a very good breakfast and some photos.
Located in Unwins Bridge Road next to the railway station. I opened it in 1980 & sold it in 1984 with a tax loss of $150,000. Luckily I owned the freehold which showed a profit of $180,000 which was tax free. That’s Madison sitting at the front door. ๐
What more could a man want in life. ๐ I feel so lucky having the fabulous life I had in the 80s, + lucky I was always a photo fanatic, & have thousands of shots to display on my photo blogs.
Great lady with a sexy voice, workrd for Ansett airlines & did their announcements at the airport.
The start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, we used to follow the boats out to sea.
Throw in the choppy water & you had to be very careful to avoid collisions. ๐
Great memories of my Sensational life Sydney 1983 on the world’s best harbour. 
Here I am in the middle of a plethora of gorgeous, where else would I rather be?
That’s Chris Adams on the left & Harley Bradstreet on the right. When I often visited I would sleep on a mattress in the garage. ๐
That’s Rob Rubis on the left, a well known Gold Coast chick magnet in the fabulous 80s.
Judy was tangled up in a messy court case in 1952 when her husband Bobby Lulham was poisoned by his mother-in-law. 
Doesn’t look too special but we had some great nights there.
I lived in Wrights Rd Drummoyne for 6 years from 1979, & wow! Diddn’t we have some parties there. Here I am with Dirk Kammerling, aka Dirk Suave.
Life was very good for me in the 80s.
A well known Sydney model Yolande did a popular toothpaste commercial in 1969. 
Two of my favourite party girls.
One of the many dinner parties at my apartment.
It seemed like the end of an era, meet Karen Smith who became my 3rd & final fiancee, we moved to 31 Herbert Avenue Newport & parted 3 years later. So I packed up my belongings & moved to Surfers Paradise. ๐
