...at a B&S with a rum soaked driver...

 

In California yes, in OZ, well not yet, but there's still hope, as I'm a scuba diver and Brisbane isn't too far from the GBR. As to wearing another badge, well it is a British car and it can never have too many badges.

 

Ooh I'm a scuba diver a well If you do want to experience the GBR make sure you head to the outer reef, much better and a long way from Brisbane.

 

Do you want to give him his badge then, scuba man?

 

I don't care why. I'm going coz I should be able to get meat pies and VB there.

 

I hear ya Mmmm VB = tasty

 

Sure I'd love to what number are we up to?

 

I love the fun facts! What is VB?

 

I think it tastes like filth...but it's very popular down here - especially around Melbourne....

Queenslanders like an even more disgusting beer called XXXX:



People from Adelaide drink Coopers - it's a pretty good drop:



People from Darwin drink anything, so they don't count....and my knowledge of anything west of Adelaide is pretty weak - so I"m not quite sure what they drink over in Perth...

The best beer in Australia, in my opinion, comes from Tasmania:

Boags:



and Cascade:



Thereby ends your crash-course in Aussie beer...

 

VB = Vitamin Beer.
Used to be the most popular packaged beer in Aus, since CUB refused to put it on tap. Once they finally did make it in draft, within about 6 weeks, you couldn't find a Foster tap in Sydney.
Perth, they drink Swan Lager, not a bad drop. XXXX is filthy stuff. Cascade and Boags (the Tasmanian brands) are both damn fine beers. Coopers is an outstanding beer. I used to drink Coopers longnecks on the train on the way home from work.
Coopers is actually available in Vegas. I think I'm going to quit buying Steinlager (a pretty good New Zealand beer) and just get Coopers.

 

What number do I get--huh, huh? My reading of the thread says 11, but I'll let the Master Tit make the final judgement.
Phil Ganderton, ex-Perth (with a short stint in Melborne just after uni.) Then 5 years in California and now 16 years in New Mexico. People still spot my (Aussie) accent a mile off, to which I always reply: "I keep my accent by not listening to you Americans!" My kids have weird accents that make them sound like they're from Boston...mmm, may be a curse, who knows?
Anyway, cheers to all the Aussie MINI owners. btw, are MINIs expensive--I am always amazed at the prices paid for good cars back home. More than I could ever have afforded--I think that's why I live in the US. Most of the toys are cheaper.

cheers,
phil

 

Everything is expensive in Aus. Last time I was home, I went to the Parramatta dealership and saw a Cooper, pretty much no options, stickered at near enough AU$40k. Even with the exchange rate, that's about double the price of the same car in the US.

The Holden Monaro is designed and built in Aus. It's sold in the US as a Pontiac GTO. In Aus, it's about AU$85k, in the States, it's about US$35k. Again, after the exchange rate, about double in Aus, for an AUSTRALIAN CAR!!!

 

Excuse me VB is a tasty, all round general drinking beer! I must say though that Blue Tongue (from the Hunter Valley) is my fav beer atm

filth.... the hide

BTW In Perth the local beer du jour is Emu Bitter or Swan (yucky) which leads us nicely to interesting fact No:

4. Australia used to be one of the world's great drinking nations. It is believed that during the Convict era, when rum was used as currency, the colony's inhabitants drank more alcohol per capita that any other time in human history.

 

I reckon you' be #12 - seeing as chows4us and MGCMAN haven't come back....(and Simon forgot to hand out a membership to his scuba-diving friend..)

Grab a NAMAHAC badge and throw it in your sig!

 

Hey ... I'm here ... I was just waiting for #57 but you said it made your head hurt Still want one!

I was being patient

 

hello hello!

how are you all then? just adding myself in here as i'm moving to melbourne in feb! tit has already introduced himself but hello to the others!

can i still be in here even though i won't get a mini down under? pleeeeease?

 

OK OK...go for #57. I think we'll be waiting for years for this club to reach that number...

Hafid - for sure! #13...

 

Nah, you just need some "marketing, exposure, and prime-time interviews"

 

I'm here too. Just send me the next available #. As far as additional direct down under contacts hmmm, I purchased a used intake scoop for my MCS from Agro; I used to ship bananas from Panama to NZ every three weeks, and occasionally would have to train NZ and OZ employees in production and quality control procedures in Panama.

p.s. I've even had the distinct pleasure of eating vegemite whilst training an Aussie visitor.

 

haha...I've never heard a North American use the words "pleasure" and "vegimite" in the same sentence....

Sure thing - #14 -


For those of you waiting for sigs - I literally haven't been near my computer at home for days - I haven't forgotten!

 

OK, firstly, G'day to all our new members!!

Apologies for my forgetfulness, but I am a very busy little beaver atm

Anywho here we go with fact number....

5. The Australian Lyre Bird is the world's best imitator; able to mimic the calls of 15 different species of birds in their locality and string the calls into a melody. They have also been known to mimic the sound of mobile(cell) phones!

 

I agree with the comment about vegemite and pleasure! Geez that stuff's nasty. The only way I ever ate it was during my days at college after uni (I worked at a uni college...?) I learned it from the students--they'd put it on toast then smash cooked eggs on top. I suppose it was a mega-protein meal before any one knew about carbs and proteins.
Actually the biggest thing I miss from my childhood days in Oz is fish and chips--I have been many places in the world, and there's nowhere (including England) that can make fish and chips like the many shops around Scarborough Beach, Western Australia!

cheers,

 

My recollection of the "best" fish and chips was a place on the beachfront in Bateman's Bay from when I was a kid. I don't bother with it in the States, except for an occasional visit to "The Crown and Anchor" English pub here in Vegas. Monday night is all-you-can-eat fish-n-chips for $6.95. Not a bad deal if you avoid the peas. And you can get a decent drink there too.

 

Hi hafid

Make sure to let us know when you hit Melbourne. Do you plan to get another MINI in Oz? The local club is called clubMINI and it has monthly runs plus the members have plenty of unplanned events

Cheers
Chris

 

Thanks Chris! I'll be sure to keep you informed. I look forward to doing some photo shoots in Melbourne! Not sure on what car to get. Looking at possibly a MINI, a Focus VX5, or a MX5 Miata....the focus seems the cheaper choice but who knows until I get down there and see what's going on and what's available.

Have a happy new year!
haf