Flood, wind and fire! – It's hell down under

On an eventful dive excursion to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns 15 years ago

Some of the best memories from my life so far come from visits to Australia. From the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest of the north-east, down the Gold Coast via Brisbane to the amazing city of Sydney and across to Perth and the wonderful sunset coast of Western Australia. Sadly, all three of these areas have suffered considerable damage in the last month, with Brisbane consumed by surging floodwaters, Cairns – the gateway to the Barrier Reef – and the Reef itself, battered and bruised by cyclone Yasi and now, Black Sunday in Perth as raging bushfires destroy many homes in the Perth Hills – a fantastic, picturesque forest area I visited on a very memorable motorcycle tour less than a year ago.

Continue reading →

A Cartorcycle? – WOOT! (before 2020 please)…

I’m not particularly materialistic and hardly ever feel the need to have the latest and greatest gadget – be that a big expensive gadget like a car or a small one like a phone. And when I do invest in something, you can be sure that pragmatic practicality, robustness, economy and value for money are top of the list of considerations. So it is a rare occasion when I see an item, or the concept for one, and think – I really, really ‘Want One Of Those’.

With my current interest in the automotive industry and the gathering pace of innovation that currently surrounds it, I have researched and reviewed many different automotive ideas during the last 18 months or so. One that has stood out particularly is the increasing convergence of the car and motorcycle.

Continue reading →