Saturday, January 29, 2011

North Lakes Golf Club

North Lakes Club House

Arguably one of the best resort courses in Australia, and conveniently located between hot fishing spots on Morton Bay and the Sunshine Coast, North Lakes Golf Club is a great place to take a swing this Summer if the wind is keeping you off the water or you're just ready for a break.

This Graham Marsh designed Championship resort style course,  is challenging but great to play.  With limited water hazards on most holes and designed with four tee positions on each hole this course caters for all levels.  

The course has plenty of interesting holes to make you think about where you want to hit the ball with undulating fairways that aren’t too straight or wide and a good scattering of bunkers and water and quick-ish greens. The 12th Hole is a cracker.

North Lakes Golf Course gets consistantly good user reviews, with a four star rating at iSeekGolf.com .




View of the 11th Green at North Lakes Golf Club

Address:
Bridgeport Drive
North Lakes 4509 QLD

Directions:
(Bruce Hwy by Gateway toll road or Gympie arterial, N to the Sunshine Coast, Anzac Ave to Redcliffe, entrance first or second on left)

Club Phone: (07) 3480 9200
Golf Phone: (07) 3480 9299




Dad Rating


Mark
Great place to play golf!

Stevo
I guess I have to blame my clubs as I can't blame the course. Good food.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Primal Earth Skin Essentials for Men

Made in the land of the long white cloud, Primal Earth's Skin Essentials for Men Gift Pack makes the shaving routine easy with 3 products to be used for (1) the Wash, (2) Shaving (3) Skin protection.
Made from all natural ingredients, Primal Earth Facewash, Shave Gel and Moisturiser are made from certified organic raw materials, harvested wild and locally (in NZ) from sustainable sources.

Without getting all hippy about things, it's great to see this product is NOT tested on animals! We found the Primal Earth range to be affordable good quality products.

The Gift pack and Primal Earth products are available from Woolworths supermarkets nationally. For more information visit Primal Earth



Dad Rating

Stevo
Smells and feels good.

Matt
Easy to use product which adds no time at all to shaving

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Gear Perfect for that Aussie Day Barbeque

Dubya" – XW GT Falcon Shirt

This year we've already got some great gear for our Australia Day Barbeque.

A few of us dads will be wearing stylish retro designed t-shirts from Aussie company Trippytaka. Launched in November 2009, Trippytaka is an Australian owned and operated clothing label with the goal; of providing Australian car enthusiasts with top-quality mens t-shirts featuring the coolest designs of their favourite cars.
If you're looking for shirts with stylish designs featuring Holdens, Fords and Valiants then you should check out Trippytaka from just $35. The shirts are well made, 100% cotton and are a comfortable fit.

Comfy and Patriotic
Below the belt, well be wearing the extremely comfortable boxer shorts from new Aussie label Grundies.  From just $19.95 you can fly the flag under the sheets so to speak and right now Grundies is donating $1 from every sale to the Queensland Flood Appeal (how Aussie is that?!)

Both Grundies and Trippytaka have online stores and fast delivery, so they are definitely worth a visit.



Dad Rating

Stevo
Well made gear.
Simon
Easy to use online stores and fast delivery

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Australiana for Australia Day

We love Australia Day and we love getting out there in our Australia Day gear.  There is nothing more we like better on 26 January than getting in to our Aussie flag gear, draping an Australian flag off the front of the house and wacking a flag or two and a couple of stickers on the car, we are proud Australians and we are not afraid to show it.

Unfortunately some people nowdays have come to associate Aussie flag clothing and especially Australian car flags as rascist, but nothing could be further from the truth. Amongst our dads we have immigrants, children of immigrants and others whose families have been in Australia for hundreds of years and we see raising the flag as patriotic and, in a sense, reclaiming it from those few people who try to co-opt it as a sign of racism and exclusion.

So this Australia Day, get yourself some Aussie gear, invite a few mates of what ever colour, race and religion over for a barbeque. For a great range of Aussie gear including Australian Flags, Caps, Stickers, Bandanas and more, check out the reasonably priced range at the DCMA Collection.


Dad Rating


Stevo
Wave the flag this Australia Day
Matt
Reasonably priced Australiana.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Clongs BBQ Tongs

We Dads are getting ready for the obligatory Australia Day BBQ and one of the things we've got our hands on is a new pair of barbeque tongs called Clongs.

Made from lightweight stainless steel, these click-lock sit up tongs have swiss-tested silicone tips, which means Dad can use them on any surface - from a barbecue to a non-stick pan.

They also have an interesting bend in the handle that lifts the tips away from the benchtop, keeping everything clean which is a feature we really like.

Best of all, unlike other tongs, Clongs click open AND shut with just the click of a button - so you can use just one hand to operate and keep the other free to add ingredients or even hold a well-earned drink.

Clongs are available in red and black, with 9" (RRP $24.95) and 12" (RRP $29.95) models.
Visit Dreamfarm for stockists


Dad Rating

Stevo
The off the counter feature is great

MattEasy to use one handed.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Vistaprint.com - Free Business Cards, T-Shirts and More.

Vistaprint has been big in the USA for a long time but now Aussies can get great deals as well from Vistaprint.com.au . Basically they offer stuff for free (free t-shirts, free business cards etc) but the free versions have limited designs so you are encouraged to "upgrade" which costs a few dollars.

You also have to pay postage and handling but even with that, there are lots of great deals. How about a Free T-Shirt?

Dad Rating

Mark
Actually good quality stuff!

Simon
I got my free tee shirt and it only cost a couple of dollars for P&H..

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Regional Museums

If you're looking for something to entertain the kids these holidays, there are options that don't cost you big bucks. We recently took the kids to a couple of regional museums and for only a couple of dollars each we spent a great couple of ours learning a bit of Aussie history.

While this might bore the socks off more wordly teens, it's really amazing how much the under 12s enjoyed seeing old settler photos, WW1 nurses uniforms, Sea shell collections, turn of the century school rooms and all the rest.

We went to the Gympie Mining Museum and the Redlands and District Museum but there are heaps of other choices.


Dad Rating

Mike
Great fun for the under 10s


Stevo
History in easy slices

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wheelie Designs - Bin Stickers

A few of us have just got the great wheelie bin stickers from Wheelie Designs and we love 'em.  Simply slap these Australian designed high quality stickers on your wheelie bin and shout out your support for your footy team, hobby or just get one of the colourful designs to brighten up the bin area. There is even an Aussie Flag bin sticker ideal for Australia Day.

With a huge number of bins stolen each year, Wheelie Designs bin stickers also have practical applications. Swapping and theft is greatly discouraged when bins become recognisable and if you want you can get custom stickers including your steet number.

There is even an option to use these cool Aussie bin stickers as a fund raiser for your school or club which we really like.
For Australia Day we recommend the Aussie Flag bin sticker, and the cricket stump sticker. What better way to enjoy Australia day then with a bit of patriotism and backyard cricket!

Starting at 29.95 for 120L size and $34.95 for the 240L size, these Australian bin stickers make a great gift. Check out the full range and order online at http://www.wheeliedesigns.com.au/



Dad Rating

Mike
Spruce up the bins and have fun too!

Mark
Cricket stumps on the bin - an Aussie classic!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Subway Advertising

Subway promotes its subs (sandwiches) and other promotions as healthy and easy, and while we have no objection to Subways products, we do have a HUGE problem with their advertised specials. For the second time in not too many months we find that our local Subways don't honour the specials being advertised on TV.

At the moment Subway (owned by Doctors Associates Inc) are promoting on their TVC a 6 inch sub and a 600ml coke or water for $5.95. Go to your local subway though (Indooroopilly Shopping Town for example) and you might find that they don't honour that promotion.! Instead a 6 inch and a 600ml coke cost almost $9!

There is nothing in the store which suggests they will not be honouring the current advertised offer.

The poorly trained staff told us (rudely) that that they did not have to honour the advertised offer because they were a franchise, which of course is simply not true.  The store holds itself out as a Subway and therefore its reasonable to expect it will honour Subway offers (other franchised stores such as Maccas do).

The staff also claimed (after first denying that they were aware of the offer) that the Subway commercial says  the offer is not available in all stores. Again, this does not appear to be true.

(Subway - regardless of what you think about your TVCs, how about a bit of staff training in customer service?)
Subway does in some of thier TVCs a state in very small print  that says "prices and participation may vary".  (see this one for example  at 0:20 seconds). However even if the viewer read this, they have no idea really what it means, or if it means not all stores, he doesn't know which stores. Nor could we identify which stores are participating from the stores from the Subway website.  Does Subway management expect people to drive around from store to store looking for one that will honour the offer? And how many aren't honouring the offer - 10%, 30%, 50%?

While we do sometimes go to Subway, today we only went because we saw the promotion advertised. Management of Subway know that TV advertising drives visitors to stores (otherwise, why do it) and yet they make no attempt to ensure that stores honour the offer, or make it clear to the viewer which stores won't offer it. Very disappointing Subway!

Dad Rating

Stevo
Misleading if not dishonest

Simon
Not the way to win customers hearts and minds

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Sportsyear Sports Diary

Keeping track of everything we have to do during the year AND making sure we get to see all the essential sporting events is no longer difficult with the Sportyear Sports Diary. Never again will I have to sit in a wedding service wondering whether it will be all over in time for the second half (the service that is, not the marriage, although that's another story).

Right now, you can even win a Sportsyear Diary for FREE from our friends at FishMax.com.au. Click here to find out how.

Dad Rating

Matt
I see its not to late to get to the NZ for the Rugby

Stevo
I got one for the missus.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Great Northern Brewing Co Super Crisp Lager

In recent years, Christmas has seen new or unfamiliar beer brands popping up in your local bottle shop. While we are huge supporters of smaller brewers and boutique beer brands as well as the quality product from larger brewers, unfortunately it appears that some of these brands are simply attempts to charge "almost premium" prices for ordinary beer - in some cases they don't even try that, but simply try and grab the beer drinkers' dollar by giving him what appears to be premium beer at cheap prices.

Unfortunately it appears that this offering - Super Crisp Lager from Great Northern Brewing Co (part of the Fosters brewing empire)  falls in to the later catagory. With a slightly soapy aftertaste and no body to speak of, all round its a very disappointing beer, even for the price.


Dad Rating

Stevo Very ordinary beer

Mark
Cheap but you get what you pay for

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year's Taxi Ranks

When will the powers that be realise that people have to get home after a night out on New Year's Eve, and the way to do it safely is taxis and public transport.

Why should it take hours to get home - its not like the big crowds are unexpected. How about doing better with the rosters Transport People.


Dad Rating

Simon
Dreadful.
Mark
Can I send the bill for the extra baby sitting charges to the Transport Department?.