Leyland Brothers
Encyclopedia
Mike and Mal Leyland (born 1945), also known as The Leyland Brothers, were Australia
n explorers and documentary film-makers, best known for their popular television show, Ask the Leyland Brothers. The show ran on Australian television from 1976 until 1984.
.
Aged 15 Mike won a trip to the 1956 Olympic Games
in Melbourne from a cartoon drawing competition, and his father bought him a 16mm movie camera
to take along.
Their first regular tv series, Ask the Leyland Brothers, ran on Australian television from 1976 to 1980, and again from 1983 to 1984. The show often provided Australian viewers with their first look at outback
Australia.
A following documentary series called Leyland Brothers' World appeared on Australian TV. Rather than viewers writing in and asking the Leyland Brothers to visit a particular place in Australia and provide information about it as in "Ask The Leyland Brothers", it focused on exploration by the Leyland Brothers in Australia and featured a double-decker Bus.
The television show is not to be confused with the theme park of the same name.
north of Newcastle, New South Wales
. It included a 1/40 scale replica of Uluru
, as well as amusement rides, playground, roadhouse, museum and a 144 student capacity bush camp. In a 1997 article in the Sunday Age, Mike Leyland said that the initial A$1 million loan blew out due to rain during construction and a 27% interest rate. In July 1992 Chris Palmer of BDO Nelson
was appointed receiver and manager of the park when the Leyland Brothers company failed to meet its loan commitment to the Commonwealth Bank. Auctioneers Colliers Jardine estimated the yearly attendance of the park to be about 400,000 people, with 10,000 students for the bush camp. After an auction held by the receiver on 26 November 1992 the theme park was sold for $800,000, and continues to trade successfully as the Great Aussie Bushcamp. The brothers went bankrupt.
video store and worked for the park's new owner. In 1997 Mike sold part of his Tea Gardens property to fund the production of a far north Queensland film for Channel Seven
. Mike and his wife Margie signed a contract with Channel Seven for 12 one-hour documentaries, the first of which aired in 1998 in The World Around Us slot. On 14 September 2009 Mike Leyland died from Parkinson's disease
. He was 68 years old. Mike is survived by his wife Margie, his daughters Kerry, Sandy and Dawn, his stepdaughters Sarah and Alison, and seven grandchildren.
Mal and his wife Laraine ran a photo processing lab in Queensland and launched a travel magazine. In 1997 Mal and Laraine launched a bi-monthly magazine, Leyland's Australia. In 2000 Mal produced the television show Leyland's Australia, with his wife Laraine, daughter Carmen and her husband Robert Scott - travelling around Australia in a caravan. In April 2000 Channel 9 cancelled the show after 6 episodes but the series was then picked up by Network Ten
.
Travel All Over The Countryside with Mike & Margie Leyland
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Hayes Family
3. Uluru
4. Ochre Pits
5. Fly Over Kings Canyon
6. Arltunga Visitors Centre
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Maits Rest
3. The Grotto
4. Princess Margaret Rose Cave
5. Goolwa
6. Kangaroo Island
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Desert Park
3. Granites Gold Mine
4. Back On The Tanami
5. Bungle Bungle
Range
6. Dawn Kununurra
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Willochra Plain
3. Talc Sculptures
4. Marree
5. Coward Springs
6. 1961
7. Peak Hill
Ruins
8. Fogarty's Claypan
9. Puncture Repair
10. Mac Clark Reserve
11. Chambers Pillar
12. Credits
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Tuckers Lookout
3. Lava Tubes
4. Cobbold Gorge
5. Chillagoe
6. Dorunda
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. The Great Top Road
3. Lawn Hill
4. Track To Bowthorn Station
5. Track To Hells Gate
6. Cape Crawford
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Dalgaranga
3. Three Pools
4. Chinamans Pool
5. Walking Trail
6. Kalamina Falls
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Jabiru
Airport
3. Gunlom
4. Nourlangie 1967
5. Yellow Water
6. Twin Falls
7. Ubirr
Lookout
8. Fishing
9. Bush Tucker
10. Caves
11. Port Essington
12. Credits
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Bloomfield Falls
3. Archer River
4. Frenchmans Track
5. Fruit Bat Falls
6. Dugout Canoe
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n explorers and documentary film-makers, best known for their popular television show, Ask the Leyland Brothers. The show ran on Australian television from 1976 until 1984.
Early life
When Mike was eight and Mal was five they migrated with their parents from England to Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
.
Aged 15 Mike won a trip to the 1956 Olympic Games
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne from a cartoon drawing competition, and his father bought him a 16mm movie camera
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
to take along.
Media career
By the age of 21 Mike was a news cameraman at NBN and at age 18 Mal was working as a cadet at Newcastle's now defunct newspaper The SunTheir first regular tv series, Ask the Leyland Brothers, ran on Australian television from 1976 to 1980, and again from 1983 to 1984. The show often provided Australian viewers with their first look at outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
Australia.
A following documentary series called Leyland Brothers' World appeared on Australian TV. Rather than viewers writing in and asking the Leyland Brothers to visit a particular place in Australia and provide information about it as in "Ask The Leyland Brothers", it focused on exploration by the Leyland Brothers in Australia and featured a double-decker Bus.
The television show is not to be confused with the theme park of the same name.
Honours
In 1980 the brothers were awarded the MBE for services to the film industry.Leyland Brothers World and Bankruptcy
In November 1990 the Leyland Brothers opened the theme park Leyland Brothers World, on a 40 ha property at Bundabah on the Pacific HighwayPacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
north of Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. It included a 1/40 scale replica of Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
, as well as amusement rides, playground, roadhouse, museum and a 144 student capacity bush camp. In a 1997 article in the Sunday Age, Mike Leyland said that the initial A$1 million loan blew out due to rain during construction and a 27% interest rate. In July 1992 Chris Palmer of BDO Nelson
BDO International
BDO International is a worldwide professional services network of public accountancy firms, serving national and international clients. Each BDO Member Firm is an independent legal entity in its own country. The network, originally formed in 1963 as Binder Seidman International Group, is...
was appointed receiver and manager of the park when the Leyland Brothers company failed to meet its loan commitment to the Commonwealth Bank. Auctioneers Colliers Jardine estimated the yearly attendance of the park to be about 400,000 people, with 10,000 students for the bush camp. After an auction held by the receiver on 26 November 1992 the theme park was sold for $800,000, and continues to trade successfully as the Great Aussie Bushcamp. The brothers went bankrupt.
Later careers
After the 1992 bankruptcy, Mike and his wife Margie ran a New LambtonNew Lambton, New South Wales
New Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, located west of the city centre. Its eastern boundary is the Great Northern Railway, where it is served by Adamstown railway station...
video store and worked for the park's new owner. In 1997 Mike sold part of his Tea Gardens property to fund the production of a far north Queensland film for Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. Mike and his wife Margie signed a contract with Channel Seven for 12 one-hour documentaries, the first of which aired in 1998 in The World Around Us slot. On 14 September 2009 Mike Leyland died from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. He was 68 years old. Mike is survived by his wife Margie, his daughters Kerry, Sandy and Dawn, his stepdaughters Sarah and Alison, and seven grandchildren.
Mal and his wife Laraine ran a photo processing lab in Queensland and launched a travel magazine. In 1997 Mal and Laraine launched a bi-monthly magazine, Leyland's Australia. In 2000 Mal produced the television show Leyland's Australia, with his wife Laraine, daughter Carmen and her husband Robert Scott - travelling around Australia in a caravan. In April 2000 Channel 9 cancelled the show after 6 episodes but the series was then picked up by Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
.
Documentaries
- 1963 - Down the Darling - A trip from MungindiMungindi, New South WalesMungindi is a town on the border of New South Wales and Queensland in Moree Plains Shire. It possesses a New South Wales postcode. Mungindi sits on the Carnarvon Highway and straddles the Barwon River which is the border between New South Wales and Queensland...
, Queensland, to MilduraMildura, VictoriaMildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
, Victoria, following the 2,300 kilometre course of the Darling RiverDarling RiverThe Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
, part of Australia's longest river system, in a small aluminium boat. An accompanying book was titled Great Ugly River was published by Lansdowne Press in 1965.
- 1966 - Wheels Across a Wilderness - Driving two Land Rovers from Steep PointSteep Point, Western AustraliaSteep Point is the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, located at . It is located within the Shark Bay World Heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia....
, Western Australia, across the centre of the continent to Cape ByronCape ByronCape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia. It is located about northeast of the town of Byron Bay and projects into the Pacific Ocean...
, New South Wales. The trip was also published as a book, Where Dead Men Lie. IMDB link
- 1969 - Open Boat to Adventure - A six month journey from DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
to SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in an 18-foot open boat, following the coast around Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
and Cape YorkCape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
. The book was titled Untamed Coast.
- 1972 - The Wet Documents a journey to what is now called Kakadu National ParkKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
via Darwin. There were no sealed roads to the North-West part of the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
at the time. Also provides footage of a "Pre Cyclone Tracey" DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
Travel All Over The Countryside with Mike & Margie Leyland
- Lure of the Red Centre
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Hayes Family
3. Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
4. Ochre Pits
Ochre Pits
The Ochre Pits are a popular tourist destination in Australia's Northern Territory, approximately 50 kilometres west of Alice Springs along the Larapinta Trail....
5. Fly Over Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)
Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, it is 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and 1,316 km south of Darwin.- Description :...
6. Arltunga Visitors Centre
- Border Country
- The Stormy Coast
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Maits Rest
3. The Grotto
4. Princess Margaret Rose Cave
Princess Margaret Rose Cave
Princess Margaret Rose Cave is a limestone cave located in Lower Glenelg National Park in Victoria, Australia. Featuring actively growing stalactites, stalagmites and helictites, it is arguably the most decorated cave per square metre in Australia. It is named after Princess Margaret.The cave was...
5. Goolwa
Goolwa, South Australia
Goolwa is a historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia, and joined by a bridge to Hindmarsh Island. The name "Goolwa" means "elbow" in Ngarrindjeri, the local Aboriginal language....
6. Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
- Outback Coast
- Along and Beyond the Tanami Track
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Desert Park
3. Granites Gold Mine
4. Back On The Tanami
Tanami Desert
The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia situated in the Northern Territory. It has a rocky terrain with small hills. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored until well into the twentieth century...
5. Bungle Bungle
Purnululu National Park
Purnululu National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.-Location:...
Range
6. Dawn Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
- Tracks Of The Past
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Willochra Plain
Willochra Plain
The Willochra Plain is a wide plain situated East of Port Augusta, South Australia.The area falls in view from Mount Brown Lookout and from walking trails in The Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park. Details for these walks are available at the SA Dept website....
3. Talc Sculptures
4. Marree
5. Coward Springs
Coward Springs, South Australia
Coward Springs is a former settlement and railway station in the desert in outback South Australia. It is situated on the Oodnadatta Track adjacent to the Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park, 236 km from Coober Pedy....
6. 1961
7. Peak Hill
Peak Hill, Western Australia
Peak Hill is the name of a goldfield, locality and the site of a gold mining ghost town in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. The gold mine covers 2,162 hectares and consists of four open-cut mines, titled Main, Jubilee, Fiveways and Harmony....
Ruins
8. Fogarty's Claypan
9. Puncture Repair
10. Mac Clark Reserve
11. Chambers Pillar
Chambers pillar
Chambers Pillar is a sandstone formation some 160 km south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia...
12. Credits
- Travel Across The Cape
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Tuckers Lookout
3. Lava Tubes
4. Cobbold Gorge
5. Chillagoe
Chillagoe, Queensland
Chillagoe in northern Queensland, Australia, was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but is now reduced to a small zinc mine and some marble quarries. At the 2006 census, Chillagoe had a population of 227....
6. Dorunda
- Travel To The Lost City
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. The Great Top Road
3. Lawn Hill
Boodjamulla National Park
Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Gulf Country region of northwestern Queensland, Australia. The park is northwest of Mount Isa or northwest of Brisbane....
4. Track To Bowthorn Station
5. Track To Hells Gate
6. Cape Crawford
- Trek Around The Pilbara
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Dalgaranga
Dalgaranga crater
Dalgaranga crater is a small meteorite impact crater located on Dalgaranga pastoral station 75 km west of Mount Magnet in Western Australia. It is only 24 m in diameter and 3 m deep, making it Australia's smallest impact crater...
3. Three Pools
4. Chinamans Pool
5. Walking Trail
6. Kalamina Falls
- KakaduKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
and Beyond
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Jabiru
Jabiru, Northern Territory
Jabiru is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was originally built in 1982 as a closed town to house the community living at Jabiru East near the Ranger Uranium Mine eight kilometres away. Both the mine and the town are completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park.- Overview :Jabiru...
Airport
3. Gunlom
Gunlom Falls
Gunlom Falls is a waterfall located in Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is also known as UDP Falls or Waterfall Creek. The falls are situated in the Mary River area in the southern, less visited part of Kakadu...
4. Nourlangie 1967
5. Yellow Water
6. Twin Falls
7. Ubirr
Ubirr
Ubirr is located in the East Alligator region of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia, and is famous for its rock art. It consists of a group of rock outcrops on the edge of the Nadab floodplain where there are several natural shelters that have a collection of Aboriginal...
Lookout
8. Fishing
9. Bush Tucker
10. Caves
11. Port Essington
Port Essington
Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
12. Credits
- Cape YorkCape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
Adventure
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Bloomfield Falls
Bloomfield Falls
The Bloomfield Falls are near Cape Tribulation, close to Wujal Wujal, north of the Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia.The waterfall is on the Bloomfield River....
3. Archer River
Archer River
The Archer River is a major river of the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia. It rises in the McIlwraith Range, traverses tropical savanna plains and wetlands, flowing through Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary and Mungkan Kandju National Park, and enters the Gulf of Carpentaria on the...
4. Frenchmans Track
5. Fruit Bat Falls
6. Dugout Canoe
Television series
- Ask the Leyland Brothers - Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, 1976–1980 and 1983-1984. All 156 episodes were shot in the Super 8 mm filmSuper 8 mm filmSuper 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
format. - Off the Beaten Track
- Trekabout
- The Leyland Brother's Great Outdoors - Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. - Leyland Brothers' World
- Leyland's Australia - Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. In 2000 Mal and his wife Lorraine documented their travels throughout Australia - Original series of Ask The Leyland Brothers
External links
- Mike Leyland was an Inspiration
- The Leyland Brothers transcript of a retrospective broadcast on 9 Aug 2003 on George Negus TonightGeorge Negus TonightGeorge Negus Tonight was an Australian current affairs television series hosted by George Negus, which ran on ABC Television from 2001 to 2004.-Dimensions:...