If you spent any time in England in the 1980s or '90s, you'd know that most Brits got their image of Australia from Neighbours and Home and Away.
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Guess blue skies and soppy soap operas - with Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue thrown in - made it easier to face endless grey skies and cold conditions.
It's a quarter of a century later, but we're not entirely sure that the Brits have greatly developed their understanding of life Down Under.
Stand-up comedian Sarah Kendall, who was born in Newcastle but lives in London, intends to help out in this regard.
She's the creator and writer of a new show called Frayed, a six-part comedy set in Newcastle in 1989.
One of the show's aims is to present a more realistic version of beachside life in Australia. Expect something different to the sanitised soap operas of times gone by.
Life isn't all rosy in the late 1980s Newcastle depicted in the show. Summer Bay or Erinsborough this is not. Recession is knocking at the door, work isn't easy to come by and the town remains encased in an industrial landscape.
Frayed follows the journey of Sammy Cooper (Sarah Kendall), a "fabulously wealthy" London housewife whose life "appears perfect".
She lives in a mansion in London with her perfect husband and children. Her life is a merry-go-round of expensive renovations, dinner parties and school fundraisers.
When her husband has a fatal heart attack while with a prostitute, Sammy's life implodes.
Broke and homeless, she becomes a social outcast. She's forced to return with her two kids to the family home in Newcastle.
In coming home, Sammy must revisit her past and the events that led her to flee as a teenager many years ago.
Part of the series was filmed in Newcastle last year. But we also hear the Sydney beachside suburb of Collaroy has been used as a stand-in location for Newcastle [outrageous!].
The show premieres in the UK on Sky One on September 26. It'll be shown on the ABC in Australia from October 16.
KISS and Yell
Rock'n'roll and fast cars go hand-in-hand, right?
Gene Simmons from KISS obviously thinks so. He and his bandmates have agreed to put the iconic KISS logo on two supercars at the Newcastle 500 in November.
The KISS cars will also be in action at next week's Gold Coast 600.
Simmons, the band's vocalist and bass player, urged fans to cheer on the cars.
"But keep your engines running because after the race KISS is going to rock the Newcastle 500. Hope you love It loud," Simmons said.
KISS will perform at Newcastle's No.1 Sportsground on Saturday, November 23. The Newcastle 500 will run from November 22 to 24.
