In Castlemaine, an excellent build is filled with even more excellent contraptions.
Up The Creek workshop focuses on detailing & restoring vintage and rare cars.
Check out our video & photos, or take a look at the ABCs coverage of the workshop.
A Little About Up The Creek
For over 25 years Up The Creek Workshop has been restoring, rebuilding and maintaining different makes of Pre-war cars. Examples include from Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Benz, Talbot and many more. One of their most recent projects was to reconstruct the engine of the sole surviving 1914 Delage Type-S grand prix car.
Take a look at some of the images below of whats going on inside Up The Creek Workshop at the moment.
Five Biggest Mistakes When Building a Horse Arena
If building a horse arena is costly, making mistakes in the process can be painfully costly. A horse arena is a major investment, and getting it right in the earliest planning stages will save you a lot of time, money and heartache. Take the following points into consideration if you’re planning to construct your own arena, and remember than one mistake made can often lead to others.
1. Location by nature, not by aesthetics.
Obviously, drainage is a problem that looms large in arena construction. It is important to locate your arena on a high point of the property; never choose a site that is at the base of hills, or in the path of runoff water. Working with nature rather than against it can cut the drainage battle in half, and will probably reduce the costs as well.
2. Drainage; Get it right the first time.
Water pooling on your arena will lead to a breakdown in expensive arena surface and sub-layers, and create an unstable riding environment. Make sure you design a proper, realistic drainage system based on location, the lie of the land, anticipated annual rainfall, soil type and your own sub-layers. There are a number of methods used for arenas, take the time to investigate which will work best with the above factors. Obviously, building a covered over horse arena will eliminate a lot of the drainage problems, so long as surrounding run-off is properly drained, the arena surface itself won’t have to stand up to downpours and sodden surfaces. Another big advantage of a covered arena is that you can collect and store the water at little cost and with huge lasting benefits.
3. Use the right materials.
It is absolutely essential to spend time and money to ensure you use materials that will work for your arena. There is no across the board ‘rule book’ for sub layers, as materials vary from region to region. Skimping on base layers or choosing the wrong materials can undo the ultimate effectiveness and quality of your arena in a wink. Have a good idea how you want to use the arena when choosing materials, so you can make sure you have the right amount of each layer, and that one layer won’t become too thin after compacting to be effective.
4. Top layer is crucial.
Ideally, a “perfect” riding surface should be cushioned to minimise concussion on horse legs, firm enough to provide traction, not too slick, not too dusty, not overly abrasive to horse hooves, inexpensive to obtain, and easy to maintain. There is a wide range of top fill products available on the market, both natural and commercially produced, and your selection will depend largely on your budget and intended arena use. It would probably pay to make use of some local knowledge, talk to the people who have already done what you are seeking to do.
5. Maintenance.
You can extend the lifetime of your arena by practicing some simple TLC. Harrow the topping regularly to prevent it compacting too much. Removing manure will preserve the quality of your top layer. Watering regularly will keep the dust down, and likewise if the surface is sodden after heavy rain, leave it to dry up a bit before riding. Ongoing maintenance not only saves you time in the long run, but will also save you money in lengthening the time between construction and when your arena is due for a renovation. Once again, building an arena cover will extend the life of your arena a lot by not exposing it to the weather and preserving the surface and below layers.
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Top 10 Private Indoor Riding Arenas
There is something especially beautiful and unique about your own private indoor riding arena. It’s a space to explore your passion of riding that you are able to tweak with a splash of your personal design taste, making it truly your own. Each private indoor is different according to the owner’s needs and choices.
See below the top 10 private indoor arenas that Central Steel Build has constructed.
This curved roof private arena has a gorgeous view of surrounding farmlands, with a horizon laced with mountains. a picturesque sight to look out on while riding inside.
An indoor arena with a beautiful symmetrical strip of garden lining its sides, giving it a more English traditional setting. Perfect for practicing dressage and show riding in.
This boutique open sided riding arena is enclosed by greenery, giving a woodland kind of atmosphere to the rider.
This indoor arena is accompanied by an impressive adjoined stables and tack room, making riding even more convenient in bad weather.
Nestled among the forest clad mountains resides this open sided private arena looking as pretty as a picture.
She looks like she is enjoying riding in her indoor arena, which is still open enough to embrace the outdoors and nature surrounding it.
This indoor dressage arena sports an impressive wooden clad kickrail system to not only ensure the safety of both rider and horse, but to also look good whilst doing this.
The curved roof lined with strips of skylights allows a generous amount of natural light filter through onto the arena’s floor. This design along with the open sides allows for a more outdoors riding experience than other indoor arenas.
The beautifully timber clad and decorated stable and tack rooms adjoined to the indoor arena gives this equestrian complex a classy air whilst practically serving it’s original purpose.
