Barbecuing with a lid down is a bit like having sex with your eyes shut.

It's difficult to beat a proper brick-built, wood-fired BBQ but as rental tenants we unfortunately don't have that so have to put up with a portable one. The problem here in Australia is a reasonably-priced, adjustable height, portable, charcoal/wood BBQ is nigh on impossible to obtain, forcing us to use the kettle kind. I find it works okay with the courser more natural non-compressed charcoal or with charcoal produced with firewood but anything else is hard work. I wish I'd brought a couple of the £15 ones from B&Q now.

Blooma Longley Rectangular Charcoal Portable Barbecue | Departments | DIY at B&Q

Loads of those for sale in Coburg, because of our Middle Eastern community...and cheap.... about 40 bucks. We get the Charcoal as well... 25 bucks for 15 kilos.

Cool! Whereabouts can they be had in Coburg? I'll be down that way in December.

Sydney Rd, about 3 shops carry them in Coburg alone. I'll check the latest prices later today.

Thanks.

So...let me get this right....you want a Barbecue?? Or....do you want an outdoor oven?
A Weber as explained above is an outdoor oven, a barbecue is cooking outdoors usually grill method but can be oven method if a lid is closed.
To my mind the Weber is too restrictive, I use an Aldi 4 burner with side cooker and glass cover and use it for EVERYTHING!! Roasting, Pizzas, Grilling, Frying, Slow cooking...the lot. I find BBQGalore very expensive to other suppliers, Bunnings has decent stuff which is very similar and a lot cheaper.
To me, a barbecue with friends and family is not just letting a roast cook in an outdoor oven, it is grilling, turning, basting and all those things that 5 guys have to stand around a barbecue and do together with beers in the hand!!

Oh...right now Aldi have a 6 burner with side burner and glass cover for $399!! Bargain!!
One guys review here Aussie BBQ Forum • View topic - aldi bbq 6 burner

Yes highly debatable this one.... Since I worked out that the end result is far better with the lid down, I've got to agree the whole "Gas" bbq'ing aesthetics thing is a bit lacking... Not only is there nothing to look at but the whole thing is over in less than 5 mins for most cuts of meat. So I'd go one further, if your going to go for aesthetics and I hear you loud and clear on this, do it over a real fire, either with charcoal or better still the South American way, Wood.

Wood takes ages to get happening so a perfect afternoon is spent prepping, waiting for the fire to get right, drinking with mates, moving the meat around, basting, smells, smoke the whole ambience. Just dont expect it to come out perfectly cooked like a weber, although you'll be hungry, oiled up enough where you probably wont even notice.

Build yourself a fire pit!

NB there will be quite a few days where, if you use real wood, there is a total fire ban so your BBQ will be useless.

I've got a Webber Q and whilst it is convenient, it's not really a proper BBQ.

I also have a regular charcoal Webber which I prefer but not as convenient.

Not so sure that is true, when I lived in Manly a few years back and Warringah council issued a total fire ban I asked the silly "What about barbecues?" question. They informed me that enclosed BBQs at your residence, including fire pits are ok.

Along with the Gas BBQ I have I also have a big pig sized spit roast barbie, uses good lumpwood charcoal and is great for long days of good spit roasting big cuts/joints/animals....takes all day, but I have a great sense of satisfaction when it is all done..plus I am usually completely sozzled!

Sounds great, I'm hungry now!

Spent some of my favourite days in Aus around those

I've owned a few:

A trolley type flat plate - rusted to shit and crap cooking.
A big 4 burner Superstore special - same as above. You get what you pay for.
A Weber Q200 - not enough oomph.
A Weber Q300 family - by far the best for convenience, cleaning and cooking results.

I've had a Ziggy for the last 6 months and it's proving to be an improvement on the Q300.

According to the NSW fire service regulations, on a total fire ban day you may NOT use any barbecue that burns solid fuel such as wood or charcoal. You may use an electric barbecue if supervised by an adult, or a gas one with strict regulations about how close it is to open ground, supervision and never leaving it unattended.