The heat can play some funny tricks on the mind.

But when former Keighley engineer David Foster was gagging for a drink in the Australian outback, he didn't see a shimmering oasis in the desert sand.

No, he saw an image of a plastic wheelie bin full of ice cold beer.

The image turned out to be an inspirational one when David, 56, who left Keighley more than 20 years ago, turned his dream into a reality.

He invented the "Gokeg" - a mobile beer bar that he put into production. His invention won him a top award in his adoptive country and now he hopes to win new devotees in the UK.

The device is a conventional wheelie bin with a dispensing pump on the lid and a cooling facility strapped to the side. It is designed to be used at barbecues, picnics and large-scale public events.

And to help him win converts to his wheelie bar, David has recruited his old pal Nick Shepherd of Haworth, to act as his marketing man.

"When David told me about it at first I thought it was so funny," said 56-year-old telephone engineer Nick.

"I told him that if I wanted to cool my beer I just put it on the wall outside my house.

"At the time it was 21 degrees in Sydney and he was having to wear jeans instead of shorts - because to him it was cold. It was 14 degrees in Haworth and the middle of summer."

David, who emigrated 23 years ago, is now a top chef in Sydney and his Gokeg won him a best new product in the catering trade in 1995.

He and Nick lost touch with each other for many years until David posted a message on the internet saying he was trying to locate his old pal.

Eventually, they made contact in March this year and renewed their friendship.

"We discussed old times and generally went through the chit-chat and then he mentioned he had invented something," said Nick.

"He told me how it all happened. It was while he was living with the Aborigines and hunting crocodile several years ago that he had the brainwave.

"He was baking in the scorching outback and all he could think about was ice cold beer.

"He cut his hand and was letting the blood drip into a wheelie bin when he saw his dream of an ice packed keg of amber fluid inside the bin."

"The idea is that the Gokeg can be taken wherever there are people gagging for a drink."

Nick said David sees it ideally being used at big venues and events, like a cricket match, where it can be located in the terraces within easy reach of sweltering fans.

The Gokeg retails in Australia at 1,600 dollars - about £600. For more information go to www.gokeg.com