AN AUSTRALIAN couple have made an Olympic effort to check out their namesake town.

Ken and Jean Taylor, escaped the

hysteria of the international games

sweeping Australia to unravel the history of their settlement.

The couple hail from Ilkley, in Queensland, so christened by a townsman, known only as Mr Ford, who left to make his fortune down under.

The couple were desperate to visit the town, which had given its name to the district where they live.

Mrs Taylor said: "I was determined I was going to come here. It was a must for

sentimental reasons."

The Taylors were not disappointed that they put the town on the itinerary of their four-week tour of the country.

Mrs Taylor said: "It is beautiful. We went to visit White Wells and Ilkley Moor. It is wonderful up there. I loved it. It is one of the nicest towns."

Mrs Taylor believes it is the breathtaking scenery of the moor which inspired the name of her own district.

She said: "It is the same sort of scene. It is stony and rocky and must have

reminded Mr Ford of home."

The couple still live on part of the 160 acre banana and pineapple farm, established by Mr Ford, which was bought by Jean's grandfather in 1929.

Despite the similarities in natural scenery, Ilkley's true antipode could not be more

different.

Unlike Ilkley's bustling streets, its Australian namesake is an area of

farmland and does not even have a post office. Mrs Taylor said: "There are no houses. It is just farming land. We used to have a hall but it closed."

Although there is a small shop, the couple have to make a 6km journey to post a letter.

Ken, a carpenter and Jean, who works on a rice plantation, are interested to hear from any of Mr Ford's relatives, still living in the town, as he had played such a key role in their history.

If anybody has any information they should contact the Ilkley Gazette office on (01943) 607022. We would also like to hear from anyone who knows of other Ilkley's around the globe.

A spokeswoman for Ilkley Tourist Information Centre said: "I knew there was an Ilkley in Australia but I have never met anyone from there. It is interesting that it was founded by an Ilkley man.

"I thought it was rather nice that they made the effort to see what Ilkley was like as part of their travels.And to see how different it was to their Ilkley with its bananas, pineapples and kookaburras. "It was just a shame that it was raining for their visit but they took a copy of the Ilkley Millennium Video so they can see what the town looks like on a sunny day."