Once they were home to the family Holden. Today they have an array of uses. Here NRMA Members roll-up their garage doors to reveal what hides behind. Photography by Mark Watson.

Kim & Noel: party house

“Our garage is a barn-style two-storey garage with a loft up the top. It’s about seven metres by seven metres. We’ve tiled it, lined the walls with timber and put a bathroom in and it has a limited kitchen and a full bar, so it’s great for parties. We’ve had an 18th and two 40th birthday parties. It’s next to the pool so it doubles as a pool house.

The style is very rustic, but we’ve also added lots of our favourite pieces of memorabilia and knick-knacks. We actually slept in it for two months last year while we were renovating. We’ve got a pull-out futon and a pull-out lounge downstairs and beds in the loft, so our two sons and their mates can use it for sleepovers and they’ve got privacy.

Both boys can have friends over and it doesn’t affect our lifestyle too much because they’ve got their own space. If the weather is bad and we’re having a BBQ, we can go inside and have that space for mingling. Because it’s rustic, we can have parties in here and not worry too much [about damage] to the garage.

We’ve spent about $8000 all up and it was worth it to have the extra space, since our house only had one living area when we moved in. [As for our cars], we park them on the street.”

Lucas: collector's haven

“My garage is five metres by two metres and is basically used for storage. I have a shop where I sell mainly Bauhaus 1960s collectibles and furniture, and the garage is a work area [for restoring the furniture]. The garage was a stepping-stone for me to get the shop. People just started walking in off the street because the stock is so eclectic but it was just a workshop.

[The most unusual object] is a pair of stuffed animal pants worth about $3500. There are elephants, birds, penguins and dinosaurs stitched into them. I used to wear them skiing.

I find things all over the place, from friends, deceased estates and specialty auctions. My uncle is in the antiques industry and I used to go to a lot of auctions with him. I’d see what people bought and learned about the different pieces and gained a working knowledge. I don’t think you ever become an expert. You end up buying things you think are great and they aren’t worth diddly-squat.

People want to buy good-quality furniture as opposed to disposable furniture because it’s built to last with a certain amount of integrity and craftsmanship. I don’t expect it will make me a million dollars, I just hope it will bring in extra income. My shop is more upmarket, cleaner, and in much better condition.”

Lucas’ shop, Bowhows, is located at 224 Bondi Rd, Bondi.

Ian: F3 pit stop

“My garage houses my 1996 Formula 3 racing car. There’s only 30 or 40 of them in Australia. I think it’s normal to have it in my garage, but I guess a lot of people wouldn’t. That’s what you do, isn’t it? You have hobbies and hide them away in your garage and then pull them out and play with them. I should have done it earlier in life but didn’t have the means or opportunity. I’ve been racing for five years but only bought the car this year. Every boy’s dream is to be a racing driver.

My team consists of my wife, my brother and myself. I’ve raced once at the Melbourne Grand Prix, which was the first time I’d driven the car, so it was very daunting. Down the front straights I was doing close to 250 kilometres per hour. The strange thing is, you don’t notice because you’ve got all these things to check and set up for. My wife races now too. She uses my old car, a PRB Clubman. It is very addictive, those 15 or 20 minutes are full on concentration and adrenaline.

We have a double garage to house the race car as well as our everyday car. [The race car is] so low it won’t get over the gutter in the driveway so we have a trailer that we load [it] on, plus 12 sets of tyres and lots of spares. They stir me about the car [at work] but I’m just in there for fun and enjoyment.”

Vivienne: sports stage

“I’m a choreographer and coach for ‘sport’ aerobics, which is competition aerobics. It’s not a big sport, but we’re producing far more world champions than any other sport in Australia. I’ve been a freelance choreographer and fitness instructor for 20 years, and once I had children I wanted to be working closer to home.

We were specifically looking for a place that had a garage big enough for a studio. Because I do freelance choreography, it’s easier if the competitors come to me.

I have 25 students that I teach ranging in age from seven to 29. The studio is about three metres by 10 metres and we have about 10 people at a time in here. As part of the refurbishments, we’ve [installed] a competition sprung floor. It is almost identical to the stages used in the world competitions and helps for preparation.

We’ve been up and running for two-and-a-half years in the garage with the sprung floor and we’ve not had one injury, which is totally unusual in this sport. There are only two studios like this in Australia. We’ve had camps in the studio where the kids come and train all day and sleep in there at night in sleeping bags. One wall is totally mirrored and it’s all completely sound proofed.

Last year a local company, Rovert Lighting and Electrical, decided to sponsor us to help with the insurance and other fees. They’re setting up stage lights around the mirrors so that when the kids are getting ready for competitions, we can create a stage environment for them.”