They say you can take the man out of Norfolk but you can't take Norfolk out of the man.

Eastern Daily Press: Gorleston man Phil Turner has fond memories of living in Norfolk, but now lives near Sydney. Picture: Phil TurnerGorleston man Phil Turner has fond memories of living in Norfolk, but now lives near Sydney. Picture: Phil Turner (Image: Archant)

And for Phil Turner, a 47-year-old from Gorleston who now lives in Sydney, this could not be more true.

Since he moved to Australia in 2002 after meeting his wife, Aivy, while working at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, Mr Turner has added a Norfolk touch to Australia's streets.

In his spare time, Mr Turner, who is an award-winning talent acquisition and learning and development manager, renovates old homes and has named six of them Norwich.

He said: "It's traditional for old heritage houses in Sydney to be named, so I always use Norwich, as it's a fine city and I support the football club!

"I think Norwich is a beautiful city and I've got fond memories of living there. I'm always promoting the city to Australians looking for a UK holiday. It's got so much history such as the castle and cathedral.

"I always laugh, thinking that someone from Norfolk might be walking around our area wondering why so many houses have the name. Maybe we'll be twin cities one day!"

But despite promoting Norfolk overseas, Mr Turner said he has rarely encountered people from the county in Australia.

He said: "The closest I came to meeting someone from Norfolk was meeting an Ipswich Town fan - which you can imagine was a disappointment.

"In 20 years, I only once saw someone wearing a Norwich City shirt whilst I was driving and gave them a thumbs up."

Speaking about Norwich, Mr Turner said he misses watching live games at Carrow Road, the mushy peas and a bacon roll at Norwich market and walking down Elm Hill to meet his brother for a pint.

But he said his fondest memory of the county was surfing in the North Sea opposite his parent's house in Gorleston.

Mr Turner added: "I was one of the first locals to take to the waves there. It was a lot different to the hot temperatures in Sydney and the blue oceans. I remember I used to wear a full winter wetsuit with gloves, boots, and a balaclava."