Simon Binks

Simon John Binks (born 27 November 1956,Mount Eliza, Melbourne) is an Australian rock musician who was a guitarist and singer-songwriter for Australian Crawl from founding in 1978 to disbanding in 1986.

Binks was raised in the Mornington Peninsula suburb of Mount Eliza on the outskirts of Melbourne and educated at The Peninsula School.

Spiff Rouch was a band formed in 1976, it included Binks and fellow locals James Reyne, Bill McDonough, Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, and Robert Walker. By early 1978, Spiff Rouch had separated and Australian Crawl was formed with Binks (lead guitar), Reyne (lead vocals, piano, harmonica), and Williams (bass guitar), they were joined by James Reyne's younger brother David Reyne (drums) and schoolmate Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).

Australian Crawl performed their first live gig in October 1978. Bill McDonough (drums) replaced David Reyne within the first year.

Binks wrote or co-wrote four tracks for Australian Crawl's 1980 debut album The Boys Light Up as well as guitars (lead, slide, acoustic) and vocals. Bill's brother, Guy McDonough (guitars, singer-songwriting) joined Australian Crawl later that year. For their second album Sirocco in 1981, Binks supplied two tracks, and guitar work; the third album, Sons of Beaches in 1982, had Binks providing guitars but no songwriting credits.

Drummer Bill McDonough left early in 1983, the Crawl recorded an EP Semantics with Graham Bidstrup on drums. Of the four tracks, Binks wrote "White Limbo" which was also the B-side of the European single release "Reckless". Mountain climber, Lincoln Hall, quotes lyrics from Binks' song in his book, White Limbo: The first Australian climb of Mt Everest (1985). The EP Semantics charted on the Australian Singles Charts to reach No. 1 and consequently some sources list "Reckless" as a No. 1 single. After the EP, John Watson replaced Bidstrup as drummer.