Postcards from Home - Part 1

It seems hard to imagine now.... 

 However there was a time when travel (particularly overseas travel) was only really

for the rich and famous.

As a young child growing up in inner city Sydney - holidays for us were very few and far between.

Dad and Mum were both kept pretty busy in our family business and there was just simply not the 

time (or money) to go traipsing off on long, exotic holidays. 

My father's sister however was an exception. 

Auntie Val was a woman ahead of her times.

A single career woman in her thirties - every year she would jet off (or maybe that should  be "fly" off - jets might not have been invented then?) to places like Fiji, Singapore, Tokyo, Greece. 

She was my childhood idol. 

I longed for the time when I would be able to travel to faraway places.

The Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, Big Ben, New York - I used to dream of visiting these places. 

"One day" I promised myself - "I'm going to travel the world just like Auntie Val"

The fact that I never got to fulfill my childhood dreams until I was fifty - well, that's another story!

In the meantime I survived on Postcards!

Postcards that Auntie Val would send;  postcards that my parent's friends would send;  

and then much later on - postcards that work colleagues and childhood friends would send. 

Just gazing at those scenes of far off places - made me feel like I was really there.

Transported me to another time.... another place. 

So for all those people (just like me) who long to travel and visit new and interesting places - 

I have decided to put together this little series called :

"Postcards from Home"

I am so fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in Australia and this is my 

opportunity to share some of the beauty of this region - 

all without leaving the comfort of  your PC or laptop!

First up - an hour's drive north from my little spot here in the valley is the 

 quaint little seaside village of Port Douglas......

and this is the gorgeous 

St Mary's by the Sea

Surrounded by palms, crotons, cordylines and exotic gingers

Built in the 1940's - a gorgeous example of tropical ecclesiastical architecture

Weddings, baptisms, worship....

This little church is kept extremely busy

And just look at this view from the pulpit!

The soaring ceilings, leadlight windows 

and of course, the obligatory ceiling fans.

 It is the tropics afterall!

Row upon row of highly polished mahogany pews against crisp white walls and timber 

flooring. 

This surely must be one of the most beautiful little churches in Australia!

Please call back again next week for another little

"Postcard from Home"

Happy travels everyone!