Tag: Over the Border ~ Queensland

Australia · autumn · gratitude · spiritual

Over the Border ~ Magic at Point Danger.

Joanne10 Comments

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.” ~ Eleanora Duse.

Every single aspect of the Point Danger Lookout had the power to move me this week, and indeed, I did rejoice!

A beautiful sight.

And I believe that I was not the only one affected. There were people everywhere, walking, taking photos, or simply sitting and passing the time of day. No one seemed to be in any hurry to leave.

The morning sunlight, glistening across the ocean.

There was magic in the air; filling the blue skies, the crashing waves, and the green grass.

The highrise buildings of Surfer’s Paradise showed up clearly along the horizon.

Surfer's Paradise in the distance.

In the next photo, you can see that even a seagull was flying high! You may have to click on the photo to enlarge it though, to see him soaring across the sky in front of the rays from the sun.

Flying high.

Whichever way I turned I could see, and feel, the gentle energy in the air. Was it the sun? The ocean? The sounds of the waves?

Who cares! It was there to enjoy, and enjoy I did.The car park was full, yet there was hardly any traffic sounds. The “Sounds of Nature” dominated every sense I have.

A full car park, trees and buildings framed by the blue sky.

I took this last photo through my car window, as I was about to leave. I had noticed a couple who had stopped to admire the ocean, and a magpie who had momentarily stopped walking along the grass. As I started up my car, the couple headed in one direction, the magpie in the other.

We were all on our way...

We were all headed off, on our way to who knows where, each having shared just a little touch of magic.

Australia · blessings · spiritual

Over the Border ~ Queensland. “Ye Olde Houses of God”

Joanne12 Comments
Ye Grande Entrance

Whilst taking photos of the other day from Kirra Point Lookout, my camera happened upon an old church building, sitting atop a hill in Coolangatta.

Camera poised, I took a closer look.

Beautiful carved statues adorn the church.

Well, St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Coolangatta may not compare to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, but by the standards of this area, it really is a magnificent church building.

The foundation stone was laid on Easter Monday of 1925, with the first mass in the completed church held on January 2nd, 1927, making the church eighty-five years old.

“HIC EST DOMUS DEI”

Being married to a Catholic for many years has taught me that any indecipherable words, relating to anything Catholic, will no doubt be Latin. “HIC EST DOMUS DEI” (which you will see above the doorway here), I have discovered, translates to “This is the House of God”.

In need of repairs.

Apparently the church is in need of funds for repairs to the building. Excuse me for possibly sounding cynical, but I’m quite sure that if the local parishioners cannot come up with the required funds, head office may be able to chip in a dollar or two.

And so they should. A building as grand as this deserves to be cared for. If I hear of any upcoming fundraising events, I will make a point of attending, to help this worthy cause. Perhaps I should encourage my husband to attend a few masses at this church, just to help their fund-raising along. Every little bit helps.

Taking photos of the church high up on the hill, from the position of standing down on street level, really gives the illusion of the church scraping the sky, and just look at the colour of the sky!

An abundance of detailed features.

Have you ever seen any more brilliant a sky-blue than in these photos? It was blinding in beauty! A gift from God, you might say.

St. Peter's Anglican Church, Coolangatta.

Just down the hill and around the corner is another beautiful Olde House of God, this time St. Peter’s Anglican Church.

Ye Olde Church Bell.

Being a Protestant myself, I felt more of a personal connection to this church. It has a wonderful welcoming “feel” to it, and is kept in the most immaculate condition.

The plaque on the side wall of the church tells us that the foundation stone was laid on October 31st, 1937, making the church seventy-five years of age this year. We can all only hope that we are in such a good state of repair when we reach the age of seventy-five!

A building with a history.

I really liked the arched windows around the building. Some of the windows were stained in pastel colours, but the sunlight would not allow me to take a successful photo of those. Perhaps that would be a photo for a day with less brilliant sunshine.

The arched windows add to the character of the church.

Although the old buildings in my area of Australia are few and far between, I have really enjoyed taking photos of, and learning something about, the history of the old buildings around me.

There's that sky again!

I do hope you have enjoyed visiting these churches with me.  🙂

Australia · Changes · new

Over the Border ~ Kirra Point Lookout, Queensland.

Joanne15 Comments
The road below...

After weeks and weeks of less than perfect weather, it is so wonderful to finally see days on end of nothing but the sun! The weather has cooled down dramatically and everything is looking pristine and sparkly.

I paid a visit to Kirra Point Lookout the other day, knowing I had the perfect weather for taking some great photos of the ocean.

From the lookout to the north is Kirra Beach, usually jammed packed full of surfers. Kirra Beach is world-famous for its surfing conditions. In fact, it was at Kirra that the second Surf Life Saving Club was established in Queenland, at a meeting held on January 7th 1916, with the Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club, established in 1911 being the oldest in the state.

As you can see here, Kirra Beach was almost deserted. Perhaps the surfing conditions were not as they should be, even on the sunniest of days…

Kirra Beach

Coolangatta Beach too, to the south of the lookout, was all but deserted.

...and Coolangatta Beach

I loved the blueness of the sky as a backdrop for this white apartment building in Coolangatta.

White on blue

Over the last twenty-five to thirty years a number of older style beachside apartment buildings have been demolished, in favour of these multi-story apartment buildings and holiday units.

Tall buildings against the sky.

A monument of a large iron eagle, with the appearance of it soaring through the air towards the ocean, has been erected at Kirra Point Lookout. Whilst it is very interesting to see the iron eagle, I don’t know the significance of it.

Ready to soar out across the ocean...

I wonder if there is a significance, or whether someone simply liked the idea?…I’ll keep asking around.

The iron eagle, in perspective to the lookout.

Whilst I stood at Kirra Point Lookout, clicking away in this direction and that with my camera, I spotted an old church, nestled beside some other buildings, up on a hill in the distance at Coolangatta.

A different scene, something old, amid the new.

It started me thinking and casting my mind back to the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta area that I first knew, back in the days before the new apartment buildings and holiday lets were constructed.

How many old buildings remain in the area?

The weatherboard holiday lets along the beach – gone, and replaced with highrise buildings.

The row of shops containing two cinemas – gone, and replaced with a multi-level shopping centre, office space and one new cinema.

An old roller skating rink ~ gone, and replaced by a car park.

The original lighthouse at Point Danger ~ gone, and replaced by the Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse.

I have decided that, by and large, Australians are an unsentimental (is that a word?) race of people and prefer to re-built rather than refurbish and extend!

Anyway, yesterday I took myself off to the old church on the hill and took a number of photos. I found another church of a similar vintage just around the corner also, but have yet to find any other old buildings in this area!

Next post, I’ll share with you my two old churches, (and any other old buildings I may come across in the meantime, if they exist!)