Tracing The Past, Enjoy The Moment

Italian author Italo Calvino (1923-1985) once had such a description in his book "Invisible Cities": "The city is like a sponge, absorbing the tide of these ever-flowing memories and expanding accordingly.” No doubt, the historical building is the best imprint of a city. If you want to understand the story of a city and feel its unique charm, the best way is to start the journey of discovery with the historical buildings.

One of my favourite family activities is walking down the Mailing Road in Canterbury after having brunch on weekend. The rich mix of Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war buildings always caught my eye. Narrow shophouses with verandahs, ornamental fixtures and elegant façade details combine with heritage features in the public realm and mature elm trees to create a unique streetscape character that speaks strongly to its history. 

At the corner of Mailing Road and Canterbury Road, there is a Victorian-style building, The Mailing Room, which was built in early 1909. From the exterior, this heritage-listed building still looks like the post office, but it now houses a cafe. The building shut its doors as a post office in 1996 yet evidence of its former life has been preserved through touches such as the stained glass windows that read Money Order, Telephone Bureau, Post and Telegraph Office. Inside, apricot-coloured walls and high ceilings house practical, classic timber furnishings. Although slightly dated, it still feels cozy. I prefer to explore those may be surprising, often touching stories that happened in this century-old building while having a cup of coffee. I don't know if this building will still exist a hundred years later, and whether people there will tell the story of what happened in this cafe today. Still, the most important thing is to enjoy the moment.