St Francis Church

Divine Accommodation

4-star accommodation

Carisbrook

In the Central Goldfields of Victoria

From our guest book

We had such a great time! Oops, I feel a song coming on .......................

Ode to Sue and David

Sue and Dave Purchas on weekends now dwell
In a church that they've purchased, complete with a bell-
Upside down in its tower for many a year
But they no doubt will right it quite soon, have no fear.

With wood- panelled ceilings so lofty and high
And wood - panelled organ loft up near the sky
And arched doors and windows, and turrets, the lot
All set in a treed country plot.

In its time, the church must have been quite a sight,
But now it's reduced to " renovator's delight "
Though the work seems unending, they're well on the way
To restoring their dream [ nightmare ? ] home one day.

To this church in the country we all traipsed last week end
Planning many long musical hours to spend
3 couples, 3 dogs and 3 boys and a cat
And enough food and drink to make us all fat!

With an orchard of fruit, and ripe grapes for the picking
Doug's apple pie was just finger licking
We ate and we drank and we sang and we talked
And the boys and the dogs walked and walked and walked.

With all sorts of visitors, lots of good cheer
Our musical evenings were something to hear
But our musical climax was on Monday as "Heaven Sent "
We performed at the Carisbrook Cultural Event.

So it's " Thanks " Sue and David, for a wonderful time
Our thanks are so heartful, we've expressed them in rhyme
And the church must be grateful; once neglected so long
Now the rafters once more ring with music and song!

Cathy. March 12, 2001

Our second guest book is well on its way to being filled so its hard to choose what to include here.

We derive great pleasure knowing that guests truly enjoy their relaxing and unique stay in this former church and appreciate the effort that we have made in restoring St. Francis. It makes all our blood, sweat and tears seem worthwhile.

Dear Sue and Dave,

Thank you for sharing your home in the magnificently restored St. Francis Church. Your restoration is indeed a labour of love and that we can share your chapter in the history of the church. The accommodation and location is superb and great for the case in touring the local and surrounding area. Thank you both again.Ray and Patti. October 05

What a place, absolutely beautiful. Richard. November 05

Diamonds on my windshield, tears from heaven
As we leave this absolute fantastic escape!

Tears from heaven running down my face. Greg. November 05

For yea, as my heart entrances
And may my joy be thine
In a place known as St. Francis
Where heaven and earth combine. Shelton . November 05

We need a longer time to really enjoy smelling the roses. Dennis & Marguerite. November 05

A balmy evening, a bath under the stars, candlelight & history. Perfect!!! Pieter. January 06

A feather on the breeze, drifting neither here nor there
A feather on the breeze, as if not of this world
A feather on the breeze, not a care, not a worry
For what would be on a feather's mind?
What purpose would a mind be then for a feather on the breeze.
Oh, for a moment to be that feather on the breeze.

Thank you for sharing your slice of paradise with us, for allowing us to be just as that feather, allowing calmness and the sweet joy of being timeless for just a while. Jerry and Lisa. January 06

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. What a fantastic place to stay. We thank you Sue and David for letting us stay in your wonderful home. Love the outside bath, love the windows and love the light.

Wonderful hospitality Sue and David. We will be back in winter. Graeme and Cathy. February 06

PS. They have been back 4 times

A lovely place to treat the mind and body to a heavenly experience, we really did love it. Thank you very much. Sandra and Jason. March 06

Thank you Sue and Dave for a relaxing stay! The church is quite special. We all enjoyed our break with our dogs. If only it was longer. Fred and Leslie March 06

A beautiful place that provided much needed inspiration. LOVED the outdoor bath- wonderful. Thank you for your thoughtful hospitality. Naomi and Jason. March 06

Dear Sue and Dave, Thank you for such a lovely location to celebrate and commiserate turning 39, with friends. I fell in love as soon as I walked through the door on Friday!. Heading back home on Monday is hard, leaving this wonderful place is tough. We loved the serenity, the BBQ, the jig saw puzzle1,the spa and outdoor bath. What a brilliant weekend spent at a perfect location. I'll be back and will tell all my friends who couldn't make it this weekend and dragging them all up here - to smell the roses. Juleigh April 06

PS They will be making their 4th visit to St. Francis in December.

Dear Sue and Dave, this is the most wonderful place to stay. You both made us feel so welcome and the whole atmosphere is very special and magical.. There will be tears when we have to leave tomorrow morning but we will also be looking ahead to our next holiday here. Douglas [ the ] dog says 'ditto' to all of the above. Thank you so much. It's the lovliest place we've ever stayed. Josephine and Dan. June 06

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