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Postcards showcases marvellous Melbourne again

Across a re-opened Victoria, Postcards producers now want to hear unique ideas from viewers.

After months in lockdown across 2020, Postcards is ready to celebrate a re-opened Melbourne and Victoria.

New executive producer of Nine’s Postcards Mel Zahra born and raised in the southern state capital, has worked with Nine across a 30 year period, most recently on multiple Logie Awards, Carols by Candlelight and My Room Telethons.

“I think Melbourne is a beautiful city. I’ve traveled to other cities around the world, not too extensively but somewhat, but I love Melbourne. Sydney has the harbour, you can’t deny it, but Melbourne’s beautiful.

“Post-lockdown we’re out traveling again, enjoying things that we might have taken for granted. I think it just feels like a really good time to be re-exploring. Or if people may not have done enough exploring, because maybe they hibernate during the winter, any time is a good time to get out and have a look around your backyard or further afield. It’s a beautiful state. A beautiful country.”

Postcards Victoria has been running for 22 years, screening weekends on Nine and repeated on 9Life. In 2021 Shane Crawford takes the reins as host with presenters Livinia Nixon, Todd Woodbridge, Brodie Harper, Shane Crawford, Lauren Phillips, Sam Groth, Madeline Slattery and Shane Delia.

The show focusses on tourist destinations, food, accommodation, arts, history and culture.

“It’s a bit about scratching the surface of the destinations that we visit and connecting with the community that’s there. So whether that’s an inner city suburb, or whether that’s further afield and regional. It’s not just about a pretty shop, but the people and communities behind them.”

Adding more activities in 2021, Zahra says the show will also be “getting our hands dirty a little bit more than we might have in the past.”

She also wants to incorporate more story ideas from viewers.

“Everyone’s got a camera on their phone, showing us where they’ve been, such as the best pies shops, or the best parmas they’ve found in the best pub on the way. Food is always part of the destination that we showcase but there’s lots more that surrounds that.

“I’ve got a gun team of producers that have been on board for a couple of years and they’re travel enthusiasts themselves and lovers of life. Every direction, there’s something to offer. It doesn’t have to be just in your backyard.”

Sometimes the show also ventures interstate but, rather ironically, is a travel show with a limited travel budget. That leaves sponsorship as a possible solution.

“Usually it’s a day shoot, within a 10 hour timeframe and that includes travel time. Where possible we look to get on board with sponsorship so we can go further afield. Travel is expensive when we’ve got a crew that we need to accommodate and travel. So we’ve got a an episode coming out of the Port Lincoln area in South Australia -that’s a sponsored segment.

“If we’e going north, you might do two or three stories, but it often involves two or three presenters. So travel is always the factor that we need to accommodate. A three hour one way trip is probably your limit for a day trip.

“The sponsorship is integrated. I don’t have a budget, necessarily, to fly my team to South Australia. But they’re very keen to get Victorians to visit South Australia so they come to us and we work out a sponsorship arrangement for us to travel.”

Viewers can contact Postcards via Ria Pflaum here.

Postcards airs 5:30pm Sunday on Nine.

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