Julie Goodwin I'm in the best place I've ever been

Since her rise to fame on MasterChef Australia in 2009, Julie Goodwin has experienced both dizzying highs and heartbreaking lows. Through it all, her constant has been family, who came together to celebrate their extraordinary matriarch and reveal their hopes for the New Year.

- TIFFANY DUNK

It's a typically Australian scene. As the afternoon sun shines down, three generations have taken to the beach for an informal game of cricket. Poppy bowls as Nanny takes to the bat; their sons ready themselves for ball-catching action. Meanwhile, one very excited granddaughter runs in and out of the lapping waves, squealing in delight as her mother watches on, beaming.

This is all taking place during the final moments of the Goodwin family's photo shoot with The Weekly. It's a day that's been filled with laughter, a few tears and plenty of joy. A magical day on which the love they share is evident, even as the absence of one of their tribe leaves a bittersweet mark.

Julie and Mick Goodwin's eldest son, Joe, and middle child, Tom – along with his partner, Crystal, and their four-year-old daughter, Delilah, are present for this special day. However, youngest son, Paddy, is unable to join us in the flesh. And while Julie dials him in on FaceTime, it's clear he's dearly missed by his mum, who's readying herself for the first Christmas without all her boys around her.

“He’s on the trip of a lifetime, a European journey, with his longtime girlfriend and brand-new fiancée,” Julie says, her eyes misting up not for the first time today.

“Brooke’s a beautiful girl and they are beautiful together. And thank God for technology, because we’re with them on that trip. Every day they send us what they’re doing – selfies, photos of what they’re eating and the beautiful scenery. They are doing 26 countries over a six-month period. So they’re not home until January. We have, up until now, always been together on Christmas Day.”

Simple pleasures