AN Australian nurse whose post was delivered to Darwen instead of Darwin has finally received the card - a get-well wish from her sister.

And Mary Place, who had been in hospital with breathing difficulties, thanked the Darwen financial advisor who received the mail in error for ensuring the card was forwarded to her.

Jim Fitzgerald, 62, of Peregrine Drive, received an envelope addressed to Peregrine Street in the affluent Wulagi district of Darwin, Australia.

He called it "a blunder of ridiculous proportions".

Expatriate Mary, 51, who received the card yesterday said: "I'm very grateful to the man who spoke up and sent this back to the Post Office.

"Most would have just thrown it away. It was a get-well card from my sister Clare who lives near Congleton, Cheshire.

"I don't have much contact with her so she will know nothing about this.

"It is a bit laughable that whoever delivered this card managed to miss not only the airmail sticker but the country, Australia, written in capital letters."

A Post Office spokeswoman said: "This appears to be a human error and we would like to apologise for it.

"Staff have been reminded to ensure that items are correctly sorted and delivered."

Mary, originally from Yorkshire, has also lived in the Middle East working as a nurse.

She plans to move from Darwin next year due to ill health.

She said: "The dry season is aggravating my chest problems, so I will be moving further south.

"So this shouldn't happen again to me. But maybe the next person to live here will have post going astray thousands of miles away in the UK!"