Hello from Healesville! We had only planned to stay here a day or two but our hosts and surroundings at the Healesville Tourist Park were so lovely, we've ended up staying five! And since days in the Yarra Valley consist of family-breakfasts, wine tastings and a spot or two of hiking to walk it all off, we were certainly not complaining. Especially when it meant that we could celebrate Fishy Friday with a twist: risotto of smoked trout with baby spinach and macadamia nuts, served with a bottle of Chardonnay picked up earlier that day from the cellar door. And all cooked on our cute little stove.

Our stop at the Mornington Peninsula was also delightful especially with a mandatory coffee stop at Merrick's General Store. Their pistachio and ricotta slice was to die for. Hopefully I can reproduce the recipe one day. We daydreamed about opening a much-needed caravan park amongst the vineyards. Any investors?

Angelina also enjoyed seeing the nighttime Penguin Parade at Phillip Island but it was too cold for Esther's liking. It was a last minute decision to go and certainly made for a long night but was worth it.

Bushwalking in Marysville was sobering (forgive the pun). Ignorantly, we were expecting shady rainforest canopies, temporarily forgetting that the whole forest was destroyed by fire almost 3 years ago to the day. It was like walking on another planet. The trees were like black sticks towering us on either side, wrapped gently in the greenness of new shoots. The hiking path was a fresh scar on the landscape, red, dry and hot without any sun protection. The beautiful town of Marysville is rebuilding but evidence of the merciless destruction and those that lost their lives will always remain.

It certainly put the minor repairs to our home-on-wheels into perspective; and thankfully the problems to-date have been fixed. The area is experiencing blessedly milder weather to the days the bushfire hit but it is still hot and dry, with gusty strong winds. An unexpected gust flipped our attached awning onto the roof this morning. All safe but we shall have to detour into Melbourne again tomorrow for some more repairs, and further delay our Spirit of Tasmania sailing.

Our budget is suffering as a result of all these unexpected expenses but we are staying positive thanks in part to the words of encouragement we have received along the way, mostly from those who remember fondly the days of camping with their kids - perhaps for not as long as 4 months though! Of course, there are many who think we are crazy. Perhaps we are - but as Danny Kaye said: "life is a blank canvas, throw all the paint on it you can"!