Jubilación Living: Heatwave and rain storms

We'd been hearing about the heatwave but found the weather on the coast close to perfect. We headed inland and after an hour stopped for lunch in a small town and stepping out of the Air Conditioned van was like stepping into a furnace. So this is what all the talk was about - yup 42 is really, really, really hot.

On the way to the Yarra Valley we drove through more gorgeous scenery and windy roads. Mathilda, aka GPS, advised us to take a left turn and although the map seemed to indicate the secondary highway did continue we decided to obey her. It probably was the shortest route but if you ever find yourself on highway C425 don't turn off on Ferguson Rd. We ended up on a logging road for about 20 KMs and were grateful it was a Saturday and didn't see one other vehicle. We saw some clear cut areas and but also some lovely gum and tree fern forests.

Made it to the campsite and stepped back out to the furnace of 42. It was definitely a night for a cold meal of cheese, olives, humous, cherries and other snacky things the fridge produced.

There were some trees around and it was close to the Yarra River which helped but sleeping that night was not great. Brian spent most of the night outside on the camp chairs as he found it too stiffling. The next day we went to explore a nature reserve and a winery with a stop for lunch in Healsville which is a bit like Napa. Lots of good restaurants, Boutique Hotels and charming high end gift stores. No sooner had we stopped for lunch when the skies opened up and a torrential rain storm hit. Everyone was relieved the heatwave was broken and later back at the campsite for the first time we ditched our one pot wonder dinner plans and found an Indian restaurant nearby. Wildlife wise still haven't sighted anything but road signs and roadkill but did seem these guys at the nature reserve

Aftrer dropping Bluey off at the campervan depot we took the commuter train into Melbourne and had a day and night to explore the city before catching a flight to Hobart, Tasmania. We are staying with our good friends Deb, Michael and Chloe at their beautiful home on 6 acres just 15 minutes outside of the city. We thought they had stunning views when they lived in Sydney and they have equally jaw dropping vistas here. Everyone we chatted to while on our road trip was envious we were going to be spending time on this Island and all said it is a foodie and wine paradise. It's absolutely wonderful to see our friends again and know why they love Tassie life so much. And yes it tends to be cooler here.