We all left Melbourne behind us today, and headed to the coast near Geelong (30 miles south of Melbourne, sandwiched between the sea and the Philip Bay which stretches all the way from the city). We also left behind all traces of accommodation luxury, and checked into a family cabin at the Pelican Beach caravan park – basically a pre-fabricated hut plonked on a bit of grass overlooking the sea (well, it overlooks the sea if you stand on tiptoes). This will be the style of accommodation for the next month – one double bedroom for Gloria and Michael, and a room with 4 bunk beds for Sarah, the girls and me. The great news is that they also have an ensuite bathroom, so we no longer have to traipse across the campsite to the toilet and shower blocks. And all for around AU$130 a night (about £55) for everybody. At the moment it seems spacious, compared to the campervan, but I wonder if it will still seem the same in a month’s time – us, the children and the in-laws in a space the size of a large garage?

But the views compensate for everything, as most parks are by the sea – the picture above was taken at Barwon Heads, ten minutes drive from Geelong (unfortunately, the cabins that have this view were all booked up, so we had to be satisfied with visiting the beach for the afternoon, rather than gazing at it all day and evening).