Our last day in Mansfield was deliberately slow. We spent the morning packing up the house, doing the usual dance of hunting for lost socks and charging cables while the girls squeezed every last minute out of the garden. Dotty claimed the hanging egg chair on the deck as her throne, swinging happily while the trampoline sat ready in the background, just in case anyone had spare energy left.
By lunchtime the car was loaded and we pointed ourselves back towards Melbourne. The drive felt like a rewind of our time in the High Country – mountains shrinking in the rear-view mirror, big skies slowly giving way to city traffic and airport signs. We dropped off the hire car, rolled our bags into an airport hotel and settled in for one last sleep in Victoria.
The next morning was all about planes and Christmas. Melbourne Airport was fully decked out with trees, lights and a huge gold sleigh chair that the girls immediately climbed into for photos. Georgia was in her element at the LEGO store, pressing buttons and chatting to the giant LEGO pilot, while Dotty just took it all in, wide-eyed.
Soon enough it was time to line up on the tarmac and climb the stairs onto our Jetstar flight. One last look back at Melbourne, then we were buckled in and heading north, swapping mountains and cool air for Brisbane heat and the next chapter of the adventure.