In January, as fire threatened the Wartook property Mrs Gaskin’s grandfather had built in 1975, that hope was realised.

Mrs Gaskin had spent her childhood playing at the property.

She and her husband are now based in South Australia but take their own children to Wartook, using the house as a holiday home.

During one of their visits, while cutting wood, Mr Gaskin’s wedding ring flew off his finger and disappeared into the bush.

Mrs Gaskin said she and her husband searched for the missing ring for almost two years.

“It was literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack,’’ she said. 

“We’ve always had hope that we’d find it one day.”

Last month’s bushfire crept right up to the verandah of the Wartook home.

“We think there must have been angels because the grass right up to our verandah was burnt and the house was fine – it’s a miracle,’’ Mrs Gaskin said.

Mr Gaskin and his father-in-law returned to Wartook after the fire to inspect the damage.

Mr Gaskin was describing the scene on his mobile to Mrs Gaskin when he stopped.

“He saw a little thing on the ground,” Mrs Gaskin said.

“Then he started screaming and yelling. He was actually gobsmacked.”

The fire had burnt the grass and revealed the elusive wedding ring.

It had survived the flames and, though blackened, was as good as ever.

Mrs Gaskin said it was a miracle.

“It’s like God always knew that it would be found,” she said.

“The amazing thing is if it wasn’t for the fire, we wouldn’t have found it. Now it’s feeling like our marriage is fire-proof.”