Ms Johnson has been recovering from the nasty attack which saw her undergo surgery on the bite above her knee, but is still quick with a one-liner.

"Port Fairy has my seal of approval," she quipped.

"I'll come back. It's a beautiful place with beautiful people."

She was walking her dog when she saw a big crowd of people near the boat ramp.

"I was cautious," she said.

"I stood back and watched but after a couple of minutes it was quite obvious the seal was grumpy. I thought 'I don't like this much' and I turned to walk away.

"As I did the seal flipped off the grass into the water and lunged up onto the boardwalk and took a chunk out of my knee. It wasn't really in my plan to provide a fine-dining experience to a local seal."

She thanked the many people who had aided her in her recovery, including the paramedics Wayne and Nellie.

"The first lot of thank-yous need to go to everyone who was there at the time," she said.

"They were so helpful in getting me off the boardwalk and onto land, they phoned the ambos and got me a drink of water and looked after my dog and comforted me."

She said the biggest thank you had to go to Port Fairy resident Mandy King, who had looked after Ms Johnson consistently over the past three weeks, even offering her a home to stay in.

"She is absolutely gorgeous," she said.

"Mandy has kept up with me in hospital, done my washing, helped with shopping, looked after my dog, made sure her and her girlfriends have been there to provide company." 

Ms Johnson stayed in Warrnambool Base Hospital for two days and then rented a cabin in Warrnambool but she didn't stay long.

Mrs King insisted she come back to Port Fairy but before she could the community came to her assistance again.

A man named Jason from Target delivered clean clothes and toiletries and a lady named Maddie from Woolworths delivered groceries.

She stayed at the Port Fairy hospital another few days before she relocated to Mrs King's house. 

"Everyone went above and beyond," she said.

"They have been so kind. It's overwhelming. The community has been so supportive and generous."

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