4th June 2015
I woke in the night feeling rather cold. On investigating (in the dark), I discovered that the window was wide open. Jamie, having washed his underwear before going to bed, had decided that leaving the window open would help them dry faster. I closed it and went back to bed, sleeping soundly until 5 a.m., when both our body clocks woke us. I managed to drift off again, and the next thing I heard was the wake-up call at 7:30 a.m.
For breakfast, we had coffee and then went for a walk around Paddington. The buildings were so reminiscent of TV programmes from Australia, many featuring tin roofs and large eucalyptus trees in front. We passed the Army Garrison and then stumbled upon the Sydney Cricket Ground, a very impressive venue and home to the Sydney Roosters.
Returning to the hotel, we checked out and headed to the ‘Museum’ train station. While purchasing our tickets to the city, my mobile rang, and I missed the call. Frustratingly, the number didn’t accept incoming calls. We guessed it might have been news about the missing luggage.
The train journey to Mascot and the short walk to the Camper Van Hire Company were completed swiftly. It was a lovely sunny day, full of promise. While I filled in the paperwork, Jamie rang the lost luggage number at the airport and discovered that his holdall had arrived at 7 a.m. that morning. However, he was advised not to go to the airport just yet and to wait until we were contacted again.
Once the paperwork and van inspection were finished, we left the van parked at the hire company with our belongings safely inside and caught a train back to the International Airport Terminal. Barely had we located the lost luggage counter and received the errant bag when we were on the return train to Mascot, with Jamie triumphantly checking his belongings. It truly felt like the start of a great day.
On return, we used the company’s computer to log on to the Australian Road Toll System and set up an account for them to bill us, then we mounted our vehicle and set off on our adventure. Cheered by his reunion, while I was setting up my phone to act as a SatNav for the journey, Jamie volunteered to drive, and with some trepidation, I let him.
His experience of driving the vans at work proved good grounding as he had little trouble in negotiating the rather complicated route through the streets of Sydney to get onto the M4, which would, after a couple of hours, take us to our destination. With the city receding behind us, as we hadn’t had breakfast, we stopped at a McDonald’s for an Aberdeen Angus Big Mac, fries and Fanta. Satiated, we set off again.
Soon we started to come across little settlements that, as before, looked so ‘Home and Away’. The countryside began to rise, and before long, we could see the Blue Mountains in the distance. Our ears began to pop, indicating the height that we had reached. The views were fabulous, and I could see why my friends who had been here before said that we would enjoy the spectacular scenery. You could really picture the dinosaurs roaming through this landscape.
We found the campsite without any trouble and checked in, located our pitch, and soon had the van hooked up to electricity and water. With Katoomba Falls just five minutes away across the road, we decided to head over for a look. Wow, I didn’t expect that! It was like walking onto the set of Jurassic Park, or at least it could have been.
There were numerous well-maintained trails winding along the edge of the precipice, offering spectacular views. The Aussies had made the most of the breathtaking panorama, building a railway, a skyway, a cableway, and a walkway across and around the canyon, giving visitors the chance to experience the scenery from every conceivable angle.
By the time we explored the walkways, as the day was drawing to a close, there were only a few other people around. However, the more comfortable overhead routes were still busy. Our leisurely meandering through this prehistoric scene brought us to one of the Skyway terminals, which, unfortunately, was in the process of closing for the day. Disappointed, we made our way back to our little van.
Unhooking Sheila (as we’d christened her) from the utilities, we drove into Katoomba, parked in the Lidl car park, and did some shopping. Jamie planned to make Bolognese for dinner, so we picked up the necessary ingredients along with a few other items.
I should mention that I’ve spoken to six Australians so far, and not one of them has been a native. I’ve encountered a Frenchman, two Germans, a Pole, an Italian, and an Estonian.
Back at the campsite, Jamie set to work preparing the evening meal while I wrote a bit more of this blog. I must admit, the Bolognese turned out to be rather tasty. After dinner, I handled the washing up while Jamie sat at the back of the van, listening to the radio and trying to see his breath in the now rather chilly air. It is winter down here, though the radio weatherman offered some encouragement, predicting that the temperature will steadily climb to twenty degrees over the coming days.
Jamie claimed the bed made from the van’s seats, while I’ve been relegated to the roof bed. His reasoning is fair enough, he’ll likely be getting up at least twice during the night to use the loo (luckily, we’re parked close to the amenities block). Having spent the last three days in close quarters with him, I know that to be true. So, he gets the bed by the door, and I’m climbing the stairway to heaven. Now we just need to figure out how to assemble the beds!
Palmer Family 
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