The other weekend The Girl and I had out first holiday in the Blue Mountains. We’ve had a rough couple of months, what with relocating and car accidents, so it was a real treat to escape the city and just have fun. Especially when we realised that in the four months we had been in Australia we hadn’t really left Sydney, apart from a quick trip to Brisbane.

We joined up to a car sharing service called GoGet, which works just like Streetcar. There are vehicles all throughout Sydney, but we’ve got a lovely little Toyota Yaris just outside our flat which is really convenient. And using this service is a lot cheaper than buying and running a car. A downside to sharing is dealing with the potential mess of previous renter. In this case, pastry flakes everywhere. But we were able to get ‘credit’ from GoGet for vacuuming, so that was good. At times I still struggle with the automatic gearbox. After a lunch break I kept confusing the break pedal with the non-existent clutch pedal. Not really something you want to make a habit of while pulling on to a busy road.

The Girl had meticulously vetted every possible hotel, motel, B&B, resort, cabin and commune in the Blue Mountains before she settled on Eagle View Escape. The area approaching the cabins was already beautiful enough; lush, remote and familiar. Not saying it was the UK, but it was the closest Australia has come to it. The resort is located on top of a hill, next to a lake in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive on un-Tarmaced road for ten minutes before you get there. There is a small building sunk into the ground with a few rooms and then there are some wooden self-catered cabins scattered around the property.

We were in an open plan cabin complete with a kitchenette, small living area and outdoor area with BBQ. And maybe the reason The Girl chose this place – a spa bath sunk into the floor. “It’s not the only reason” she says defensively. She would be right. The cabin was great – well-built and environmentally sensitive. And the location was stunning. At dawn and dusk kangaroos would surround your cabin and nibble in the grass. During the day you would hear kookaburras laugh and see rosellas brighten up the sky. There were even a couple of alpacas and some goats wondering around.

We visited three places in the Blue Mountains; Katoomba, Scenic World and Wentworth Falls. We only went to Katoomba for grocery shopping. It’s also my first bogan community experience – reminded me a lot of Devon.

At first Scenic World looked like a soul sucking place, overrun with school children and crying babies. But I actually enjoyed it. There are a couple of cable cars to take you above the rainforest, some very scenic views of the mountains, a rainforest walk and the steepest railway in the world. The railway – a remnant of Victorian miners – descends 415 metres at 52 degrees through a cliff side tunnel. It’s steep and fun. Though The Girl didn’t agree. After the train ride you can walk through the rainforest and learn about the miners who worked in the area over a hundred years ago.

On our last day we stopped off at Wentworth Falls for a quick stroll and poke around the waterfall. We only trekked for an hour, but that was enough to whet our appetites for a longer walk in the future. Maybe when it’s not so hot. Sadly my camera died at this point, but there were some even more spectacular views here. Well worth a visit.

During our drive back to Sydney we passed two fire engines and a few police vehicles. We thought that there must have been a car accident. Then some more police cars. Another fire engine. An ambulance. After an hour into our journey back to Sydney we counted over fifty emergency vehicles racing in the direction of Katoomba – and some were still passing us. Something much more serious than a car accident. We had noticed some smoke while we were at Wentworth Falls, but we assumed that it was part of a controlled burn. The next day we learnt that someone had started a fire near Scenic World. There was some property damage, but no one was hurt.

I loved the Blue Mountains and can’t wait until I can go again. But it’s made me even more determined to see other places like Kakadu, Perth, the Great Ocean Road and Tasmania.