Chick Dundee hits New Age South Wales

Kangaroos, mountains, and surprisingly lush scenery made VIRGINIA BLACKBURN contemplate the life as a bushman on a holiday to culturally diverse Australia

- VIRGINIA BLACKBURN

As silent as a wallaby (so, not silent at all), I turned a corner - and there it was. A kangaroo, in real life, that looked like not much more than a giant rabbit.

The roo looked quite as surprised to see me as I did it, and gave me a few shifty looks before going back to nibbling the grass.

“Oh do hop off, geddit, geddit?” I cried in jubilation. It gave me a nasty look, and hopped away. This was it: I was a real life bushman, now. Just call me Chick Dundee, long-lost sister of Mick.

Well, a real-life bushman with a few home comforts, if I'm going to be honest. No need to find a water source from roots of plants, or live off nuts and berries before catching the odd fish, because I was actually staying about 200 yards away, glamping at the Paperbark Camp. The kangaroos were in a nearby paddock, just a few minutes’ walk from the main site.

My tent was equipped with heating, electricity, an outdoor bath and shower, while the camp has a reception area with 24/7 wifi, tea and coffee, and an excellent kitchen serving up specials with the daily breakfast. I wasn't going to have to go entirely feral just yet.

I was sampling the delights and relative comfort of New South Wales, just a couple of hours’ drive away from Sydney.

In the inner heart of Australia, it all turns a little bit more hardcore - including the beauty. Fresh out of Sydney, the first port of call was the spectacular Blue Mountains National Park where Scenic World, once a coal-mining area, is now a tourist attraction in the rainforest of the Jamison Valley. It is host to lengthy walkways through the bush, as well as a cableway that takes you across Katoomba Falls, and offers you views of other highlights including famous rock formation The Three Sisters.

People often associate Australia with arid deserts, but this was as green as anything, with trees seemingly growing out of rocks.