After filling out the appropriate paperwork this morning, we were deemed road worthy and introduced to our new home for the next two weeks or so…. Named by the hire company after Mr Lennon, our campervan, John, was gleaming orange and white and adorned with musical notes. Not a high top, it was to be super cosy (read: squishy), but it came with a toaster, portable gas stove, and a fridge. What more could we need? And, the thought of not having to haul our backpacks around for a bit was certainly appealing.

Once we were given a ticket to ride, the only thing we had to master were the Ozzie roads. We started with a short trip to a nearby supermarket and filled up on some essentials, before heading off on a nice easy drive to the Blue Mountains - just a couple of hours away from Sydney. Bret was first to take to the wheel, and he only hit the curb on left hand turns a couple of times before he got the swing of it… We think that's not bad going, but perhaps the Kangaroos might want to watch out when we get out into the country.

As soon as we were out of the city we drove through the national park region, and pulled up at the tourist information centre where staff armed us with the relevant tips on what to see in the area - and where to camp for free. Sounded good to us!

We also met our first Ozzie wildlife… of the six legged variety. Haunting the public toilets, it was scary enough to keep Nat crossed legged until the next stop… the town of Wentworth Falls.

The town commands views to the south across the Jamison Valley, and the falls themselves tumble down a 300 metre drop. We parked up to enjoy the view and there was no surprise how the mountain got its name. The blue hue across the dramatic peaks was quite spectacular.

Further along the Cliff Drive, we stopped at another town called Katoomba. This place is the region's main town. It's tiny, but the locals welcome huge numbers of tour buses and tourists that come to ooh and ahh at the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters rock formation. A trio of large rocks, it's these girls that appear on the post cards and they were pretty special, so we joined the scrum to get a good view. The Blue Mountains look more like a canyon than mountains so we were looking down the deep drop from the top and out at the landscape….

Anyway, continuing around the scenic drive, we headed for the free campsite. Keeping everything crossed that there was space, we followed the long and winding road into the Megalong Valley. Hurrah! This is shoulder season in Australia, so there was plenty of room for our little John-o. The campsite was simple to say the least - just an opening in the trees. But, it did have a drop toilet so who are we to complain…?

We parked up next to a lovely little stream and converted the seat at the back of the van into a bed just in time before the sun set. In no time it became pitch black - so dark we can't see our hands in front of our faces when the van lights are off. The temperature has dropped dramatically as we huddle up in the van, listening to the forest's night-time critters outside. Day one of the magical mystery tour a success?

Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!!