I LISTEN in pitch darkness as a creature scuttles from one end of my canvas roof to the other.
Huntsman spider? Giant goanna lizard? A giant goanna lizard-sized spider? My mind is racing.
Finally Emma, our Australian host, answers my panicked WhatsApp. “It’s a possum, Stew. No one ever died from a possum.”
Reassured, I snuggle back down under the covers and drift off to sleep with the soundtrack of the Australian forest echoing around me.
I’m staying at Paperbark Camp, an eco-glamping retreat 120 miles south of Sydney, tucked away in dense woodland on the banks of Currambene Creek.
My “pod” — essentially a wooden base with canvas roof and walls — has a sumptuous double bed, a deck with chairs and tables to chill while watching the exotic birdlife and kangaroos, and a delightful bath and shower room at the rear that is fully open to the forest.
And, yes, I did check under the loo seat for spiders!
The camp is our base for a week exploring the delights of rural New South Wales.
Yes, Sydney is a fantastic city but what if you want a little more adventure and authenticity?
It was certainly a chance to get close to the famous Aussie wildlife, with possums trotting up to the bar terrace and mobs of kangaroos grazing just yards away in the paddocks surrounding the camp.
Having honed our canoeing skills with the camp’s boats on the delightfully placid creek, we headed up the road to Kangaroo Valley for a paddle with a twist.
Here, we had two canoes lashed together either side of a picnic table, with two bottles of local fizz chilling and freshly-made hors d’oeuvres. How civilised.
Our sedate hour-long paddle up the river surrounded by steep tree-covered mountainsides in the morning sunshine was beautiful, with guide Travis acting as wildlife spotter and giving us an education on the ways of the Aussie bush.
Every stop we made shed more fascinating light on the history of the country’s indigenous people and each stop revealed more of their mind-blowing bushcraft and knowledge of the land.
Up in the Blue Mountains — a Unesco world heritage site — local tribal elder “Uncle Dave” gave us a warm welcome to Scenic World and an enthralling introduction to Aboriginal history.
Whether out in the bush or in Sydney, a tour encompassing Australia’s indigenous culture is well worth the time, with more than 300 distinct “nations” living side by side in harmony for thousands of years, each with their own spiritual connection to the country around them.
Uncle Dave had our group enthralled as he talked us through the customs and folklore of the breathtaking landscape around us from a cable car 800ft above the forest canopy.
The same was true as we toured the mangroves and woodlands of the beautiful coastal town of Jervis Bay.
Here, our guide Jacob fashioned a soothing ointment for insect bites from the sap of a bracken fern he’d pulled from the ground in front of us.
No plant goes to waste, he explained, pointing out some of the various unique uses for the wide range of trees and grasses around us.
The plentiful mangrove trees and their twisted branches are perfect for making boomerangs, for example.
If the idea of walking through a coastal forest with stunning views of the ocean is your thing, the 90-minute trek from Hyams Beach to Greenfield is well worth a look, with miles of beautiful white sand — the whitest in the world, the locals claim — and crystal-clear waters.
There are of course snorkelling spots in the area, and a quick boat trip out into the bay will almost guarantee a sight of dolphins, with migrating whales also around from May to November every year.
Jervis Bay’s beaches are also famous for stunning night-time displays of bioluminescence — in which a plankton “bloom” in the water glows in the dark — but that’s not an experience you can plan for!
The local indigenous people’s name for Jervis Bay translates as “Bay of Plenty”, and the seafood on offer at renowned local watering hole The Huskisson Hotel certainly reflects that — a perfect way to refuel after a busy day and watch the sun set.
Exploring the stunning countryside of New South Wales will obviously require a car, and the average cost of hiring in Sydney is £45 a day.
And remember, they drive on the left Down Under so it’s easy for us Brits!
Back in the pitch darkness of the forest at Paperbark Camp, I’m woken from my well-earned slumber by a series of shrieks that sound not unlike the Demogorgon from Stranger Things.
I text Emma in the pod next door: “Did you hear that?”
As my ears pick up a rustling in the undergrowth just beyond my deck, her reply comes back: “If I told you that was just a possum, would you believe me?”
I don’t — but at least I know it can’t possibly be a 2ft Huntsman Spider.