The fire road to the swimming hole was quite steep, and I lost at least one beer along the way. Several large cities around the world blend tame and wild elements within the same boundaries. Portland, where I attended university, is certainly one of them. Its park, within a 15-minute bike ride of the city centre, covers more than 5,000 acres and offers some of Portland’s best cycling. Sydney, where I now live, has similarly impressive attractions. Yesterday, I visited Warragamba Park, just outside Penrith, after a morning of work at the Richmond campus, where I also caught up with Nathan.

After a mediocre breakfast, we were on our way. Just a five-minute drive up the road, we reached the entrance to the hot spring, but a slow drive and a long hike (or climb!) still lay ahead. We parked and started getting ready. I was wearing sandals when it suddenly hit me: my hiking shoes were back at the hostel!