See my YouTube of our Christmas day ride here

I’d been planning my and my daughter Sam’s Christmas holiday for months, with accommodation booked way back in September, we set off for the first leg on the 19th of December for a week in the Thredbo ski resort, over Christmas. Christmas is mid-summer in Australia, and is when a lot of Aussies take their annual holidays. As there's no snow the resort is open for mountain biking and hiking.

For our holiday I had wanted to ride some mountain trails on our summer break, Sam had wanted some relaxing beach-side time. As a compromise, we agreed a week in the mountains and just over a week at the beach!

Lavington, where Sam lives, is in the foothills of the Australian Alpine region, our drive to Thredbo was South East, the further we went, the more mountainous it became. A fab four hour drive on scenic twisty mountain roads.

On entry to the Kosciuzko State Park, you need to stop and buy a permit, around $12 for each day you’re there, and display the pass in your car window. The regulations are pretty tight in Aussie parks, with no dogs allowed in most of them.

I was hoping that the accommodation I’d booked, through the Australian Stayz website, was going to prove to be a good choice. I had been extra cautious when booking, it took me weeks!