MOONIE BEACH TO CATHERINE HILL BAY HIKE - 3 OCTOBER 2016

A morning hike from Moonie Beach to Catherine Hill Bay.

An overcast morning but the weather was warm.

I started on Moonie Beach and hiked along the rocks. The swell was small with tiny waves washing across and along the curved rock face. The rock type was a sandstone conglomerate, which means there was a mixed of small stones embedded haphazardly by sand. Makes for a good grip for hiking and rock climbing.

A number of deep rock pools were teeming with plant and animal life.

Further along there were a couple of coves that additionally had dug deep into the cliff face forming dead-end caves. I walked into one, swallowed by darkness until my eyes adjusted. I just love the feel of these sea caves - the small of bats and the sound of their squeaking, swallows darting in and out of the cave entrance, the smell of moldy salt, the crash of the waves under the rocks you are walking on and the eeriness of knowing you are under a lot of rock.

It wasn't possible to walk the coast all the way without swimming. At these points, I back tracked and found a spot to scale the cliffs. It was a pretty easy climb. On the cliff top there was a light to thick vegetation and a couple of tracks leading around the cliff edge, through the bush or downwards to the next cove.

On the Catherine Hill side, I was strongly buffeted by the wind but what a great view along the beach and coast. the prominent feature is the high jetty which use to be used for loading coal onto ships.

I hiked back to Moonie Beach via the cliff top tracks.

A very inspiring and adventure-filled 4 km hike.

Future hikes - south along Moonie Beach - north along Catherine Hill Beach - take snorkeling gear on a flat day to play in the coves. :)