BEACHES, WYRRABALONG NP MTB, AVOCA LAGOON NIGHT KAYAK - 9 NOVEMBER 2017

I started the day with a surf check.



North Avoca Beach

Shelly Beach

And Soldiers Beach

They were all not too good.

I drove a short distance to Wyrrabalong National Park and rode my mountain bike along the Red Gum and Burrawang tracks.

The red gum track was wide and sandy with a number of short steep up and down sections. The sand in parts was deep and the front wheel tended to wobble out of control sometimes. The red gums looked magnificent as they gnarled and twisted in all sorts of directions.

The Burrawang track as narrow and enclosed with sharp edge burrawangs and low overhanging trees. It was a challenge riding along this track. At one point the trees were too close bringing me to a stop. The burrawangs are an ancient plant that can bear a large long fruit. The fruit was poisonous but can be eaten if prepared correctly.

At the end of the ride, I met and chatted with to lots of people. The first was a disabled guy and his wife and daughter. They had been riding the cycle path. He was using his motorized scooter - it was an awesome looking machine. The second, was an elderly couple who were about to embark on a hike on the tracks I had just ridden. They had a campervan similar to mine so we chatted a lot a about the pros and cons of our vans. I picked up a few good ideas.

Back home, and Kara and I went down to Terrigal Haven for a coffee and swim. It was nice sitting in the sunshine and chatting.

Just before sunset, I decided to try a night kayak. It was great. I paddled around Avoca lagoon starting just before sunset. It got more exciting as it got darker and darker. Just before last light, the fruit bats in the nearby colony took off on mass. There was an endless display of the creatures for about 15 minutes. Some of them flew quite close.



I turned on my head torch and my mini lantern and paddled onward close to the shoreline. It was amazing watching trees slowly come into view and then vanish in the darkness. A few birds were startled by the lights or just slowly moved away from my direction.

Such a fun paddle. I will need to plan a few more.