HAWKS NEST - 4 TO 7 AUGUST

4 AUGUST 2020

We are finally off on a road trip north.

We spent a leisurely morning putting the final packing into the van - clothes bags, toiletries, bed making, bikes, surfboard and kayak. I think we had it all. Nevermind if we didn't, we were off.

First  stop ... coffee at Kilarney Vale. Haha. Our next stop was Bennetts Beach at Hawks Nest to check the surf. The surf here is fickle but today my luck was with me. I had an hour surf on a nice right hand wave with no one out. The wave was okay with a few fun sets. A pod of dolphins came within a few metres of me and they caught two waves before resuming their fishing journey. An absolutely amazing sight and experience.

The camp area was at Reflections in Hawks Nest which was only 100 metres from the beach. We checked in, rested and had dinner. After dinner, we had a night walk down along the beach to gaze at the full moon.

The best start to our long awaited trip.

5 AUGUST 2020

It wasn't as cold during the night as we thought it would be (It is winter here in Oz). I slept well but Jacinta had a bad sleep for unknown reasons.

I started the day with a sunrise walk down to the beach. There were dolphins cruising along the beach following the fish. It was nice watching them undulate through the water, catch a few waves, flap their tails and even breach a few times. The waves looked good but it also look so cold. I had a few chats with some locals. they told me what it was like living here permanently and shark alarms. This beach and area is renowned for sharks.

Back for breakfast and we had a visit from Rolf. We had met previously at Terrigal and we had a number of mutual friends. Ironically, we was off to Terrigal today to visit family.

Jacinta and I had a bike ride to Jimmy's Beach and beyond. It was pleasant with nice views across to Port Stephens and a few short tracks. The far inside of Jimmy's Beach had been eroded by the large waves of the previous weeks so there was a lot of sand restoration work in progress.

6 AUGUST 2020

I rode the bike down to the beach at dawn. The surf looked okay but once again very cold.

After breakfast, we had a bike ride to Tea Gardens. The highlights were a few short tracks, the singing bridge and views and the promenade along the foreshore of Tea Gardens. We stopped for coffee and cake along the foreshore.

Afterwards, I checked the surf, it looked good, it was warmer so out I went. Once again, I had fun rights by myself ... no dolphins but heaps of fish beneath me. A great surf ... but getting a little tired.

Jacinta was tired too so we settled for a nibble dinner and sleep.

7 AUGUST 2020

An early surf check but a little too full. 

We packed the van and were off to Lawrence.