CENTRAL COAST - 25 TO 31 DECEMBER 2022

 

25 DECEMBER

Christmas ... there's no other day like it during the year. Family together - xmas breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon brunch - presents opened around the tree - Secret Santa presents - Christmas music - moderate drinking throughout the day - endless washing up - :)

26 DECEMBER

An ocean swim at the Haven. The water was very clear. Saw lots of fish as I swam towards the buoy.

27 DECEMBER

Mountain biking at Kincumba Mountain. A good, controlled ride on firm tracks. Chatted with a coupled of runners. Enjoyed the view at Colin Watters Lookout. I was sweating by the time I finished. :)

Down to the Haven for a snorkel to cool off and stretch the body. I saw the huge catfish again. The colours are amazing.

28 DECEMBER

A hike around Avoca Point with Jacinta. Usually, there is a few people but today the rocks were lined with fishermen and fisherwomen. They were right on the edge, and it looked a bit dangerous with an incoming tide and increasing swell.

As the tide was dead low, I was able to go further around the rocks safely to go into the cave. Well, it looked safer from an ocean point of view, but all the rocks showed that it wasn't so safe from above.

Later, I had a snorkel at the haven, but the visibility was terrible for filming.

29 DECEMBER

Jacinta and I had a walk around the haven. Jacinta continued to walk while I had an ocean swim of the haven. We united for coffee.

30 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. It wasn't very good but there were a few okay waves before the wind increased.

A late afternoon hike around the top of Rumbalara Reserve with Jacinta. It had been a hot day and the cool breeze at the top of the mountain was very welcomed.

31 DECEMBER

I checked the surf and decided on a kayak at Terrigal Lagoon. There was little wind, and the water was very reflective. The highlight was a group of baby ducklings on a small island near the golf course.

Jacinta was doing an urban walk and we met at the haven for coffee.

Happy New Year!

CENTRAL COAST - 17 TO 23 DECEMBER 2022

 

17 DECEMBER

A hike around the tracks at Kincumba Mountain with Jacinta. It looked like it could rain, and we did get a light shower during our walk. We followed a number of tracks; some Jacinta hadn't done before. It was very quiet for the whole hike.

That evening, we had a dinner at a Terrigal restaurant to celebrate Kara’s graduation. The food was great though the weather was a bit chilly ... for December!

19 DECEMBER

I had a mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain on a number of the summit tracks.

20 DECEMBER

A bike and hike to the last waterfall on Tank Creek in Brisbane Water National Park.

This was a longish ride and a very rough hike. The bike ride was on the trails that lead to Rocky Ponds. It was fun due to some good downhills on a rough surface. there was a need to be aware of fist sized stones.  

The hike started on an obscure track on the right just before reaching Tank Creek. The track followed a 'dry' creek, and it was heavily eroded and overgrown in sections. I followed it until I reached the last waterfall on Tank Creek. There were views of the Hawkesbury River from here. The waterfall dropped in a number of drops. I hiked along the creek coming across lots of waterfalls, cascades, areas of flat rock and dark pools of water. It was worth the effort.

On the return journey, my bike derailer broke and I had to scooter the bike 4km back to the van.

I drove home via the bike shop 'Bikeworkx'. The workshop was closed till January. I checked anyway and they decided to fix it. It was ready by the afternoon. Unlucky but lucky day.

22 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. A small crowd of friends with good lefts and rights. The rip was a bit strong and overall, it was fun.

23 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. The tide was very high and not much was happening but just on the peak of high tide it started to break, and I had about twenty minutes of okay waves on my own.

Afterwards, had a snorkel at Terrigal Haven. A nice surprise with a lot of fish, two large catfish and a small shark. When I got out of the water Jacinta had arrived with coffee. The perfect morning.

CENTRAL COAST - 10 TO 15 DECEMBER 2022

 

10 DECEMBER

A bike/hike to Woy Woy Waterfall Pool in Brisbane Water National Park.

I started at the carpark at the beginning of the Tunnel Trail. I followed this trail by bike and turned left at the intersection with the Mullet Creek Trail. It was downhill till the trail ended. A fun ride with some steep sections.

I chained my bike to a tree and followed a short track to the creek that led to the waterfall. It was very pretty here with the water shallowly cascading over the sandstone base of the creek. It was a hot day so the lizards were out sunning themselves.

It was a short distance down the creek to the waterfall which was a vertical drop of about 15 metres into a man-made pool. A track leads along the escarpment of the waterfall and eventually, leads a very steep rock scramble to the base of the escarpment. It continues on until it reaches the waterfall.

The waterfall was very pretty with the falls lightly spraying the surface of the pool. It is swimmable!  

Later, we drove to Sydney for a reunion dinner. It was a good night catching up with old friends, eating delicious food and downing a few beers and wines.

11 DECEMBER

We stayed overnight in Sydney and joined Mick and Deb for breakfast.

Back home, I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven to clear the cobwebs of the previous evenings indulgence.

13 DECEMBER

A hike with Angus to Box Head in Bouddi National Park. Angus’s car was 4wd so we drove to the carpark at the top of Tallows Beach.

The hike starts as a trail but soon turns into a track. The track was easy over rocks, tree roots and dirt. The trees had grown low and wide. This time of year, the trees shred their bark making the trucks and branches very colourful. There was a number of viewpoints along the way with amazing coastal views up and down the coast.

In the afternoon, we had a visit from my nephew Robert. It was so good to see him as covid restrictions and busy lives meant we hadn’t seen him for three years.

14 DECEMBER

An early snorkel at Terrigal Haven. It was a bit dull due to poor visibility. BUT suddenly, a massive sting ray appeared ghost-like just under me. It was a little too close for my comfort with the sting ray’s stinger swaying casually behind it. 😊

15 DECEMBER

I have been thinking of a kayak/hike journey to Scion Kop in Woy Woy Bay. Today was the day.

I parked at Goora Lane in Woy Woy Bay, launched the kayak and paddled for the far end of Woy Woy Bay. I landed the kayak three times, but I couldn’t find the track that was indicated on some maps. I persevered and paddled up the creek in search of the elusive path. The paddled was so good up this pristine creek but alas the creek came to an end and no track was to be found.

I’ll try another time when the tide is higher so I can get further up the creek.