CENTRAL COAST - 12 TO 18 FEBRUARY 2021

 14 February

Because of covid restrictions and our daughters being away we had a quiet Christmas.

Today was for us Christmas Day but in February. We hadn’t put the Christmas decorations and tree away so the home had a festive feel to it. The girls were home and their boyfriends too. Jacinta sister and husband were here. In addition, my long time friend and his wife were there to join us for a long lunch.

We started we drinks and progressed to lunch which was massive and tasty. Next were the Secret Santa presents which Kara organised. The final part was the family Christmas presents. Everyone was happy with the food, drinks and presents.

15 February

A surf check revealed poor quality waves as the wind was strong and getting stronger.

A windsurf day! I arrived at Canton Beach on Tuggerah Lake and Graham was rigging up. Before long, I was rigged and in the water with the 5m sail. It was an awesome session with strong constant wind. I managed a few small chop jumps and had a couple of wipe outs gybing in the strong winds. A fun day.

17 February

A surf check of North Avoca Beach. The surf was poor and the beach was covered in bluebottles.

I loaded in the kayak and headed over to Woy Woy. It was nice paddle along the channel and around Pelican Island and the oyster farms. The tide was low exposing the farms and adding a couple of kilometres onto the paddle. There were only a few birds about maybe because it was a little windy. I watched a pair of Sooty Oyster Catchers and a white faced heron that was foraging for food in the shallows.

18 February

An east wind this morning.

I rang mark and we drove over to Blackwall Mountain for a mountain bike ride. We got to the top for a great view over Ettalong, unfortunately to the east a rain squall was moving in. We just started the downhill when the rain it us. We continued and had wet fun exploring the tracks and with two downhill rides along some heavily eroded tracks. We were drenched by the end of the session.

Back home and the rain cleared … for the rest of the afternoon. haha

BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN MTB - 15 MAY 2018

PARKING

Bay View Crescent, Blackwall. Off Blackwall Road. There is very limited parking at the top of the road.



I passed around the gate and slowly grinded my way to the top of the service road. Once at the water  tank there are a number of tracks that go in various directions.

The tracks are generally short and join onto other tracks. The area at the top isn't that large so it easy to go back to the top and try a different way.

A lookout sign isn't posted but there are great views from there and at the very end of the track over Hardy's Bay to Umina.

BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN MTB - 18 OCTOBER 2016

Perfect weather today - sunny, blue skies and warm.


I started the day checking the surf at North Avoca. The waves were very small and the sun was just about to peak over the lightly clouded horizon.

I drove to Blackwall Mountain for a bike ride. This mountain stands out as it surrounded by flat land and Brisbane Water.

The start is very steep along an access road until the top. The road then meanders along the summit ridge and peters out into a track.

It is a short ride - 3.15km - but lots of fun with rock and tree obstacles and intermittent views over the ocean and Brisbane Water.

The tracks follow the edge of the cliff, diverting around trees and boulders.

After the ride, I drove to Ettalong Beach and had coffee at a café along the esplanade. Such a pretty view over the exit of Brisbane Water into the sea. The sun was sparkling and twinkling on the water.

Later that afternoon, I went to Toowoon Bay for a snorkel but the tide was too low so I settled for a swim and a short snooze on the beach.

A great day

BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN MTB - 13 SEPTEMBER 2015

I parked at the top entrance to Blackwall Mountain. There was very limited parking space.

I did a hike here not long ago and decided it would be a good bike ride.

 

The start was very steep along a service road to reach the plateau of the mountain. At the top, there were a few tracks going in a number of directions. These tracks also criss cross each other. The tracks were fun being narrow, bumpy, rocky and smooth in spots.

 

The views are excellent of Brisbane Water and Broken Bay. There was a low mist in the valleys between the hills making for a mystical sight. The rising sun was sparkling across the water.

 

The view certainly puts a perspective on the physical terrain in terms of natural and human habitation. It looks very balanced from the mountain's vantage point.

A 3km ride with an elevation range of 70m.

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN - 7 JUNE 2015

Off for a hike.

I parked at the top of Bayview Crescent Blackwall. There was very limited parking.

It started as a service road but turned into a track at the summit. There were a number of tracks leading to various views of Brisbane Water, Box Head, Broken Bay and the northern coast of Sydney.

 

Half way up there were a number of watertanks and towers.

 

It was a great morning with mist shrouded valleys and waterways.

 

distance - 1.8km
elevation range - 67m