CENTRAL COAST - 8 TO 13 JANUARY 2023

 

8 JANUARY

An ocean swim at the Haven. Love summer swims.

9 JANUARY

A kayak at Copacabana Lagoon. 

The water was very clear, the sun was shining and there was only a light wind. 

The highlights were:

Black swans were nesting. I saw about four nests. It's best to keep your distance from nesting birds as they can become very aggressive during this time. 

Large eels. They were visible as I paddled along the tributary of the laagoon.

Bridges. There were two bridges to paddle under. 

Later, I had an ocean swim. The water was very clear.

10 JANUARY

Brunch at the haven with Jacinta. We ate and admired the view.

11 JANUARY

A mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain along the summit tracks of the reserve.

A cooling ocean swim at the Haven and coffee with Jacinta.

12 JANUARY

An ocean swim the Haven

13 JANUARY

Still no quality surf. I've been checking the waves every morning.

A bike and hike along the Killcare Trail in Bouddi National Park. 

I rode along Hawke Head Drive into the park. there were a number of turn offs that led to ocean views. The longest and best was the Killcare Trail. There were good steep sections. Towards the end, I hiked through the bush to the coastal viewpoint. Amazing views. 

An ocean swim at the Haven.

CENTRAL COAST - 1 TO 7 JANUARY 2023

 

1 JANUARY

The start of a new year ... so much to see ... so much to do :)

An early morning mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain. It was eerily quiet and not a soul about.

After the ride, I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven. More humans here but still very quiet.

It was such a hot day. I had a second ocean swim in the afternoon to cool down.

2 JANUARY

A hike with Jacinta to Strom lookout at Bouddi National Park. We followed the tracks which was heaps better than the trail.

An ocean swim at Terrigal Haven. So many sights along the way – catfish, a large grouper and a manta ray. :)

4 JANUARY

A mountain bike at Rocky Point. The track has become a bit more challenging with higher drop offs and exposed tree roots.

After the ride, I had an ocean swim the Haven.

5 JANUARY

A windsurf at Canton Beach. The wind was howling and to start there was no one out on the water. I put up my smallest sail - 4.2metres - and the action was no stop for two hours. My gybing was very rusty but towards the end of the session it seemed better.

6 JANUARY

We had a trip to Sydney to see Jacinta's brother, Mark, who is in age care. Good to see the young fella.

7 JANUARY

A windsurf at Canton beach. The wind wasn't as strong as two days ago, so I used my 6.3  metre sail. I had a lot of problems with it last year but finally, I got it working well. It still needs a few more adjustments. A fun session. Bill, Paul, Graham and lance were also there. :)

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.

CENTRAL COAST - 1 TO 8 DECEMBER 2022

 

1 DECEMBER

A hike to and around Seymour Pond in Katandra Reserve.

I parked and started at the picnic area at the end of Katandra Road. Heaps of parking spots. The tracks are sign posted and easy to follow.

The track was easy with some ups and downs and a few awkward steps that pass through open forest and into dry rainforest. Lots of ferns, vines and buttress tree roots. The pond is very pretty and can be viewed at a number of locations. Despite being pretty, I wouldn’t swim in it. The track circumnavigates the pond over a couple of small bridges. At the furthest point there is a cool bench to sit on to absorb the quietness, the whoop of the whip bird and the gurgling of the creek.

2 DECEMBER

A hike from Putty to Bullimah Beach in Bouddi National Park with Jacinta. We parked in the carpark at Putty Beach. We walked along the beach and onto the rock platform. The platform is very pretty being made up of swirling patterns of sandstone. There are small cup sized holes of water, waves crashing along the point, seashells and amazing views.

We scaled the cliff at the point to the path high above. The climb is so good with layers of various coloured sandstone depicting the eons that went into creating it. At the top, the path leads to Bullimah Beach and beyond. All the way along there are amazing coastal views.

We descended the wooden steps at Bullimah Beach, sat on the sand and just enjoyed.

3 DECEMBER

An early morning hike around the Haven.

There was a lot of wave action. It was pleasant waiting for waves to crash against the rocks and sent of a spray of foam.

4 DECEMBER

A kayak along an unnamed creek in Brisbane Water.

I parked at the jetty at Erina Creek and paddled around to Brisbane Water. I roamed around the mangroves enjoying being hidden from the main body of water. At the far end of the bay is the creek entrance which is too shallow to cross at low tide. The creek was lined with thick mangroves. The creek became narrower the further I paddled along. The tree canopy grew tighter overhead blocking the sun. Eventually, the creek ended at drain under a road. Along the way, I spied large eels in the water and water dragons on the creek banks.

An ocean swim at haven and coffee on beach with Jacinta.

5 DECEMBER

A loop hike along Bullimah Spur and Maitland Bay.

I started about mid-morning, which was probably a bit late as it was turning into a hot day. I parked at the Maitland Bay carpark and walked downhill towards Maitland Bay. After a short while, I turned on the Bullimah Spur track. It was amazing how green all the plants looked. The end of the spur was a great lookout with a view of the south coast towards Sydney.

I followed the steep and rough track downhill to the Bouddi Coastal Track. I followed this to Maitland Bay. There were some good viewpoints along the way of the coastline. The water was so clear.

At Maitland Bay, I had a cooling dip in the ocean and then the hot steep walk back to the carpark.

7 DECEMBER

A morning surf at The Ruins on Wamberal Beach.

There were a lot of fun waves with reasonable shape running through regularly. Only me and Chris D were out. It was nice to get back into the water surfing and it was especially good that the arm wasn’t hurting… too much. Haha!

8 DECEMBER

A morning surf at Wamberal Beach near the big house.

The tide was a bit high but there were some okay right handers breaking with no one on that bank. The wind picked up, it got cold, and the waves ceased to break… time for a coffee.