I drove to Kariong for some fun cross country tracks.
It was a great morning. Some tracks were a little overgrown with some very hard spiky bushes. Other spots were open sandstone with tuffs of vegetation growing in patches over the rocks. In addition, the sandstone formed some great shapes like sand under the ocean.
The views were blanketed with fog giving an eerie appearance especially at the drop offs of the sandstone escarpment.
At the end of one track, I came across a group of glossy black cockatoos. I think these are an endangered species in the wild.
A 11.86km ride through Brisbane water National Park with an elevation range of 117metres.
I parked near the speed camera and rode past the quarry. Just before the closed gate, there is a track to the right which follows the service road and is a lot more fun. It only goes a short distance.
I was very lucky as a short time later, three glossy black cockatoos flew pass me along the road then perched in a nearby tree. I got some footage on the go pro and a few photos. They didn't stay long and flew into the denser bush. Not often seen!
I took the turn off for Mount Wondabyne and eventually parked my bike in the bush and continued by foot to the summit. It was nice to get a bit of a bush hike/climb in, especially with the views becoming more awesome with height increase.
I sat at the summit for awhile. The breeze was cool and I was hot and sweaty. This is truly the best view on the coast. Towards the west, there is nothing but native vegetation and to the east there are Central Coast settlements amongst the hills and vegetation and beyond that the coast.
I eventually, scrambled down the rocks and my bike and continued the ride along the Great North Walk. The Track was heavily eroded in many sections and so I was riding, walking, climbing and lowing my bike for the next hour or so. Still, it was fun and varied.
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