HAVEN, MOONIE, CATHERINE HILL - SNORKEL N' HIKE - 3 JANUARY 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR - READY FOR A FUN ONE :)

1 January 2018

There was a small, mediocre surf at North Avoca. It was okay for about 1/2 hour before the tide got too low.

Out of the water and returning to the van I ran into Paul,  Ingrid, Larry, Bryson and Brett. I stopped for a bit of a chat time.

In the afternoon, I had an ocean swim at the Haven and a relax and people watch with Jacinta.

2 January 2018

I picked up Chloe at train station and was home by 2am.

I started the day sleepy and had a surf check but the tide was high and the waves very small.

Time for a snorkel at the Haven. There were lots fish in spots and one large catfish. The visibility was reasonable and was quite clear from above a 1/2 metre above the bottom.

Jacinta had a walk while I was snorkeling. When I got out we coordinated ourselves for cappuccinos and  a sit in the sun for me and the shade for Jacinta.

The rest of the day was house chores.

3 January 2018

We drove to Moonie beach on the border of Munmorah SCA. The beach was a long crescent shape that attached itself at the southern end to flat island.

We walked in the opposite direction following the rocks close to the waves. The rocks were a sandstone conglomerate with a flattish area near the sea edge and terrace-like cliffs on the land side.

It was a fun hike around the rocks leading to a cave. I walked inside the cave but the northern side was not passable as it dropped straight into the water.

We back tracked a short distance and scaled the cliffs. At the top, we followed the track to Catherine Hill Bay then back tracked to the van.

It was hot so we drove to Catherine Hill By Beach and had a short walk to the base of the high jetty followed by a swim. The beach was very pretty with Wallarah National Park starting at the northern end of the beach.

MOONIE BEACH TO CATHERINE HILL BAY HIKE - 3 OCTOBER 2016

A morning hike from Moonie Beach to Catherine Hill Bay.

An overcast morning but the weather was warm.

I started on Moonie Beach and hiked along the rocks. The swell was small with tiny waves washing across and along the curved rock face. The rock type was a sandstone conglomerate, which means there was a mixed of small stones embedded haphazardly by sand. Makes for a good grip for hiking and rock climbing.

A number of deep rock pools were teeming with plant and animal life.

Further along there were a couple of coves that additionally had dug deep into the cliff face forming dead-end caves. I walked into one, swallowed by darkness until my eyes adjusted. I just love the feel of these sea caves - the small of bats and the sound of their squeaking, swallows darting in and out of the cave entrance, the smell of moldy salt, the crash of the waves under the rocks you are walking on and the eeriness of knowing you are under a lot of rock.

It wasn't possible to walk the coast all the way without swimming. At these points, I back tracked and found a spot to scale the cliffs. It was a pretty easy climb. On the cliff top there was a light to thick vegetation and a couple of tracks leading around the cliff edge, through the bush or downwards to the next cove.

On the Catherine Hill side, I was strongly buffeted by the wind but what a great view along the beach and coast. the prominent feature is the high jetty which use to be used for loading coal onto ships.

I hiked back to Moonie Beach via the cliff top tracks.

A very inspiring and adventure-filled 4 km hike.

Future hikes - south along Moonie Beach - north along Catherine Hill Beach - take snorkeling gear on a flat day to play in the coves. :)

MUNMORAH SCA - FRAZER AND MOONIE BEACH MTB - 28 SEPTEMBER 2016

Í was at Munmorah State Conservation Area this morning for some bike riding along the tracks and trails.

I parked at the top of the hill going down to Snapper Point at the stated of the Moonie Beach Trail.

Before starting down the trail, I pedaled across the road to some sort of transmitting station. A service trail not marked on the map went downhill towards Frazer Beach.



The trail was steep with lots of speed humps to help reduce water erosion. Lots of fun. At the bottom of the trail was a water tank to cycle around. I backed tracked a bit and turned into a track that lead through the vegetation and under the tree canopy. It was such a great track with ground obstacles and low branches to navigate over and under. It got even rougher, turning into a narrow and eroded water course. Finally, the canopy opened up with a great view over Frazer Beach just above the camping area.

Of course, where there was down now there was up.

Back to where I started and feeling good, I took the trail to Moonie Beach.


Once again the long downhill trail was frequently crossed with speed humps for water erosion. In addition, there were great coastal views from Flat Island northwards. At the base of the trail, the track turned south on itself following the foreshore of Moonie Beach. Finally, the track ended and I Had a wandered along Moonie Beach.

Both the rides were great with a length of 6 km.

CENTRAL COAST - Munmorah SCA - 13 to 14 october 2012

We just purchased a new Hiace campervan and were keen to take it on a test run.



Munmorah SCA is located at the northern end of the Central Coast in NSW, Australia.

We arrived at Frazer Park and went for a walk along the beach and the rocks to the south. There was a bit of an ocean swell running so there were some large waves that caused large sprays of water into the air. The rock platforms were mainly conglomerate which lead to some interesting rock formations with the help of wave action and salt corrosion. Bongon lagoon is next to the southern carpark. It is small but looks like it would be interesting to kayak along.

Our next stop was the palm circuit walk. This walk was short but lead through rainforest and drier vegetation on the steeper section of the walk. At the top of the track, there was a track leading onwards to Snapper Point Road. The track leading down the hill runs beside a small creek that would be more scenic after rain.

We drove to Freemans Camping Area and set up for the night. We extended the awning, made the bed and dinner. We had a lot of gear from tent camping and used what was needed in the campervan.

It rained during the night but we were dry and warm. It did get cold during the later hours of the night so warmer sleep gear would be needed for the next trip.

In the morning, we had breakfast, packed and drove to Snapper Point. At Snapper Pt, we walked around the cliff top looking at the fishermen below. We were lucky as a pod of dolphins cruised past while we were there. There was a large cave at the base of the northern side of the point where the waves crash up and surge into. We then followed a short  track to Bongon Beach. The flannel flowers amongst other flowers were in full bloom.

We drove a short distance up the road to the carpark at the start of the Moonee Beach walk. Jacinta remained behind for this one. The trail lead downhill to Moonee Beach and beyond. (It would be a good bike ride down and challenging on return). I walked along Moonee Beach towards the south coming to flat island which I climbed and walked along. Nice view from this point. I returned and walked through the sand dunes to Ghosties Beach and Timber Beach. The coastal cliffs here were very high and looked very unstable. On the return walk, I ventured through the dunes close to the cliffs and had a nice view from the highest dune above Moonie Beach. I continued backtracking returning to the van. The return walk from the track at Moonie Beach to the carpark took 25 minutes.

We drove to Frazer park for lunch and a rest. After that, we returned home.

Munmorah SCA is a great place to stay and visit - beaches, cliffs, pockets of rainforest, islands and walking/bike tracks. The campervan worked well. It was so much easier to set up and pack up than camping. It was especially easier once home. Camping use to take a good half day but the van took 20 minutes. Now to plan for the next trip!