FAGANS BAY KAYAK - MUNMORAH MTB - SHELLEY BEACH SURF - 12 APRIL 2018

11 april 2018

A kayak around Fagans Bay in Brisbane Water National Park.

I started at East Gosford and paddled towards and under restaurant, under a pier, under the supports of the old railway bridge and under the railway bridge.

From there, I was in Fagans Bay where I paddled the circumference of the bay passing the mangroves and paddling through mangroves.

There were a number of birds including the Royal Spoonbill.

The water was very glassy in most parts of the bay but when I disturbed the fish and stingrays the water churned up noticeably.

Afterwards, I had coffee at Tommy's at East Gosford.

Later in the afternoon, a swim at The Haven was nice despite the strong NE wind.

12 April 2018

Up to Munmorah SCA for a mountain bike ride.



I rode The Quarry tracks. It started off on a very steep and narrow track to the far base of the old quarry.

I rode out of the quarry and bush bashed over a bit of track blockage then rode a long downhill track till it ended near the thick vegetation of a creek. Of course, it was an uphill grind back.

The second track was a turn off at the end of the Quarry Trail. This was a new track for me. It was downhill, rough and fun. As with the first track it ended near a creek and it was a grind back to the top.

I decided on checking out Snapper Point  and was rewarded with great views north over Ghosties Beach, Flat Rock Point and Frazer Park.

On the way home, I stopped at Shelley Beach. I had a fun surf in strong offshore winds. There were some good waves but a bit of a lull at times.

SNAPPER POINT HIKE - 18 DECEMBER 2016

The wind was a strong south-easterly this morning so I drove with all the windsurfing gear northwards but alas the wind was not enough to have some fun with it.


I decided on a hike at Snapper Point in Munmorah SCA instead.

I parked at the northern carpark and hiked down to Timber Beach.

The track was heavily eroded by running water but was dry. The water had sculptured into some  unusually shapes. Parts of the track were based on red clay so close up the ground looked like a Martian landscape with mini mountain ranges and volcanic cones. In other parts, the water had gouged deep  ravines. All this was actually quite small but my imagination was running wild with an ant perspective.

There were two sections along the track where the bushes had grown so thick that it was more like walking duck-like through a low ceiling tunnel. Other spots were quite open and afforded a nice sea view to the north.

After a relative short time, I reached Timber Beach. The beach was small and at the end of a narrow cove. The waves were rough and wild and the tide was high so I was limited on my beach walk.

I backtracked and then drove to the southern carpark near Bongon Beach.

What an amazing place!

Next to the carpark was a fence and on the other side of the fence was a large drop to a narrow inlet with a massive sea cave at the end of it that the turbulent ocean was washing in and out of.

After gazing at the cave and the wild ocean, I followed a track out to end of Snapper Point. It eventually, lead to bare rocks that were relatively flat and tiered until they merged with the ocean.
I stayed on the highest platform and walked around the base of the point. Along the way, there was a memorial to a long list of people who had drowned after being washed into the ocean while fishing in this location.

I followed the platform to the south and around to Bongon Beach. This was a pretty beach that was narrow but long being partially sheltered from the larger waves.

A nice, cloudy morning hike along a beautiful stretch of coastline.

Afterwards, I drove to Soldiers Beach for a cappuccino while I watched  a few guys surfing in the wild conditions.

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!