CENTRAL COAST - COCKRONE (COPACABANA) LAGOON - KAYAK - 30 OCTOBER 2014 - 'SMILE ON THE DIAL'

A sunny morning with a west wind.



I drove to Copacabana to kayak Cockrone Lagoon.

 

 This lagoon is so clean, as well as, being pristine in most sections. I saw two pieces of rubbish during the whole kayak.

 

There were a number of birds but the highlight was the water level, which was high. A lot of land area was inundated with water so there was a lot of kayaking between trees and over reed areas. Heaps of fun.

distance - 4.83 km
av. speed - 3 km/h
time - 1h 40m

AUSTRALIA - GCAE REUNION – 18 OCTOBER 2014 - 'BLASTS FROM THE PAST'

Mark (friend from college days) came up from Canberra to stay at my place.

 The following afternoon, Mark, Jeanette and I drove down to the Orient Hotel, The Rocks in Sydney.

 

We got a park close to the hotel and before long we had a beer and walked out to the pub beer garden. There they were… friends from long ago (30+ years) in the fun days of teachers college.

 

We spent the afternoon and evening drinking, eating and talking. It was definitely a ‘glory days’ scenario with the addition of ‘so what have you been doing the last thirty years’ conversation.

 

Loved it!

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER NP - THOMMOS LOOP – MTB - 14 OCTOBER 2014 - 'ROCK, WATER AND VIEWS'

I drove to Brisbane Waters National Park and parked near the speed camera just down from Staples Lookout.

I’ve done this ride a number of times. The solitariness, quietness and bush scenery is quite an attraction for me.

I rode down the service road to the quarry. At the quarry, I rode around over the rocky paths, pools of water and soft sand. The various surface terrains were a challenge to cycle over.

I then rode along the service road and took the turnoff onto Tommos Loop. This was another service road. At times the road surface was hard sandstone with rivulets of water intersecting the rock. The views over the bushland were amazing. It just seemed so untouched and endless.  At one stage, an area of the road had been blocked as a large Australian Aboriginal rock carving had been unearthed by the recent rains.

The track ended at a gate and the main road. I rode downhill back to the van.

distance - 7.52 km
elevation range - 71m
average speed - 10.8 km/h
max. speed - 45.9 km/h

A great ride with awesome scenery.

CENTRAL COAST - AVOCA LAGOON – KAYAK - 12 OCTOBER 2014 - 'TRANQUILITY'

It was a clear, blue sky morning with no wind.


I drove to North Avoca and parked at Avoca Lagoon, officially named Bulbararing Lagoon. I launched into the lagoon and paddle west between the mainland and the island (Bareena Island)  in the lagoon.

The water was glassy reflecting the sky and foreshore. A light mist hung above the surface of the water. The kayak cut across the water causing a small wake which rippled solitary across the surface of the lagoon.

There were a number of birds on the lagoon. Some birds were foraging for food in the water or on the lagoon edge and others were roosting on the overhanging tree branches.

It was a relaxing tranquil kayak.

CENTRAL COAST - AVOCA POINT – HIKE – 12 OCTOBER 2014 - 'ZIP BIT TI DO DAR...'

The skies were clear and blue and the temperature warm.

 Jacinta and I drove over to Avoca and parked in Avoca Beach carpark near the surf lifesaving club.

We walked along the path then down the rocky path to the shore platform around Avoca Point. It was a bit slippery in parts with a few rock pools. The rock formations were interesting. The cliffs were staggering high when up close and personal. The thought of rocks falling were very realistic.

Just where the platform ended there were a few steps at the base of the cliff around a narrow bend. A small cave was gouged into the base of the cliff by wave action and rock falls.

 

A great walk with awesome scenery!

CENTRAL COAST - TERRIGAL HAVEN – HIKE - 9 OCTOBER 2014 - 'HAVEN CRAVEN'

I went for an early morning walk at Terrigal Haven.

I parked in the Haven carpark and walked down the boat ramp and onto the rocks. I followed the rocks around to the small cove next to the Skillion. The colours were amazing with the early morning light giving a fiery life to the sandstone cliffs. The waves were also doing there part by smashing into the rock platform, exploding into the air and cascading gently to the ground.

Next, I walked up the Skillion. The view is awesome looking back towards Terrigal or towards Avoca on downwards onto the rocks. No whale sightings.

 It was a nice way to start the day.

CENTRAL COAST - KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN – MTB - 5 OCTOBER 2014 - 'GONNA CYCLE A MOUNTAIN'

I parked at the top of Kincumba Mountain and cycled around the top tracks.

It was a quiet morning with no one around. I was in the mood for speed. I cycled the tracks the fastest yet, especially, up the steepest sections and the narrow tracks.

A good workout to start the day!

CENTRAL COAST - TERRIGAL LAGOON – KAYAK – 29 SEPTEMBER 2014 - 'OH! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING..'

It was another beautiful morning.

I launched the kayak at the car park at Terrigal Lagoon with the sun radiating over the lagoon at a horizontal angle.

I paddled under the bridge towards the west. There were a number of birds wading in the water searching for food or pruning themselves.  I couldn’t venture too far as the lagoon had been emptied (the council does this when the lagoon threatens to flood houses on the shoreline) making the water shallow.

Backtracking, I paddled under the bridge which was reflecting the water patterns its concrete base. Looked good

I also paddled around the northern end which was a mixture of bushland and residential properties.

It was a pleasant and fun paddle with reflections and birds.

 

CENTRAL COAST - PATONGA - 27 september 2014 - 'ENJOY THE VIEW'

It was a beautiful and sunny day on the Central Coast.

Jacinta and I drove over to Patonga for a walk and lunch.

We walked along the beach to Patonga Creek.  Small waves broke gently along the shore. The white sand rose at a sharp incline to the vegetated foreshore.

 The foreshore was covered in wildflowers. We sat amongst them where someone had placed seating and a table

 Further along the beach, the sand veered out towards the ocean at a crescent where Patonga Creek exited. It was very pretty looking at the vegetated sandstone cliffs or back along the beach or out into Broken Bay.

 The pier jutted out to deeper water. It looked inviting for a swim or snorkel

 We had lunch on the beach.

A pretty way to pass the time away!

INDONESIA - BALI - LEGIAN - 19 to 21 September 2014 - TANAH THE LOT'

My journey

I left Balian for Legian after a fun but red stinging jellyfish surf.

I settled into the Grand Kumala Hotel and slept most of the afternoon as the stings had made me sleepy.

The next day, I had breakfast with Scotty at Legian. It was his last day!

After that it was shopping day – Tommy’s for leather bag, t shirts, hats, singlets, music. It didn’t take long and I returned back to the hotel and back my bags then went for a few drinks at the Spider Bar.

 

I had a massage and wandered around the beach and went down Kuta for a few beers and the Espresso Bar. The Espresso Bar was packed so I opted for Paddy’s and sat near the front and people watched for ages – 3 fights, two guys fell off a motorbike, tourist got into hassle with group of Indo guys, a couple argued for ages then kissed and made up at the end.

 

The last day!!! Usually, I sit somewhere quiet and think about the trip. This time I booked a car for Tanah Lot and had a great time wandering around. After that, it was a rest, dinner and then I had to go. Before you can say ‘Saya harus pergi’ I was at the airport. I had a lot of gear so I used a porter. I think I will use one from now on as it does make it heaps easier. I checked in at Jetstar business class as I had upgraded my ticket earlier for $80.

The flight was more comfortable and I slept a little bit. In the morning I was back in Australia and waiting for a shuttle bus to the Central Coast. The weather was warm and sunny.

By lunch time I was home and dazed! It was good to be home and at the same time I was missing Indonesia.

 

I think I’m always like that after a trip. I like what I’m doing wherever I am but I also miss what I am not doing elsewhere.

Anyway, here I am and there I was! The words of a song drift through my mind ‘they say in the end it was the blink of an eye…’

INDONESIA - BALI - BALIAN - 13 to 19 September, 2014 - '2ND HOME'

My journey

Back to Balian and Ayu's. I spent my time there surfing, wandering, talking and eating. A good combo!

The surf was great most of the time, though a bit big and rough at the beginning.

I caught up with Scotty and met Eddie and Matt, who have guesthouse in Balian, expats Matt and John, and Peter and Fiona from Wollongong.  They were all nice and friendly people.

Balian is like an oasis for me - I feel relaxed and comfortable and familiar. It is my place to 'dance the way I feel'.

The time flew quickly and pleasantly until it was time to leave Balian for Legian and the final leg of the odyssey.