CENTRAL COAST - Wamberal - surf - 30 January 2011

Bright sunny day that started off with a light off shore that turned to light north easter.

I went out just after high tide. The lull between waves was a bit long but there were good waves with some power.

I took some videos after i came in. There was good action with a few aerial surfers and nice reentries on the thicker shore breaking part of the wave.

CENTRAL COAST - Toowoon Bay - snorkel - 29 january 2011

Another brilliant day.

Drove to Toowoon Bay for a snorkel.

I was only in the water a few minutes when a large wrasse came into view. I followed it for quite a awhile enjoying the smaller fish around it as well. There were a lot of different types of fish. \I'll have to work out which is which but without getting technical some were the colour of the seaweed and others were striped.

I snorkeled out through the rocky reef and guided along the peaceful channel between the beach and the island. There were a lot of jelly fish and then blue bottles. And there were a lot of them! I don't know how I didn't get stung. One was wrapped around my arm but no sting! Weird!

Generally, it was fun. Especially, not being stung.

CENTRAL COAST - Terrigal Haven - snorkel - 22 january 2011

A great afternoon with the sun shining brightly.

Drove down to the haven at terrigal and decided on a snorkel. in addition, i wanted to try out my new snorkeling gear.

The visibility was so-so due to small waves breaking. Also had to look around on the surface for boats, jet skis, swimmers, etc.

The best part was following a large sting ray for a couple of minutes.

CENTRAL COAST - Wyong River - upriver from woodburn bridge - kayak - 23 january 2010

Up early, not much surf so time for another kayak. i had thought about paddling the Wyong River for awhile and today seemed like a good day to have a go.

Much of the river up from the bridge is privately owned so there was no access that i could find.

At the bridge, there was a car gate that could be open  leading onto a flat grassy area with tables and toilets. I figured it was okay to go in and park due to the toilets.

There was a descent to the water under the bridge that was a little steep but manageable.

Once in the water and around the bend and out of sight and hearing of the bridge and its traffic, the magic starts... bell birds calling, insects buzzing, fish occassionally splashing and water dragons lazing on rocks and trees along the river bank. The natural beauty of the river and its sounds made for a great paddle.

Further along, it looked at one stage as though the river had come to a dead end but there was a narrow passage about a metre wide that continued for about twenty metres before widing out to a river again.

Throughout this paddle, there were a number of submerged trees and semi submerged trees that made for a good obstacle course. On a number of occassions , the trees virtually blocked passageway but with a bit of perservence, the obstacles were passed and the river opened up again.

Eventually, I ceased my journey where a double tree trunk blocked the river just above water level. Climbing the river embankment with the kayak was a plausable option to carry onwards but the day was getting hotter and I had been paddling for a good two hours anyway.

Overall, it was one of the most serene and fun kayaks, I've had in the area.

CENTRAL COAST - Terrigal and Wamberal - surf - 17 january 2011

There was a big north east swell runing. There was so much water movement that the waves were reaching up as far as the bridge at Terrigal.

CENTRAL COAST - Wamberal Lagoon - kayak - 15 january 2011

I had a kayak at Wamberal Lagoon. The water was a bit low but there were plenty of birds and fish jumping.

AUSTRALIA - Eden - january 2011

We camped for a weeek just south of Eden.

The camp area hada white sandy beach in front of it with a small creek/lagoon emptying on the nortern end of the beach. A good beach for swimming but no waves. maybe on a very big swell.

Just north was Quarantine Bay. There were a lot of boats moored here. The fishermen cleaned their fish near the breakwall which attracted seals and heaps of sea birds. The seals put on a good show and it was free.

Further north was Eden. A quiet seaside fishing town nowhere as developed as pambula and merimbula to the north. The headland of the town had nice views over twofold bay. The wharf was fun for fishing and looking at the commercial fishing boats.

North of Eden is a stretch of coastling in the Ben Boyd National Park. There were a number of nice beaches and walks along the coast with a dirt road connecting the various spots such as the pinnacles, long beach and haycock point.

The Yowaka River flows into Pambula. I had a kayak up this river for a couple of kilometres.

Further north is Pambula, Pambula Beach nad Merimbula. Nice long beach and great views from the headland and wharf at merimbula.

A short distance south is the Nullica River. I kayaked a short distance but was turned back by the strong winds. Still a very pretty place.

Going south from Eden is the southern part of Ben Boyd National Park. There is a walk from Boyd's Tower to the lighthouse at Green Cape. This walk is abpout 10 hours. I did the walk from Boyd's Tower to Saltwater Creek which is about 4 1/2 hours. The coastline was very pretty with rocky bays with small sandy beaches and cliffs.

I had a surf at Saltwater Creek, one morning and it was a good and powerful wave.

Opposite the BB National Park is Mount Imay National Park. I walked to the top of Mount Imlay which was steep and uphill most of the way. The walk took about 3 hours. The summit had views across the forests and coastline.

AUSTRALIA - Lake Conjola - December 2010 January 2011

We stayed at Lake Conjola for a week in the camping area.

 

The lake is very big and pretty. It branches off in a number of directions with islands interspersed at various sections. In parts, in was fairly shallow but navigatable by kayak. The fishing was very good. I had my first try at snorkelling from my kayak. I caught a few bream and chloe the same as well as a large leatherjacket.

The walk to the beach was either via the lake or the coastal heath. The latter had a boardwalk or bush tracks. The sand on the beach is very soft and white to red. The surf was only small when we were there but it was fun. The lake empties out at the northern end of the beach. That was fun to bodyboard down at high tide and running out.

Green island is on the northern end. the waves can be good but not this time. We had a walk around the island, Lots of rocks, pools and other coastal features.

 

One morning, I walked along the beach to Narrawallee Inlet. Nice walk and the views at Buckley's Point were good. The inlet was also very pretty.

Overall, a pretty place with a lot of natural activities to do.