CENTRAL COAST MTB - BOUDDI NP - TURKEY AND NW RIDGE TRACKS - 28 MAY 2015

Parked at Maitland Bay Centre.

A good ride. No falls. Went at it harder! A couple of sideslips in the mud and on slippery rocks. Nice scenery especially with the sunrise filtering through the vegetation.

 

 

 

distance - 6.98 km
elevation range - 51 m

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - BOUDDI NP - BOUDDI SPUR - 27 MAY 2015

Another great morning.

I drove down Mount Bouddi Road and parked at the picnic area at the start of the Bouddi Spur walk. A nice spot for a picnic in Summer as it is very shady.

The track was easy meandering through bsuh and rock outcrops. There are a lot of stairs either log type of hewn into the rock.

The bush scenery was pretty with some flowers, gnarled trees, rock outcrops, grass trees and bottle brushes.

Along the way there were a few indistinct turnoffs that lead to a view over the surrounding bush... nice.

The views of the coastline started to appear just before the final descent to the coastal track.

 

There were great views! I could see Centrepoint Tower and a lot of the northern beaches headlands. there were views of Broken bay and Pittwater as well. The best views were the waves crashing at Buggery and Maitland Bay Point.

A great hike!

distance - 2.66 km
elevation range - 132m

CENTRAL COAST MTB - BWNP - MULLET CREEK TRACK - 25 MAY 2015

An early morning ride along the Mullet Creek track.

There had been a lot of rain of late. BWNP usually dries out pretty quickly. Still, there was a lot of water around.

 

It was a good fast ride to the turn off for Mullet Creek. The track - pools of water, very steep  in parts, muddy and eroded in parts, nice scenery.

 

I ended up stopping part of the way down the track as it was looking very very muddy and the walk back up wouldn't be much fun. I back tracked a bit and took another turn off which lead to the headwaters of Mullet Creek and the railway tunnel.

 

It was cool watching the trains suddenly burst out of the tunnel. The creek was cascading just a short distance from the railway lines. It was very silent!

The ride/walk back out wasn't as bad as I was expecting. maybe getting use to it!

distance - 7.82 km
elevation range - 77 m

AUSTRALIA HOT AIR BALLOONING - POKOLBIN - 23 MAY 2015

This was my birthday present. I have always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon and I wasn't disappointed but I would love to go higher.

I went with Balloons Aloft. Nicolette was our guide and balloon captain. She was very friendly, nice and informative.

The views were excellent going over housing, vineyards and forests.

It was very quiet!

We spent the start getting the balloon ready and learning the techniques of balloon launching. Later, we learned and help in the landing and packing.

Then it was back to Peterson's Champagne House for a huge breakfast.

 

A great day!

 

distance - 13.35 km
average speed - 6.3 km/h
elevation range 73m

CENTRAL COAST KAYAK - WAMBERAL LAGOON - 21 MAY 2015

A morning kayak on Wamberal Lagoon.

It was a nice golden sunrise with still calm air.

 

I paddled across the lagoon and down the small creek towards Forrester.

 

A nice paddle!

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - BATEAU BAY - 20 MAY 2015

An early morning hike at Bateau Bay.

The sunrise was more of a contrasting black and white affair with the low dark clouds and the rocks and their reflective grey skies pools of water.

It was a pleasant and slippery walk on the rocks.

At Crackneck Point, there were some waves and no one out. I sat and watched the waves for awhile.

AUSTRALIA MTB - GLENROCK SCA - 19 MAY 2015

My first time at Glenrock.  Heaps of parking right next to the start of the tracks.

Started off well on the first track but it started to become very muddy and slippery. I was a bit overconfident when bam! Over the handlebars with my foot caught. Came up with a few cuts and lots of mud. The tyres were caked in mud and some sort of vine had wrapped around the rear wheel.

After that, all was fine. the tracks are so good and varied. Heaps of fun!

 

 

distance - 13.64 km

elevation range - 104 m

time - 2h15



CENTRAL COAST HIKE - AVOCA POINT - 17 MAY 2015

A  mid morning hike around Avoca Point rocks.

There were heaps of people around but once we reached the end of the point that was the end of the crowds.

The wind was up a bit but the views were excellent and the water clear.

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - PEARL BEACH AND HEADLAND - 15 MAY 2015

Another beautiful with a hint of cloud on the horizon.

 

Drove to Pear Beach Headland and had a short but pretty hike.

There was a log sign indication Paul Landa Park. I followed the sandstone path and steps a short distance to the low sandstone cliffs at the end of the headland.

What a view! You could see Broken Bay, Lion Island, Pearl Beach, Box Head and the rugged coastline in between with a warm brilliant sunrise. I wandered around the rocks soaking in the sun, sitting and observing... before I knew it I had been there an hour.

 

There was a plaque dedicated to Paul Landa. I though it very inspiring!

I wandered down to the beach admiring the strong winds and water spray. Especially pretty was watching the waves push along the cliff edge near the rock pool.

Nice morning! :)

CENTRAL COAST MTB - KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN - SID PULSFORD TRACKS - 14 MAY 2015

Brisk and sunny morning.

Started at the top of Kincumba Mountain and rode along the Sid Pulsford Track. The track is very steep at the start and the gravel was large and loose after the recent heavy rains. It was a bit difficult to ride as twice the front wheel spun out when it hit the loose gravel the wrong way.

Part of the way along, I turned off down a narrow track to my left. This part was a fun ride being steep with obstacles before it joined onto the main trail.

I crossed the main trail and followed another track which transverse the hill and passed through pretty bush scenery. It lead to the top of the ridge. At the ridge top, there was a left and right turn. The left lead to end of the ridge and a series of boulders. From here I could look down to where I had transversed across the hill.

The right turn was a good ride though a lot of loose branches to watch on the ground. You know... trying to avoid sticks piercing you or getting caught in the wheels etc. The track lead to the crossroad of another trail. From here, you could go left or right. The right trail surface was muddy and sandstone in parts. This trail would have lead down to street level.

The left turn after a short while turned to corrugated concrete. It was very steep and so the concrete purpose was to stop the trail being washed away. A track to the left lead to a view. Once again loose branches and sticks was a problem. I continued to the base of the concrete trail and soon joined up with the first narrow track I took.

The final hill back to the car park was a steep ride down and it was a steep walk back but the scenery was pleasant with ferns and weather eroded sandstone boulders. Towards the end of the top, there is a stack of chopped and piled vegetation to the right which was blocking an old and fun trail back to the open area top of the mountain and carpark. There was a obscure track around it and I finished my ride riding along this fun, narrow, winding track.

 

distance - 6.06 km
elevation range - 101 m