This morning I had a ride at Bouddi National Park.
I biked along the tracks - Turkey, NW Ridge, unknown, Strom - it was quiet with a few surprises.
The first surprise was making it through all the rough of the turkey track at moderate speed without falling or portaging at the harder spots. A good feeling.
The second was a bike in a tree. Obviously, a Christmas decoration.
The next was a mum and daughter running team. They told me of their love for running the tracks on the Central Coast. They have a lot to do.
The final was an additional track off the Strom Trail. I did this before but it was sandy and not very good. the track was now firm and passed through and around thick ferns, grass trees and large boulders. A great ride.
Overall, it was a great 7.32 km fun ride.
Drenched in sweat, I drove to nearby Killcare Beach for a dip in the ocean. Nice.
Later in the early afternoon, we all went to lunch at The Cove at Terrigal Haven. The restaurant has a nice view over the ocean.
I was at Kincumba Mountain for a 4.83 km bike ride.
It was a cloudy morning but very humid.
The ride was fun on a firm track. I stopped at a couple of places to admire the views and have a short rest. At the end of the ride, I was soaked in perspiration.
Time for a swim.
I drove to Terrigal Haven and had a swim out to the buoy and back. The water was so refreshing.
I saw a couple of stingrays along the way.
Afterwards, I had a coffee and a wander along the beach and rocks.
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.
The beginning of the day was checking out a few beaches for good surf. Alas, I found none to my liking.
I settled for a bike ride along the tracks off Quarry Trail in Munmorah SCA.
The weather was warm and humid. The tracks were very dry and the tree growth was low.
The main trail was an easy ride to the main road. The adventure was with the turnoffs.
The first turnoff was very steep, eroded and loose gravel. It lead to an old quarry.
The second was a wider track with pockets of soft sand and loose gravel. It also lead to the quarry.
The quarry wasn't very exciting. It was relatively flat with earthen walls around it overgrown with vegetation. One side was a steep cliff with thick vegetation along the base.
The third turnoff lead downwards to a dead end which was blocked by a thickly vegetated creek. This track was fun. It was narrow and heavily eroded as it meandered down between thickets of grass and trees. A few times, I lost the track as it was not often used.
A very hot and fun 3.64km ride.
I drove back to Terrigal for a swim on the beach amongst the onshore waves.
I started off the day with a swim at Putty Beach. The beach is part of Bouddi National Park.
The water wasn't that clear as there was a lot of seaweed lingering where the small waves were breaking. The water was warm so I had a short swim along the beach.
Over the hill, towards the west is Hardys Bay, which is part of Brisbane Water. I drove there and sat in one of the cafes and had a coffee. It was pleasant watching the world slowly turn in this area.
After the coffee, I walked along the waterfront and out and along the public wharf. The end of the wharf had some nice views looking back on to the houses that dotty the steep hillside.
Later that day, my daughter and I had a lounge in the sun At Toowoon Bay. Toowoon Bay is a beautiful beach that ties on to a small island via a sandspit. I had a swim in the shallow clear waters.
Feeling a bit hungry, we drove back to Terrigal and had lunch at Craves, which is Japanese restaurant. the food was very tasty.
Yesterday I was at Waterfall Bay and today I decided to ride to my of the mountain ridges above the bay.
I followed the tracks and service trails to Koolewong Trig.
I only peddle a short distance when I was stopped by a bush bird hanging in one of the trees. usually they flitter off pretty quickly but this one stayed for awhile.
The tracks were easy though there were about three steep sections.
The best part of this ride was the views over Brisbane Water and at one point over Waterfall Bay.
Each viewpoint was on an overhang of sandstone with a big drop at the edge of the platform. Inspiring views.
It was very humid at the start of the ride with my camera fogging up frequently.
A hot and fun 9.62 km ride through a section of Brisbane Water National Park
The Christmas season is always busy - buying presents, dinners, making plans - so it is good to keep up the things that keep life normal for you.
Lately, I've had a number of early morning ocean swims and surfs. I had good waves at North Avoca and Pelican Beach.
Today, I went for a kayak at Woy Woy Bay. Woy Woy Bay is actually a number of other bays and from these bays a number of small tributaries feed the bay with fresh water. The main feature of the bays are that they are tidal. Mid tide to high is the best time to start as a lot of the tributaries are too shallow or the entrances to the are too shallow. One would think that a bit of a shallow walk towing the kayak would fix that problem. But the problem with that is mangrove roots, oyster shells and soft deep mud. Most spots have one or more of these problems.
Anyway, only after a short paddle, I beached on a small white sand beach and explored a heavily vegetated area. It was mainly sledge grass and mangroves. A nice stroll but one eye is always watching for snake movement.
Another short paddle and I was in a small tributary that I followed for about 1/2 kilometre. It was very primordial. We don't have crocodiles in our area but if we did they would love this spot.
I ventured around to Waterfall Bay where there was a number of narrow white sand beaches and large boulders that have tumbled down from the cliffs above. These rocks often sit shallowly in the water and are covered with razor sharp oyster shells.
I landed on a few beaches, sat down and enjoyed the pretty scenery and the tranquility of the area.
The waterfall at the end of Waterfall Bay was basically a trickle of water. Maybe after rain it is a bit more spectacular.
At this point the rocks leading up from the deep water are smooth and steep. It is very difficult to get a suitable spot to land the kayak and get up the rocks. As luck would have it, I was entertained by two ducks.
The ducks paddled over to the edge of the rocks and quacked a lot. They paddled away in a small circle and did it again. On the third go, the female jumped and flapped her wings a bit and landed on the smooth steep rocks and waddled upwards towards the flat. The male then followed but upon landing he started to fall backwards. Luckily, he managed to keep his balance and dignity and waddled over to the female. Their objective was the small, fresh water pools.
I paddled along the edge of the bay and returned to the start.
Over the last few days, I have had some small but fun surfs at North Avoca. There was a nice sandbank that was forming a reasonable wave on the incoming tide.
Today, the waves were too small. I drove over to Terrigal Haven and had a swim.
The water was very clear and I got a few shots of a stringray. A nice distraction!
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