ERINA CREEK KAYAK - 22 AUGUST 2016

At Erina Creek for a kayak.


The weather was looking changeable and it did get a little cold towards the end of the paddle.

The start of the kayak is a bit boring as it is a straight run and the highway runs beside it but there are a lot of birds and the water was glassy so it made up for it.

After a kilometre, or so the creek goes more natural.

I was so lucky today as I just noticed a eastern water dragon with it's head barely above water. As I looked for my camera, it disappeared. Once again, I was lucky and noticed it under the water. I attached my go pro camera to a selfie stick and got some pics and videos of it under the water.


I was pretty happy with the 6.16 km kayak after seeing the dragon.

BOUDDI NP BOX HEAD MTB - 21 AUGUST 2016

Today, a ride and hike to Box Head in Bouddi National Park.

The start of the ride is a steep road... well I walked part of it. Once at the summit the road is undulating with great coastal views and some views towards Brisbane Water.

There are a number of other tracks to divert towards to get a rough ride or out along one of the ridges. I stuck on the main road with a few view turnoffs.

The views never cease to inspire me. An added attraction was a dumped car along the road.

I rode partly along the Box Head track then chained my bike to a tree and continued on as a hike.

It is a great hike. Easy with coastal views and changing vegetation and some rock hopping. The final stage, leads around a short bend then wham... its the end and I was at Box Head with stunning views over Broken Bay, Pittwater and along the coast from Barrenjoey, Sydney.

A fence has been erected to block the last few metres on the Box Head cliff edge. Looking over the edge is a vertigo challenge.

A great bike/hike track.

I still had a bit of time, so I drove to nearby Killcare Surf Club for coffee and food.

The sun was shining and the beach looked so inviting so I had a little wander.

KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN MTB - 20 AUGUST 2016

Kincumber Mountain has some of the best tracks in the area for mountain biking. The last time I was here, most of the tracks had been covered with branches, etc and signs prohibited riding and walking.

Ah well, that's the way it goes. I went for a ride late in the afternoon, mainly for some exercise and when I pedaled past the closed tracks.... the signs were gone... well, maybe someone removed them and the tracks were still covered. The tracks were clear and all signs were gone.

It was such a fun and exciting ride.

Sometimes when you least expect it... a great 4.5km ride

COPACABANA LAGOON KAYAK - 17 AUGUST 2016

A great day for a kayak at Copacabana (Cockrone) lagoon. The weather was sunny with a light wind.

The water level was high in the lagoon. It was heaps of fun paddling through the water bounded casuarinas and paper bark trees.

The main tributary was still and primal but the water was too high to go under the bridge.

Paddling around one bend were a pair of black swans. I watched them for ages. One of them gave me a honk when I got too close.

A fun3.36km kayak.

NORTH ENTRANCE BIRDS - 16 AUGUST 2016

A warm and sunny winter's morning. a lot of weather like this lately.

I drove around looking for a surf but no luck. The tide was too high but the beaches looked pretty.

I stopped at Tuggerah Lake on the way back home and wandered around the lake edge in the wind sheltered area behind the islands. There were a lot of birds congregated here. I had a nice time watching and photographing them.

 Red Wattlebird - Anthochaera carunculata

BOUDDI NP MTB - 15 AUGUST 2016

A warm and sunny winter's morning.


Stopped at Marie Byles lookout at Bouddi NP for an inspiring view across to Sydney.

Next stop, a bike 5.1 km ride at Bouddi NP.

The tracks were mainly dry and it was such fun riding along the turkey and NW ridge tracks. need to get my brakes fixed though.

I stopped for a bit of a wander around the NW ridge.

Next stop, Copacabana... how lucky, there were two pods of dolphins splashing and frolicking in the waves.


A most great start to the day.,

AVOCA POINT HIKE - 13 AUGUST 2016

Another sunny winter's day.


A bit cold this morning.

I couldn't make up my mind today what to do. I checked the surf but it was flat. I thought of a bike ride at Kariong but changed my mind to Bouddi. Then I changed my mind and turned towards Copacabana Beach. Once again, I changed my mind and drove to Avoca Beach.

At Avoca Beach, I bought a take away coffee and wandered along the beach.

Before I knew what my feet were doing, I had walked around the rock pool and towards the rocks around Avoca Point.

From there, I continued around ... looking at the rock pools, watching the swallows darting and diving, felt awed by the massive seaside cliffs, contemplated the fishermen and gazed at the waves crashing lightly into the rocks.

An excellent walk.

UMINA AND ETTALONG BEACHES MTB - 12 AUGUST 2016

This morning, a bike ride along Umina and Ettalong Beaches and foreshore.


The weather was perfect, the tide was low and the wind light.

It is such a good feeling riding along the beach on compact sand skirting the edge of the waves as they guide up the sand.

On the Ettalong side, small waves were breaking perfectly on the edge of the sand.

So many places to stop and admire the view.

An excellent 6.16 km ride.

TERRIGAL BEACH HIKE - 11 AUGUST 2016

A beautiful, sunny, winter's morning.


I didn't make it for the sunrise but after a drive past the beach, I had to stop.

An easy, slow, low tide walk along the beach, rocks and promenade.

A nice way to start the day.

KATANDRA RESERVE - GURINGAI HIKE - 10 AUGUST 2016

Today's adventure - the Guringai Walk at Katandra Reserve.

I've done this walk a fair while ago when the track was open and regularly serviced. The next time I tried, it was closed until repaired. That was a couple of years back. The track hasn't been repaired but there were no signs indicating it was closed.

A short distance into the track came the first obstacle, which was a large rock fall across the trail. It was hard to scramble over the rocks because they were slippery. Other obstacles along the tracks were collapsed boggy sections, thickly overgrown vegetation and rotted above ground paths. Still, these were fun to climb around or bulldoze through.

The track itself is one of the best in the area. Most of the way is at the bottom of sheer cliff. This escarpment has an angle of 90 degrees but in some sections it is overhanging by 3 metres. A bit unnerving to stand under. The cliffs allow a constant flow of water to saturate the soil leading to lush vegetation close to the cliff face.

Just under St John's lookout, there has been a lot of rubbish throw over the cliff edge. Most stuff was light but there were two lounges and two large plastic garbage bins.

The end of the track was very obscured and required a bit of off trail walking to connect with the Mouat Trail.

A great hike and it was nice finishing it off admiring the view from St. John's Lookout

AVOCA LAGOON KAYAK - 8 AUGUST 2016

The last two weeks have been full on - cold and wet weather, a lot of sick people. Well, today the sun shone and a couple of Panadols later and I was ready for a kayak.


I launched at Avoca lagoon just a tad before sunrise. It was cold and the water level was very high in the lagoon... nearly to the carpark!

It was a good paddle over areas that were usually dry land. I didn't wander too far as the wind was stronger on the exposed parts of the lagoon.

I did notice a couple of differences today:

a few fully grown casuarina

trees had collapsed into the water.

large parts of the reeds had died off, turning the water sludgy with dead vegetation

the bats weren't there in their roosting area

there weren't a lot of birds on the lagoon itself. some species were there high in the canopy.

It was nice to get out and paddle around... 2.52 km.