CENTRAL COAST - 22 TO 29 JANUARY 2022

 22 JANUARY

A swim at the haven. The water was very clear.

23 JANUARY

A fun surf south of The Ruins.

A well-formed righthander. It was good for an hour then a wind change and higher tide. Heaps of waves.

Later in the afternoon, a mountain bike ride at Bulls Hill and the Old Quarry.

The trail at Bulls Hill was covered in lots of fist size loose stones. A bit difficult to navigate through.

The quarry was fun with firm sand though it was very rutted. A fun ride.

24 JANUARY

A surf south of The Ruins.

Good right handers and the occasional left. Heaps of fun and waves. Only a few out to start but it got crowded and a little intense towards the end of the session.

An afternoon hike at Strickland SF on the arboretum track.

A pleasant to warm hike and very muddy in sections. A good test of Jacinta’s new hiking boots. No one else on the tracks. There were many bird sounds and the creek looked very serene.

25 JANUARY

A surf check. The swell had increased but too large for the beach to handle.

A kayak at Avoca lagoon.

There was little wind and water was reasonably glassy. It was very quiet and relaxing. I paddled around one bend and there were a family of black swans, ducks and other birds. The wind increased and I paddled around the island and back.

A swim at Terrigal haven.

The water was clean and the visibility reasonable. The haven was crowded but the water was relatively empty. A nice swim.

26 JANUARY

A surf south of the ruins.

It didn’t look too good but about ten minutes later it started to get better with some nice rights and lefts. Heaps of waves for a while. Me out only, then two and about seven later. It didn’t last long and it lost quality with the lowering tide.

27 JANUARY

An early surf check but not much happening.

A swim at Terrigal Haven.

28 JANUARY

Small surf and onshore wind.

An early swim at the Haven.

The water was reasonably clear. I saw a large blue groper, a huge sting ray and lots of other medium to small fish. The most I've seen in a while.

29 JANUARY

Packing day.

Kayak check, mountain bikes check, surf gear check, swim and snorkel gear check, food and drink check, whatever check ... ready for a long road trip ... south coast, snowy mountains, Tasmania ... that's the plan :)

CENTRAL COAST - 15 TO 21 JANUARY 2022

 15 JANUARY 2022

An afternoon swim at Terrigal Haven. On the way home, there were rain, thunder and lightning. Good timing.

16 JANUARY 2022

An early morning surf check. The conditions were looking good but there was no quality.

A mountain bike ride at Brisbane Water NP on the Tommos Loop Trail.

An easy ride along a trail with a few narrow side tracks. There were a few muddy sections due to yesterday afternoon heavy rain but apart from that it was dry and firm. A few good downhill sections and a fast return along Woy Woy Road. Half way along a met a guy taking bird photos with a massive lens. He chatted and he showed me a few of his photos.

17 JANUARY 2022

An afternoon swim at Terrigal haven

The visibility was still poor but it was nice to get wet.

18 JANUARY 2022

An early surf check. 

It wasn’t too good but there were a few random ones coming through at The Ruins that looked okay.

A windsurf at Canton Beach.

The wind had increased but not quite enough. I had my largest sail 6’3” but I was only puttering. Still, I twerked my sail rig and by the end it was starting to feel good. The next three days are predicted to be strong winds. Fingers crossed.

19 JANUARY 2022

A terrible windsurf at Canton Beach. The wind had too much east and wasn't getting onto the lake.

20 JANUARY

A no windsurf at Canton Beach. It looked like there was a stronger SE wind but once again it wasn't getting onto the lake.

A hike with Jacinta at Rumbalara.

We did a few laps of the top loop and along the ridge. there were great views over Brisbane Water and there was no one else on the tracks.

A swim at the Terrigal Haven. The visibility was poor and the water was dirty. Glad I had ear plugs.

I had my covid booster and didn't feel any side effects. Ha wait till tomorrow.

21

Woke up sore and felt like I had been put in a washing machine from the covid booster. That eased off and converted to vertigo. 

In the afternoon, I went to the dentist for two crown insertions.

Haha, now my jaw was numb and later sore.

A not so great day!

CENTRAL COAST - 8 TO 14 JANUARY 2022

 8 JANUARY 2022

A morning surf check. Not good.

Coffee and chat with a few friends.

A swim at Terrigal Haven. Due to the eye operation, I wasn’t able to wear swim goggles. Too much pressure but I had a go today and all was good.

10 JANUARY 2022

A surf check at Wamberal , North Avoca, Pelican and Frazer Park Beaches. Not much happening, waves were weak, bumpy and short.

Decided on a mountain bike ride along the coastal track in Munmorah SC.

A great ride. A gradual uphill mainly and an awesome downhill back. The track went from gravel, compact dirt, sand, steps and boardwalk. The scenery was dense vegetation, open shrub or coastal views. The obstacles were deep eroded sections and deep sand which added to the fun.

11 JANUARY 2022

A snorkel at Terrigal Haven.

It looked good from shore but the visibility was terrible. A nice view from the surface and the water was refreshing. J

12 JANUARY 2022

A swim at Terrigal Haven and a relax on the beach with Jacinta.

13 JANUATY 2022

A mountain bike ride at Bouddi NP.

The tracks were good, it was the middle of the day and it was very hot. I took a few short cuts.

A swim at the Haven after the bike ride to cool off.

14 JANUARY 2022

Another early surf check but no luck.

A swim at Putty Beach. Out of the wind and deep water.

Afterwards a coffee at Hardy's Bay and enjoyed the view.

CENTRAL COAST - 1 TO 7 JANUARY 2022

 1 JANUARY 2022

An early surf check. The winds were NE and onshore.

A mountain bike ride at Bouddi National Park to the Strom Lookout. A short ride along a fun narrow track running over rock and dirt. A couple of drop offs, sloping track and steep rough sections. Great view at the end over Hardy’s Bay.

I had an afternoon swim at Ettalong and Jacinta had a walk.

2 JANUARY 2022

A hike at Rumbalara with Jacinta.

We drove in two cars and parked at the bottom and top car park. It was a great downhill walk with some uphill. The scenery changed a lot with ferns, forest, cliffs, huge overhangs and views over Brisbane Water. There were a number of cockatoos about screeching and flapping about.

3 JANUARY 2022

An early surf on rights and lefts at Wamberal Beach. There were only a few out and there were plenty of waves.

An afternoon hike with Jacinta at Katandra Reserve. It was very humid so we cut the hike a little short. we walked along Toomeys track then turned right and transverse along the track until it lead back to the reserve.

4 JANUARY 2022

A sunrise surf check. I surfed on the right just north of the big house. Good waves at the start but got to small towards the end of the session.

7 JANUARY

A mountain bike ride atf Rumbalara on the Mouat track. I spoke to a bike rider awhile back about the track and he said it was good. Well, my opinion was different. Not many flow sections, a lot of get off the bike obstacles and poorly signposted. I took a wrong track and a little later over the bars I went. All good but not a fun ride.