CENTRAL COAST - 19 TO 23 NOVEMBER 2022

 19 NOVEMBER

Just got a kayak sail and tried it on Terrigal Lagoon. There wasn’t much of a wind but there was enough to fill the sail at times and show the potential of it.

20 November

A kayak on Avoca Lagoon. I paddled up wind a number of times to test out the kayak sail. It was a bit tricky but fun. It might come in useful on some longer kayak paddles.

22 NOVEMBER

A mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain along the summit track and a number of smaller tracks at the end of the ridge. A fun ride taking it easy and going with the flow.

23 NOVEMBER

A short mountain bike ride along two tracks at Kincumba Mountain. The weather was warmer today. The tracks were firm and dry. A little sandy in spots.

A snorkel at Terrigal Haven followed by a coffee to warm up.

The first snorkel of the season. The water temperature was cool and the water reasonably clear. I saw a number of small fish and one large fish. The new snorkel, I bought a while ago was excellent. No water got in the tube and upon reaching the surface I didn’t have to do any blow out.

CENTRAL COAST - 12 TO 18 NOVEMBER 2022

 

12 NOVEMBER

Lunch at Tall Timbers Hotel with the future in-laws.

Chloe and Angus’s engagement party. What a great night! We met a lot of their friends and relatives from Angus’s family.

15 NOVEMBER

Jacinta, Kara, Johnny and I had breakfast at The Haven. The next stop was Sydney to drop Kara off for her tonsil's operation. Sydney.

Making a day of it we visited long-time friend, Freckle and had a nice lunch at his digs then dinner at Enmore Road. It was great catching up. Newtown was where I grew up, so it was pleasant to reminisce on my early life and share it – where I did a newspaper run, what buildings were still there or what building were now gone …

17 NOVEMBER

A mountain bike ride and a hike to Kariong Falls in Brisbane Water National Park. It was downhill all the way to the falls and, of course, uphill all the way back. The ride was fun as the trail (Tommos Loop) had roughen a lot due to the recent rains. The steep track down to the falls was also eroded making the descent a little tricky. The falls and the area around the falls were so pretty. I spent a ½ hour there just soaking it all in.

Afterwards, it was coffee at The Haven.

18 NOVEMBER

A SUP at Terrigal Lagoon. I was a bit unsteady. Definitely need more practice.

A swim and coffee at Terrigal Haven. The water was warm.

CENTRAL COAST - 5 TO 11 NOVEMBER 2022

 5 NOVEMBER

A long mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain. I followed my usual trails and added on the new track off the Sid Pulseford trail. Heaps of fun. And not so wet today.

Later, Jacinta and I had a walk around Terrigal Haven along the paths, the coastal rocks and the beach.

7 NOVEMBER

An early morning walk along Terrigal Haven Beach with a coffee in hand.

A kayak on Brisbane Water around Pelican Island at Woy Woy.

It was a sunny start with a very light breeze and an incoming tide. The water was deep enough to paddle close to the edge of the island. That was good as there were a lot of oyster farms lining the island that I didn’t have to paddle around their far edges. The higher tide meant I could paddle in amongst the mangroves. It was fun paddling around the trees and other obstacles in the clear water.

8 NOVEMBER

A kayak at Brisbane Water along the Cockle Channel and around Cockle Bay. It was a fun kayak – up close to a roosting sea eagle, a narrow mangrove creek, under the mangrove trees, old and pitted trees, a mangrove/sand island and all under a blazing sun.

9 NOVEMBER

A few laps of Terrigal Haven on the rocks and the paths followed by my first ocean swim of the season.

10 NOVEMBER

A long surf check but not much form.

A mountain bike ride at Munmorah SCA along the tracks on and off the Old Quarry trail. The entry into the quarry was steep on loose gravel. The downhill section near the highway was great … narrow and challenging.

A swim at Terrigal Haven.

11 NOVEMBER

A morning hike around the rocks at Avoca Point. The tide was low but there were a few random waves to watch out for as I walked around. The waves were roiling, the rocks were slippery, the cliffs were high, there had been a lot of small rock falls, the sun was shining.

I caught up with Jacinta at Terrigal haven for coffee.

I did another surf check and the waves looked okay at Wamberal Beach. I had a fun surf for about ¾ hour before the wind and increasing tide played havoc with the wave quality. It was nice to catch a few decent waves.

CENTRAL COAST - 30 OCTOBER TO 4 NOVEMBER 2022

 

30 OCTOBER

KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN RESERVE

A beautiful morning.

A surf check revealed small cross shore waves.

I drove up to Kincumba Mountain for a mountain bike ride. It was a fun ride. Some of the tracks had changed after the rains and it was a bit more challenging. Near the start and at a different location towards the end of the ride, there was a wallaby on the track. 😊

31 OCTOBER

BRISBANE WATER NATIONAL PARK

A hike to around the old quarry off Woy Woy Road.

It was very pretty wandering around the edge of the man-made lakes. They were left abandoned years ago and since then, the holes had filled with water, plants had grown, insects abound, and birds regularly forage. A few of the tracks were a bit rough, especially, when squeezing past the plants with leaves that were hard and sharp.

2 NOVEMBER

BRISBANE WATER NATIONAL PARK

A hike along the Piles Creek Loop in Brisbane Water National Park.

A long hike following the high area of Piles Creek and crossing the creek along a suspension bridge. There were heaps of wildflowers (some were endangered), cliffs, water dripping off the cliffs, sandstone overhangs, waterfalls, cascades, a lot of up and down hiking, a lyre bird and a juvenile goanna. It all made for a long and eventful hike.

3 NOVEMBER

BOUDDI NATIONAL PARK

A short hike over the hill to Lobster Beach. We wandered along the beach, sat on a rock and enjoyed the view. A very pretty spot.

4 NOVEMBER

KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN

A short ride at Kincumba Mountain on a new track.