CENTRAL COAST - 4 TO 11 MARCH 2023

 4 MARCH

I woke and unloaded and tidied the van.

I drove Jacinta to the Hens party for Chloe at Glenworth Valley.

Back home and I tidied up most of the front of the house … a lot of leaves.

Back to Glenworth Valley to pick up Jacinta.

Long day.

5 MARCH

A mountain bike ride at Kincumber Mountain. The tracks were good but some sections had deep soft sand.

A swim at the Haven afterwards was terrible with a lot of stinging jelly fish.

6 MARCH

Worked in the garden.

7 MARCH

A morning surf with Ken at Wamberal Beach. The waves had a reasonable size and some good ones were caught. We had coffee afterwards.

8 MARCH

A mid-morning surf at Wamberal Beach with Ken. There were heaps of waves and just the two of us for most of the session. Some good lefts and fast rights on the inside section. A coffee break at the end.

9 MARCH

A sunrise surf with Brett and Bryceson at Wamberal Beach. The tide was a little low and there were a few okay waves at first but the quality dropped towards the end of the session.

Met up with Jacinta at the Haven for coffee.

10 MARCH

A morning surf at Wamberal Beach. Not too good as the tide with the full moon was high with a lot of backwash.

Up to Erina Fair Mall to get haircut and other stuff.

Jacinta and I had a yummy Indian dinner at the Grand Pavilion at Terrigal and ice cream afterwards at the haven.

11 MARCH

Packed van for next short road trip. Up to Erina Fair to fit new prescription sunglasses and buy food.  Tidied inside the house and finished packing the van.

CENTRAL COAST - 1 TO 7 JANUARY 2023

 

1 JANUARY

The start of a new year ... so much to see ... so much to do :)

An early morning mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain. It was eerily quiet and not a soul about.

After the ride, I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven. More humans here but still very quiet.

It was such a hot day. I had a second ocean swim in the afternoon to cool down.

2 JANUARY

A hike with Jacinta to Strom lookout at Bouddi National Park. We followed the tracks which was heaps better than the trail.

An ocean swim at Terrigal Haven. So many sights along the way – catfish, a large grouper and a manta ray. :)

4 JANUARY

A mountain bike at Rocky Point. The track has become a bit more challenging with higher drop offs and exposed tree roots.

After the ride, I had an ocean swim the Haven.

5 JANUARY

A windsurf at Canton Beach. The wind was howling and to start there was no one out on the water. I put up my smallest sail - 4.2metres - and the action was no stop for two hours. My gybing was very rusty but towards the end of the session it seemed better.

6 JANUARY

We had a trip to Sydney to see Jacinta's brother, Mark, who is in age care. Good to see the young fella.

7 JANUARY

A windsurf at Canton beach. The wind wasn't as strong as two days ago, so I used my 6.3  metre sail. I had a lot of problems with it last year but finally, I got it working well. It still needs a few more adjustments. A fun session. Bill, Paul, Graham and lance were also there. :)

CENTRAL COAST - 25 TO 31 DECEMBER 2022

 

25 DECEMBER

Christmas ... there's no other day like it during the year. Family together - xmas breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon brunch - presents opened around the tree - Secret Santa presents - Christmas music - moderate drinking throughout the day - endless washing up - :)

26 DECEMBER

An ocean swim at the Haven. The water was very clear. Saw lots of fish as I swam towards the buoy.

27 DECEMBER

Mountain biking at Kincumba Mountain. A good, controlled ride on firm tracks. Chatted with a coupled of runners. Enjoyed the view at Colin Watters Lookout. I was sweating by the time I finished. :)

Down to the Haven for a snorkel to cool off and stretch the body. I saw the huge catfish again. The colours are amazing.

28 DECEMBER

A hike around Avoca Point with Jacinta. Usually, there is a few people but today the rocks were lined with fishermen and fisherwomen. They were right on the edge, and it looked a bit dangerous with an incoming tide and increasing swell.

As the tide was dead low, I was able to go further around the rocks safely to go into the cave. Well, it looked safer from an ocean point of view, but all the rocks showed that it wasn't so safe from above.

Later, I had a snorkel at the haven, but the visibility was terrible for filming.

29 DECEMBER

Jacinta and I had a walk around the haven. Jacinta continued to walk while I had an ocean swim of the haven. We united for coffee.

30 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. It wasn't very good but there were a few okay waves before the wind increased.

A late afternoon hike around the top of Rumbalara Reserve with Jacinta. It had been a hot day and the cool breeze at the top of the mountain was very welcomed.

31 DECEMBER

I checked the surf and decided on a kayak at Terrigal Lagoon. There was little wind, and the water was very reflective. The highlight was a group of baby ducklings on a small island near the golf course.

Jacinta was doing an urban walk and we met at the haven for coffee.

Happy New Year!

CENTRAL COAST - 17 TO 23 DECEMBER 2022

 

17 DECEMBER

A hike around the tracks at Kincumba Mountain with Jacinta. It looked like it could rain, and we did get a light shower during our walk. We followed a number of tracks; some Jacinta hadn't done before. It was very quiet for the whole hike.

That evening, we had a dinner at a Terrigal restaurant to celebrate Kara’s graduation. The food was great though the weather was a bit chilly ... for December!

19 DECEMBER

I had a mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain on a number of the summit tracks.

20 DECEMBER

A bike and hike to the last waterfall on Tank Creek in Brisbane Water National Park.

This was a longish ride and a very rough hike. The bike ride was on the trails that lead to Rocky Ponds. It was fun due to some good downhills on a rough surface. there was a need to be aware of fist sized stones.  

The hike started on an obscure track on the right just before reaching Tank Creek. The track followed a 'dry' creek, and it was heavily eroded and overgrown in sections. I followed it until I reached the last waterfall on Tank Creek. There were views of the Hawkesbury River from here. The waterfall dropped in a number of drops. I hiked along the creek coming across lots of waterfalls, cascades, areas of flat rock and dark pools of water. It was worth the effort.

On the return journey, my bike derailer broke and I had to scooter the bike 4km back to the van.

I drove home via the bike shop 'Bikeworkx'. The workshop was closed till January. I checked anyway and they decided to fix it. It was ready by the afternoon. Unlucky but lucky day.

22 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. A small crowd of friends with good lefts and rights. The rip was a bit strong and overall, it was fun.

23 DECEMBER

A surf at Wamberal Beach. The tide was very high and not much was happening but just on the peak of high tide it started to break, and I had about twenty minutes of okay waves on my own.

Afterwards, had a snorkel at Terrigal Haven. A nice surprise with a lot of fish, two large catfish and a small shark. When I got out of the water Jacinta had arrived with coffee. The perfect morning.