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 :)

HIKE, BIKE, KAYAK, SUNRISES, BIRDS, TRAINS AND KINGTIDE - 7 JUNE 2017

3 june

I checked the surf at MacMasters Beach but a no go.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do so I drove over to Pearl Beach for a hike around the Nature Arboretum. It was a pleasant walk and I sighted one bird close up.

After that, i had coffee on Pearl Beach. Always a great view and sit.

Later that night, Jacinta and I saw Kingtide a rock steady reggae band at the Rhythm Hut at Gosford. the venue was different - hippy like - but I liked it. My long time friend since early surfing days, Tony was the main singer and I think songwriter for the band. Great night.

4 june

I checked the surf for a no go answer again.

Later, when it warmed up I had a mountain bike ride at Brisbane Water National Park on the Mullet Creek trail.

The trail leads to a dead end with some views over Mullet Creek. Along the way there were a number of turn off trails/tracks .

I explored the tracks on the way back. All of these tracks/trails were very steep and rough. i was doing a bit of sliding at times.

The first track lead to an outcrop of sandstone with a steep drop down to the creek. Nice view.

The second lead to high tension electricity poles.

The third had views over the passing railway tracks. Once again a great view and a different perspective on trains and railway lines.

The next trail lead very steeply downhill to a rough track that lead to the entrance of the railway tunnel. I parked the bike and walked along the edge of the workers area that as above the tracks. Great perspective and just behind the lines was a rainforest and the green moss covered boulders of the creek. So pretty.

On the way back, I met a fellow biker, James, who was new to the Central Coast from Victoria. It was nice having a bike chat. We left and before long James was out of sight. :)

5 june

Again, a no go for the surf.

I continued on and had a kayak at Avoca Lagoon. This kayak was a birds and bats on show paddle. The area I paddled around was sheltered from the wind and was very serene and quiet. A number of birds had congregated and I was able to get quite close to them. A magic morning.

Later, I had a coffee and wander along Terrigal Beach.

6 june

Not good waves again this morning but I had a great funny chat with Tim and Terry while we were watching the waves.

Afterwards, I joined Jacinta at Terrigal Haven for a coffee.

7 june

Rain and thunder this morning and into the afternoon.

I went indoors to the movies to see "Deadmen Tell no Tales'. It was fast paced, action, great stunts and funny. Very entertaining.