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.

CENTRAL COAST - 26 TO 29 NOVEMBER 2022

 

26 NOVEMBER

A swim at Terrigal Haven.

27 NOVEMBER

A hike on the Neera Track in Brisbane Water NP.

We parked on Patonga Road at the start of the San Depot trail. There was enough parking for about 3 to 4 cars without blocking the entry gate. About 100 metres along the track is a signed turn off to the right indicating the Neera Trail. The trail is wide for about half its distance before it narrows as a single track. There were a few turnoffs along the way leading to partial views. The narrow track vegetation is about waist high with some spiky plants. There is also a small creek crossing before a short ascent to the end of the track and the main road.

We had a swim and coffee on nearby Pearl Beach after the hire.

28 NOVEMBER

A physio check-up on the arm. More exercises to do. Getting better on both arms slowly.

A swim at Terrigal Haven. The water was very clear. There were a few cooler spots when the wind got you. A few good size fish to be seen.

A short mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain. Nearly ran over a juvenile lace monitor and had a big spin out when eating a patch of soft sand. Both of these hurt the arm a bit, so I decided on a short ride.

29 NOVEMBER

Early morning walk around the haven.

CENTRAL COAST - 1 TO 4 MAY 2022

 

1 MAY

A surf at Wamberal Beach. Had some okay waves.

2 MAY

Walked around Terrigal Haven and had breakfast at The Cove Café with Jacinta.

3 MAY

Surfed at Wamberal with Jungle. Started off okay but got really good towards high tide. A few cover-ups. Best surf since getting back.

4 MAY

A kayak at Avoca Lagoon. 

What a great paddle! The water was a bit greenish but still. There were many near perfect reflections and heaps of bird life, especially at the western end of the lagoon.

An afternoon hike at Girrakool with Jacinta.

The track was very wet. After all the rain, the scenery was clear of dust, highlighting the green of the plants.

CENTRAL COAST - 15 TO 21 JANUARY 2021

 15 January

A mountain bike ride on Kincumba Mountain.

17 January

A surf at North Avoca Beach. The waves were good but a little crowded. I sat a bit to north of the main crowd and had a fun time on the set waves and the wider breaks.

A bit of energy to burn so I had a mountain bike ride on the Warrah tracks at Brisbane Water National Park. The tracks are generally flat over dirt or sandstone. The PMG track is a little different being steep and eroded. Definitely, a  wild ride which pushed me my limits at times. J

18 January

A morning surf at North Avoca Beach with Ian. There were nice rights with a much smaller crowd than yesterday. Once again, I surfed a bit wider of the crowd and had some fun waves.

19 January

A windsurf at Canton Beach in Tuggerah Lake. Well no, as a sewer main had burst and polluted a portion of  the lake. Darn, I had been waiting for a good southerly to try the new sail. A little disappointed! L

20 January

I drove up to Hawks Nest to buy a SUP. A long day!

21 January

My first go on my new 2^nd hand SUP and 2^nd go ever on a SUP. I started a bit wobbly on Terrigal Lagoon. I spent mt time getting use to paddling and working out where to put my feet. Unfortunately, the paddle broke which put an end to the session. Back home it was a relatively easy job to fix it.

GIRRAKOOL - 29 JULY 2020

So busy of late.

Jacinta and I had a hike at Girrkaool in Brisbane Water National Park.

We did the loop track.

The past four days were days of heavy rain.

We arrived at the carpark and it was empty ... a good sign. The tracks were a wet with parts being pools of water and others as dry as a bone.

There were several wild flowers in bloom. The baronias? were the most striking with their profusion of bright purple flowers.

Drops of moisture were hanging off the tip of leaves and flowers. These droplets reflected in the sunlight... delicately very pretty.

The water in the creeks were flowing aplenty but not as high as I anticipated so we were able to crossed a low water level stepping stone path across one of the creeks. The flow of water over the waterfalls was strong and powerful.

a nice way to start the day.

SURFS, OCEAN KAYAK, BIKES, HIKES - 24 TO 30 APRIL 2020

24 APRIL 2020

A morning hike at Kincumba Mountain with Jacinta.

We followed the Kanning Track plus the old track that runs over the sandstone rocks above it.

It was quiet with plenty of bird calls and the concessional sighting of some of them. The track was thick with ferns. A pleasant walk.


25 APRIL 2020

An ocean kayak from Patonga Beach to Pearl Beach.

First off, this was a lot further than I thought but it was worth it.

My ocean sit-on kayak was a  lot more complicated to set up before launch - foot petal adjustment, attaching the seat and lining up the steering fin so that it was centred. This kayak was also very heavy (30 plus kg) and the handles are in an awkward balancing position so getting it in and out of the van and carrying it was difficult. Anyway, I lived.

The water was smooth and glassy at the start and once around the first point and wind though gentle made the water a little bumpy. The small swell made it possible for me to paddle close to the rocky shoreline all the way.

The shoreline was mainly rock which had tumbled down from the high cliffs that were only ten metres from the water's edge. There were three small beach areas to land  along the way.

It was an exciting paddle knowing that there was a possibility of tipping.

At one point, two seals were frolicking in water a short distance from me. They were undulating in and out of the water, waving their tails and fins slowly above the water and shaking off water from the upper parts of their bodies like a dog.

The paddle was a 10 km return journey. It took just short of three hours with two beach rests and a swim at Pearl Beach.

27 APRIL 2020

Light rain today.

An afternoon walk around the Haven with Jacinta.

28 APRIL 2020

An early mountain bike ride at Brisbane Water National Park.

A ride along the Bulls Hill trail and tracks. A couple of short steep sections with loose rocks. Great views across the waterways. A couple of rock scrambles to see what was on top of the large boulders.

A short but fun ride.

29 APRIL 2020

A surf check with a wander around Magenta Beach.

Parked the van, walked along the sandy track and I was on Magenta Beach.

Pretty blue skies, sun shining, birds tweeting, waves a rolling and all to myself. :)

A mid afternoon surf at North Avoca Beach with Ken.

It was small and mushy. It was nice to get wet.

30 APRIL 2020

 An early afternoon surf at Terrigal Beach in front of the surf club with Ken.

There was the odd one or two okay wave. The surf started off with a bit of size and bumpy and finished small and smooth.