WOY WOY BAY KAYAK - 10 DECEMBER 2016

The Christmas season is always busy - buying presents, dinners, making plans - so it is good to keep up the things that keep life normal for you.


Lately, I've had a number of early morning ocean swims and surfs. I had good waves at North Avoca and Pelican Beach.

Today, I went for a kayak at Woy Woy Bay. Woy Woy Bay is actually a number of other bays and from these bays a number of small tributaries feed the bay with fresh water. The main feature of the bays are that they are tidal. Mid tide to high is the best time to start as a lot of the tributaries are too shallow or the entrances to the are too shallow. One would think that a bit of a shallow walk towing the kayak would fix that problem. But the problem with that is mangrove roots, oyster shells and soft deep mud. Most spots have one or more of these problems.

Anyway, only after a short paddle, I beached on a small white sand beach and explored a heavily vegetated area. It was mainly sledge grass and mangroves. A nice stroll but one eye is always watching for snake movement.

Another short paddle and I was in a small tributary that I followed for about 1/2 kilometre. It was very primordial. We don't have crocodiles in our area but if we did they would love this spot.

I ventured around to Waterfall Bay where there was a number of narrow white sand beaches and large boulders that have tumbled down from the cliffs above. These rocks often sit shallowly in the water and are covered with razor sharp oyster shells.

I landed on a few beaches, sat down and enjoyed the pretty scenery and the tranquility of the area.

The waterfall at the end of Waterfall Bay was basically a trickle of water. Maybe after rain it is a bit more spectacular.

At this point the rocks leading up from the deep water are smooth and steep. It is very difficult to get a suitable spot to land the kayak and get up the rocks. As luck would have it, I was entertained by two ducks.

The ducks paddled over to the edge of the rocks and quacked a lot. They paddled away in a small circle and did it again. On the third go, the female jumped and flapped her wings a bit and landed on the smooth steep rocks and waddled upwards towards the flat. The male then followed but upon landing he started to fall backwards. Luckily, he managed to keep his balance and dignity and waddled over to the female. Their objective was the small, fresh water pools.

I paddled along the edge of the bay and returned to the start.

A pretty and adventurous 6.88 km kayak.

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - EAST GOSFORD - KAYAK - 22 JANUARY 2015

The morning was nice, the surf was poor so off for a kayak.


I was going to Woy Woy but the tide was too low and launching was difficult due to mud and oyster shells so I drove over to the East Gosford Sailing Club and launched from the small beach next to it.

The water was glassy and reflective and the weather warm.

A lone small motor boat caused a ripple that oscillated across the bay. It looked nice.

I paddled over to Iguanas restaurant which is built over the water. I paddled under the structure. It was quite a different experience looking at the underside of a building via kayak. The posts will eventually rot and will make a difficult job to replace.

I continued to paddle over to the railway bridge. I fished as I was paddling. I checked my line when I reached the bridge and I had caught a fish. It was the first fish I have caught using lures. It was small so I returned it to the water.

I paddled and fished around the bridge for awhile. No more bites but it was nice drifting with the tide.

A short but pleasant 2km kayak.

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - COCKLE BAY - KAYAK/HIKE - 5 DECEMBER 2014

The morning sky was brewing with potential storms with patches of clear sky. As the morning progressed it cleared more and more.



I launched at the boat ramp at Empire Bay. The tide was going high so it was an easy paddle. The water was swirling and uplifting along the jetties on Cockle Channel. The kayak had a different feel when I passed over these eddies.

Once out of the channel and around a small island, I paddled towards Cockle Bay. The shoreline was mangrove with taller trees behind them. The sun was rising and twinkling across the water. The ride became more natural and prettier at this point.

The birds were out this morning. The first sight were two white bellied sea eagles who were roosted in one of the taller trees. They flew so effortlessly in flight.

Entering Cockle Bay there is a narrow fast flowing channel with mud flats and mangroves along its banks. There were a number of birds here. The Eastern Great Egrets and White Faced Herons were he stand outs. They were foraging for food in the mud and shallows. The Egret is a slow bird to take flight with slow wing flaps and then a glide.

There were fish and sting rays scooting off on my approach leaving a muddy trail in the water.

The return paddle was harder with the tide working against me. I landed on the two islands at the end of the Cockle Channel. The first landing was on a beach. It was a pleasant walk around the small island and would be a great spot for an overnight camp. I landed on the second island through a small gap in the mangroves. The vegetation was thicker here so walking was difficult. The mosquitoes were insane and descended on me ferociously.

A pretty ride with a beautiful sunrise, islands, eagles and natural vegetation.

4.89 km
1 hour 32 m

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATERS - CAROLINE BAY - KAYAK - 28 November 2014

Kayak time.



I parked just before the bridge at East Gosford on the Erina Creek side of the road. There is a small pier there and boat ramp.

The morning was very glassy. The sky and shoreline were reflected in the water. The kayak guided over the water like it was glass. Small ripples were created by the kayak's movement that tapered off into the distance.

I paddled under the bridge. For some reason going under bridges thrills me. The entry under the bridge was like stepping into a new environment. The water reflections played up and down and around the pylons supporting the bridge and the rocks and concrete walls of the shoreline. The water eddied around the pylons creating small whirlpools that veered away from the supports until they dissipated in the mainstream flow. Exiting the bridge, the morning sunrise and the bay was framed by the bridge and it's supports, then suddenly the view was unframed and radiant.

There were many birds. Black swans were gliding majestically across the water or flying effortlessly in formation in the blue grey skies. Lapwings noisily foraged in the mud and amongst the mangroves. Ducks paddled in groups in, out and around the mangroves. A lone seagull was walking in the shallows, preening and washing itself. An egret stood motionless in the shallows eyeing the water for prey. Cormorants sat on water advice signs and trees or swam in the water disappearing for a lng period of time under the water in search of food. It is amusing to watch them and try to guess where they will eventually surface.

So many birds took to flight. Their wings lightly tapped the water with each flap until they were airborne. Some like the black swans touched the water in a slow, graceful manner while birds like the ducks walloped the water fast and furiously.

The tide was low and going lower so the mangrove aeration roots were clearly exposed in the mud. Along the outer edge of the shoreline at the far end of the bay, there were a numbered of larger mangrove trees. These tress were spread well apart but they were all dead or dying. The base of the trees were slowly being eaten away.

Small islands of low lying rough rocks jutted out of the shallows. The birds congregated on these islands. Sharp edged oysters clung to the rocks in clusters.

Under the water, which was clearly visible in parts were large amounts of conical shellfish and thick long stranded seaweed. Occasionally, a large fish would breach the glassy water causing a small but noticeable splash and a circular rippling effect.

It was a great, relaxing kayak of 3.26 kilometres!

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - 'THE FORESHORE' MTB - 29 May 2013

Another great day! My foot still isn't better so another bike ride is on the cards.



I usually go on rougher tracks but today I thought...why not the waterfront around Brisbane Waters at Gosford.

The track was easy to follow with only a few steeper sections. The variety of landscapes it passed was amazing.

I started at the Gosford Sailing Club enjoying the expanse of the waters. Cycling around it in the warm sun was a pleasure. There were bridges large and small, tunnels, boardwalks, snippets of views around Fagans Bay, long flat stretches and parks. Quite a good ride.

distance     - 19.16 km
time           - 1h 25 minutes
av speed    - 13.5 km/h
max speed - 37.6 km/h

CENTRAL COAST - Brisbane Water - Kincumber Broadwater - kayak - 11 november 2012

I launched from Sorrento road in Empire Bay to kayak around Kincumber Broadwater.

The tide was with me so it was an easy paddle along Cockle Channel towards the entrance of the Broadwater. There was an interesting small mangrove island which divides the channel into two. The water was shallow along the island shores making for clear viewing of the underwater world.

The entrance to the Broadwater was relatively narrow with a number of boats, houses and places to launch. I veered to the eastern side where there was a variety of birdlife. I just drifted with the current and enjoyed the show.

Further along, I came across to small tributaries and one larger one. I paddled up all three. The smallest was shallow and difficult to paddle due to the mangroves. I tended to pull myself through rather than paddled.

The second one passed a mobile home area.

The third was wider and much longer. I passed houses, industrial areas, jetties in the wider section. The narrower section passed between mangroves with closely encroaching urbanisation. Still, there were lots of ducks and lizards and unfortunately dumped rubbish. It is amazing how plants and animals survive under these conditions. Despite the rubbish it was still pretty.

On the journey back, I stopped at a small island in the Broadwater and rested and watched the world go by.

It was a good kayak with pretty scenery and birdlife.

 

Distance               9.12 km

Time                      2 hours 51 minutes

Av speed             4.4 km/h

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - Cockle Bay - kayak - 31 october 2012

I launched at the boat ramp at serento close empire bay.

It was a nice glassy paddle along the channel with the tide helping me. There were a number of small islands at the end of the channel. These islands and their foreshores were teeming with birdlife. I followed the bay around to the right to the entrance of cockle bay.

The channel was narrow and fun to paddle due to the volume of water moving in to fill the bay. The bay is quite scenic with eagles, ibis, etc. At one stage, I notice a strange movement in the water that turned out to be a large turtle. Further along, I pulled in for a rest and sunk into the mud up to my knees. An experience that I'm glad stopped at the knees.

Leaving the bay. I paddled over to some oyster leases. Seagulls had made them their nesting sites and they weren't happy as I neared them.

The paddle back was a little hard with the tide now working against me.

A nice paddle with heaps of birds and a turtle!

distance 3.54km
time 2 hours
av speed 2km/hr

CENTRAL COAST - Brisbane Water - Pelican Island - kayak - 18 June 2010

I launched the kayak at the boat ramp at the Woy Woy channel.

I paddled across the channel and followed the edge of Pelican Island along the channel. About half way along the channel there was a smaller channel that I followed between two islands for a short distance. After a short while it became too shallow to navigate. Near this area, I came across a white faced heron and pelican hunting in the shallows.

Backtracking to the main channel, I continued to follow the edge of the island. The shore was mangroves and dense vegetation. Eventually, I reach3ed the oyster leases and could no longer follow the edge of the island. I paddled around the oyster farms until the water became deep enough to cut through them.

Once through the farms, I paddled to the far edge of Pelican Island and landed on a sandy beach. I wandered around and found hundreds of soldier crabs that scuttled away on my approach.

I continued around the island and crossed the Woy Woy channel and landed on the small sandy beach beside the boat ramp.

The journey was about 2 hours.