AVOCA LAGOON - KAYAK - 20 OCTOBER 2015

A brilliant day with a nice sunrise at Wamberal Beach.

Surf not so good so over to Avoca for a kayak.



The lagoon was very high with water. Where we sometimes sit on the lagoon's edge was a half metre under water. The best part is kayaking over places that were usually dry land.

I paddled a bit through the reeds and trees, admired the early morning reflections and watched the various birds in their native habitat. there were black swans, cormorants, ducks and plovers today.

 

A great relaxing paddle.

WAMBERAL LAGOON KAYAK - 28 AUGUST 2015

A beautiful morning with sun shining and a light breeze.

The lagoon at Wamberal was filled with water so I went for a short paddle around the lagoon.

 

The breeze was a bit chilly so I kept to the sheltered western and southern sides of the waterway.

There were a number of birds amongst and in the trees enjoying a break from the wind.

 

Today, I saw cormorants roosting in the trees and diving for fish under the water, ducks massing in the wind sheltered areas, swamp hens fossicking along the water's banks and cockatoos flying in chaotic formations across the morning sky.

 

The water was deep enough to paddle under the canopy of the trees. It was fun meandering around the sunken trunks and cruising through the water reeds.

A fun morning. :)

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - ST HUBERTS ISLANDS - KAYAK - 16 december 2014

Well, firstly, I thought that St Huberts Island was the one island covered in houses. BUT the two smaller islands next to it were marked down as St Huberts Island so there must be a few of them.



I parked at Park Road, Woy Woy. The shore was lined with a sandstone retaining wall. At Park Road, there was a break in the wall with a few steps down to the water.

I launched into the bright morning sunrise and paddled across to the first island.

The island was lined with mangroves and a few breaks with small white and beaches. It is shallow near the shore and clusters of oyster periodically scrapped along the hull of the kayak. Luckily, the kayak was made of plastic! It was very quiet. The water carried  a few voices of boaties so that they seemed very close.

After circumnavigating half the island, I paddled over to the second island. This island was totally covered with mangroves and there wasn't really any dry land. I was able to partially paddle under a few trees but it would be better with a high tide as it was too shallow.

I paddled back over to the first island where there was a small wharf attached to an oyster farmer shed. A little further on, there were some oystercatcher birds on a small, white, sand beach. I watched them for awhile then landed the kayak a little further around on another small beach. From here, I explored the island but the dry land was very small.

I landed at another beach on the island then headed back to the start.

There were a lot of birds, mainly in flight, but they were too fast for me today to photograph.

A nice paddle of 2.08 km with a beautiful sunrise and relaxing, calming water.

CENTRAL COAST - WAMBERAL LAGOON - KAYAK - 10 DECEMBER 2014

An early morning kayak on Wamberal Lagoon.



This morning I was joined by my friend, John.

The conditions were glassy and the sky cloudy.

The water was high so we were able to paddle across a few usually dry places.

There were  number of birds including cormorants and black swans.

The small tributary at the west end of the lagoon was a great paddle. It was still, dark and narrow. We were able to paddle through the reeds and between the trees.

It was a fun and pleasant paddle.

distance  - 4.54 km

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER - RILEYS ISLAND - KAYAK/HIKE - 7 DECEMBER 2014

I parked at the pubic wharf at Davistown. It is a pretty area with Rileys Island opposite and sandy beaches on either side of the wharf at low tide.



The paddle was enjoyable and I was able to keep close to the island as the tide become fuller. The island shore was mainly mangroves and surrounded at parts by oyster leases.

There was a lot of activity in the area - fishing boats and other kayakers. Some of the fishing boats caused a wake that oscillated in the still morning.

The birds were abundant - ibis, cormorants, lapwing, oystercatcher, silver gull, egret and I think a whimbrel. They were roosting on signs and trees or foraging in the mangroves, shallows or deeper water.

I landed on the island in two places but there were no real paths to follow. At one point, where there were a lot of grasses where spiders had made webs that were sheet like between the blades.

A pleasant kayak with mirrorr reflections, birds and an island.

3.60 km

CENTRAL COAST - TUGGERAH LAKE - TERILBAH ISLAND - KAYAK - 30 november 2014

A beautiful, morning with a hint of a wind.



I drove to The Entrance North and parked in the car park just after the bridge.

There was no wind, the water was reflecting mirror images and a number of birds lined the channel which was opposite Teribah Island.

While getting ready to launch a couple of pelicans stood on the edge of the shoreline and preened themselves. Shortly, a number of starlings appeared and hopped across the grass with their heads darting quickly in various directions while pecking at the ground for food.

I launched the kayak in glassy conditions. I caused a wake with the kayak just to watch the ripples. I paddled across the channel to Teribah Island and followed the shoreline to circumnavigate the island.

The paddling was fun as the water became very shallow due to the outgoing tide. I sat close to the front of the kayak to lift the back so I could paddle over shallow sections. Just near the end of the ride the water became too shallow and I was forced to abandon ship and wade through the shallows until I reached deeper water.

The birds were out and about in large numbers. I counted at least seven different species of birds.

Cormorants were in flight, roosting on trees and boating signs drying their feathers or diving under the water foraging for food. Stilts were standing on one legged watching the world. Black Swans flowed regally over the water in large groups. Spotted Doves sat in the trees looking like they were trying to make a decision to where they would go next. Ibises preened themselves amongst the pelicans. Dollarbirds roosted in the trees just watching - they have such pretty, shiny, subtle colours.

A great kayak of 2.22 km!

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 - Avoca Lagoon - kayak - 12 january 2012

I went for a twlight kayak around Avoca lagoon.

Surprisingly, there were no other kayakers around. There were only the sounds of lapping water and bird cries.

The birdlife was abundant. I was able to paddle reasonably close to the various birds - godwits. ducks, swamphens and cormorants.