CENTRAL COAST - 8 TO 14 AUGUST 2021

 9 AUGUST

A cycle at Gosford waterfront.

We started at East Gosford near the Sailing Club and followed the cycle track around the waterfront of Brisbane Water. A great ride - parklands, bridges, boardwalks, tunnels! A number of people doing the same thing either by foot or pedal.

10 AUGUST

A sunrise surf check at Wamberal Beach and North Avoca Beach.

A mountain bike ride on summit tracks of Rumbalara Reserve.

We did a n umber of circuits of the top track in both directions a couple of times. Free flowing and relatively flat. 

11 AUGUST

A kayak at Erina Creek.

The wind was light and the tide was slightly in my favour for the paddle. The best part was after the Sunken Monkey Hotel where the shoreline looked more natural and to a degree untouched.

12 AUGUST

A hike at Berrys Head.

This was a fairly rough hike. There was a lot of up and down with some steep parts. The track skirted the base of the summit. The summit was strewn with large boulders. There were also a number of side tracks. One track joined up with the other track at Berry Head.

13 AUGUST

A mountain bike ride at The Old Quarry and Tommos Loop in Brisbane Water National Park.

A fun ride. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the quarry. I pushed my limits on the rough rock terrain and tried to remain casual. It seemed to work but maybe that was luck. haha. 

Tommos Loop seemed easier than the last time I rode it. Good views and some steep sections.

A fun surf at Wamberal Beach. A really good right just north of the big house. The current was very strong and it was tiring trying to keep in the right take off position. Only two others paddled out. :)

ERINA CREEK KAYAK - HAVEN SWIM - HAVEN HIKE - 2 FEBRUARY 2017

I checked the surf this morning but it was very small so I decided on a kayak.

I drove to Erina Creek and launched towards the navigable headwater of the creek.

I didn't get too far before I was blocked by fallen trees. I backtracked and paddled past the bridge.

It was a slow paddle as I was observing the effects of erosion on the creek banks. there are a lot more trees that will be falling soon. The banks were undermined in parts by up to two metres.

The nice part of the paddle was the number of large lizards basking on the shoreline rocks and the birds feeding amongst the casuarinas.

A pleasant 2.66 km kayak.

I still had some more time so I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven. The water was smooth and clear even though the wind had greatly increased.

The girls and I had lunch at one of the restaurants near the waterfront at East Gosford. Pleasant.

Later in the afternoon, Jacinta and I did a few walking laps of the Terrigal Haven.

ERINA CREEK KAYAK - 22 AUGUST 2016

At Erina Creek for a kayak.


The weather was looking changeable and it did get a little cold towards the end of the paddle.

The start of the kayak is a bit boring as it is a straight run and the highway runs beside it but there are a lot of birds and the water was glassy so it made up for it.

After a kilometre, or so the creek goes more natural.

I was so lucky today as I just noticed a eastern water dragon with it's head barely above water. As I looked for my camera, it disappeared. Once again, I was lucky and noticed it under the water. I attached my go pro camera to a selfie stick and got some pics and videos of it under the water.


I was pretty happy with the 6.16 km kayak after seeing the dragon.

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 - ERINA CREEK - KAYAK - 10 NOVEMBER 2014 - 'UP THE CREEK WITH A PADDLE'

A cloudy morning but I had the time to do something.



I drove to Erina and parked near the boat ramp. The wind looked like it might pick up so I chose Erina Creek compared to Caroline Bay as it looked that it would be more sheltered later.

The creek was muddy brown as usual and lined with mangroves. There were a number of birds foraging in them.

The tide was on the turn so it was an easy paddle up creek.

The highlights were:

A lizard lying in the water allowed me to drift up to 1/2 metre away from it before it briskly swam to a more difficult place for me to reach it.

Another lizard, swam away quickly from me then scuttled up the mud bank to eye me indignantly from it's lofty perch on the high bank.

I drifted over an enormous brown sting ray. It was close to a metre in diameter.

A number of overhead branches allowed enough room to paddle under.

The rubbish was a eyesore but at times in was intriguing. For example, the golf buggy in the centre of the mangroves (it would have been an effort to put it there), bedding on a secluded creek bank and the swing ropes (after seeing the sting ray, I wouldn't be too keen for a swim).

A fun and amusing paddle.

distance - 7.56km
time - 1h 55m
av. speed - 3.9 km/h
max speed - 6.5 km/h

CENTRAL COAST - ERINA CREEK - KAYAK - 23 november 2013

The morning was excellent, the sun was shining but not for long.

We started at near the 'punt bridge' boat ramp. The water was glassy and the tide was still going low.

 

Along the way, we saw birds and water dragons. We paddled under some low branches and had fun videoing each other.

Towards the end of the paddle, there were a few sprinkles of rain. About 1/2 hour after we finished it bucketed down.

distance - 4.75km
time - 1 hour 17 minutes
av speed - 3.7 km/h
max speed - 5.3 km/h

CENTRAL COAST - Erina Creek - kayak - 26 January 2009

There is a good launch and parking place from a fishing area off the Central Coast highway near the punt bridge east Gosford.

The creek follows the edge of the highway with a number of small diversions to follow on the northern side. The creek winds its way under a bridge and pas industrial and natural areas becoming gradually narrower. Eventually it is blocked by fallen trees.

time: 3 hours return