HAWKS NEST - 9 TO 10 FEBRUARY 2023

 

9 FEBRUARY

We did the final packing for the van, and we were off north … petrol …oh, the bike rack does not seem to be standing upright … back home … a bit of adjustment and all was good. We were off north … again.

We stopped at Bennetts beach. On shore winds and crumbly small waves. Around to Jimmys Beach, where the winds were also unpleasantly strong. Decision! Camp at Hawks Nest. A good decision, as it started to rain after we finished setting up.

Later in the afternoon, when the rain stopped, we walked over to the Bench Mark Hotel for a few drinks and dinner.

10 FEBRUARY

A beautiful morning with clear skies and a light wind.

I wandered down to Bennetts Beach, watched the sunrise and strolled along the beach and back to camp.

About mid-morning, we drove to Jimmys Beach, which was magical with no wind. I had an ocean swim and we lazed under the beach umbrella.

HAWKS NEST, TEA GARDENS, MYALL LAKES NP - 15 TO 19 JANUARY 2023

 HAWKS NEST

15 JANUARY

Hawks Nest – Reflections Bennetts Beach - $316 4 nights powered site.

We woke, had breakfast, packed the van and were off for Hawks Nest.

The drive was easy with only minor traffic. Before we knew, we turned off the highway for Hawks nest/Tea Gardens. Our first stop was groceries then we checked out the waterfront at Tea Gardens and the Bennetts Beach in Hawks Nest. It was very windy. We checked into the camp area and drove over to Tea Gardens for lunch at the pub. The fish, chips and salad were good especially as they were washed down with a couple of cold beers for me and wine for Jacinta. We drove back to camp, settled in and I had a short sleep.

Later in the afternoon, I had a mountain bike ride around Hawks Nest. A few short tracks and some great views. Jacinta had a few walks to nearby Bennetts Beach even later in the afternoon.

 
After sunset, we had a walk along the beach.
 

A great first day.
 
16 JANUARY
 
Hawks nest - reflections Bennetts Beach
 
A great night’s sleep. Woke just before sunrise.
 
A walk to the beach along the track from the camping area. The wind was a moderate on-shore so it wasn’t very inviting for a swim.

 
Back at camp for breakfast. Afterwards, we drove to Jimmys Beach. The wind was much lighter and the water looked very inviting. We spent the morning there. I have a short snorkel and a couple of swims.

 
Next stop was Tea Gardens for coffee and cake. We sat on the waterfront, ate and enjoyed the view.

 
We drove over to Mungo Brush in Myall Lakes National Park. We did a short hike on the Rainforest Track. It was cool under the shade of the tree. 

Afterwards, we had a swim in Myall Lake. Well really a dunk. While there we saw a juvenile goanna and a number of ducks and lapwings.

 
Back at camp, we swap sites for a shader position and settled in for the afternoon.
 
A late afternoon walk along Bennetts Beach.

 
17 JANUARY
 
Hawks nest - reflections Bennetts Beach
 
I woke early and rode around the Hawk Nest tracks. I stopped for ..awhile at the surf club to watch the sunrise but he cloud cover on the horizon was too thick and high. Still, it was nice to watch the changing of the light. I followed a great track to Jimmys Beach and saw two groups of XXXX. Further on I followed another track to the bridge over the Myall River. There was no wind and it so pretty watching a fishing boat motor under the bridge ccausing small waves on the glassy surface of the water.

 
Back at camp and we drove to Tea Gardens to meet with an old college of Jacinta. We had breakfast at the Boathouse. Such a great view!
 
Next stop was Jimmys beach where we enjoyed the sunshine and had a few dips in the water.
 
18 JANUARY
 
Hawks nest - reflections Bennetts Beach
 
Windy day. We drove over to Tea Gardens where I had a kayak and Jacinta a walk. It was very windy on the unprotected side of the river islands. I paddled upriver then put on the kayak sail and had fun going down wind. There isn’t much control of these sails. They pick up the wind and I use my sail as a rudder. A bit of a balancing act.

 
Afterwards, we had a swim and a laze on Jimmys Beach. The wind had picked up stronger, so we headed back to the camp.
 
19 JANUARY
 
We woke to light cloud that gradually thickened and turned to a light shower, drizzle and rain.
 
We dropped by to see Rolf and Kerrie before we left Hawks Nest. A nice catch-up. Groceries and petrol and we were on our way north.

NORTH ROAD TRIP - MYLESTOM, HAT HEAD, NORTH HAVEN, HAWKS NEST - 14 TO 19 NOVEMBER 2021

 

14 NOVEMBER

We left Lawrence and stopped at Grafton for fuel and food supplies.

Our first stop was Mylestom. We checked out the beach and decided to stay for a couple of nights

After setting up camp, we had a walk down to the beach. A pretty white sand beach. We sat for awhile and soaked in the views.

Later, I had a mountain bike ride along a track north of the camp. It was mainly a road for 4wheel drive cars. It was fun with obstacles such as water filled potholes and deep sand. I had two spills on this ride. The first was sliding on the edge of the road to avoid a pothole. I tipped over the edge and landed in the thick bush. The second was scrapping against a broken tree branch which made a 10 cm cut. Not too bad but there was a lot of blood. I stopped back at the camp to clean my arm and continued to the surf club and along the river foreshore.

In the evening, there were a lot of pale faced black cockatoos screeching their presence. there was quite a few of them.

15 NOVEMBER

In the morning, I had a walk to the beach and watched the sunrise. 

After breakfast, Jacinta and I walked back to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. There were a few surfers out but it was very small.

In the afternoon, we had a long bike ride to the surf club and the river foreshore as far as Repton.

16 NOVEMBER

In the morning, I checked the surf and it was looking okay. I walked back and got my gear and paddled out for a fun 1m surf on some good left waves. The local surfers were a friendly group.

After breakfast, we continued out journey south.

Our first stop was Urunga. We had coffee and sweets and wandered around the town. A pretty place. We drove a little further and pulled into cliff lookout with great views of the beaches north and south.

Our final stop for the day was Hat Head where we camped for the night.

We wandered down to the beach and enjoyed the sun. The surf was dead flat. I had a few swims Korogoro Creek and the ocean. It was nice drifting along with the creek current. 

In the late afternoon, I had a mountain bike ride to the top of the headland on the southern side of Hat Head and then a loop along both sides of the banks of Korogoro Creek. At the headland, there were a number of kangaroos and great coastal views. The creek banks had fun tracks that were connected by two bridges. A great ride!

17 NOVEMBER

We left Hat Head and drove to Port Macquarie. We had coffee and croissants by the Hastings River. Very pleasant.

Next stop was a surf a Middle Rock. The waves was okay but not the best conditions. While I was in the water, Jacinta had a walk along the beach and was bitten by a dog. Not deep but it it was very sore.

We camped the night at North Haven. We had a walk to the beach and along the river bank.

18 NOVEMBER

We left early and checked the surf at North Haven Beach. there wee a lot of surfers out and the waves were short and breaking in shallow water. It all looked like hard work to me, especially in the strong winds and currents.

We continued south and decided to stay at Bennetts Beach, Hawks Nest. The beach at Hawks Nest was wind blown so we drove over to Jimmy's Beach which was more sheltered and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.

19 NOVEMBER

We left Hawks Nest and drove a short distance to Tea Gardens. Jacinta had a walk and I had a kayak on the Myall River. The conditions were excellent with little wind. The water was reflective, the birds were about and the occasional boat set off a undulating pattern of waves in their wake.

Time to head home. The weather was forecasting rain.