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 - HAWKS NEST - 1 TO 5 NOVEMBER 2021

1 NOVEMBER

We left for a road trip to northern NSW.

We stopped for petrol and 2 hours later, we were at Hawks Nest. First thing was to check the surf which was blown out by a strong NE wind. Second stop was checking into the campgrounds at Bennett’s Beach and having lunch. The third stop was Tea Gardens for coffee and Jacinta’s homemade chocolate weetbix slices … yum! We sat on the river waterfront and enjoyed the view. The wind was strong here as well. We drove to Windy Whoopa and had a walk along the beach. It was more protected here from the winds. We sat on the beach, enjoyed the sun and watched the tiny waves slippin' and a-slidin' along the shore. 

Back to camp, drinks, guitar and dinner. A great first day!

2^nd NOVEMBER

After waking, I had a bike ride to Bennett’s Beach to check the surf which was still blown out. Continuing from there, I rode the bike along a few tracks to Jimmy's Beach campground. Good short tracks.

After breakfast, we drove to Jimmy’s Beach and had a pleasant morning sitting in the sun, a few swims and watched the birdlife.

A coffee at Tea Gardens, which was pretty windy.

After lunch, we rode the bikes to Windy Whoopa. We rode on a few short tracks then the service roads out to the massive sand dune at the entrance to the Myall River. Amazing scenery but the wind was strong and getting stronger. A hard pedal back against the wind.

3 NOVEMBER

The wind still howling but what a sunrise!

First stop, a mountain bike ride on the old mining road in Myall Lakes National Park. The plan was to ride as far as the turn off to Johnson Beach and turned right and loop back. This track was very rough and overgrown. Eventually, we had to back track as the reeds grew very high and the track went underwater. Still, it was fun and of course, my shoes and socks were drenched.

We drove to the car ferry at Bombah Point but they now charging to use the facility so we gave it a miss.

We stopped at Angophora picnic area in Myall Lakes NP for a check of the lake. The water was calm as it was protected from the wind by the thick trees.

Next was coffee and onwards to Jimmy's Beach. The sun was shining at times, the water was cool and it was pretty. We relaxed and I had a couple of dunks in the bay.

4 NOVEMBER

A mountain bike ride on the Hawks Nest Seal Rocks (HNSR) in Myall Lakes NP.

We parked at the Angophora Picnic Area. Jacinta wasn’t riding today so she had a hike along the lake shoreline. I rode along Mungo Brush Road to the intersection of the HNSR Road. It wasn’t much of a road being overgrown, potted, rocky and muddy in sections. It once was a viable road. Part of the road had been used by 4WD cars but that must have been awhile ago. The weird thing about this ride was the feeling that I was riding uphill in either direction. There were some fast sections but generally there were too many obstacles. The obstacles were fun to navigate over, under or through. In general, it looked very snaky as there were swamps either side of the ‘road’. A fun though tiring ride.

Back at the van, I had a refreshing dip in the lake and then we drove to Tea Gardens for lunch.

We spent the late afternoon back at the camp. The wind had swung around to the south-east and there were a few light sprinkles of rain.

5 NOVEMBER

We left Hawks Nest to go north.