STRICKLAND WATERFALL, PATONGA CREEK, KARIONG FALLS - 9 TO 13 MAY 2020

9 MAY 2020

An early morning hike along the Cabbage Tree and Strickland Falls tracks at Strickland State Forest with Jacinta.

These tracks are accessible from the top car park forming a loop track.

The hike started with gymea lilies along the track edge. A change of scenery with some rock formations and the vegetation changed to grass trees.

A short descent lead to Strickland Falls. I never seen the falls with a great deal of water. The water drops in parts along a semi circle of cliffs. The area seems to be always dark and this reflects in the tall trees and sparse ground cover.

The track follows along the creek and joins onto the cabbage tree track. The vegetation is of a drier type and there was more sunlight.

A well trodden but narrow track with some interesting rock and vegetation features.


10 MAY 202

Happy Mother's Day Jacinta :)

11 MAY 2020

An early hike around the rocks at Terrigal Haven.

The tide was low, the swell smallish, the weather clear, the temperature crisp. Heaps of good ingredients for a hike.

I took my time. soaking in the view and the smaller things in life.

A late morning kayak along Patonga Creek.

I timed this with the tide just on high. This worked out well as I had the tide in my favour going up and down the creek.

It was a good paddle. The wind was blocked, the sun was shining, the water was mostly clear and there were a lot of reflections on the water.

The creek starts wide but narrows considerably about half and winds in and around the mangroves.

There were fewer oyster leases than I previously remember which made for an easier kayak.


12 MAY 2020

A short mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain.

I wasn't feeling the best so I just did a few tracks close to the car park.


13 MAY 2020

A mountain bike along along Tommos Loop with a hike to Kariong Falls in Brisbane Water National Park.

An easy ride along Tommos Loop on the bike with a couple of steep downhills.

I turned off the main trail and on to the track to Kariong Falls. I rode a short distance and hid the bike in the bush and continued by foot.

It was a steep eroded hike down to the falls with some views and some interesting rock formations. It was so quiet around the falls which tumbled down into a clear pool of  deep water. I wander around the pool edge and eventually sat on a comfortable rock in the sun and soaked in the tranquility.

I had my time there in seclusion and passed four people along the track back to Tommos Loop. I retrieved my bike and continued my ride along the loop till the main road. It was a fast and quick return to the van.

PATONGA CREEK KAYAK - 19 SEPTEMBER 2017

A beautiful day.

I checked the surf which was a bit small and full. I drove over to Patonga Creek to paddle around the mangroves.

Being high tide, I was able to paddle amongst the mangrove trees. It was a nice feeling, paddling over the crystal clear water and around trees with a canopy of green above me. Peaceful and serene.

There were a lot of birds about. I could hear them but it was difficult to see them as they blended in so well in the environment. When I managed to spy one or two, they were quick to fly off or hop out of sight.

After my paddle, I drove the short distant to Patonga Beach and enjoyed a cappuccino in the warm sun while looking over the awesome view of Broken Bay.

Later, I had a middle of the day walk along the Haven Beach and much later still, I had a sunset walk with Jacinta around the Haven.

A nice day.

PATONGA CREEK KAYAK - 29 NOVEMBER 2016

The weather was looking unsettled but probably no rain.

I checked the surf at Wamberal Beach then decided on a kayak.

I drove to Patonga and launched the kayak from a 3 metre beach at the end of Jacaranda Ave.


I paddled over to the mangroves and as the tide was high I was able to play amongst the mangrove trees. A pretty obstacle course.

It was a fairly easy paddle as the tide was going higher and so at times, I just drifted with the current, laid back and tangled the feet over the edge.

There were a number of oyster farms on the creek which meant keeping close to the shore.

Eventually, I reached the narrowing of Patonga Creek. At this point, the creek is about 5 metres wide with lots of overhanging branches and shallow sandbars. personally, I like it when it becomes narrow as what lies ahead is out of sight making it more of an adventure.

Towards the end, I beached the kayak to have a wander around a 'fishing hut'. The spot would make for a great overnight camp. there were also a few tracks meandering off. I followed one for a short while into a rainforest area. Pretty!

Time to end back. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to get back so I spent the hour and a quarter paddling hard and constant against the tide and the wind. I was pretty tired but I made it with 5 minutes to spare.

A fun and adventurous 8.51km kayak

PATONGA/MOUNT ETTALONG/PEARL BEACH - KAYAK, MTB, SWIM - 29 DECEMBER 2015

After a bout of relatively cold and wet weather, the day was looking promising.

First stop was Patonga and a kayak through the estuary. I did this partially not long ago but the waves tended to swamp the kayak. Since then I bought a splash deck. It made a huge difference as at one point a small wave crashed over the kayak and normally it would have deposited a bucket or two of water in the kayak if not for the slash deck. It still needs a few adjustments to make it more taunted.


The 1.96 km kayak through the estuary was fun with small waves to crash through and to ride into shore. The splash deck certainly improved my confidence in the situation knowing that the kayak would not fill with water.

The second stop was Mount Ettalong which was just after the turn off for Pearl beach from Patonga for a 1.6 km bike ride. The parking area looked grubby but the ride was excellent though short. The main track was wide and there were heaps of  shorter turnoffs for sandstone rock ledge lookouts over the ocean.

The track was fun with lots of small obstacles and low hanging trees. :)



The final stop was Pearl Beach for a coffee on the beach and a swim. I love this beach! It is sheltered and deep and clean. A great spot fro swimming, relaxing and taking in the great view across to Box Head.

An excellent morning.