HIKE, BIKE AND SURF - 10 TO 16 APRIL 2020

10 APRIL 2020

A lazy day with a mid afternoon surf at The Ruins, Terrigal Beach. The waves were smallish and not the best shape but I was lucky and managed about half dozen relatively good but short waves and another half dozen okay waves.


11 APRIL 2020

 A mountain bike ride to Mullet Creek in Brisbane Water NP.

There were quite a few cars parked at the start of the ride but I only saw a few hikers along the tracks at the beginning.

The track was very steep and heavily eroded in sections. I managed most but two parts became slippery on a clay base.

I took a few side tracks. One lead to a view towards Mullet Creek, another had a view over the railway tracks and the final one a close up view of the railway tracks and tunnel. A train passed through while I was there.

I finished with a ride around the quarry.


12 APRIL 2020

A late morning mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain.

A real fun ride. I followed heaps of tracks and felt smooth and in control.

No sore legs today. :)


13 APRIL 2020

A hike at Brisbane Water NP.

The car park at Girrakool was closed but the park was open. I parked at the entrance gate and started my hike on the Piles Creek Loop.

The hike took about 2 hours. I followed the loop in a anti clockwise direction.

The beginning was up and down, passing next to high cliffs. The ground was very soggy in parts with water dripping continuous from the cliff faces. The vegetation was very green and shaded beneath a canopy of thick trees.

I had a short rest at the suspension bridge.

The return leg was up, up and up. Upon reaching the top, eventually, the track was relatively flat on dry sand and more open vegetation.

Normally, I see few people on my hikes but today I passed over 70 people coming from the opposite direction.

It's good to see more people getting fit despite the current corona situation.

I did notice many people had no water with them. In general, it's a steep hike so not having water is not a good bush walking strategy.

15 APRIL 2020

A mountain bike ride on the PMG track at Brisbane Water NP.

I parked at the beginning of Warrah Trig Road. It was such a pretty and clear morning. My first play area was the tessellated sandstone platform. There was an excellent view across the hinterland towards Box Head of low bushes and grass trees.

I followed a short track then cross the main road and onto to tracks on the western side of it.

The tracks were mainly service roads. each road seemed to have a different base of either, sand, dirt, stone or gravel.

The best track was the PMG track which lead downwards for ages. The track was rutted and wet in sections, lined with thick vegetation or near-groomed pathway. It was such a fun ride. I had to concentrate all the way with drop offs, loose rocks and deep ruts. It finally ended in a grove of thick trees at the top of a ridge with Patonga Creek meandering below.

16 APRIL 2020

A surf at Shelley Beach.

There was a nice right wave bank which was crowded but just south of it was another bank. No one was on it so I paddled out and had a heap of okay waves on my own. Lucky morning! :)

SHELLEY BEACH SURF - 8 MAY 2019

Surf at Shelly Beach trying out old board and new fins. I felt surf fit but I was definitely off balance. Finally got one decent wave and felt a lot happier.

Stopped in at Wamby on the way home and had coffee with Simon and a little later Jeckle and Fin, whose wife is Noni Y, who I knew well at teachers’ college.

Back home and Kara and I went down to Terrigal Beach for fish and chips and a sit in the sun. It was warm and the water was so clear. All very pretty.

FAGANS BAY KAYAK - MUNMORAH MTB - SHELLEY BEACH SURF - 12 APRIL 2018

11 april 2018

A kayak around Fagans Bay in Brisbane Water National Park.

I started at East Gosford and paddled towards and under restaurant, under a pier, under the supports of the old railway bridge and under the railway bridge.

From there, I was in Fagans Bay where I paddled the circumference of the bay passing the mangroves and paddling through mangroves.

There were a number of birds including the Royal Spoonbill.

The water was very glassy in most parts of the bay but when I disturbed the fish and stingrays the water churned up noticeably.

Afterwards, I had coffee at Tommy's at East Gosford.

Later in the afternoon, a swim at The Haven was nice despite the strong NE wind.

12 April 2018

Up to Munmorah SCA for a mountain bike ride.



I rode The Quarry tracks. It started off on a very steep and narrow track to the far base of the old quarry.

I rode out of the quarry and bush bashed over a bit of track blockage then rode a long downhill track till it ended near the thick vegetation of a creek. Of course, it was an uphill grind back.

The second track was a turn off at the end of the Quarry Trail. This was a new track for me. It was downhill, rough and fun. As with the first track it ended near a creek and it was a grind back to the top.

I decided on checking out Snapper Point  and was rewarded with great views north over Ghosties Beach, Flat Rock Point and Frazer Park.

On the way home, I stopped at Shelley Beach. I had a fun surf in strong offshore winds. There were some good waves but a bit of a lull at times.

BEACHES, WYRRABALONG NP MTB, AVOCA LAGOON NIGHT KAYAK - 9 NOVEMBER 2017

I started the day with a surf check.



North Avoca Beach

Shelly Beach

And Soldiers Beach

They were all not too good.

I drove a short distance to Wyrrabalong National Park and rode my mountain bike along the Red Gum and Burrawang tracks.

The red gum track was wide and sandy with a number of short steep up and down sections. The sand in parts was deep and the front wheel tended to wobble out of control sometimes. The red gums looked magnificent as they gnarled and twisted in all sorts of directions.

The Burrawang track as narrow and enclosed with sharp edge burrawangs and low overhanging trees. It was a challenge riding along this track. At one point the trees were too close bringing me to a stop. The burrawangs are an ancient plant that can bear a large long fruit. The fruit was poisonous but can be eaten if prepared correctly.

At the end of the ride, I met and chatted with to lots of people. The first was a disabled guy and his wife and daughter. They had been riding the cycle path. He was using his motorized scooter - it was an awesome looking machine. The second, was an elderly couple who were about to embark on a hike on the tracks I had just ridden. They had a campervan similar to mine so we chatted a lot a about the pros and cons of our vans. I picked up a few good ideas.

Back home, and Kara and I went down to Terrigal Haven for a coffee and swim. It was nice sitting in the sunshine and chatting.

Just before sunset, I decided to try a night kayak. It was great. I paddled around Avoca lagoon starting just before sunset. It got more exciting as it got darker and darker. Just before last light, the fruit bats in the nearby colony took off on mass. There was an endless display of the creatures for about 15 minutes. Some of them flew quite close.



I turned on my head torch and my mini lantern and paddled onward close to the shoreline. It was amazing watching trees slowly come into view and then vanish in the darkness. A few birds were startled by the lights or just slowly moved away from my direction.

Such a fun paddle. I will need to plan a few more.

BWNP TOMMOS LOOP MTB - 30 NOVEMBER 2016

I checked the surf at Wamberal and Shelley Beach. Not the best but a pretty sunrise.

I drove up to Brisbane water National Park for a bike ride along the Tunnel Trail and Tommos Loop with a play around the old quarry.


One of the major features of the old quarry are the two large pools of water. One looks quite natural with reeds and birds. The other is a rectangular pond scraped from the rocks. Today, the water in the latter was very clear. It looked like it would be good for a swim.

It was fun riding along the edge of the pond and the rough ground of the quarry.

From the quarry, I followed the trail around to Staples Lookout. The trail had a few steep sections and some great views over the hinterland to the west.

A highlight towards the end of the trail was a pair of Glossy Black Cockatoos. Noisy but pretty.

Staples Lookout has a panoramic view over Brisbane Water from Gosford to Ettalong.

The next section was down Woy Woy Road. The most dangerous spot due to high speeds of bike and cars.

A very hot and fun 8.8km ride.

I still had enough time for a swim and coffee at Terrigal Beach.

CENTRAL COAST - Shelley Beach to The Entrance - HIKE - 20 August 2010

 

A beautiful, warm and sunny winter's morning.

I walked along the coast from Shelley Beach to the Entrance passing through Toowon Bay and Blue Bay. The water was clear with a small swell. Too bad it wasn't summer as it would have been perfect for a swim or snorkel.

CENTRAL COAST - Bateau Bay to Shelley Beach - HIKE - 8 August 2010

I parked at Bateau Bay and walked the short distance to Shelley Beach via the coast. The tide was low so a lot of marine life was visible. The sooty oyster catcher was meandering around the wave zone looking for shellfish. It was an easy and interesting walk which took me an hoiur but is probably a ten minute walk.