CENTRAL COAST MTB - RUMBALARA RESERVE - 18 JUNE 2015

A break in the wet weather and my bike is finally fixed.



Decided on a short ride around the tracks at Rumbalara Reserve.

The tracks were okay with the flannel flower track being the best. At the end of the track there were a lot of steps to a parking area.

 

Good views over Brisbane Water.

 

The bike was riding heaps better :)

 

distance 3.19km
elevation range 52m

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - RUMBARALA RESERVE - 14 JUNE 2014

Beautiful winter's day but it is so warm it is more like Spring.

 

Anyway, off for a short hike at Rumbalara Reserve.

 

Nice views. East track. Cup of coffee. A civilized hike!

distance - 0.41km
elevation range 27m

CENTRAL COAST KAYAK - KINCUMBER CREEK - 10 JUNE 2015

A cloudy start with a light drizzle of rain.

Drove to Kincumber boat ramp. There was limited parking close to the ramp.



It was a short paddle to Kincumber Creek.

A different type of paddle - starts as mangroves, then one side of the bank was lined with properties, then it widened and looked industrial with a lot of background road traffic, then it narrowed considerably and the mangroves became thick and overhanging, then the road appeared again blocking the creek but with large drains running under the road.

The narrow overgrown section was like out of a amazon jungle scene except for the ducks and the storm drains were heaps of fun to paddle through.

A good kayak.

distance 4.62km

CENTRAL COAST MTB - KARIONG TRACKS 3 - 9 JUNE 2015

Sunny morning and chain fixed... I think!

Parked near the fire control centre on woy woy road.

There is a small track there but it was very overgrown with spiky bushes. There is a better entrance about thirty metres down the road.

There were great tracks on this side of the road. They were narrow, overgrown, over sandstone, over shallow creeks, over mud and eroded ground. A great variety!

Still more tracks to explore!!!!

distance - 9.21 km
elevation range - 39 m

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN - 7 JUNE 2015

Off for a hike.

I parked at the top of Bayview Crescent Blackwall. There was very limited parking.

It started as a service road but turned into a track at the summit. There were a number of tracks leading to various views of Brisbane Water, Box Head, Broken Bay and the northern coast of Sydney.

 

Half way up there were a number of watertanks and towers.

 

It was a great morning with mist shrouded valleys and waterways.

 

distance - 1.8km
elevation range - 67m

CENTRAL COAST MTB - KARIONG TRACKS 2 - 6 JUNE 2015

Parked near the fire control centre at Kariong.

The track was a bit wet from rain the previous day but not too bad.



Followed Lyre track and turned left onto a narrow and fun track that lead to the water tanks.

Returned on the same track as I wanted to try and find the glyphs again but fate was against me again as my chain snapped. A light cut and a welt across my leg.

I scootered the bike back on the uphill and flats and rode as normal on the downhill.

Glad that it broke in a place that wasn't too bad a return.

distance - 3.38km
elevation range - 27 m

CENTRAL COAST MTB/HIKE - BWNP - KARIONG TRACKS - 1 JUNE 2015

Bike riding at Kariong.

 Checking the maps at Kariong, I was surprised by the number of tracks leading all over the place.

I parked at Bambara Road and Woy Woy Road.

My original aim was to visit the Gosford Glyphs but I got side tracked.

 

I cycled up the main road to the turn off for Lyre Trig. The sun was rising and the colours of the bush were vibrant. The trig had a great view across to Umina and Box Head.

From here I took an obscure track that I cycled and walked. The terrain was were rough. Still there were great close ups of sandstone 'çaves' and cliffs.

I followed a number of tracks that lead to great views and were fun to cycle along.

 

I came across a few maybe real Aboriginal carvings in one isolated spot.

 

distance - 5.96 km
elevation range - 116m

CENTRAL COAST MTB - BOUDDI NP - TURKEY AND NW RIDGE TRACKS - 28 MAY 2015

Parked at Maitland Bay Centre.

A good ride. No falls. Went at it harder! A couple of sideslips in the mud and on slippery rocks. Nice scenery especially with the sunrise filtering through the vegetation.

 

 

 

distance - 6.98 km
elevation range - 51 m

CENTRAL COAST HIKE - BOUDDI NP - BOUDDI SPUR - 27 MAY 2015

Another great morning.

I drove down Mount Bouddi Road and parked at the picnic area at the start of the Bouddi Spur walk. A nice spot for a picnic in Summer as it is very shady.

The track was easy meandering through bsuh and rock outcrops. There are a lot of stairs either log type of hewn into the rock.

The bush scenery was pretty with some flowers, gnarled trees, rock outcrops, grass trees and bottle brushes.

Along the way there were a few indistinct turnoffs that lead to a view over the surrounding bush... nice.

The views of the coastline started to appear just before the final descent to the coastal track.

 

There were great views! I could see Centrepoint Tower and a lot of the northern beaches headlands. there were views of Broken bay and Pittwater as well. The best views were the waves crashing at Buggery and Maitland Bay Point.

A great hike!

distance - 2.66 km
elevation range - 132m

CENTRAL COAST MTB - BWNP - MULLET CREEK TRACK - 25 MAY 2015

An early morning ride along the Mullet Creek track.

There had been a lot of rain of late. BWNP usually dries out pretty quickly. Still, there was a lot of water around.

 

It was a good fast ride to the turn off for Mullet Creek. The track - pools of water, very steep  in parts, muddy and eroded in parts, nice scenery.

 

I ended up stopping part of the way down the track as it was looking very very muddy and the walk back up wouldn't be much fun. I back tracked a bit and took another turn off which lead to the headwaters of Mullet Creek and the railway tunnel.

 

It was cool watching the trains suddenly burst out of the tunnel. The creek was cascading just a short distance from the railway lines. It was very silent!

The ride/walk back out wasn't as bad as I was expecting. maybe getting use to it!

distance - 7.82 km
elevation range - 77 m

AUSTRALIA HOT AIR BALLOONING - POKOLBIN - 23 MAY 2015

This was my birthday present. I have always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon and I wasn't disappointed but I would love to go higher.

I went with Balloons Aloft. Nicolette was our guide and balloon captain. She was very friendly, nice and informative.

The views were excellent going over housing, vineyards and forests.

It was very quiet!

We spent the start getting the balloon ready and learning the techniques of balloon launching. Later, we learned and help in the landing and packing.

Then it was back to Peterson's Champagne House for a huge breakfast.

 

A great day!

 

distance - 13.35 km
average speed - 6.3 km/h
elevation range 73m