TOUKLEY KAYAK KLUB OLD REPORTS
Website created on 9 Jan 2009.This page has reports from 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010.
For current webpage, click this button
For earlier reports, 1 Jan 2010 to 30 June 2010 click here.
TOUKLEY KAYAK KLUB OLD REPORTSWebsite created on 9 Jan 2009.This page has reports from 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010. For current webpage, click this button For earlier reports, 1 Jan 2010 to 30 June 2010 click here. |
| Tuesday
28 December 2010 - Wallarah Creek With grey, overcast skies, 23 paddlers hit the water for a very pleasant paddle up Wallarah Creek. Five of the paddlers were visitors, who hopefully will join us again in the not too distant future. The weather didn’t deteriorate, and at times the sun even managed to shine through. It was around the 20 degrees, not too hot – not too cool. We paddled along the creek up past the railway line to a fallen log which signified the end of the line. 8.5kms were paddled in total, although some very keen, fit people did an little extra distance heading out toward the lake before heading back to shore for morning tea. No log-jumping or bush-bashing today, just a very pleasant casual paddle – just what was needed after the Christmas “hurley burley”. Considering it is holiday time and lots of holidaymakers around, the creek was almost exclusively ours, apart from two boats out fishing near the road bridge. They don’t know what they are missing! Wishing you all a very healthy, “oar-some” 2011. Happy New Year everyone! See you next year. Doug and Sue PS I forgot to mention Alan and Sandra christened their new beautiful timber double kayak that Alan built. It has a couple more coats of varnish and a few minor adjustments to the cockpits to complete it, but it looks very nice and it floated “just like a bought one”! It sure attracted the crowd! Great job Alan! PPS Harry's and Carol's photos are here. PPPS Harry's water dragons have more added. See them all here. |
| Tuesday
21 December 2010 - Davistown Doddle Seabreeze shows westerly winds around 10 knots, which forced us to abandon our Saratoga start, so we drove round to good old Davistown which isn't quite so exposed. From there we paddled down Cockle Channel to Kincumber Broadwater and had a little look around there, after which the less adventurous ones went back to the venue (it was very windy) and the others went over to Bensville and back past Empire Bay (I didn't have a clue where I was, thinking that was Saratoga). The final push of 45 minutes from Bensville into an unrelenting headwind finished off an excellent paddle which included quite a few little creeks and waterways, including one that finished up behind the houses in Grevillia Ave, Davistown. Despite the wind, conditions were very pleasant, if somewhat warm at 30°C. I haven't got any statistics, like how many and how far but I think about 16 and 10 respectively, depending on where one went. Kee and his mates went right around Kinky Broadwater, so further for them. Bob's photos are here. Danny. |
| Friday
17 December 2010 - Ourimbah Creek Adventures - Only three kayakers made it to Chittaway Bay, Danny, Barry and Kee. Richard rode by on his bike to say he had something else on, and Doug waited at home for a lift which never came - mis-communication. Sorry, Doug! Cloudy but warm with fast-flowing water in the creek- ideal conditions! We paddled up to the weir and dragged our boats over, so opening a new world of kayaking fun in beautiful surroundings. A nature wonderland, with dozens of water dragons, spiders (use your paddle to ward them off), dragon flies (one landed on my knee), darters, a zebra finch, bell miners, but strangely hardly any ducks. Some of the creek up higher is magical with completely overhanging trees, and ferns, and cicadas by the million. Kee brought a handsaw so we were able to clear a few little obstructions, making the return journey quicker. Kee was in his shortest kayak, 4.4 metres, but he still managed to negotiate all the hazards. On the way up we had to get out and drag our kayaks up over the weir, but coming downstream we just paddled down through the rocks and water without stopping. Kee's skinnier boat did better than Barry's and my tubby kayaks in the rapids, not getting stuck as much between the rocks. Baz went and got coffee after our return and we sat on little stools on the footpath and had morning tea, till one o'clock. Estimated distance paddled - 12 km. Kee's photos are here. Danny |
| Tuesday
14 December 2010 - The Entrance North to Long Jetty Thirty-one conscripts for today's paddle in excellent conditions, 27°C, cloudy, wind 10-12 knots SSW. Must be an impressive sight for onlookers! We paddled along the channel from the Ocean Rescue HQ to the bridge, into the lagoon and down to the ocean channel, back around Picnic Point and down to Long Way Jetty. Total distance 10km, so not too hard, and a lovely tailwind back to base. Four visitors today - Karina (Wayne's daughter), Jim, Julie and Evol, all well-equipped and capable, and welcome! A very satisfying outing! Newcomers will be made very welcome. Just turn up! Danny Bob's photos and Harry's photos are here. |
| Tuesday
7 December 2010 - Wyong River/Porters Creek Twenty-three kayakers made the most of a fine day and paddled upstream from the railway bridge. At Porters Creek (P/C), we split into two groups, one going up P/C for miles, the other going up to the weir and back down to Charlton Island. Owing to the recent rains the water was deep(ish) and flowing quite fast in P/C so it was a struggle to make headway, but a pleasure coming back downstream. There were plenty of logs, bushes, bulrushes, reeds and flooded grassland but the extra water allowed us to drag ourselves through. We found a tributary which turned out to be a feed into a wetland with the water flowing away from the creek, so we went down there as far as we couild, till we ran out of water, our usual modus operandi. The Porters Creek crew paddled about 9km, so probably at least 2km up P/C. Bob paddled his ocean-going kayak everywhere the rest of us went in our short tubs. A very pleasant day paddling, and welcome to newbies Ray and Meryl. Check the Album Guide for today's photos. Harry's and Bob's are separate. Danny |
| Tuesday
30 November 2010 - Wyong River Lower Not many paddlers today, probably because it was raining earlier. However... Thirteen kayakers launched at Tacoma and paddled in some mist to the lake, which was flat but you could see rough water out in the middle. You couldn't see The Entrance for the mist.. On the way back it actually rained for a few minutes, then, surprise! it cleared up and turned out a lovely day, cloudy, warm and still - so relaxing. Jill turned back in the rain and missed the rest of the paddle up towards Wyong bridge. Doug found a couple of little creeks which we had never noticed before - not long but interesting, heading up to the road through the bush. See Harry's photos. Some of the faster boats went all the way to the bridge, but those in tubs just paddled as far as Charlton Island with its quaint little channel. In any case most of us paddled for about 2.5 hours, quite a good workout. Sue had the table all set for us, with a hot drink and nice tucker for the weary travellers. Danny Harry's and Russell's photos are here . |
| Saturday
27 November 2010 - message from Rob H Dear PPPs All has gone well with the eyes and I expect to get clearance to be back on the water in a few more weeks. Have had a major hiccup with computer – totally corrupted HDD. Needed to install new one and lost all that was on the old one. All contacts went as well as some reasonably important stuff which was backed up but somehow also I lost. Will be getting old e-mail address back soon but meantime can be contacted on – robert_hellyer@bigpond.com |
| Friday
26 November 2010 Report and photos from today's bike ride Kellyville/Richmond are at the TDCC website here. Russell's photos from Cockle Creek, just received, are here. |
| Tuesday
23 November 2010 Budgewoi Sunset paddle Fantastic! Despite a good NE breeze, conditions were perfect for this second sunset paddle. Warm, perfect sunset, wonderful venue and catering... Many thanks to Sue and Doug for proposing, planning and executing this brilliant outing, attended by 24 paddlers and other friends and family members. Really, mere words can hardly do justice, everything was SO nice. The barbecue was fabulous. The paddle itself, under the road bridge onto Budgewoi Lake and around to Buff Point, into the setting sun, was quite easy. Even coming back into a headwind was not difficult, except seeing where to go. We just followed the flashing channel markers and kept out of the shallows. At one point paddling towards the west, the pelicans out in the middle were standing in water up to their ankles. I know, I've had to get out and drag my kayak across the sand bars when I tried to take a shortcut last year. Our other wildlife encounter was on the way back in the dark, as Doug pointed out to me a big stingray in the water ahead. This was confirmed as I ran over it with a thump and a splash. The lights were all on back at the park, so we had supper afterwards, packing trifle into cups to take home,and partied on till after 9.00pm. Bliss! Carol and Harry's photos are excellent and are here. Danny |
| Wednesday
17 November 2010 - Cockle Creek update Bob's photos are here. |
| Tuesday
16 November 2010 - Cockle Creek, Speers Point Overcast but fine, apart from a light sprinkle at 10.30am for 5 minutes, with sunshine and blue skies by noon. And you thought it would be horrible! Wrong! So only 6 male kayakers, and two support staff (Sue and Suzie) made up the contingent today, more than enough to have boatloads of fun. We paddled up Cockle Creek to The Weir Road causeway, or back around Five Islands (no-one did both) but we all totalled 13.5km and were back by noon. OK, Danny and Bob failed to make the causeway, but we did the islands instead. On the way north up the creek we had a firm following breeze, which was nice, and on our return the breeze had gone, which was even nicer. Wildlife encounters included seeing a big C-Eagle perched on a tall dead tree, but when we approached it took off, revealing a large fish in its claws. Did Bob have his camera ready? Sadly, no. The other group was startled by Mark squealing and splashing about as a fish landed in his lap (he had only little shorts on) and, again, nobody had a camera ready. I also saw another bird which I think after some research was a grey plover (light grey with a black face and chest). Lunch was very enjoyable consisting mainly of Sue's lovely sammidges and Danny's toasted turkish with hammen cheese. And some coconut macaroons. I don't know where everyone else was but you missed a rewarding outing. Danny |
| Friday
12 November 2010 Russell's photos from last Tuesday are here. |
| Tuesday
9 November 2010 - Tuggerah Lake At least 18 kayakers took to the water while Doug supervised from the shore with a wounded leg. Conditions seemed totally perfect as we cruised north towards Canton Beach, some 7 km away, with temperatures about 23° and a 3 knot southerly in a cloudy sky. People made their own decision about when to turn back with some only reaching the point at Magenta, while other sturdier stock reached Canton Beach. These latter paddlers didn't arrive back till well after 12 noon, after paddling the 7km back against what had then become a 10-12 knot headwind, but not as warm as earlier. It was quite a surprise to realise there was a breeze at all after one turned into it. Peter decided to detour down to Toukley Bridge and back round to The Beachcomber and straight home. Good move! For the rest of us it was a good tough paddle finishing with a delicious morning tea, prepared lovingly by Sue who came down specially to put it on for us. Thanks Sue! Danny Harry's photos are here. |
| Tuesday
2 November 2010 - Swansea paddle This was the one some of us dreaded, but it turned out very enjoyable. Launching at the firsr ramp in Dobinson Drive (Thomas Humphreys Reserve), we set out down the channel to the bridge, underneath amid all the swirling currents, and sharp right into Black Neds Bay, an interesting but shallow waterway with houses and boats ranging from the most humble to the magnificent. Conditions were mixed, being cloudy but warm, and a NW breeze of 10-18 knots according to Seabreeze®. The outgoing tide under the bridge and in the channel was running at about 4 knots by Mike's GPS, so it was a struggle to get back. We only did about 7km in 90 minutes but that was enough so we had an early m/t where we put in extra time to make up for the short paddle. Jen and Gra had well-founded doubts about their inflatable, so they used Sue and Gail's kayaks, while those two stayed ashore and set the table. An interesting and different paddle and one which we should do again. Danny Bob's, Russell's and Harry's photos are here. |
| Saturday 30 October 2010 - Kee's video from last Tuesday is here. |
| Tuesday
26 October 2010 - Newcastle Harbour A long trip to Newcastle but worth it - a beaut paddle up Throsby Creek and Styx Creek. Twenty-two hardy voyagers in 20 kayaks took in the delights of these concrete drains, surrounded by lovely parks and trees, then paddled downstream to Wickham wharves and The Basin Cut onto the mighty Hunter. How fascinating to see gigantic structures at Forgacs shipyard, and the NSW Grain Terminal! Get as close as you like! Some more adventurous types went further down past the Tug Berths. Weather was perfect as usual and morning tea divine. Photos are on their way by the hundreds. Harry's are here. Bob's photos are here. Kee's video is here. Enjoy! Danny |
| Monday
25 October 2010 Attached is a letter from our friend Tony H. Click here. |
| Tuesday
19 October 2010 - Budgewoi - Lake Munmorah We have photos from Harry and Bob of this interesting-looking paddle from last Tuesday. There are no captions - too hard to do if you weren't there! The photos are here. Any participant is free to write a short report on this day out. Just e-mail it to the above address (click 'Back to Top') |
| Thursday
14 October 2010 - Ourimbah Creek Russell's photos from Tuesday have come back from the chemist's. They are here. Also we have a letter from Rob H who has just had eye surgery. See it here. |
| Tuesday
12 October 2010 — Ourimbah Creek Fifteen or so paddlers turned up on a very pleasant day for the water, not too hot, nor too cold, a bit windy, cloudy, not raining. We haven't been here for months so it was nice to see the old creek again. There was a lot of wildlife (water dragons, water-hen chicks, bell miners, which are green that lady who asked, darters, ducks etc). We paddled up to the weir but didn't have the energy to climb over it. Russell would have! On return to Sunshine Park a few of us paddled downstream a few kms as we had done only 7.5km. Patrick's friend Paul was in M-J's Escape and put it to the test by grabbing a rope swinging off a tree and stood up and climbed up it till he was out of the water, kept the kayak in reach with his toe then got back in without falling over. If I had tried that I would have been in the drink as I don't need much encouragement. Well done, Paul! Come the warmer weather we must find some wild creeks to explore. Next week some of us will be away on the bike club holiday so you will be able to lead yourselves wheresoever. Harry's and Bob's photos are here. Danny |
| Saturday
9 October 2010 — Bob and Lorraine's Tea Gardens Trip Bob and Lorraine recently did a nice kayaking trip up north, and sent us some photos and a report. Click here. |
| Tuesday
5 October 2010 - Wyong River Nice to be back on the old river again. Twenty-nine paddlers presented themselves for an invigorating paddle down Wyong River, with some going out on to Tuggerah Lake to play with the swans. The weather looked a bit iffy earlier, after days of rain, but it turned out perfect, maybe even a bit warm after a 12.5km journey, powered only by our hands. The good thing about writing the report is you don't have to mention anything embarassing, so I won't. All I can say is I'm glad it wasn't cold, or windy. Kee reckons he has video footage but we'll wait and see. I love that little island (Charlton Island) halfway down to the lake, and the channel that separates it from the left bank. It's a little paradise, complete with kingfishers and other birdlife. Marie-Jeanne paddled today, albeit on a different course, so it was good to see her back in the seat again. Rob is off now for a couple of weeks while he has eye surgery, and our friend Tony has had a nasty motorbike accident and will be missing out-of-action for some time after surgery. Next week another lovely river kayak adventure in Ourimbah Creek. Bob and Russell's photos are here. And Kee's video is here. Danny |
| Tuesday
28 September 2010 - Chain Valley Bay Good turn-up today (over 20) and nice to see Marie-Jeanne again, and Barry, and Ron H. A lovely day with a 5-8 knot westerly so we paddled clockwise round the Bay up to Mannering Park Sailing Club, then across the water to Black Neds Point, Summerland Point, except for the ones who went straight back, then back with a good tail-wind (use a higher gear) to the Old B's park. This is a nice venue with everything. We had a little paddle up a creek towards the power station which reminded us how nice a creek paddle can be. Next week a shady river paddle at Wyong Lower. Thanks everyone for the delicious morning tea and especially thanks to Doug and Sue for their unstinting devotion to duty. Kee's and Russell's photos are here. Danny |
| Tuesday
21 September 2010 - Pulbar Island A stunningly beautiful day and venue, thanks to Mike. Lake Macq. is amazing, just perfect for kayaking (on a nice day). Clear water and plenty of it, lovely rocky shores and sandstone bushy cliffs. Starting off on the right foot, all 24 of us were there and ready to go at 0900hrs, a first! Paddling out from Dobell Park in Wangi, straight across to Pulbar is only 2km, around the back and across to Wangi Wangi Point, then back along the peninsular to the isthmus, an easy 9km - not too tiring for those of us in sit-on tubs. Other tough guys in Sea kayaks would have done more but the call of morning tea was too strong.(You should hear it!) To emphasize what a great day it was, all of us were still there an hour later — no-one wanted to go home! Bob and Harry took some amazing photos. See them here. Oh, now we've got some from Kee. They're here. Next week we're sticking with Lake Mac, but further south. See you there! Danny |
| Wednesday
15 September - Kee's Lament I read Danny's report of yesterday's paddle, and from the photographs, I really missed a good day out. It would have been great to see Mike's sunnies and Darryl's swim. The Long Haul Tuesday Group normally takes off at 10 am. Yesterday at around 8.00 am, the coordinator called to cancel the trip from Peat Island (Near F3) to Marramarra & all the creeks there because of bad weather. It was just rain, quite heavy of course, but there was no wind. I thought of dashing off to Wyee Point to join you guys for the 9.00am launch but it would have taken me more than an hour to reach there. And you know what I did yesterday? Nothing. Can't even walk the dog or do any weeding. I am still sulking. We should thank Harry for the wonderful pictures of the wildlife. They are fantastic. Kee. |
| Tuesday
14 September 2010 - Mannering Park One of our favorites, under the pipes at Rutleys Road and up Wyee Creek. Didn't disappoint with the nice weather and beautiful scenery. At least 18 of us went straight across to Wyee Point where Doug had some kangaroos organised to meet the wildlife quota. We paddled up to the Enchanted Forest and came back through Mannering Lake in the warm water, kindly provided by the Vales Point power station. Back under the pipes where Daryl was rostered to meet the falling overboard quota. See Harry's nice pix here. Got some good bike ride reports if you're interested. See link above. Harry has given us some of his African Wildlife photos here. Danny |
| Thursday
9 September 2010 Jennifer and Graeme have updated their travelogue and it can be seen here. What a fantastic holiday! Best news of all they are coming home soon. Danny |
| Tuesday 7 September 2010 First time I've actually paddled on the Hawkesbury River, and well worth the wait. Such a beautiful place, thanks Doug and others who suggested it. The ex-HMAS Parramatta lies about 4.5km upstream from Moonee Moonee, past the very interesting Peat Island, and Cabbage Point. Conditions were 'Goldilocks' - not too cold, not too hot, hard or easy, just right. I was surprised at the turbulence and current in the river, as we battled a 2-3 knot outward tide and a stiff wind from somewhere. Good on the way back, but. At the top of Milson Island it was very choppy with whirlpools and waves, but Mike tells me this is tame for the Hawkesbury. Those who went around said island paddled 9.5km, but I paddled longer, as I couldn't keep up with the fast boats in my DAG. There are some great photos from Bob and Kee and they are here. Danny Bob's photos from last Friday have been added to Kee's album. They are here. |
| Friday
3 September 2010 - Kee's Adventure Paddle Four paddlers turned up for the adventure, Mike S, Robert H, Bob W & Kee. At the start, it was drizzling and then it rained, heavily. In such wetness, there was still good news, ie no wind. We set off in very calm and flat waters and by the time we reached Calabash Bay, the rain had stopped. Since the paddle was almost effortless, we decided to head straight for Marramarra Beach. We did it in about 1.5 hours. Bob's GPS recorded a distance of 9.8 km (which meant that the last time, the wind stopped us less than 2 km away). The scenery on the way was just astounding, almost calendar-like and too good for all our waterproof cameras. At Marramarra Beach, we had our refreshment but Mike decided to have a swing on the rope tied to a tree branch. Almost, since he forgot to bring his 16 year old body. After the break, we tried to explore Coba Bay but ended up in Donnybrook Bay and were rewarded with lots of muddy bottoms but not bad enough to ground the kayaks. When we found Coba Bay, it was beautiful and is home to some of the biggest oyster farms I have seen. It even has a big water pump to circulate the water. On the way back, we faced some fresh head-wind but it soon turned to be behind us and then died off to give us flat water again. We did a quick stop at the same beach opposite Bennetts Bay and headed back for some warm BBQ. At the Berowra Waters Inn, we spotted the sea plane and had some photos taken. Mike wondered if the quality of the food at the Inn would match the view there. Each brought our own meat to cook at the Berowra Waters picnic table. Boy, the fresh wind was cold there. The same kookaburra from Crosslands must have followed Robert here. It flew down and took Bob's susage from the BBQ stove when it was still cooking. As it flew past Mike at the car park, it dropped the susage onto the ground, possibly from the heat but it was ready for the bin. I can now tick off this trip as one of those "Been there, done that". In total we did 23 km based on Bob's GPS. Well almost, since Bob decided to do a round at the Marina just to get a round figure. We will accept 22.99995 km. Kee PS: Append below Robert's message: Just a note to say how much I enjoyed today and your company. I would not do that sort of trip by myself so it was great to have others whom are interested to enjoy. (Kee's photos are here.) |
| Tuesday
31 August 2010 - Gwandalan Twenty-four paddlers set out in perfect conditions around Crangans Bay, with a short foray into Mangrove Gully Creek, then up to Nords Wharf and beyond, before heading back straight across the lake for a well-deserved morning tea. Doug and Sue didn't paddle but came up with the tea/coffee and sangers, while Suzie and Russell brought hot freshly-baked puffs and scones to complement all the other lovely stuff brought by us. It's a beautiful area up there and it was blissful touring around in our kayaks for free. Next week it's down to the other end of the Central Coast for another tour of the mighty Hawkesberry. Bob's photos are here. Includes his pix of last week at Narara Creek. Danny |
| Sunday
29 August 2010 - Kee's adventure paddle Seven paddlers (Tony H, Dennis, Robert H, Mike S, Doug, Mark & Kee) turned up for this Sunday adventure and they were all happily rewarded, for different reasons. All had the almost windless and sunny day which was more than perfect for the occasion. The distance covered from Berowra waters upstream was estimated at around 17 km (No GPS available) but Mark would have covered 55 km, having started from the Hawkesbury Bridge next to the F3 at around 06.30 this morning. We made 2 stops for tea and lunch along the way. We went past a lady paddling a double canoe on her own. Tough, but she managed. Saw quite a number of scouts and girl guides at the camping ground near Crosslands. Five of us managed to clear a bridge of The Great Northern Walk before the top of high tide and had sufficient water to take us to the end of the creek. Tony was happy when a kookaburra left behind some of his lunch. The bird took precautionary action by watching Tony swallowed his first bite of the sandwich and survived to take the second bite before it swooped down from a nearby branch, taking the sandwich almost from Tony's mouth. Doug is now totally settled into his Osprey. Mike had a blister on his hand after the paddle and now has sufficient excuse not to do any gardening for a while. Dennis brought sufficient hot water to treat the paddlers to coffee after the paddle. There are so much to report but the attached photos will tell the story better. (Click here for Kee's photos.) Kee PS: All present felt that today's weather would have been conducive for the Marramarra assault (proven by Mark who had to paddle past there to get to Berowra Waters) but the heavy Sunday water traffic would have been an annoyance. It was proposed that we should pick a Friday to try the Marramarra trip again but only when we get forecast of conducive weather. So this could be a short notice adventure. Expressions of interest recommended. |
| Tuesday
24 August 2010 - Narara Creek Today 21 paddlers in 20 kayaks headed off from Gosford waterfront to Narara Creek. Whilst it was a glorious sunny, clear day, the wind gusts were at times quite strong and cool. The distance paddled today varied between 10km and, for the more adventurous and fit, approx 19.5kms. This was an easy paddle going with the tide in both directions, which is always a bonus. Crossing the Broadwater on our return was a little more choppy than we would have liked with an increasing cross wind, but there were no dramas and all arrived safely back onshore ready for the usual morning tea/lunch spread. Last week's visitors of Lindy and her 3 kids returned today as Sue wasn’t able to paddle again – hopefully next week she will be back on the water. Come on all you Guys and Girls, the mornings are lighter and brighter and not so cold and the days are glorious, so dust off those boats and join us before you think it will be too hot to paddle. Sue Now a word from Kee: To add to Doug/Sue's report: The weather was beautifully sunny but the wind was fresh at the start. Some of the paddlers were hoping that we adjourned to Dell Road (offered as an alternative) for a more sedate start. However, one of the troop of the Marramarra assault (ie me) managed to convince them that anything less than a 30 knot wind would be manageable. Once we got under the railway bridge into Narara Creek, the water was flat and it was a good re-grouping point to make sure that all were safe. Thereafter, we began to explore the creek in various strategy. Doug and Russell chose to explore all the inlets/canal along the way, even under overhanging branches. Those with faster boats decided to go to end of Narara Creek which seemed to go upstream forever. Tony and Bill decided to turn back at the Manns Road Bridge. Only 4 persistent paddlers (Linda, Dennis, Peter and Kee) made it to the end and it was only 300m from Manns Road. The water was cleaner at the end of the creek and a woman was also seen pruning the trees at a very lovely house. Again Sue turned up with the tasty refreshments after the paddle and I can assure you that food brought by the ladies were well appreciated by all who made it home over the Broadwater. During tea, Mark gave a safety demonstration on how to inflate the folded life jacket that comes with a gas canister. The water was too choppy for him to test whether it would float him on the water. Kee. Kee's photos are here. |
| Monday
23 August 2010 Jen and Graeme have sent a new fascinating episode in their American adventures. Find it here. Also for those interested, the new improved Toukley Cycle Club website is to be found here, and links to the sailing club and the bike club are at the top. All future cycling reports will be on the bike club site. This page has now been split again to include only reports since 1 July 2010. Older website pages going back to The Beginning can be reached via the links at the bottom of this page. My wife has gone out so I can do all this stuff today. Danny |
| Friday
20 August 2010 - bike ride An excellent ride was undertaken today from Toukley to Nobby's Breakwater, Newcastle. About 75km. A stiff westerly breeze helped us most of the way. After starting at Gorokan Fish Co-op we headed up through Toukley and picked up Peter B on the way, even though he had intended going to The Entrance. So the six of us, me, Peter, Doug, Richard, John D and Mike enjoyed the ride and then caught the train home. So this week I have ridden about 170km and paddled 28. Think I'll have a day off tomorrow before doing the Wyong to Catherine Hill Bay on Sunday, for relaxation. Danny |
| Thursday
19 August — Berowra Waters Six guys, Kee, Danny, Daryl, Rob H, Mike and Phil from Sydney, turned up for Kee's Big Adventure. The wind, NW, started at 15 knots, but built to 20-30 kts by noon. Can you imagine paddling into that? We couldn't, so we turned around about 3km short of Marramarra as we couldn't make any headway into this wind. However, we did 16km, except for Mike, Kee and Phil who went exploring in a quiet creek valley, adding another 3-4km. Apart from the wind, conditions were good with warm temps and sunny skies. Kee came well-prepared so we had a barbecue back at the park after our return. I was in Mark's Prijon Millenium but found it tough going until I got a lesson in how to paddle properly (using my shoulders not my arms) and found instant improvement. Kee's photos are here. Danny |
| Wednesday
18 August 2010 By-the-way, a top ride today with the Toukley club up at Newcastle, with 35 riders. But, the news is, yesterday's Tascott photos are up, including Bob's pix from last week at Dora The Explorer. No captions at this time due to time constraints (there are 58 photos so work that out!). Anyway, they are here. Danny |
| Tuesday
17 August 2010 — Brisbane Water/Woy Woy About 20 kayakers turned up at Tascott for a very pleasant day of paddling, around Pelican Island, and, for some, under the road/rail/bike path bridge into Woy Woy Bay and Waterfall Bay. For those who did the full distance it was nearly 14 km. Conditions were excellent with almost no breeze and cool but sunny. I had Mark's Prijon for a try-out before Kee's Big Adventure on Thursday and found it very comfortable and fast, compared to my old DAG. Thanks Mark! Sue and Doug's daughter Lindy was at the park with her 3 kids under 3, the twins, Hamish and Lucinda, and tiny Sophie. Beautiful, all four! Trevor was represented by his son Bram to keep Jill company. A top day on the water! Danny PS See Kee's new report below. |
| Sunday
15 August 2010 — Kee's solo adventure On Sunday, I had a paddle alone from Berowra Waters to Crosslands and beyond and all the accessible creeks on a rising 1.5 m tide, clocking about 20 km. The weather was beautifully sunny most of the time and a slight breeze. As I got back to Berowra Waters at around 1.00 pm, the dark clouds came followed by strong winds. I had to paddle along the edges next to Mangroves to seek shelter. As I as near the ferry, heavy rain fell and the next thing I knew, I was covered with ice shavings. Luckily there was no golf ball sized hail stones. The water also became very choppy and with running waves. And as I was about to load the kayak onto my car, the clouds cleared, it was sunny again and the water was flat. You would not have believed it if I told you that it had just rained except for the wet road surface. Cheers, Kee. |
| Thursday
12 August 2010 Kee and Robert couldn't help themselves so went kayaking at Bobbin Head this morning. He sent this picture of Rob up Cowan Creek. After viewing the photo, click on Back (Arrow) to return here. Kee's photo |
| Tuesday
10 August 2010 — Dora Creek The philosophy of 'don't give it away till you're there' worked well for those of us who used it today. Despite all the rain and cloud a dozen of us turned up at the beautiful Dora Creek river and paddled out onto Lake Macquarie and across to Shingle Splitters Point, about a 9km round trip. Not all of us went the whole way but that's the beauty of kayaking with us, if you stop we'll pick you up on the way back. Splingle Shitters Point is very nice with some beautiful trees which you will see in the photos, and it's not even a kilometre from the mouth of the river. There was a slight breeze once we got out onto the lake making small waves to add interest to our trip, especially for me as I went back in Doug's sit-in streamlined kayak which is totally different to my old tub. I survived but it was a bit small for my legs. Fast, but! So plenty of cloud but not cold or windy, and only a few drops of rain and lots of lovely kayaking water to satisfy our outdoorsy fresh-air lifestyle. Harry's and Russell's photos are here. Danny PS See note on Thursday's paddle above (could be postponed). |
| Friday
6 August 2010 Bike Ride Seven riders made the trip to Swansea in conditions approaching perfect. Richard was late but caught up with us, and Marshall parked his car at Swansea and rode down to meet us. Doug, Hans, John and Anne D and I made up the rest of the contingent. We had our usual little tour of Swansea, around the waterfront, before we headed back, going back through the SRA and Elizabeth Bay re-tracing our wheelruts from the trip north. A light SW breeze made the ride up very pleasant and cooled us down on the way home. For most of us a round trip of aout 70km, but for Richard riding from home 101km. A very satisfying day out with friends. Danny |
| Tuesday
3 August 2010 — Dora Creek Yes, alright, it was a shocker of a day, but seven spunky seniors turned up at Dora Creek, mostly with their kayaks. It was cold, windy and rainy with patches of sunshine but not nearly enough to tempt us into the water. So we found a little shelter shed and went straight to morning tea and had a good chat and a moan, and adjourned proceedings till next week, same time, same place. Whether you decided to come or not you made the right decision. Photos are here. As you may have seen from our photographic tribute, our friend Don Harley died last Tuesday. Our sympathy is extended to his family and friends. Danny |
| Friday
bike ride - 30 July 2010 Much better weather today, apart from a 12 knot NW, but only 3 starters, down to me and Richard after Barry pulled out halfway up Elizabeth Bay Drive. So we only went up the SRA, across towards Summerland Point and back down through Chain Valley Bay. We met Kevin and Jean on the highway, bless them. I was home again by 1130. On Sunday at 0900 the CCTV mob are leaving from Wyong (next to the bridge, west side) going round to The Entrance for coffee. Nice relaxing social ride. All welcome. Danny PS Have a look at this pic of a kayak venue at the Grand Teton Mountains, where Jen and Graeme are visiting. Click here |
| Wednesday
28 July 2010 — Bike ride Seventeen hardy riders assembled for today's ride in rainy conditions, but not cold or windy, so we were all keen to go for it. Some slightly less hardy members peeled off for home as we progressed but most of us continued up to Doyalson, then along Wyee Road, but after Warwick copped a couple of punctures we took a shortcut up Bushells Ridge Road/Tooheys Road to get back to the Motorway Link to save time. This involved a fair bit of gravel/mud roads but it was fun and a change. Our lunch venue was not equipped with shelter so we adjourned to Col's place around the corner for lunch where John H brought the coffee stuff, and Col made pikelets and scones with raspberry jam. Or Jan would have if she was home. There are some photos on the bike club photo page here. Russell's photos have been added to yesterday's Patonga Creek album, click here. Danny |
| Tuesday
27 July 2010 — Patonga Creek Our second visit to this isolated paradise was met with comparatively warm weather and almost no breeze, and no rain. So we paddled up as far as we could, all 18 of us, till we ran out of water. A beautiful wilderness, except for the oyster leases. I wonder how much rent those oysters pay? There weren't many facilities at the launch site, so we adjourned to a near-by picnic ground for lunch, shared with many noisy miners, currawongs, kookaburras and other cheeky birds. Doug negotiated with the CaraVan Park manager for us to use the CVP boatramp and facilities next time. Can't wait! Jen and Graeme's latest travelog is here. Photos for last week at Gosford are now here. Today's pictures are here. Danny |
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Sunday
25 July 2010 — Sunday bike ride Doug and I were at the Warnervale station nice and early for the Morisset/Cooranbong ride, but unfortunately the train didn't stop at Warnie so that was the end of our scheduled ride. However we rode home via Wyong, Tuggerah, The Entrance, Budgewoi and Charmhaven to clock up a respectable 60km. My only regret is that I purchased a $2.50 train ticket and never got to use it. See you all on Tuesday! Danny |
| Friday
23 July — Bike ride to Terrigal Threatening spitting weather gave way to clear sunny skies for 6 intrepid cyclists who, after making their way to Noraville cemetery, rode to beautiful Terrigal for some coffee, with a lovely tailwind up Wilfred Barrett to complete a blissful ride. We used the new cycleway from Magenta and it's very nice, but not as fast as the road. Barry, Doug, Peter B, Mike, Richard and I made up for the non-start on Wednesday. Danny |
| Wednesday
21 July 2010 — Toukley Cycle Club ride Just a quick report for those interested: today's ride around Tuggerah Lake was cancelled, in the face of 10°C temperature, 20-25 knot southerly wind (see Seabreeze), constant rain... that's all. Eight people turned up, including Kevin and Jean who rode from home, and Merrilyn who drove down from Cooranbong. And Warwick and Robyn up from Woy Woy. So plenty of courage there, but we know when we're licked. Try again Friday. Danny |
| Tuesday
20 July 2010 — Brisbane Water paddle Twelve very keen kayakers turned up at Gosford Sailing Club for a paddle around Pt Frederick to Punt Bridge. the temperature was about 15° but felt much cooler in the 10 knot westerly breeze. So we had a head-wind into chop going to Pt Fred from both directions, and a nice tailwind after rounding it. The boats and houses down there are very nice and make you realise how poor you are. Or does for me anyway. Russ and Suzie brought a couple of visitors in a tandem, Jack and Marco, but I think they found it a bit arduous in the conditions. We had to rug up well for lunch, but were kept warm by Sue's sangers and the hot coffee which Doug brought, as usual. Remember this day next February when it's 35°C. Danny Next week, Patonga Creek, not to be missed. See report from October last year here. Last year's photos here. |
| Friday
16 July 2010 — Bike ride Good ride today, from Fassifern rail via Freemans Watering Hole, Cooranbong and Morisset. Lunch at Macca's, then home via Wyee and Doyalson. About 60km with plenty of hills, at a fast pace. Nine riders: Peter H, John and Anne D, Richard, Barry, Doug, Col, Mike and Danny. A bracing temperature but clear sunny skies. No verbs in this report. Danny |
| Wednesday
14 July 2010 Mike's lovely Mum recently passed away and he sent us a nice Thank You card for our good wishes for him. Click here to see it. |
| Tuesday
13 July 2010 — Swansea paddle Twenty kayakers left the beach at Swansea in warm still air and headed south through the very shallow water, past Galgabbah Point and on towards Murrays Beach, a nice residential estate with parkland, toilets, a cafe and bike path where we rested before completing the nearly 12 km trip by going back the same way. The water was mostly quite shallow, very clear and calm, save for the wash from long-gone passing speedboats. The wind sprang up to slow our return and the temperature dropped, so we all stood around in our jackets for lunch. Sue made boxes of sandwiches and Suzanne made a yummy quiche with Rosemary, and fetta cheese. We saw a regal Osprey in a gum tree and many little fish. Then we all went home and had a nap. Except me as I had to write this report. Harry and Russell's photos are here. Danny |
| Friday 9 July 2010 — Bike ride from West Ryde Wharf Nine hardy bikers travelled to the Ferry Terminal at West Ryde for Richard's Adventure Ride. A pleasant meander along bike paths beside the Parramatta River, and around Olympic Park, Homebush, covering about 45km was our reward, with no rain despite threatening conditions all day, including rain going there and coming home. Well organised, Richard! Peter H took four riders and their bikes from Toukley area using Doug's excellent trailer. Merle was the on-duty Super-Nan, having no trouble keeping up to Richard's cracking pace. Also participating, apart from those already mentioned, were me, Tony, Kee, Alan, Clarry and Col. Round trip there and back >200km but who's counting? Well done y'all! Some photos are here. Danny |
| Tuesday
6 July 2010 — Avoca Lakes What a wonderful day! Not all that cold, ripening into a beautiful sunny afternoon at a picture-perfect location. Thanks to the recent rain, there was an abundance of water in what is technically Bulbararing Lagoon. This meant that everywhere we went there was plenty of the runny stuff so running aground was never a concern. This allowed the more adventurous paddlers to explore the reeds and drowned forests and people's back gardens. A few of us went as far as we could up Saltwater Creek which was a long way, and although it got very narrow (one metre) it was still quite deep (one metre), as Denis found out when he came to grief going under a low tree arch. He got stuck on a spike and grabbed hold of the overhead branch... The water was over 6 feet deep, and cold, and his sit-in kayak filled with water and sank, along with his camera bag etc. Doug and Russell and I had to drag the sodden vessel and skipper to a bank to empty out the kayak and wring out the paddler. The camera did not survive the experience, shame! Afterwards we made a big fuss over Don for reaching 80, with a cake, candles, novelty present and choral tributes (we sang Happy Birthday and Freeze a Jolly Good Fellow, which would have suited Denis). Not to mention a gorgeous Apple Cake from The Cheesecake Shop with 80 candles. A photo album with Russell's and my pix, and some from Kee's trip through Nepean Gorge is here. Danny |
 For earlier reports, 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010 click here |
