Wednesday 30 July 2014

Broken Bay Part 2 - Bobbin Head

Part 2......... 30th July, still in Broken Bay

By now we were starting to feel decidedly grotty and in need of showers so we went further along Cowan Creek and moored Venture in Houseboat Bay where we then took the dinghy to the very end of Cowan Creek to the most gorgeous marina at Bobbin Head. The facilities were amazing (huge, gorgeous ensuite bathrooms, lovely little private lounge, small kitchen facilities) and the staff were wonderful. There's a café and restaurant, chandler and information centre and overlooking the marina is a wide balcony with tables and chairs. There was even fish feeding off of the marina railing. Not tiddlers either but big fat fish who seem to know they're safe from a fishing rod as it's a marine sanctuary. A couple of little kids stood there tossing out fish food and were delighted every time the fish scrambled for a morsel. A few ducks got in for their share too. So cute!

Gorgeous park opposite the Empire Marina






Ahahahaha .... these guys have a sense of humour.
Whilst the dinghy was safely tied up there, we wandered along the river frontage and over to the inlet of another offshoot named Cockle Creek where we watched a couple of guys racing miniature remote control speedboats. I think Dave drooled a little while he watched. Like most guys, anything remote controlled has an almost magnetic appeal and these were actually pretty awesome as they zipped about at high speed. 

A pod of paddle boats coming together before mating season. Beau'iful plumage!
Bobbin Inn near the marina. We didn't get to go here but it looked lovely
When the buzz toys ran out of juice, we crossed over the creek and went exploring along the beautifully maintained walking/interpretive trail, starting at the historic Station (although I'm not entirely sure why it's historic as I had trouble finding information about it)and following the cliffs. 

The historic Station Picnic area
Just one of the many massive sandstone outcrops in the area




 







We followed the board-walk through the mangroves that lined the creek. We walked for a couple of kilometres, spotting wild turkeys, ducks and other birds plus the odd lizard or two that were too fast to snap on camera. We also came across a massive mound of leaves that was about 3-4 metres across and over a metre high. Initially we couldn't work out why anyone would scrape all of the leaves into such a mound until we came across an interpretive sign that told of the bush turkey nests. Mystery solved! They weren't huge birds but they sure built massive nests.


 
It seems that someone is either supremely optimistic, recklessly naive or simply can't read


The board walk became a path which wound through greenery, between boulders and along the river's edge. We wandered a fair way but had to turn back before we really wanted to as time was marching on and we were only at the marina temporarily. One day I'd love to walk a lot further than we did. The views and the area are spectacular. I would have loved to bring Venture in to the marina overnight but we really had no reason to and it's always better to save money where we can so the decision was made to stay in Houseboat Bay for the night and move on tomorrow. 


Trees, boulders, creek, birds...... a bit of everything to just make it gorgeous.
We left the bay during mid afternoon the following day and followed Cowan Creek downstream to the major offshoot of Smith's Creek. In Smith's Creek we found that we were totally alone, which was fantastic. Again, the only thing that surrounded us was deep water and the bushland for miles and miles as the creek wound deep into the Ku-ring-gai National Park. We took Venture to the furthest public moorings we could find, about 2 nautical miles upstream. There we stopped for the night and the following day took the dinghy even further up the waterway where Venture couldn't go. It was stunningly beautiful and is one of the places you could never experience unless you had a boat. Later we sat in the cockpit and watched a pair of sea eagle collecting nesting materials and tucking it into an already substantial nest. I sometimes feel so fortunate that I am able to do what we're doing and see what we're seeing, even if I do get sick or frightened occasionally. 

All alone at Smith's Creek. It felt like a million miles from civilisation.

 

Because of the sheer beauty of the place and because we were in no huge hurry, we lingered another night before finally conceding that the time had come to move on with the weather, so in the morning we motored the entire length, briefly hopped down the Hawkesbury River as far as the railway bridge and then turned around and headed for the Royal Motor Yacht Club Marina in Pittwater where we were staying the night before venturing further north. The marina was pretty busy and, despite being put into a pen for the night, we were asked to move as the 'owner' of the pen had come in in their boat and wanted it. So we were sent to another finger.... a super-yacht finger which must have been 20 metres long! It was wide and private and quiet and fabulous and quite a bit closer to the marina facilities. Ah, sometimes things work out well. :)

Heading in towards Pittwater and ducking through the traffic on a busy afternoon
And the sun rises on another beautiful day as we head off to continue up north.



Location: Bobbin Head, Sydney NSW, Australia
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Saturday 26 July 2014

Breathtaking Broken Bay

Broken Bay (part one)

My apologies for the different font sizes that may appear through this. Sometimes these blog settings have a mind of their own!
The cruise/motor north from Little Manly to Broken Bay was a damp one, with low wind for a lot of the trip, so it was sails go up, sails go down, some sails go up and the engine turns on, sails go down, just run the engine, sails go up again, turn the engine off and start all over again. Swing your partner and do-si-do! It made for an interesting dance and one that, at times, is all too familiar.
On the way we again spotted whales on the horizon but nothing up close and we didn't want to chase them because chances were, if we came within cooee they'd dive and sod off anyway, which is another very familiar scenario, but I figure that we'll get a pretty decent, longer close encounter at some stage without having to chase them down. Besides, they can swim damned fast when they kick that tail out!
Coming through the entrance to Broken Bay, I knew we were going to be in for a treat. The lush bushland high on the slopes came down to the water's edge and surrounded us with absolute tranquility and beauty. It seemed a million miles away from the urban jungle and the sometimes stifling congestion of Sydney yet, by road, it was only a relatively short distance.
Approaching Broken Bay
We motored past the entrance to the built up area of Pittwater to our port side (left for the uninitiated) and ventured into the deep waters of Cowan Creek which is bound on one side by the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and by the Muogamarra Nature Reserve on the other. It was quiet and peaceful, the air was scented green and blue, the birds sent distant greetings to hidden friends and echoes drifted back across the waters. The only thing that spoiled the absolute quietude was the chug of our own engine.
Green to the water's edge
Our first stop was Refuge Bay, one of the many small bays, coves and inlets that make up the Broken Bay area. Refuge Bay was filled with a collective of mostly empty public moorings that looked like colourful, fat pink and yellow water lily buds bobbing on the surface of a pond. We chose a mooring fairly close to a waterfall, sat in the cockpit and breathed in the sweet air and silence. In summer the place would be packed and unbearable but because we had chosen the perfect time to visit, very few vessels were about and most of those that were moored left before dinner, which was fine by us. All but a couple of the boats moored were big stinkpots and even though we waved and smiled and yelled a hearty helloooooo at them, every single one chose to ignore us. I mean seriously, how rude they all were. In fact I would go so far as to say..... SNOBS every last one of them. The only friendly people seemed to be other yacht owners. When the stinkpot boat nearest the small waterfall that makes Refuge Bay so popular left, we quickly moved mooring spots and took that position. It was lovely and from the cockpit, the sound of the water trickling onto the rocks below was like an aural massage of the min

View of American Bay and part of Refuge Bay with some of the moorings
Venture moored in front of the waterfall at Refuge Bay
A little of the history of Refuge bay
The small waterfall at Refuge Bay





















That afternoon we hopped in the dinghy and tootled across to nearby American Cove, another small inlet that was also dotted with mostly empty mooring buoys. There we went as far in as the gigantic boulders would allow and then tied up to a fallen tree branch and clambered ashore to explore. The climb, though not steep, was rocky and sadly my ever niggly knees objected so I sat on the smooth rocks like a stranded mermaid whilst Dave picked his way upstream just to see what he could see. From where I sat I could hear the water trickling down in small, clear waterfalls and rivulets through the crevices while within the green canopy that surrounded me, mystery birds tweeted, chirped and called. It was beautiful.
Dave doing his best Blue Steel impression at American Cove (it's funnier when he's drunk!) :D
Looking from the shore at American Cove back towards Refuge Bay
Back on board Venture, we relaxed and quietly rejoiced as one by one most of the other boats left until there were only 4 or 5 yachts intent on spending the night, spread out over the bay. Osprey, whistling kites and hawks swooped above the gums and occasionally large eagles silently charged the waters in search of a tasty morsel to spear. As the sun disappeared, the aroma of barbecues and the sounds of quiet conversation or the odd, disjointed laugh drifted across the still water.


Sea eagle (plus others we saw (above))
The following morning it promised to be a spectacular day and, being a Sunday, the bay saw a slow influx of boats of all shapes and sizes, from tiny yachts and motorboats to monstrous and noisy gas guzzling snob boats. The bay wasn't full by any means but it certainly gave a small indication of what it must be like during warmer weather. Dinghies, tinnies and small fishing boats buzzed about like annoying giant mosquitoes. Kids on stand up paddle boards drifted past. 
Rafted stinkpots nearby
It's da fuzz!!
Dad sat back while the little girl drove


 









Before too many people arrived we decided to go and visit the waterfall that was only about 50' from us. On the way over we stopped and chatted to the occupants of a yacht that was moored next to us, three lovely blokes, who invited us aboard for a cuppa. We watched from their cockpit as dinghies came and went from the small beach in front of the waterfall, and as kids, despite the slight chill in the air, played in the water that trickled down the rocks from the unseen stream above.
Our lovely 'neighbours'. They made a pretty decent cup of tea. :)
After all of the kids had had their fill of the beach, the rocks, the nooks and crannies and the trickling crystal clear water, we took our turn. While I was looking at the beautiful rock formations on the little beach, Dave, on a funny wenting in the bush, disappeared and then reappeared behind the waterfall. Awesome!! I carefully picked my way up the steep embankment and found myself in a small rock niche behind the water, looking out across the beach to the boat. Though it was seriously only a tiny waterfall, it was still quite magical being in there and I am quite sure that even my knee goblins were slightly impressed because they barely gave me a moment's trouble that day.
Looking through the waterfall
Refuge Bay gets the "Big Thumb of Approval" from Dave.
However, though beautiful, it was time to see other parts of Cowan Creek and so the following morning we moved on. We took a small detour just around the corner from Refuge Bay to a little beach area named Hallet's Beach. This lovely stretch of sand was recommended for its apparently numerous lizards that frequent the beach but I suspect that during winter they were likely all tucked away and hibernating as not a single one was spotted. Instead we saw a gorgeous little kookaburra that followed us up and down the beach, flying silently from tree to tree as we wandered along the sand. It was so cute and just sat there whilst we snapped its portrait over and over again!




 
The little kookaburra who proved to be a camera hog.
Back on board we set our sites for Waratah Bay, another small inlet with four or five public moorings (in fact, small groups of free public moorings were dotted throughout the entire waterway, making it so easy to just go from place to place and not have to worry about where to tie up.)

Once ensconced and caffeined up in Waratah Bay we once again hopped the dinghy and went ashore to follow the walking trail that ran a few kilometres through the national park to a carpark high in the hills. There was a LOT of up along a narrow path that, though well worn, was mainly rocks and holes. It was tricky but still a really nice SLOW walk/climb and all was good until the camera battery went flat half way up. Ugh! So typical! My phone also went flat within a few minutes of the camera so unfortunately we didn't get as many photos as I'd hoped but hey, what can you do huh? 
 Mystery birds again kept us company, their calls and trills echoing along the gully. After a couple of hours of managing not to break an ankle in the potholes and succeeding in not falling into the precipice that ran along one side of the path, and upon hearing traffic in the distance (there was apparently a car park at the end of the path), we retraced our steps and finally made it back to the beach. I know I may make it sound like hard work but it was actually a great and quite peaceful walk and the little bay was simply gorgeous. 
One of a few sea planes that were buzzing around.












Cruising towards Waratah Bay.





















Venture moored in Waratah Bay
Old mussel encrusted footings

























Old houseboat wreck on the bank



























The next day saw us off again, this time to Castle Cove. We were expecting a lot from this small bay as it was apparently a historical site but unfortunately, after landing, there wasn't a lot to see or do. Basically there was a low sea wall, and some steps and not a lot else but the utter peace and tranquility made up for the lack of sightseeing stuff so we just stayed the night and experienced an absolutely wondrous sunset. What it lacked in history it made up for in awe.


Castle Cove reflections.
More of the reflections in the still waters of Castle Cove.
A most beautiful sunset.




The brave huntress exploring stuff and things
 











































STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO!! .......



Location: Broken Bay, New South Wales, Australia
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