Hi there Casey,
As I had not seen the beach areas here and it was a nice sunny day, we went for a coastal drive from Lake Munmorah in the north to Avoca, the last beach on this long stretch of coastline.
We headed north up the Pacific Highway and took the Lake Munmorah turnoff. This is a small town with the lake on the south side and the Munmorah State Conservation Area to the east. The Conservation area is a large public reserve where people can enjoy water sports, walks and camping. There are some magnificent ocean views and beautiful wildflowers to be seen. It covers 12 km of coastline and has a number of pristine and secluded beaches.
Birdie Beach Frazer Beach
A few kms further we came to Budgewoi. As I told you in an earlier email Budgewoi is a small suburb that is bordered on three sides by water, 2 lakes and the Pacific Ocean. Budgewoi beach area is actually 3 beaches, Birdie, Budgewoi and Lakes Beach which together makes 8 km of unbroken sandy beachfront.
South of Lakes Beach is the headland of Norah Head. The area has many lookouts and beaches, the most well known being Soldiers Beach. A lighthouse was built on the headland in 1903 after a number of shipwrecks in the area. The light is visible out to sea for 27 nautical miles. These days, tours are available so people can climb to the top and enjoy the vast views of the Pacific Ocean and the large rock shelf at the base of the lighthouse. At certain times of the year whales can be seen migrating north or south. A weather observation station is there as well.
The next town is The Entrance which we came upon after a few kilometres of bushy road through a National Park. This seaside suburb also has water on three sides. The Entrance got it's name from the channel that runs along much of its eastern border and is the entrance to the Tuggerah Lakes.
They say it was first discovered during a search for an escaped convict woman in 1796. The Entrance has been a very popular holiday place since the first guest house was built in 1855. In those days the only way to reach the town was by wagon from Gosford along bush tracks, or by ferry from Wyong across
Tuggerah Lake.
Today it is a very popular tourist and picnic spot and has two main beaches, The Entrance and North Entrance Beach. There are many pelicans in the area and everyday they are fed in the town centre as an attraction. We walked through the main centre which was bustling with tourists enjoying the many alfresco [outdoor] cafes, children having fun in the water playground and adults enjoying the challenge of the giant chess board. Many fishermen lined the estuary as it is a very popular fishing spot. It was a very enjoyable stop but after a cuppa we headed off again.
We continued on past a number of small seaside suburbs until we came to Bateau Bay. Much of this area is National Park and there are many rock platforms which are perfect for rock fishing and marine life.
We climbed Crackneck Point Lookout which is a short distance from the beach and had a fantastic view right back to where we came from with the beaches seeming to go on forever.
In the upper middle you can see The Entrance with Tuggerah Lake on the left
and those small chimney stacks on the skyline is Lake Munmorah Power Station.
Next largest suburb along the coast is Terrigal which is one of the most popular residential, holiday resort and retirement centres on the Central Coast. Visitors go there for fishing, swimming, surfing, boating, waterskiing and the natural scenery. Terrigal Beach marks the southern end of 4 kms of unbroken beach. Just behind the
middle section is Terrigal Lagoon, a sanctuary for protected birds and animals. One attraction is the famous Skillion, a narrow section of the headland that rises quickly like a ramp. The surface is grassed so it makes a good short walk to the top where there is a lookout. Aboriginals used to inhabit the Terrigal area and apparently the tribe wore possum hair belts (in which they carried their few possessions) and sometimes, possum skin clothing. The men carried spears, stone axes, boomerangs and shields and hunted large prey such as kangaroos and fish which they speared. The women however, provided most of the food - fish (caught on fishing lines), shellfish, fruit, tubers, insect larvae, snakes, lizards and small mammals. In the photo you can see the long beach, the lagoon and the Skillion is in the centre front.
The last main beach in this stretch of coastline is Avoca Beach. It is in a secluded spot and bordered by the Pacific Ocean on one side and a lagoon on the other. The ocean rolls onto a 2 km long beach of fine sand. It is home to some of Australia's best surfers as it has great waves and ideal surf conditions most of the time. It is also a great spot for rock fishing.
The surf was up at Avoca so I hired a surf board and wetsuit and we stayed for a while. What fun I had!
After a great time surfing we headed back to the main road. We passed through Erina, which has the largest shopping centre on the Central Coast and then continued on back to the house. There is still so much I haven't seen of the places around the lakes and Brisbane Water but my time is up and I need to get ready to head home.
Casey, you probably noticed by now that while down here I've grown a little. Total surprise to me but once I came out of the package I just seemed to start growing. We think it must be the Aussie sunshine, blue skies and the fresh sea breezes and of course the Aussie tucker [food].
Pat and I have been thinking how I'm ever going to fit back in that small parcel again but Pat thinks she knows a way so we will try when the time comes. Can you guess what the plan is?
When I first arrived, and before I started to grow I had my photo taken with Reagan. He was being silly at the time and pulled his arm out of his t-shirt. He did give me a bit of a surprise by pulling off some of my buttons but Pat fixed them up and I couldn't be mad at him as he is very cute and only a little boy. Here are the two photos and you can see in the 2nd one he is just getting ready to pull my buttons off.
Tomorrow is my last day at "Serendipity" and I'm thinking of watching a feature film on two popular tourist attractions in Australia. Okay, here's another one for you, can you guess what it might be about? All going well I'll get an email off to you at the end of the day and then I'll be heading home the next morning.
Stanley, your adventurous friend.
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