Jerusalem Bay Sunrise

I walked down after work and slept in my bivvy bag. A very hot and humid night and I was damp with sweat when I arrived at midnight. The weather app was saying 100% humidity. I slept on top of the bivvy bag for an uncomfortable night with beetles, cockroaches and mice crawling over me. At about 0230 I moved spots to beat the mice which seemed to work. 

Sunrise was just after 6 but first light was just after 5 and I started taking photos at 0515. Wasn't a great sunrise with clouds obscuring the sun but I enjoyed being there nevertheless.

After an early breakfast and a quick walk out I was back home by 0800 from my mini adventure.

Mogo Campground and the Circuit Flat Bridge

I hadn't seen my sister and her partner for xmas as they had been on holidys so we decided to meet for lunch at the Settlers Arms pub at St Albans. 

Someone with a sense of humour had visited the toilet in the park opposite.

Lunch in the beer garden with the peacocks and chooks. A half decent feed of fish a chips and a few beers under the huge camphor laurel trees. A good place to see Blue-faced Honeyeaters. I remember being surprised to see them here when I last visited 10-15 years ago. 

Typical January weather of hot and humid days had slowed my walking down, so I took the opportunity of being out this way to camp at Mogo Campground in Yengo National Park and doing a night walk of the Circuit Flat Bridge walk.

I had recently bought myself a camping recliner so I now have all the comforts of home.

Sausage curry simmering away. 

Some night photos of the Circuit Flat Bridge. I was playing with the lantern function of my torch to light up the foreground.  This was not real precise so a few over exposed shots needed a bit of Photoshop magic to help.

The torch lantern has a range of blue, red and green lights so I also had to see what they could do.  

Eventually I got the timing right

After a good sleep listening to the Koalas grunt and groan through the night I was looking forward to the birds in the morning as there had been reports of Turquoise Parrots here a few weeks prior. No luck today and very few birds around. 

A Bassian Thrush being the only bird worth photographing. And of course I had no luck locating the koalas that had been there during the night. 

Night Fall, Box Head

I had woken up tired and fatigued and moped around home all day. Feeling that I needed to just get out I decided to have a BBQ dinner at Putty Beach and then walked out to Box Head at last light. I missed the sunset but got some nice colour for my night photos. A short walk of only 3.6klm out and back. I was back at the car at 2230hrs after an hour or so taking photos.

Looking back at Tallow Beach on the walk out.

Box Head in the twilight 

Broken Bay, hand held, on the phone camera as I arrived at the lookout after sunset. 

Then some timed shots with the SLR and tripod. 

The glow from Sydney looking south over Barrenjoey. 

A longer exposure somewhat overexposed. 

Governors Head and Ben's Walk

They had shut down Bristol Point campground where I had stayed last time I was at Booderee and this time I had to camp at Green Patch. I am not used to camping in close proximity to other people, so after collecting firewood and setting up my cot tent I went out and walked to Governors Head in the dark to get some night photos.

The first two show before and after photoshop results.

Back at camp I found that the fire place near my tent was shared and the fire I set was already lit. A lovely young couple and it was pleasant to talk for a while while I was cooking my salmon mornay for dinner. After dinner I sat in front of the fire and watched a movie on my tablet. Cold but not too cold. Next morning I packed up slowly and went out to Murrays Beach for a paddle in my kayak. I couldn't see the water from the car park and trolleyed the kayak down to the boat ramp. The wind had come up and it was a little choppy, not like yesterdays calm. I paddled about a klm down to Hole in the Wall hoping it might get calmer as I got further into the bay. It didn't, so I turned around and came back to the ramp. No pictures as it was what I call a busy paddle with no time to stop.

I then had some time up my sleeve before heading home so I stopped in Nowra and had alovely walk at Ben's Walk which is a loop around Nowra Creek and along the Shoalhaven River.

A great lookout over the river from the start of the walk at the Nowra Showgrounds.

Nowra Creek from the suspension bridge. 

The jetty at Depot Farm

The crossing at the tidal limit

Nice melalueca forest on the flats heading back. 

Back at the Shoalhaven at the mouth of Nowra Creek 

Then along the river and through the cliff line back to the lookout. This area is I think a big area for sport climbing, but I took the conventional track and stairs back to the top. 

An excellent walk of just under 4klm.