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A surprising variety of fish at Wavebreak Island

Wavebreak Island is a small island just North of the Spit on the Gold Coast. I had heard there was good diving there and had looked across at it a few times and thought about how to get there, the huge amount of boat traffic and obvious current has put me off. When a trip came up with a local meetup group I paddle with occasionally to paddle across for a morning snorkel I jumped at it. It also gave me a reason to put my partially neglected sea kayak on the racks and go! We started from just South of Jacob's Well which meant we are able to avoid the dozens of jet skis off Southport. The paddle across was short but gorgeous, not too hot, with a gentle breeze and tide cooperating in the direction. After a couple of hours admiring the normal, strange and exceedingly weird boats on the water we reached the island. The island is very popular with boaties so it does take a bit of juggling and some quick pushes over busy boating channels, not hard but not a beginner's paddle. The Island After some exploring around and snacks it was into the water, the current here can be very strong so you really need to time it to a slack tide, high tide was perfect. In the water was a treat, so many fish! The Gold Coast is too far South for most coral but there were many very colourful tropical fish swimming around the rock wall. For less than an hour from Brisbane, it was really impressive, the current meant visibility wasn't terrific but the fish were close so it didn't matter to look at, sorry about the cloudy video though. I have been playing a little more with video and took my GoPro along for this trip. https://youtu.be/Cg_-hj_Mq9Q Not so great visibility but a surprising number of fish Finally, after some more snacks we got back in the water for the trip home. The party split, as meetup groups often do, depending on when people needed to be back. I decided to join some others for a paddle across to Stradbroke Island, it is a very pretty beach to follow along and explore. After a couple of hours paddling easily in no rush we decided it was time and headed back to shore. A great trip, easily reached with surprising rewards. I really need to get out in my kayak more often! The Map Read the full article

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A surprising variety of fish at Wavebreak Island

Wavebreak Island is a small island just North of the Spit on the Gold Coast. I had heard there was good diving there and had looked across at it a few times and thought about how to get there, the huge amount of boat traffic and obvious current has put me off. When a trip came up with a local meetup group I paddle with occasionally to paddle across for a morning snorkel I jumped at it. It also gave me a reason to put my partially neglected sea kayak on the racks and go! We started from just South of Jacob's Well which meant we are able to avoid the dozens of jet skis off Southport. The paddle across was short but gorgeous, not too hot, with a gentle breeze and tide cooperating in the direction. After a couple of hours admiring the normal, strange and exceedingly weird boats on the water we reached the island. The island is very popular with boaties so it does take a bit of juggling and some quick pushes over busy boating channels, not hard but not a beginner's paddle. The Island After some exploring around and snacks it was into the water, the current here can be very strong so you really need to time it to a slack tide, high tide was perfect. In the water was a treat, so many fish! The Gold Coast is too far South for most coral but there were many very colourful tropical fish swimming around the rock wall. For less than an hour from Brisbane, it was really impressive, the current meant visibility wasn't terrific but the fish were close so it didn't matter to look at, sorry about the cloudy video though. I have been playing a little more with video and took my GoPro along for this trip. https://youtu.be/Cg_-hj_Mq9Q Not so great visibility but a surprising number of fish Finally, after some more snacks we got back in the water for the trip home. The party split, as meetup groups often do, depending on when people needed to be back. I decided to join some others for a paddle across to Stradbroke Island, it is a very pretty beach to follow along and explore. After a couple of hours paddling easily in no rush we decided it was time and headed back to shore. A great trip, easily reached with surprising rewards. I really need to get out in my kayak more often! The Map Read the full article

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First Audax of the Year

Finally, the weather has cooled down a bit, so it was time for some riding - very long riding. I rarely write about Audax rides, the last post was the Deliverance Ride back in 2000! It is probably because I rarely take many photos while riding them, I'm too busy peddling! This ride was particularly nice so I think it is time to write something. For those who don't know them, Audax is an international organisation originally from France, traditionally it is either 100,200,300,400 or 600km Randonnée rides needing to be completed within a time based on 15 km/hr average speed (or 11.5km/hr for 600 or more) with a maximum allowed of 30km/hr; these aren't like races, you are unsupported. If you are really keen there is also Paris - Brest - Paris, 1200km. Now, there are also a series of gravel distances, shorter distances and different speeds. All of them are sitting in the saddle for a long time, a good excuse to eat a lot and, when you're speed happens to be the same as someone else, great conversations. Today's weather was fantastic, Brisbane is semi-tropical, which means we normally have hottish, wet summers and dry winters. We have been in a La Niña state for the last 3 years keeping temperatures beautifully low, but it has sadly ended. Three weeks ago this ride would have been 40C (104F), not so perfect, today was 25C, couldn't ask for better. Today's group was quite small, only 8 people spread between 100, 200, 300 and 400 km distances, there is a 1200km next weekend so people are saving their legs. I think the others are missing out! We left Brisbane and headed West through the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley. While Brisbane is relatively flat just west gets very hilly, very quickly. Part of this Great Dividing Range is a section called the Main Range, which is part of an ancient volcano, the horizon is an elevated ridge line of connected mountains. Of course, we don't really have mountains in Australia, these are between one and two thousand meters - but we call them mountains! Even if low they make for gorgeous scenery as we rode through the valley below, Lockyer Valley. Beautiful Lockyer Valley, Surrounded by the Scenic Rim This range is also a great 4 or 5-day hike, the Scenic Rim Trail, you start at one end or the other and walk over everything you can see until you reach the other end. This hike from a couple of years ago is one end, Lizard Point. The first 50km or so was easy riding, mostly with other people, then in a section by myself, I dropped the chain and it got badly caught up in the front chain ring. So badly that I had to break the chain, I had a quick link, but only one, just had to hope nothing happened for the rest of the trip! Various others rode along while I was there and offered assistance, including one policeman checking I was OK. Good to know. After about 15 minutes of fluffing around the chain was back on and it was to the first control. At 75km my tummy was definitely rumbling and crying out for the Yamato MacDonalds! The only time I eat MacDonalds is on these rides, hard to beat their calorific load! Back on the road for a pleasant for 30 or 40km chatting with Paul, one of the 300km riders, until the routes split. The rest of the ride was going to be solo. The next control was at Rosewood, but I stopped on the way at a small town, Harrisville, I really like the bakery. Harrisville Bakery Just outside Harrisville I started passing fields of Sunflowers, it is a little later now, about a month earlier these would have been stunning. Off to Rosewood, a ham and salad roll, then back on the bike for the last push home. Images I had minor surgery about 2 months ago and this has kept me from doing anything more than 50ish km at a time. The last 50km of the ride was hard, normally I have no issues with 200. Turns out, training is useful! One of my favourite areas to road cycle in SE Queensland. On Strava Read the full article

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Peesuke checking out the new doggie beach near home- along with many otter people and dogs today! (at Raby Bay Dog Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn3jX3dyWzy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Day 2 of Brazil vs Italy - they hit the ball hard ! Great to see tennis back in Bris #UnitedCup (at QTC - Queensland Tennis Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmxZ5lhSrIk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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COVID willing I’m off for a ride into Northern NSW tomorrow! #bikepacking https://www.instagram.com/p/CRBEjn2t5ty/?utm_medium=tumblr