An Easy Day On The Water: Cookies Beach to Maloneys Beach

After paddling from Cookies Beach toKioloa, Kioloa to Ulladulla, and Tomakin to Malua Bay, the only logical thing to do was paddle from Maloneys Beach to Cookies Beach. Doug threw out an invitation to as many local kayakers as we could think of, but, when the day came, only Doug and I went. 

The first thing we did was lock the Razor (Doug's $10 tip shop bike) to a post at Maloneys Beach before driving back out to the highway and up to Cookies Beach. At Cookies Beach we launched the boats off the beach and paddled out to the passage between Wasp Head and Wasp Island. A group of surfers were trying to work a very small wave breaking on a rocky reef, but otherwise the coastline was empty. 

 

Doug paddling into Richmond Bay

This section of the coast is in Murramarang National Park and is a beautiful stretch of coast to paddle. Little beaches, mostly facing south, are tucked into deep bays, rocky islands lie off bluffy headlands, bomboras break off-shore in bigger swells. 

About half way down the coast, we landed in a small swell at Richmond Beach. There is a lovely little campsite right behind the beach. Back on the water, we continued paddling down to North Head. North Head Beach offered another easy landing spot, but we were nearly to Maloneys Beach so we wrapped around the bay to Three Islet Point. I had heard from local kayakers that there was a good "gauntlet" to run at Three Isle Point. We found the gauntlet, but the waves seemed to breaking right through the narrow passage continuously and neither of us were game to try it. 

 

At Richmond Beach looking south to North Head

Off the end of Three Isle Point, I paddled through a larger gauntlet after watching for a while to time a period of lower swells. Apparently, Doug thought I was a wee bit too close to the breaking swell on the rocks, but, once I had started, I wasn't going to turn back. Doug took the longer way around. 

 

Doug near Three Islet Point

The final stretch past Archeron Beach was a quick easy paddle and we soon arrived at Maloneys Beach. I practised some eskimo rolls, which mostly entailed swimming my boat into the beach, while Doug set off on the Razor to navigate a maze of roads through the National Park back to Cookies Beach. Eventually, after a couple of wrong turns, a bit of bike pushing, and some solid riding, he reached the car and drove back to pick me and the kayaks up. 

 

 Doug paddles into Batemans Bay from Three Islet Point