Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 22: Underwater at Avalon Pool

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Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 21: Avalon Pool

Pool Number 3. The water was warmer than at Palm Beach and Whale Beach, but much of the bottom was covered with seaweed. Tomorrow: a glimpse underwater.

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 20: Avalon Beach

Here's an Avalon factoid: In the 1990s, an episode of US TV show Baywatch was filmed at Avalon.

There was some talk of permanently relocating the show to Avalon, but that got stymied due to protests by locals.

Avalon was named in 1921 by a local developer, Arthur Small, after the mythical resting place of King Arthur.

There is a pool at the southern end, nestled under the cliff. The headland is Bilgola.

Read more here

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 19: Avalon Headland

Avalon Head seen from the southern end of the Bangalley Head walk. The gap just visible towards the end of the cliff is St Michael's Cave.

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 18: Flannel Flower

 Sydney (or Eastern) flannel flowers (Actinotus helianthi) along the track through Bangalley Head. It is a member of the carrot family!

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 17: Bangalley Head

Above: The view north from Bangalley Head. The climb is pretty strenuous, but well worth it for the spectacular views from the highest point on the northern Sydney coast. Barrenjoey Head is clearly visible, as is Palm Beach. The headland in the middle distance is Little Head. The one with the house on top is Careel Head.

Below: The view south towards Avalon. The next headland is Avalon, the beach is Avalon, and then the next headland is Bilgola Head.

This great diagram from the website of Reef Care shows the geological compsition of the various headands of the northern beaches.

Brown: Narrabeen shales and sandstones (cross bedding, variable layers, variable erosion - stepped rock platforms, debris retained, boulder beaches)

Pink: Bald Hill Claystone (regular bedding, thin layers, easily eroded - large rock platforms and free-form boulders)

Yellow: Hawkesbury sandstone (blocky formations, thick layers, erosion resistant - cliff forming, massive rock falls)

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 16: A Whale!

Here's the only whale we saw at Whale Beach: a mosaic at the handbasin in the women's toilets.

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 15: Whale watching?

A father and his young son sit on the rock platform at the southern end of Whale Beach. It's out of season for whale watching, but the boy seemed captivated by the yacht sailing past.

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 14: Rock Carving

Carved stone on the rock platform at southern end of Whale Beach.

There is one at Palm Beach as well.; photo (left) by Ann.

I have no idea who did these, but I have read a report that they have been there for decades. Anyone with any information, please post!

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 13: Honeycomb Weathering

Honeycomb weathering on the rock platform at the south end of Whale Beach