Central Coast (New South Wales)

The Central Coast of New South Wales is a coastal region immediately to the north of the state capital of Sydney and south of the state's second largest city Newcastle.

Cities and towns

 * – a coastal and lakeside town in the northeast.
 * – the main city and CBD; also one of the most populous single city suburbs in Australia.
 * – an affluent beachside town east of Gosford.
 * – a coastal town, named after the channel that forms "the entrance" to the Tuggerah Lakes.
 * – a bayside town located south of Gosford.
 * – the main town in the northern part of the Central Coast.

Understand
A quiet semi-rural region between the cities of Sydney and Newcastle, it represents a great way to get away from the busy Sydney life without having to journey very far. It takes about 90 minutes to drive through when there is no traffic. It contains many suburban areas as well as numerous reserves and national parks.

The area's traditional owners, the Guringai and Darkinjung people, were among the first encountered by the British settlers. As travel between Sydney and Newcastle was mostly done by sea, the early colony only had smaller settlements. The Great Northern Road, built by convict labour, was completed in 1836 and opened the area up to more development thereafter.
 * Visit NSW tourism website

By car
You can take the Pacific Motorway (M1) from Sydney, and exit at Gosford, Ourimbah, Tuggerah or Toukley exits depending on what part of the Central Coast you wish to go to. The trip from the start of the freeway at the north of Sydney will take around half an hour to the start of the Central Coast.

By train
The coastal areas of the Central Coast are well served by the NSW TrainLink network, which is a very economical way to visit the area. Trains from the Central station in Sydney direct to the Central Coast depart approximately every 30 minutes. The main stations are Woy Woy, Gosford, Tuggerah and Wyong. Journeys are on the Opal card and cost between $5 and $8 one way. The journey can take anywhere between 1.5 and 2 hours.

By ferry
Ettalong is accessible by ferry from Palm Beach in Sydney with the passenger ferry crossing the Hawkesbury river every hour or so. Buses run from the Wynyard and Manly to Palm Beach. Bikes are allowed on the ferry. The enthusiastic travel-planner can do a round trip back by bus and train. On the western end, there's car ferries from Wisemans Ferry which operate every few minutes.

By bus
CDC NSW operates bus route 592 from Hornsby, Asquith, Mount Colah, Mount Kuring-gai, Berowra, Cowan and Hawkesbury River stations to Mooney Mooney and Cheero Point in the Central Coast. There are also buses from Newcastle.

By car
As you head out of Sydney into the surrounding bushland, you may think you have left the city behind for the country roads; however, the Central Coast can have traffic and be just as busy as Sydney and Newcastle. Major roads criss-cross the area.

By bus
Buses on the Central Coast are privately run under contract, and are integrated into the Sydney ticketing and information system. You can get timetable information from Google Maps.

By bike
There are some areas with well developed bicycle facilities, particularly between Woy Woy and Gosford, but some roads are busy multi-lane roads only for road warriors. Check out the normal bicycle maps sources (Local Council websites, Open Cycle Map, Google Maps) to plan your route.

By train
The coastal train stops at most major settlements along the Central Coast, and runs frequently throughout the day.

See

 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial
 * Governor Philip Memorial

National parks

 * Brisbane Water National Park
 * Brisbane Water National Park
 * Brisbane Water National Park

Do

 * Watch an A-League match. The Central Coast Mariners are the sole professional sporting team in the Central Coast. Their men and women's teams play in the A-League Men and A-League Women respectively, the highest professional soccer leagues in Australia, with their home games being played at the Central Coast Stadium (also known by its sponsored name Industree Group Stadium). The A-League season runs from October to May, with matches occurring several times a month during this period.
 * The Australian Reptile Park is one of the best wildlife parks in Australia, 3 km from Gosford in Somersby, amongst bushland, and attracts many tourists and locals, and is also known as one of several featured locations in the Australian TV series Bondi Vet and its spinoffs. It has many Australian animals including crocodiles, snakes, wombats, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos and emus, which are not fenced! There are also daily crocodile and bird shows. To get there by public transport get a taxi from Gosford station. There is no local bus service to the park. Some tour coaches operate.
 * The Australian Rainforest Sanctuary at the Forest of Tranquility is a true rainforest on the Central Coast, with true humid climate, nice walks, wallabies running around and rare birds occasionally showing up. $12/adult.


 * Annual oyster festival. Held mid November
 * Spike Fest. An annual festival celebrating the life and works of comedian Spike Milligan

Buy
Whilst the centre of Gosford doesn't offer a lot of interesting shops, there are two large shopping centres nearby. Buses from Gosford and most areas of the Central Coast travel regularly (albeit not always so frequently) to Erina Fair, which contains many mid-range clothing shops, hairdressers, coffee shops, newsagents, department stores, shoe shops, fast food outlets, restaurants and bookshops. There is also a library, gym, cinema and ice rink on the grounds. A similar shopping centre is found at Tuggerah although it is smaller and has less facilities than at Erina Fair.

Eat

 * K.B. Thai Takeaway
 * Pelicans Restaurant
 * Wasana Thai Restaurant
 * Pearls on the Beach
 * Woy Woy Fisherman's Wharf
 * Woy Woy Gourmet Pizza
 * Naman's Kitchen Restaurant
 * The Fish Hut
 * Naman's Kitchen Restaurant
 * The Fish Hut

South
As in many populated coastal areas of Australia, there are many homeowners who rent their houses to holiday makers on a weekly basis. As a guide, a four-bedroom house might rent for a short term price of $700-1500 per week. Local real estate agents usually organise the holiday rentals.



Go next
The Central Coast is between Newcastle to the north and Sydney to the south. Heading out west over the Mangrove Mountains is somewhat challenging, but the Central West awaits.
 * Travel to Sydney's Northern Beaches on the Palm Beach ferry and go walking in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.