The Central Coast, just an hour or so north of Sydney has always been a favourite weekend escape with its sun, surf and sand for beach lovers; arts, crafts and boutiques for shoppers; great restaurants and farm-fresh produce for foodies; national parks for nature lovers; and lots of fun places to take the kids for families.
Beachside Terrigal and its five-star resort, sidewalk cafés, restaurants and boutiques shops selling everything from new age crystals or antiques, to swimwear and expensive designer clothing, is the traditional favourite, but if you travel a little further afield you’ll find small country villages, green valleys, deserted beaches, fishing jetties and majestic mountain-top views — all of which make this area more than just a weekend getaway.
Most people begin their Central Coast trip at Gosford, and if you’ve got kids in tow your first stop should be at the Australian Reptile Park. More than just a zoo it’s the sole Australian provider of venom for snakes and funnel-web spider anti-venoms. It’s one of the only places in the country you can watch the snakes being milked of their deadly poison. Children love meeting the platypus, kangaroos and wombats and having their photograph taken with a huge python or one of the koalas. Don’t miss Spiderworld it’s the only place in Australia where you can see live tarantulas – but don’t worry if you’re arachnophobic; it’s a fun theme-park type exhibit. The Lost World of Reptiles is just as much fun. Ruled over by the giant Egyptian Crocodile God, Sobek it’s full of mad robotic mummies and curious live reptiles with lots of interactive activities for the kids.
From Gosford, you can head south to the sleepy waterside hamlets of Patonga and Pearl Beach and explore some of the region’s five national parks featuring coastal lakes, lagoons, rivers and rugged sandstone country. There are some stunning lookouts, pristine beaches, Aboriginal rock engravings and plenty of bushwalking and picnic opportunities.
If that’s getting a little too close to nature hit the arts and crafts trail. The Gosford Regional Gallery is also home to the Edogawa Japanese Gardens and has a great gift shop with lots of very affordable, original pieces. If it’s lunch time relax with a glass of wine and look out over the peaceful gardens at the Caroline Bay Brassiere inside the gallery.
The Neale Joseph Fine Art Gallery at Erina Heights features beautiful landscapes by one of Australia’s best emerging artists. Neale’s impressionistic, light-filled oils of local beaches are being snapped up by collectors and investors, including George Bush (senior) who hung one of his paintings in the White House, the late Arthur Boyd and the Prime Minister, John Howard.
From Erina, take a drive through the Matcham Valley to the Ken Duncan Gallery and its changing display of Australian landscape photographs.
If you have come to the Central Coast for the beaches you won’t be disappointed. Follow the Scenic Highway, which despite its grand name is more of twisting country road, and visit Avoca and Copacabana. Here you’ll find long stretches of sand and surf. Fish and chips are the order of the day, but come back in the evening for a feast at Feast. Hidden away above the Mad Café on the edge of the sand Feast is one of the unsung wonders of the Coast. It’s run by talented French chef, Andre Chouvin, (the only French Master Chef in Australia) who serves traditional fine French cuisine combined with bush food flavours and million dollar ocean views.
To finish your trip drive north and catch the daily pelican feeding at The Entrance, when scores of squawking pelicans swarm the shores of Memorial Park at 3.30pm. It's free to watch and children love it. In summer, they also love Vera's Playground, a free play pool with lots of colourful sculptures to climb on. Alternatively, head inland for a scenic valley drive to Yarramalong and stop for morning tea at Australia’s southern-most macadamia farm. But be warned, the chocolate covered macadamia nuts are very moorish, and once you’ve had one, you won’t be able to stop.
With five national parks on the Central Coast there are lots of opportunities for camping. A favourite is Putty Beach, where you can set up camp adjacent to the carpark. Gas barbecues, town water and toilets are provided. You have to carry your camping gear (and your own water) 700 metres from the carpark down to Little Beach, where facilities include gas barbecues and composting toilets.
If you really want to get away from it all the most remote campsite at Bouddi is Tallow Beach, which involves a one-kilometre walk from your car.
All of the camping areas in these Central Coast national parks are pretty popular, especially during school holidays and on weekends. It's a good idea to book a site with the relevant National Parks office as early as possible.
The monthly Mount Penang Markets is a great way to catch up with all that's good, fresh, healthy and tasty locally. Located on the grounds of the old Correctional Centre, there is plenty of room for people to park their cars then move around the dozens of stalls. It's a good mix of food to buy to take home, and food to eat there, as well as knick-knacks and trinkets, jewellery and potplants.
The Gosford area offers the bushwalker a rich medley of trails which access formidable coastal cliffs, skirt around sheltered lagoons and quiet estuaries, plunge into valleys and climb along ridges covered in trees. Dense rainforest and open bush, swamp and barren heath, rock platforms blasted by foaming surf, and secluded glens are all to be found in the vicinity. For more information about some of the great walks you can do in this area, check out our story, Bellbird Serenade.
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