Boutique hotels
-
Bells at Killcare
- Style
- Classy seaside chic
- Setting
- Graceful Central Coast gardens
-
Pretty Beach House
- Style
- Luxe modern-rustic guesthouse
- Setting
- Bouddi hilltop bush
Central Coast Overview
New South Wales
- Coastline
- Bushland, beaches and boats
- Coast Life
- Strolling, swimming and sailing
Once a sleepy backwater, New South Wales’ Central Coast is a burgeoning hot getaway for weekending Sydneysiders, with top tip the Bouddi Peninsula, a boho cousin to the more familiar glam Northern Beaches across the water.
Only two hours’ drive north of Sydney, the archly dubbed ‘Costa Centrale’ is luring early adopters – and savvy commuters – with its simple fibro shacks, serene surf beaches, tranquil lakes and beautiful native bushland. Edit out local towns such as Woy Woy, Terrigal and Gosford, and chill out in pretty villages by the sea, explore the coastal Bouddi National Park, sail on Brisbane Waters or walk along pristine bush tracks to find your own strip of sand. What’s more, with award-winning chefs cutting a slice of the action at the area’s best hotels and restaurants, you won’t have to make do with fish and chips.
Completely Central Coast
The Central Coast is a breeding ground for the large, ungainly pelican, and it makes a kooky spectacle even if bird-watching isn’t normally your bag. These black-and-white birds with their famously long, pouched bills are so tame they come in to be fed in large numbers to the foreshore at the Entrance every day at 3.30pm. A smaller session happens daily at 3pm opposite Fishermans Wharf at Woy Woy. If you’d prefer a more action-packed close-up, join the Pelican Feeding and Oyster Tasting kayaking tours (www.kayaktours.com.au) on Brisbane Waters.
Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- Central Coast Taxis (131 008) operates out of Gosford, or ask at your accommodation about transfers to and from local restaurants and bars.
- Tipping culture
- Gratuities aren’t really expected, but if you’re happy with the service you received at a restaurant adding 10 per cent to the bill is appreciated.
- Siesta and fiesta
- It’s all about the laidback attitude here, so don’t expect stores and cafes to be open late. It’s best to phone ahead to check closing times.
- Packing tips
- Fishing rod, Helen Kaminski crocheted-raffia sun hat and New Balance trail shoes for getting to those hard-to-access beaches.
- Recommended reads
- Kate Grenville’s The Secret River is a novel about a former convict who stakes a claim near the Hawkesbury River in the 19th century. Celebrated chef Stefano Manfredi cooks at boutique hotels Bells at Killcare and Pretty Beach House. Find out his culinary secrets in his recipe book Seasonal Italian Favourites.
- Cuisine
- Seafood – oysters, crabs, squid and fish – is a much-loved regional favourite. Terra firma, too, provides edible thrills; the area around the Hawkesbury is one of the state’s best food bowls thanks to first-class farms and citrus-sprouting orchards. Expect simple, seasonal cuisine, with the occasional Mod Oz twist.
- Currency
- Australian dollar (AU$)
- Time zone
- GMT +10.
- Dialling codes
- Country code for Australia: 61; Central Coast: (0)2.
- Do go/don't go
- Even midwinter is temperate on the New South Wales coastline, although it may be a little cool to swim. High summer – December and January – sees the tiny towns and normally quiet beaches filled with holidaying families.
Don't go home without...
hiring a small boat – or ‘tinny’ if you want to be down with the locals – and taking it out fishing. Try Long Jetty Catamaran & Boat Hire (www.longjettyboathire.com) at Tuggerah Lakes.
