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The Central Coast of New South Wales is a coastal region located immediately to the north of the state capital of Sydney and south of the state's second largest city Newcastle. It markets itself as the playground of two cities.

Cities

Map
Map of Central Coast (New South Wales)
  • 1 Brooklyn - Fishing village and recreational water sports
  • 2 Gosford - is both a suburb and commercial centre of the Central Coast, and a city and local government area stretching as far south as Sydney. The central area itself is located at the head of a large convoluted inlet of Broken Bay known as Brisbane Water. The surrounding municipality comprises a large number of suburbs and communities around Brisbane Water, along the Pacific coast and in the hills to the west.
  • 3 The Entrance - Popular vacation area
  • 4 Wisemans Ferry - Away from the coast, a tranquil town on the Hawkesbury River
  • 5 Woy Woy
  • 6 Wyong - north of Gosford City focused on Tuggerah Lake

Other destinations

Understand

The area's traditional owners were the Aboriginal people for many thousands of years, and in fact the Guringai and Darkinjung people were among the first encountered by the British settlers. The British Governor Lachlan Macquarie later 'granted' the stolen land to William Nash.

The region runs along the coast between Sydney and Newcastle, and takes about 90 minutes to drive through with no traffic. It is divided between two municipalities: Gosford in the south and Wyong in the north and contain many suburban areas as well as numerous reserves and National Parks.

Get in

By car

You can take the Pacific Motorway (F3) 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 Sydney train network, and is a very economical way to visit the area. Trains from the Central station in Sydney direct to the Central Coast departing approximately every 30 minutes. The main stations are Woy Woy, Gosford, Tuggerah and Wyong. Journeys are on the Sydney Opal card and cost between $5 and $8 one way. The journey can take anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours.

By ferry

Ettalong is accessible by ferry from Palm Beach, with the passenger ferry crossing the Hawkesbury every hour or so. Buses run from the Wynyard and Manly to Palm Beach. Bikes are allowed on the ferry.

Get around

By car

As you head out of Sydney into the surrounding bushland, you may have 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, or [Info].

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

Great North Road
  • The Great North Road — build by convicts through rough terrain, today it's one of eleven sites making up the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Australian Convict Sites".

Go next

The central coast is between Newcastle to the north and Sydney to the south. Heading out west over the mountains is somewhat challenging, but the Central West awaits.

This region travel guide to Central Coast is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!