NSW: Central Coast

"Amongst Hilly Outcrops and Beautiful Lakes"

A Series of Lakes and Rivers Stretching Nearly 100kms

The waterways of the Central Coast provide great diversity and the train ride north from Hornsby through the Hawkebury River District, through a tunnel in the range of the Brisbane Waters National Park carries the traveller right though the centre of them. Towns like Woy Woy and Wyong are old farming centres and along the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean are nestled beautiful aptly named beaches like Pearl, Coppacabana and Avoca. From Pearl Beach there is a wonderful view of the northern Sydney suburbs of Church Point and Pittwater and from the nearby vantage points around Patonga there are awesome views of the Hawkesbury River and the surrounding hills and valleys.

For those who like the quieter waters there is a labarinth of lakes and waterways to be explored and there are some fantastic drives through rugged hilly slopes and alongside shaded waterways, including the largest coastal saltwater lake in Australia, Lake MacQuarie, which is twenty-four kilometres from north to south and has over one hundred and seventy-four kilometres of beautiful foreshores plus a couple of islands in the middle.

From the majestic piece of manmade engineering that is the Northern Freeway, on which one feels that they are driving along the top of the world, to the back roads and scenic coastal lanes, the views around the Central Coast are worth staying a week or two alone. Plus they do not call the Central Coast 'bargain paradise' with no reason. The shopping is extensive with plenty of easy to find shopping centres, restaurants and eateries. And the fishing is varied and unique, from fishing off the rocks at Terrigal to fishing for bream in the rivers and estauries that run down from the Great Dividing Range.