The Central coast is a place we ended up going by accident. It turns out I have some family in Tarrigal, which is roughly 90 minutes north of Sydney. It is basically a much smaller, quieter, more tranquil version of Sydney. It has beautiful beaches and beautiful scenery (especially on the train ride or boat ride there). However, as in most smaller places, it doesn’t quite have that hustle and bustle of the city. I am not saying that is a bad thing, it is just different, and we all want different things. It is definitely a great place to relax, a short distance from famous Sydney, away from the tourist areas. I am sure it is also easier to get bored with than a big city like Sydney. Again, it is all about perspective. We happily welcomed the idea of heading up to the Central Coast. We liked the idea of getting out of the city for a few days. The scenery and weather did not disappoint!
It is quite easy to get to the Central coast from Sydney. There are 2 options: Bus + ferry, or train/metro. The bus+ferry option takes longer, but is arguably the most scenic route. Unfortunately, as a last minute idea to go, it wasn’t the easiest to coordinate the bus+ferry option. Therefore, to save on time, we opted for the train method. We got ourselves to Bondi junction. We got to Central station from there, in the heart of Sydney. From there it was 1 [long] train ride straight to Gosford, which is a quick car ride from our destination, Tarrigal. The journey takes approx. 90 minutes, but it is very comfortable, because not too many people actually take the train out of Sydney that far. Some great views make the trip fly by. The scenery is stunning: large lakes secretly hidden from the ocean view on the opposite side; lush forests and greenery; little towns perched atop hills. I definitely recommend making the trip. Although, I can only imagine how pretty the trip by ferry is….
My cousin picked us up from Gosford station and our first stop was Tarrigal beach, for a quick bite to eat with a nice view. It was a Monday so my cousin suggested a 2-for-1 pizza place right on the beach. The scene actually reminded me of Manly beach in Sydney. The meal was great and it was cheap –probably the first time I have said that in Australia! We then enjoyed some wine as night fell. We sat out there pretty late before calling it a night. Then we had the pleasure of meeting my cousins 2 dogs—her husky Orlando and her little pommeranian (name?!). They were so funny! Orlando is 9 years old but he absolutely loves people and he behaves like a 3 month old pup. I’ve never seen a dog with so much energy. As for the little girl, she hates the male species, so whenever unfamiliar boys are in the house she barks uncontrollably, shaking, and won’t stop. It’s quite impressive. She doesn’t warm up to anyone—the best she got with Tom was sitting on the same couch with him but still shaking and staring at him suspiciously. But she was not fond of him petting her. Apparently, just her not barking was a big step forward!
The next day we explored the surrounding area. Unfortunately, it happened to be on a day with a massive heat wave hitting the east coast, so we were a toasty 43 degrees Celsius exploring! The heat really limited our time outside but we tried to make the most of it. We started at Avoca beach. A beautiful, large, local beach. No tourists compared to Bondi, but still fantastic surf. It was so incredibly hot that day that we pretty much just sat in the water almost the whole time. However, the waves were quite rough, so just staying in the water was a workout in itself.
We then drove up to a lookout point where there was a helpful miniature picture of the landscape explaining to us exactly what we were looking at---Sydney was in the far distance, and you could even pinpoint Bondi Junction from there! That was probably my favourite thing about the Central coast- lots of little coves and the beautiful, green, hilly landscape of the region. It produced exquisite views around every corner, and a calming, tranquil, New England feel to it—but MUCH hotter :P
We finished the day off by going for a quick coastal walk near Tarrigal beach with my cousin and aunt and uncle. It was more views of stunning head lands and beaches, but with the weather so hot, we couldn’t enjoy the scenery to its fullest. There were plenty of tidbits of information along the coastal walk though. There was one outlining the various shipwrecks in the region. There were tons of them, and the most recent was in 1950 I think! Australian waters really are dangerous, not just for swimming purposes! We had lunch at a cute little restaurant near a marina close to the lookout point we had checked out. I was craving prawns (shrimp for the Westerners out there) but it was a big mistake--- special me forgot how to peel them properly! I hadn’t eaten giant prawns in a long time, and it was incredibly frustrating (albeit incredibly entertaining for all others at the table) as I attempted to peel/pull/scrape off the shells and the innards. After a few minutes, I forgot that I liked prawns at all and was just completely frustrated! I am sure all who know me well enough can picture the ‘Magda spazzing angry scene with angry facial expressions’---oh, special moment that was…..
Minus the frustrating prawn lunch & massive heat wave, we really enjoyed our few days in the central coast. It is a great, quiet getaway from the city, definitely worth a quick trip or a long getaway……
