destination – Central Coast

RESORT REPORT

North of Sydney lies an area of beaches, headlands and inlets from the peninsula of the Northern Beaches famous for areas including Palm Beach, to the waterways of the Hawkesbury and the Central Coast.

Terrigal has long been a favourite on the Central Coast with its seaside village atmosphere and resort style boutiques and shopping along the esplanade. This is a place to make time for shopping, selecting clothing, jewellery shoes, bags and eclectic arts and crafts.

>> Destination Central Coast, Weekends For Two

There are also many major shopping complexes in the area if you feel in the mood as well as specialist outlets such as the St Fiacre Distillery (formerly the site of The Fragrant Gardens) between Erina and Terrigal Beach, a custom-built distillery specialising in Australian Native Liqueurs and Vodka.

The selection includes Lemon Myrtle Liqueur, Aniseed Myrtle Liqueur, Mountain Pepperberry Liqueur and Wild Lime Liqueur. The St Fiacre Cafe is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am – 5pm and you can visit the Herb Garden and the new Bush Food Garden.

The Ken Duncan Gallery & The Sanctuary Café at Erina showcases the landscape work of photographer Ken Duncan in a purpose-built facility featuring viewing rooms and a 30-seat theatre designed to present the spectacular audio-visual presentations.

In a beautiful location with the Skillion headland at one end, Terrigal is easy to fall in love with whether you just come for rest, relaxation, shopping and dining or choose the area for its fishing, sailing, diving or snorkelling. Other beaches in the area include Avoca, its golden sands between two headlands creating a special spot for swimming and surfing while Avoca Lake offers kayaking and surf skiing to add to the mix of myriad marine activities.

Golf, horse riding, hang gliding and surf lessons are just some of the other activities while bike riding is a brilliant way to see more of the coast on the area’s network of cycle paths. The Central Coast Cycling Guide has all the details, available from visitor centres.

Although it is quite a trip by road from Palm Beach to the Central Coast, it is just a short trip by boat which is a fabulous way to explore the mouth of the Hawkesbury River guarded by Lion Island. Palm Beach is one of the largest of Sydney’s beaches, approximately two to three kilometres long facing the Pacific Ocean on one side and backing on to Pittwater on the other, making the area almost an island.

A favourite with Sydney’s rich and famous you can be sure of a relaxed but stylish getaway here with shopping to match. Check out Bow Wow, for example, for designers such as Ginger & Smart, Easton Pearson and the latest finds in swimwear, hats, shoes and jewellery. Drop into Soshu’s for a little taste of India with jewellery, shawls, bags, pashminas as well as embroidered items and fabrics from Pushkar – and those are just two examples of the of the great stores you will find in the area.

Alison Plummer