The New South Wales Central Coast isn’t a well-kept secret, but locals still have the edge when it comes to knowing the best place to lay your towel. Caitlin’s lived locally for 20 years and these are the beaches...
The New South Wales Central Coast isn’t a well-kept secret, but locals still have the edge when it comes to knowing the best place to lay your towel. Caitlin’s lived locally for 20 years and these are the beaches she rates the highest.
The New South Wales Central Coast is a certified Australian ECO destination. It’s also a weekend trip of glorious hotspots for Sydneysiders and tourists alike, and it’s heaven for those lucky enough to call it home (like me!).
This list is a trip up and down the stretch of sand between Sydney and Newcastle. Each beach shows us a different side to themselves every day, and with the tides they change faces again. The water here has a clarity like nothing else you’ve seen.
Let’s go to the beaches! I’ve written about twenty of them, so you’re certainly spoilt for choice! Grab your cozzies and a towel and get in the car!
The Best of the Best Central Coast Beaches
When I lived in Sydney for a time, I would drive back up the M1 to the Central Coast rather than fight the crowds in the Eastern Suburbs. This is a part of the world I will boast about for the rest of my life, and by now, I think you should understand why.
The views and vibes at ALL of these beaches are immaculate. But if you must know the ‘best of’… here are my thoughts:
Best beaches for a swim: North Avoca Beach and Bateau Bay. Both very quiet and relaxed.
Best beaches to swim with kids: Terrigal, Avoca Beach, and Toowoon Bay. You cannot go wrong.
Best beach for surfing: Forresters Beach, North Avoca (intermediate/advanced), and Avoca (beginners).
Best breakfast at the beach: The Boy and the Rose, North Avoca. Then swim!
Best lunch at the beach: Shelly Beach Surf Club and Avoca Beach Seafoods. You’re steps away from diving back into the waves.
Best dinner at the beach: Terrigal Esplanade has every cuisine, perfect for a group dinner.
Best beach for parking: Wamberal, Bateau Bay, North Avoca.
Best beach to see whales: Captain Cook Lookout at Copacabana Beach, and Crackneck Lookout at Forresters Beach.
Best beach accessible by hikes: Maitland Bay Beach.
Northern Beaches
1. Terrigal Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 94km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 86km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Terrigal is without a doubt the hub of the Central Coast, reminiscent of its northern, more built-up cousins like Tweed Heads and Surfers Paradise or Noosa. The esplanade has everything; stylish drink spots, beachside cafés, supermarkets, pubs, and fish and chip shops.
To be so popular comes with weaknesses – you’ll very rarely get a park there that isn’t a decent walk away during school holidays. The multi-story car park is your best bet, but generally you can expect to have to park up to a fifteen minute walk away from your destination.
It’s quite easy to plant yourself here and not move for the weekend, but I would strongly encourage exploring in either direction to see what other marvels you can find! The best place in Terrigal to eat is definitely Mumbo Jumbos, with a stunning menu for a really great night, that inevitably has followed a relaxing day on the beach.
2. Wamberal Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 91km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 90km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Wambie is much more sober than its loud and hectic northern neighbour, Terrigal. There’s a surf club restaurant that comes highly recommended, and a new Italian restaurant that has had great reviews.
If your kids are confident and you’re staying with local friends, Wambie is a great low-key option that offers much better parking options (side roads, streets, surf club, and lagoon). There’s a lagoon for paddle boarding, plenty of space on the sand, and a great long walk up to Forrester’s Beach.
Note that the waves here are a more for adventurous swimmers who could be easily bored by the flat lagoon-like quality that Terrigal has for most of the year.
3. Forrester’s Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 89km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 89.5km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Further north from Wamberal, Forries is perfect for dog walkers and brave swimmers. There isn’t a surf club here so I would advise to swim at your own risk. Much like North Avoca it’s beautiful and the water quality is often much higher than average.
Despite the beauty, make sure you watch out for rip currents before you jump in for a dip. If you prefer to lounge on the sand you can enjoy the nice view across to the Skillion and the Haven. It’s a great escape from the crowds for capable swimmers and experienced surfers.
This place isn’t known for its restaurants, but Valley Fruit & Grocer is a fantastic local produce barn on the main road you’ll pass just before the turn off that’s definitely worth a visit.
4. Bateau Bay
Distance from Newcastle: 87km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 97km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 25 minutes
I have BIG feelings about Bateau Bay. If I find myself spending too much time on the southern beaches I drive up, park, and stay at Bateau Bay Beach for a few hours. From the car park you’ll walk down a wooden staircase and find yourself at a beautiful cove beach with surfing breaks and two rockpools.
It’s a great family beach and I really love that it’s one of the only beaches on the Central Coast where you can turn around and not see any houses or buildings. It truly feels like a time capsule, swimming in a local spot hidden behind all the trees.
Local favourite Café Mocha is on the little strip of shops close by. There’s also a general store and pizza shop.
5. Shelly Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 86km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 96km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Shelly Beach is a serene long stretch of sand perfect for Sunday sips on the balcony of the local surf club. The surf club restaurant is also top-class, and it’s great to walk straight off the beach and not have to worry about who’s cooking dinner.
The beach is fantastic, safe for kids, and just an awesome choice if you need a rest from the craziness that is Terrigal and Avoca.
6. Toowoon Bay Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 66km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 98km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Toowoon Bay Beach also ranks higher than Terrigal and Avoca for family friendliness. It’s patrolled, and there are two sides of the beach to choose from with a rockpool in the middle.
Perfect flat rolling waves for paddleboarding, relaxing, and beach games are pretty reliable here too. It’s easy to spend a whole day here and then wonder where the time has gone.
7. Blue Bay Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 65km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 99km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Next to Toowoon Bay is Blue Bay, and if Toowoon is too crowded, walk just a little further down the sand. You’ll be rewarded by the crystal-clear water of gorgeous Blue Bay.
I am gobsmacked when I hear tourists say that they spent a week at Terrigal and didn’t come here. The sand at Toowoon Bay and Terrigal Beach is so kicked up by the traffic inside the red-and-yellow-flags that you just don’t get the perfect water clarity that you find at beaches like the one at Blue Bay.
Blue Bay sure earns its name – it has seemingly all the shades of blue, and they change with every visit so you’ll be pleasantly surprised again, and again.
8. The Entrance
Distance from Newcastle: 64km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 99km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
The Entrance is another famous Sydney holiday spot.
It’s much more down to earth than Terrigal and Avoca Beaches, and has a long main road leading down to the foreshore, filled with ice creameries, fish and chip shops, and much more. The Lolly Barn is a sweets shop worthy of a pilgrimage too! Finally, there’s also an amazing waterfront restaurant called The Lake House, perfect for a Sunday afternoon sunset feed.
Almost an hour from Newcastle (Newie for short – we shorten things, it’s a thing), the pelican feeding at the channel has been a phenomenon for over 45 years and it’s a fun spectacle for the whole family.
Photo thanks to the Legendary Pacific Coast
9. The Entrance North
Distance from Newcastle: 63km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 100km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
As we head towards the northernmost beaches, on the Newcastle side of the Entrance bridge, you’ll find North Entrance Beach.
The beach is longer than most and there are plenty of camping grounds nearby. Because the Entrance also is on Tuggerah Lake, the options for water activities are endless.
Similar to the southern suburbs, the Entrance is a great option if you’ve stayed at Terrigal and Avoca Beaches before and would like to visit a new part of the Central Coast.
Photo thanks to DNSW
10. Catherine Hill Bay
Distance from Newcastle: 35km
Time from Newcastle: 50 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 121km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Catherine Hill Bay is beautifully exclusive. It’s a secret gem off the highway (shh, don’t tell anyone!). At only 40 minutes from Newcastle CBD, it’s the northernmost beach that connects Sydney to Newcastle.
There’s an old ruin of a pier here that hints at an industrial past and the longer drive will reward you with less crowds and a golden stretch of sand all to yourself.
The Catho Pub is an esteemed institution. It’s allegedly been around since 1865, and there’s a walking track to discover the nearby Moonee Beach, a very worthwhile day trip up to Lake Macquarie.
Southern Beaches
11. North Avoca Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 96km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 89km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
On the other side of Terrigal and Avoca Beaches is North Avoca Beach. Wedged between loud neighbours, it’s uncommon for non-locals to have any idea that North Avoca Beach even exists.
Don’t be deterred too much by the bigger swells. The tide always turns the waves into a fuller pool with sandbanks, and there are so many different options to enjoy the water as a result. You can frolic in the rockpools, walk up to Avoca lagoon and back, or grab lunch at The Boy and The Rose.
There’s so much beauty that feels untouched here. This is because of the lack of boardwalks, the local parking is much easier and like Toowoon Bay, it’s easy to plant yourself here and not consider moving.
12. Avoca Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 102km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 92km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Second to Terrigal as the most popular beach on the Central Coast, if you’re visiting, this is a great place to stay because of the abundance of holiday accommodation.
If you’re not staying at Avoca, make sure you’re there early because parking isn’t great. Your best bet is the grassed area behind the Avoca Beach Movie Theatre.
There’s a rockpool close to the surf club that’s a dream for a family with kids clawing at their seatbelts ready to get in the water. Avoca Beach really does offer something for everyone; great beginner surfing waves, a paddling lagoon, a retail strip to get out of the sun, and eateries just steps away from the sand.
Food-wise you’re spoilt for choice, but the best places are the seafood shop and restaurant steps away from the sand – and of course the Avoca Beach Markets on the last Sunday of every month.
13. Copacabana Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 104km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 92km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Over the headland from Avoca Beach, Copa is quieter, with some fantastic food options. From Burnt Honey Bakery, to Ocean Bar Cantina, you’ll find some fabulous Spanish tapas, and of course fish and chips, and a beachside café.
It’s worth a walk along the sand to Macmasters Beach and back, and your appetite will be roaring upon your return. The waves are tamer on this end of the beach, boasting a natural tidal rockpool and I see no reason for you to leave or venture far if you decide to stay here.
14. Macmasters Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 105km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 91km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Macs is quiet and peaceful. There isn’t too much going on except for the beach café in the surf club and Loo Loos Coffee on your way in on the main road.
There’s a beautiful purpose-built rockpool brilliant for young kids to enjoy, but otherwise it’s pretty quiet here.
Macmasters Beach is similar to Wamberal in many respects, outranked by its neighbour (in this case Avoca) in popularity and accessibility, but definitely still possessing all the great traits required for a memorable beach day.
The waves are great for surfers and while it’s outshined by other beaches on this list, it’s DEFINITELY worth a chance.
15. Maitland Bay Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 117km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 93km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Hardly anyone, if you’re not local, knows about Maitland Bay Beach. It’s such a perfect secret nestled in the gorgeous Bouddi National Park, just waiting to be discovered.
If you have overseas visitors, a visit to this beach is a MUST. You start the walk at Putty Beach and walk along gorgeous sandstone cliffs for about forty-five minutes through serene gum forests and waterfalls. Eventually you descend downwards and find yourself on a secluded beach.
You feel like you are the only people in the world here. I come here again and again, and it never gets old. Love it.
16. Putty Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 118km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 94km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
As we head further south along the NSW Central Coast, it surprises me that the beaches south of Macmasters don’t boast the crowds of their northern counterparts.
I would encourage any tourists and visitors to ask their Central Coast friends their favourite beaches and you’ll find some beautiful places to enjoy without the crowds. I have spent many a New Year’s Day at Putty Beach.
It’s another local favourite, and is the start of the Bouddi National Park Coastal Walk. Putty Beach is very quiet and unassuming, but still has beautiful waves and plenty of space. There’s even a campground!
Pack your own lunches here though, there isn’t much in the way of close food, and it’s a great picnic spot.
17. Killcare Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 118km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 94km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes
On the other end of Putty Beach is Killcare Beach. While Killcare has lifeguard patrols, Putty Beach doesn’t, so be vigilant with young kids for rips if you cannot recognise them yourselves. The waves aren’t dangerous but it’s safest for beginners to find beaches with flags.
Bells at Killcare is a very famous glitzy fine dining spot on the Central Coast, so it comes very highly recommended for meals for a more indulgent holiday.
Maybe leave the kids at home for the evening for this one if you can. Have a romantic meal together after your relaxing day on the beach!
18. Ocean Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 110km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 86km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Ocean Beach hosts one of the best caravan and camping parks on the NSW Central Coast. Located just steps away from the ocean, and the southern suburbs of Woy Woy and Ettalong, you’re perfectly situated to access great places for food and dining.
Ettalong Ocean Beach and Umina are all connected and it’s a great place to knock over three beaches in one day. Ocean Beach is known locally for its surf lifesaving carnivals, which means that it’s reliable and safe, and a fantastic base for a holiday.
If you’ve been to the Coast before, know Avoca and Terrigal well and are looking for something different, Ocean Beach is for you.
Umina Beach | @hanuska
19. Pearl Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 113km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 98km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 20 minutes
I’m shocked that Pearl Beach continues to fly under the radar. It echoes Blue Bay Beach in its charm and stillness, and is a real gem.
Pearl Beach connects to Patonga Beach via a fire trail, and there are options further along to extend the way if you’re chasing a longer walk. This lake-like beach is great for paddleboarding and young families as the water is calm.
The arboretum attracts nature lovers and the tiny sanctuary really adds to the serenity. It has grassed areas, wetlands, patches of temperate rainforest, and open forest crisscrossed by very easy walking trails.
With minimal infrastructure in place, nature wins at Pearl Beach, naturally.
20. Patonga Beach
Distance from Newcastle: 117km
Time from Newcastle: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Distance from Sydney: 102km
Time from Sydney: 1 hour and 20 minutes
There’s a long hike that connects Wondabyne (the only train station not accessible by car in Australia) to Patonga Beach.
I’ve done it and there is a stillness along the trail that is hard to describe. Let’s just say that you can tell the nature around you hasn’t changed for centuries. The walk will end your day by the ocean as most days should.
There are shorter walks nearby that will take you back to Ettalong and Woy Woy if you don’t want to go back to Wondabyne.
You can catch the ferry to Ettalong and Palm Beach from Patonga, with easy access to Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The jetty cuts the sand in half, and the tiny rolling waves are really great for kids.
Want to see more of NSW’s Central Coast?
10 Lesser-Known Experiences on the Central Coast Central Coast Itineraries for Hikers, Bikers, & Road Trippers Best Stops on a Central Coast Hinterland Road Trip
Header image by @tonyheywardimages
Table of contents image by @timothymroberts