Central Coast Holiday

A few weeks ago we had a holiday on the NSW Central Coast. We went primarily for one of my oldest friend's weddings but stayed a few extra days to make a little holiday out of it. Mum and Dad were there too as they were also good friends with the bride's family way-back-when.

The Central Coast is the region that surrounds Gosford and the Hawkesbury River, about one to two hours north of Sydney. It is dramatic, beautiful and varied country: a mixture of mountains, heavy forest and beach but also some pretty decent sized towns. We stayed in a rented holiday house in Copacabana. It came complete with trampoline, swing set, bunk bed and boxes of toys to use so E was happy, and so we were we as we packed minimal entertainment for E her in anticipation. We'd recommend it to anyone with kids who needs someone to stay in the area.

The wedding was held at a luxury holiday house/function centre on a bush block just outside Copacabana.

The bride and groom, most of their immediate families and some of the many bridesmaids were all able to stay onsite, and the guests were able to enjoy not having to drive between the ceremony and reception. I have known the bride since we were about seven years old and was very pleased to be able to go to her wedding and meet her lovely little boy.

The next morning we trundled down to Avoca Beach for breakfast at surf club cafe. 

Breakfast with a view

We, especially E, were big fans of Avoca Beach. It was grey and cool for most of our holiday (either that or absolutely pouring with rain) but E did not care. She had a wonderful time on the beach - was just joyous to be let loose on the sand, rockpools and in the water.

Run run running

Although the waves were rough enough for surfers the entry to the water was flat and shallow for a long way, and the rockpools were perfect for toddler investigations.

The third day was dismally wet but we ventured out to meet my sister and her fiance (who have recently moved to Sydney) at Berowra Waters for lunch. This involved braving the Pacific Highway in blinding rain and then inching our way down a crazily steep mountain road to get to a ferry crossing.

On the other side of the river was a marina and a seafood buffet lunch! 

We were reluctantly impressed by the low price of food/drinks in NSW (it's apparently all because of pokies). Probably the best example was this lunch - an adult seafood buffet was $50 and a child's serve was $6 and E certainly got her money's worth, eating close to her own body weight in calamari.

Our fourth day we started close to home with breakfast at the Copacabana surf club. It really is a beautiful part of the world:

This day it was actually sunny so we followed breakfast with some more beach time (and this time had the brains to take E's bathers).

Further taking advantage of the good weather we then headed for the Australian Reptile Park which is near Gosford. One of the star attractions is Hugo the Galapagos tortoise who is 160ish years old. The park actually has much more than just reptiles - it has a big Tasmanian devil breeding program, koalas, kangaroos and dingoes.

To turn the day into a complete animal marathon we finished up with the reptiles then hooned off to The Entrance to see the daily pelican feeding.

E fell asleep in the car and was quite surprised to wake up
and find herself surrounded by these big beasts.

Our very last day we drove back to Sydney and squeezed in a quick Taronga Zoo visit with Aunty S before the airport and home.

The best view of elephants in the world

We enjoyed our holiday. Travelling with a small person is getting easier and easier. With Aunty S living in Sydney we anticipate some more NSW trips in the near future.