Terrigal /Wamberal area

Hi All,

I have been a self confessed lurker on this site for about 6 years and it has been so useful. We moved from Surrey to Ryde to Northern Beaches for the past four years. Sadly the owners of our house have now decided to sell so we are looking buying on the central coast.:no::nah::nah:

Basically I wondered if any of you wonderful people could offer any advice on relocating to the Terrigal/ Wamberal area. We have seen a house in Wamberal we love but it is just out of catchment for Terrigal High School. The high school is important to us...is it impossible to get in if you are out of zone? I think the alternatives are Erina High or Tumbi Umbi Secondary College. We do however think that Wamberal feels nice and quiet.

Can I say again how brilliant this site is. I have only ever once posted something on the net and that was a review on Amazon... Thank you in advance. Hopefully I won't be so shy in future!!

Hi

Terrigal is where we are heading, lovely part of the coast was recommended to our daughter and once she visited she was hooked, have visited all around that area, Wamberal, Avoca, and Terrigal are all beautiful with Terrigal being the larger resort of the 3

Good area choice would think its about as good as it gets if you want a coastal life, the kids will love Terrigal and Avoca. Plenty for youngsters in the area

Good surf club at Wamberal.

hope it works out, have heard good reports about Terrigal High.

Thank you for your reply Cass. It's very nerve wracking to be trying to settle down again especially in an area we don't know. We could rent again but having now had both rentals sold and being turfed out, hubby is now keen to just buy. My kids love the school they go to down on the Northern Beaches so the thought of having to move them again is heart breaking, but prices around here have just gone crazy!!K

I grew up in North Avoca, Terrigal, and Wamberal. I went to Terrigal High.

The following is all VERY subjective. It's probably about my personality more than the area.

I can remember disliking the Central Coast on sight at age FOUR. Coming straight from Sydney, I just wanted to go back to the bustle. Forty years later, I'm still kinda the same. I like BIG cities or tiny, quiet rural areas. The Central Coast, for mine, seems to be the worst of both worlds. You can't just decide to go out to eat some obscure cuisine, or go and see a show, and yet you still have the traffic and the suburbia. I still don't like middling places like Gosford or Wollongong. Give me Hong Kong or Outer Molombollo West (pop. 15).

But that's just me, and a lot of people love the Central Coast.

When I was in Terrigal in the 70s, the locals described it as a sleepy little fishing village, and I could smell the bull in that even then. I went back for a visit in the 90s, and a shopkeeper tried the same line on me, thinking I was brand new to the area. I didn't have the heart to tell him his shop was roughly where my childhood bedroom used to be. Was up there last year, and had trouble even finding somewhere to park in the maze of one way streets and traffic calming. I could have been in Bondi. The whole Terrigal - Erina - Gosford strip is suburban.

Good stuff? The Coast IS pretty (if you can get past all the housing). The good thing about the Avoca - Terrigal - Wamberal area is that it's actually quite small, and if you're not relying on public transport too much (but even if you are, to a point), I'd suggest living somewhere like the south end of Avoca or Copacabana, or even Kincumber or Matcham, and driving to Terrigal. There are plenty of school bus routes. I'm biased because I was one of those kids who hated school (any school), but Terrigal High was passable when I was there. It was brand new then - you could still smell the new carpet. Not sure what it's like as a thirty year-old school now.

It's still fairly whitebread up there. Not known for Poms particularly, but a UK accent will probably pass unnoticed. Traditionally, it had a surprisingly big Dutch population (would be second or third generation now). The main demographic you'll notice though is retirees. Lots and lots of retirees. It was like that forty years ago, and I don't think it's changed much.

I live on the Coast, & like Terrigal for a walk with the baby or a coffee with family in the off season. I don't go there between Dec-Feb because it's too crowded! But there are lots of other lovely places to live - I like Forresters Beach, Shelly Beach, Blue Bay, Norah Head. East Bateau Bay is also nice, especially up near Crackneck. Wambie is considered a good area too, & the beach is nice.

Hi, thank you for all your responses, really appreciated. We have now decided on Terrigal and have had an offer of a house accepted. With a bit if luck we should be in there for Xmas. Very excited to buying our first Aussie house and checking out the Central Coast.

Hi, thank you for all your responses, really appreciated. We have now decided on Terrigal and have had an offer of a house accepted. With a bit if luck we should be in there for Xmas. Very excited to buying our first Aussie house and checking out the Central Coast.

Good luck, may bump into your family sometime.

hoping our visa will be sorted by new year and will also be off to Terrigal to join our family

Hi. Thank you Cass. Funnily you are more likely to bump into my family at the moment as they love in Stalbridge. I absolutely love Sherbourne!!

Hi there, we moving from the west coast and looking into terrigal area, we have a young family and wondering what schools are like in general ? We're looking for coastal laid back lifestyle ! Many thanks

Hi, thank you for all your responses, really appreciated. We have now decided on Terrigal and have had an offer of a house accepted. With a bit if luck we should be in there for Xmas. Very excited to buying our first Aussie house and checking out the Central Coast.

old thread, but did you make it to Terrigal and how is the house?