melaniecharlton Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hi Guys, We have friends in Canberra looking to move near the coast. We live about 40 mins from the Central Coast (Berowra) and often go to the beaches on a weekend. In my opinion the central coast looks beautiful everywhere, however, when I speak to Australians they pull up their noses and say "Boganville". Not sure if they are being nasty or not. Are there particularly nasty areas one should avoid on the Central Coast? I am trying to compile a list of areas for my friends to look for suitable houses and schools. Can you help? Thank you kindly, Melanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 If it was me, I'd want to be within walking distance of a railway station and decent shops - Woy Woy? Gosford? Wyong? I don't know them very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie 2 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I think the Central Coast got a bad name years ago when the southern end was all commission,fibro/ weatherboard, houses and the vast majority were on the dole. Some people like, through ignorance, to believe it is still like that. Places around Woy Woy, Umina and Ettalong have changed so much because people have moved up from Sydney, bought the old houses cheaply and replaced them with very nice homes. If you want the upmarket places look at Terrigal, Avalon, Macmasters Beach, Copacabana. There are others, the names of which escape me at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Newcastle and surroundings were hit really hard in the last recession due to its mix of industries. It has made somewhat of a recovery in recent years and the above mentioned coastal towns close to Sydney are doing well. Many people commute into the city from Gosford / Terrigal etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d4ddyc00l Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Hi, just to jump on board with this, my family and I are making the move to Oz in June, and I am pretty close to being offered a job at Woolworth's head office in Bella Vista. I've also been looking at properties around Woy Woy, Gosford, and Wyong and I think there are some lovely affordable houses. It looks really beautiful around there but having only been to Perth before, we're a little unsure about Sydney (especially my wife - one of her fears is the funnel web!). So firstly, can you guys give us any reassurance that moving to Sydney is a good move - I'm trying to convince my wife!! Second, do you think those areas are good for a family who wants to do more outdoors activities and who are beach lovers? And is it practical to do the commute down to Bella Vista? I do about an hour commute in the UK at the moment, so I don't think it would be a problem but obviously I'm not totally sure. Thanks for your help and sorry to hijack the thread!!! Edited March 31, 2013 by d4ddyc00l Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmagords Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Hi all, we are also looking at moving to central coast area around August time so would appreciate any comments that people have. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmsWeb Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Hi there, I currently live on the Central Coast with my husband and 3 year old daughter. We are in Green Point which is about 10 minutes from Gosford and 15 minutes from Terrigal beach. Green Point is centrally located as we are in easy reach of beaches, the main shopping centre (Erina Fair), the train station to Gosford - you can catch a train to Sydney from here which takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. With regards to commuting to Bella Vista I really don't know how long this would take - if you are thinking of taking the train you can search online at 131500.com and it'll give you train times and journey times so you can work out if living on the Central Coast will be feasible for you. My husband and I don't commute as we are lucky enough to have found work here on the Central Coast but I have heard that the Freeway to Sydney and surrounding areas does get very busy on weekdays so I'm not sure how long it would actually take you to drive to Bella Vista. There is a newer estate in Green Point with some modern housing which we like as some of the housing over here can be very old and not what we are used to from the UK. We have also lived in Erina and Wamberal and both suburbs were nice. Wamberal is lovely and is close to the beach but it comes with a hefty price tag because of this. Other nice areas are Terrigal, Avoca Beach, Copacabana and North Avoca. Areas I've been told to avoid are Wyong, Springfield and Ourimbah but having never lived in any of these suburbs I really don't know if what I have heard is correct. There are a mix of houses in Woy Woy, some very nice and some not so nice. My husband works with a lady who lives at Woy Woy Bay and she loves it there. You are close to the beach and the Surf Club if you wanted to join. There is a lot to do on the Central Coast, especially for children - you have the beach and numerous picnic spots. We are always out and about doing something. This is just a brief summary of the area so if there is anything else that anyone wants to know that I'm glad to help where I can. Thanks, Em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmagords Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 That's useful to read,thanks. A lot of info for nsw is always about Sydney so it's nice to hear about central coast. We have looked at lots of areas there and think all look nice but it is great to hear first hand experience. We are going to start doing research for jobs but hopefully we will be somewhere to be found around aug/sept time. I have 2 daughters 5 and 2 so any info for groups etc for these will be welcome. Thanks Emma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmsWeb Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hi, I don't really go to any groups as I've been lucky enough to meet some other 'mum' friends so we tend to just meet up at the park and let the kids have a play so that we can catch up. I've heard that there is a good playgroup on a Friday at the Terrigal Uniting Church - I think it meets on a Friday morning from 9am but might be worth Googling it to see if it is still running. There are also some singing/reading groups run at Erina Fair library which I think are on a Tuesday but again I'm not sure about this but I expect their website will detail what groups they have running. There is a nice swimming complex called Mingara that we take our little girl to, it's got a great pool for little ones and is very clean and warm. If you are looking for day care I take my little girl to Erina Kindergarten in Erina which she loves - they cater for ages from 6 weeks to pre-schoolers. There are lots of classes run for kids - you have little kickers (football/soccer), dance/ballet, swimming lessons, gymnastics - there are numerous classes available all around the Coast so wherever you end up you'll never be far from a class if you wanted to enrol your daughters in anything. When you make it here let me know and we could maybe meet up. Thanks Em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazeybear Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Very useful info, we too are moving to oz August 20th, staying in Maitland for the interim but looking to move to central coast very soon after to send my 2 girls (5 & 9 to school) we like the look of gosford, has anyone any info on Schools?? getting very excited but feel anxious as I don't feel like I am doing enough research lol x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmagords Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Brill info em thank you for that. It's just good to hear there are things happening that we will be ble to get involved in and make some friends. I know the children will hopefully be our way in to doing this. I will definitely be asking you more questions as our research and dates become a little more solid. We are hoping to come aug/sept time so we have time to get sorted somewhere so my daughter can start year 1 in January. So thanks again you have made me slightly less nervous about the big move!!! Emma x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KazT Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Hi! I would say Bella Vista is a long commute! There are no trains to that area yet but drive you would be looking at 1hr 10 mins plus (from gosford area) I would say. We live in Saratoga which is in the central coast not far from green point actually. We moved here from the northern beaches of sydney as property is so much cheaper here and actually the area is lovely! A little quieter and more what we were used to coming from a small city in the uk! We looked at lots of areas when considering buying our home here from north west sydney, north shore, northern beaches and central coast (took us about 2 years to buy!) We have our own business in hornsby and were used to commuting 45 mins so it gave us a broad area! We bought here as it is on the brisbane water so we get a lovely view and my husband goes rowing/sup boarding weekly something he never would have done in the uk! The beaches are 10 mins away and erina fair is too... It is a small village with a few shops, playgroup, sailing club, church, cafe, thai takeaway, butcher, bakery etc there is a beautiful park on the foreshore at davistown for the kids and nice cafe and restaurant and people tell me the RSL has a great play area for the kids too. Avoca, North Avoca and Wambaral are all lovely as is terrigal on a weekday a little busy on a summer holiday weekend for me! Kincumber is nice in parts cheap property and is really up and coming i would say. There are ALOT of people living here that have relocated from sydney more than half of the people you talk too! I too have heard springfield has dodgy areas and gosford itself also. East gosford and caroling bay are nice I have heard and have been to cafe's and the art gallery there and never met any "bogans" as the sydney siders say! I went to the erina health centre with my little girl to find out about mothers groups, swimming lessons, gym tots, vaccinations etc (all things children basically) and they were soooooo helpful. Erina is nice but a little more expensive - housing is much more like us brits are used too though! My sister lives in blackwall near woy woy her area is lovely she is on a great street but she tells me that in the woy woy, ettalong, umina area it can be a bit street by street! Closer to the beaches you get the bigger and better the houses get and i guess the demagraphic changes with that. The trains are fairly good here my husband commutes on then half of the week and drives the freeway the other half and generally its not too bad for him as he just misses peek times! I hope this helps some of you. Karon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 I don't know if I have ever called The Central Coast "Boganville!" "Blacktown with a beach" perhaps! But I LIKE Blacktown! Thanks for writing such an informative piece. Have a friend who lives in Woy Woy and I rather liked it when I went up there (on the hottest day if the year in a carriage without aircon so it felt like The Black Hole of Calcutta. I could love there but I could not commute to Sydney every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I don't know if I have ever called The Central Coast "Boganville!" "Blacktown with a beach" perhaps! How much of the CC have you actually seen?! There's a variety of scenery & settlements in the area. Woy Woy is very different from, say, Blue Bay or Avoca Beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 How much of the CC have you actually seen?! There's a variety of scenery & settlements in the area. Woy Woy is very different from, say, Blue Bay or Avoca Beach.[/quote I would probably enjoy a holiday anywhere on the Central Coast but I have no desire to live there because I hate commuting. If I had to move I would actually prefer to move to Blacktown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmagords Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Love reading info about the central coast as it always helps to have a little first hand knowledge of what's what! So thanks Katz for that! Still hoping to arrive in cc sometime in sept so will keep checking this thread.:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 There are lots of nice suburbs on the CC, depending on what sort of area you like and where you want/need to be you should be able to find somewhere that suits. If you're after beachside, there are loads of lovely spots - Shelly Beach, Toowoon Bay, Blue Bay, Wamberal and Terrigal are always popular (though busy in the Summer). If you prefer more rural, places like Jillilby, Mangrove Mountain are nice too. And then there are the lakeside suburbs, which also offer lovely scenery. The commute to Sydney can be a pain, and I have to admit that I'm very glad I don't have to face that. But it all comes down to how you set your life up, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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