A hidden playground of heart-thumping adventure lies just inshore from the Central Coast’s scene-stealing beaches.
World-class surf and idyllic rockpools have kept the Central Coast atop holiday hit lists for decades. But as nature-based regional travel continues to boom, I’ve joined the masses in search of more than beaches. Hopping west off the M1, I found a hinterland rippling with family-friendly hijinks including easy-access rainforest trails, a 500-metre zipline-rollercoaster hybrid, seasonal fruit picking, after-dark wildlife encounters and more. Fuelling a week of unexpected Central Coast exploration, the ultimate seven-day coast-to-hinterland itinerary will utterly delight.
Day 1: Chase waves before waterfalls
Tap Umina Beach into Maps to lap up one of the Central Coast’s 41 pristine surf stretches. Located at the southern end of the region, it’s famed for sheltered waters begging to be paddled by aspiring surfers (and grommets). Central Coast Surf School invites visitors of all ages to jump on a board, offering wetsuits and a one-hour session from $80 per person.
Once you’ve mastered the art of standing, lunch at Margarita Daze has your clan’s name written all over it. Positioned on Umina Beach’s Trafalgar Avenue, the restaurant nails kids’ meals and overloaded share plates, all while coastline views dazzle. Then, you’re headed for the hills.
Sunrise over Avoca Beach, one of many beaches to choose from. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Jump on a board with Cental Coast Surf Academy. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Refuel at Margarita Daze. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Drive about 24 kilometres inland to Brisbane Water National Park, where the 800-metre Somersby Falls walking track involves whimsical wandering before a spectacular tiered waterfall takes centre stage. The trail is filled with stairs but there is an accessible viewing platform to help every family angle a holiday selfie.
A significant Indigenous site also beckons from within the national park. The Bulgandry Art Site Aboriginal Place houses remarkably vivid rock art. Experts say some engravings, which span wallabies and native marine life, date back as far as 2,000 years.
Wrap up the day at the Central Coast’s newest hotel, voco Gosford, located less than 10 kilometres from Somersby Falls. It’s set within Gosford’s very chic Archibald Precinct which is dotted with dining options for every taste bud.
Take advantage of the dining at the new Archibald Precinct in Gosford. (Credit: Jason Lucas)
Views of Brisbane Water from the balcony of voco Gosford's hotel room. (Credit: Supplied)
Interior design details. (Credit: Supplied)
Day 2: Spencer and Popran National Park
Swap hotel slippers for slip-free boots in search of The Little Chooks Farm, situated about 45 kilometres from your overnight stay. A picturesque farm in Spencer, west of Gosford, the attraction lures littlies for its resident alpacas and ponies, and bigger kids for its ADV biking adventures. If they’re in season, there’s also passionfruit, orange, chilli and tomato harvesting.
Hard yakka is best rewarded with a dip in the heavenly Emerald Pool along the Hominy Creek walking track in Popran National Park, located about 40 kilometres away. Yes, you’ll need to tackle the five-kilometre return trail to get there, but it’s a fairytale setting for picnic-lunching in your cozzies. Prefer mountain biking to meandering? Popran National Park also has the 248 trail, a mountain bike magnet that stretches across 2.5 kilometres of rugged terrain.
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Day 3: Glenworth Valley and Calga
Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary in Calga gets visitors up-close to free-ranging Australian wildlife. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Load up at voco Gosford’s buffet breakfast because you’ll be out past sundown today. First up, Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures, roughly 20 kilometres away, is an epic spot for horse riding, including toddler-friendly pony rides and adult-adored cattle herding. This Glenworth Valley hot spot also facilitates quad biking, abseiling, kayaking, laser skirmish, and axe throwing to ensure all-day smiles on dials.
Wide-eyed exploration continues less than six kilometres down the road, where Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary in Calga can’t be missed. My highlight is the ‘Wild Night Out’ evening tour program which sees groups explore nocturnal enclosures with flashlights. Each tour runs for two hours and prices start from $160 per person.
Day 4: Erina and Terrigal
Devour a cheese board in the gardens. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Stroll the manicured grounds of Distillery Botanica at Erina. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The kids have had plenty to squeal about, so kick off the second half of your week with an artisanal-led adventure for deserving parents. Around eight kilometres east of Gosford, Distillery Botanica is one of Erina’s hottest tickets. What I especially love is the spacious manicured grounds it’s set within, making for an equally enjoyable visit for the kids, too.
Head to The Haven to dine at the beachside Terrigal Pavilion. (Credit: Supplied/ Kitti Gould)
If you’re visiting between May and November, it’s also worth booking a Terrigal Ocean Tour this close to the shore. The whale watching cruises depart from Terrigal Haven Boat Ramp, which is about six kilometres from the distillery, and know their way around the Humpback Highway like nobody’s business. Once you’re back on land, catch the sun setting from Terrigal Pavilion, which is always a vibe and dishes up a dedicated kids’ menu.
Day 5: Ourimbah State Forest and Wyong
Ourimbah State Forest’s Treetops Adventure is a thrill for all ages. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The kids come first again at Ourimbah State Forest’s Treetops Adventure. Featuring the 500-metre Zipcoaster – the longest of its kind in the state – they’ll fly along its Big Dipper-style twists and turns (well, not upside down but definitely topsy turvy) to set everyone’s hearts racing. It’s priced from $45 per person. Tree rope courses and a ‘Networld’ filled with giant inflatable balls are also on site.
There’s also plenty to see at The Art House in Wyong, located about five kilometres from Treetops. One of the Central Coast’s premier performance spaces, the venue stages live music, theatre, dance and child-friendly productions. Check out the website ahead of your trip to see what’s on.
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Day 6: Strickland State Forest and Holgate
The scenic grounds of Firescreek Winery in Holgate. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Stop by for a tasting. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Try the Chocolate & Wine Pairing. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ready for leg day? Strickland State Forest is a beautiful ecotourism destination showcasing the region’s diverse flora and fauna. I highly recommend packing a picnic lunch and losing track of time amid its six designated walking trails, including the 2.3-kilometre Arboretum Track which crosses a thrilling suspension bridge.
Given it’s your final full day, I also recommend chasing vigorous exercise with serious indulgence. Firescreek Botanical Winery, located about 16 kilometres from Strickland State Forest in Holgate, puts on a ‘Chocolate & Wine Pairing’ filled with the good stuff. Last sessions start at 3.30pm from Wednesday to Sunday, so it’s the best prelude to a night of takeout back at your hotel.
Day 7: Mooney Mooney
Finish the week with oysters at Mooney Mooney. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Say sayonara to the Central Coast by savouring a local delicacy: oysters. The Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed, found south of Gosford in Mooney Mooney, is open from 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday, so a seafood brunch is standard practice. Whether you take a seat at its Oyster Shucking School or kick up your feet with a crustacean platter, it’s the perfect sign-off to an unforgettable off-the-beaten-track odyssey.
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Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
Who says a healthy holiday always has to mean meditative silence?
Sitting on the balcony wrapped in a bathrobe, you warm your cold hands around a green tea as steam rises from the mug. The lorikeets haven’t come out yet, but the sunrise hot-air balloons have. Below, scrubby bushland gives way to rows of vines, where, in a few hours, the Hunter Valley’s cellar doors will begin pouring Semillon.
You might have booked the new Avani Cypress Lakes for a reset – but that doesn’t mean retreating from everything around you. Here’s how the Hunter Valley’s new resort is doing wellness without shutting the world out.
Location
Take in 360-degree views from Meditation Hill.
The brand-new Avani Cypress Lakes Resort is spread across 340 acres in Australia’s oldest wine-growing region. Rebranding in October 2026, it brings the former Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort and neighbouring Elysia Wellness Retreat together under the Avani name. It will also become Avani’s largest property in Australasia.
A long lunch among the vines is a siren song, but it might be even more of a temptation to spend the whole holiday at the resort. If you’re eager for the whole picture as soon as you get there, start your stay with a tramp up Meditation Hill for 360-degree views across the land, before discovering the rest of the resort.
Style and character
Make use of a private balcony in each villa.
Once you enter, be whisked (ever so gently) away to one of the resort’s 204 rooms and suites. Bedrooms come dressed in plush white linen, textured cushions and sleek upholstered headboards, with a palette that takes its cues from the outside, bringing in eucalyptus green and rich ochre that offset the creams, beiges and warm taupes.
For those group getaways, choose from one-, two- or three-bedroom villas, each with a private balcony, separate living areas and kitchen facilities. The one- and two-bedroom villas come with kitchenettes, while the three-bedroomers have full kitchens for those planning to make themselves properly at home with Hunter Valley cheeses and local wine bottles, and the Premier Villa offers a serious upgrade.
If a wellness retreat is already whispering your name between the gentle chimes of Tibetan bells, the Wellness Suites come with private balconies and put AvaniWell’s saunas, pools and day spa experiences right on the doorstep for the 16-plus crowd.
It’s all part of the resort’s balance between switching off and being social when the mood strikes.
AvaniWell
AvaniWell is set to become Australia’s largest integrated resort wellness precinct. And with 26 treatment rooms and more than 50 day-spa treatments and therapies, there’s plenty to tempt you away from the golf green and into that fluffy spa robe.
If the existing Elysia treatments are anything to go by, heated volcanic stones, gua sha face massages, Hawaiian Kahuna massages, Himalayan salt scrubs, remedial massages and even Watsu therapy are all on the menu. The Watsu takes place in a purpose-built magnesium pool heated to body temperature, where floats support you as a practitioner guides you through delicious stretches.
But relaxation doesn’t run to a schedule. You can dip in for a single treatment or make a few days of it, with a year-round calendar of activities to pick and choose from. You can also make some moves on one of the eight Pilates reformers, relax in an infrared sauna or cool off in an outdoor cold-plunge pool or unwind in the magnesium pool.
Beyond that, three pickleball courts and the golf course should tempt you out of your slippers.
Dining
Enjoy a nourishing meal at Fusion.
Avani’s story began in Sri Lanka, so it’s perfect that it’s bringing a taste of the island to Australia’s fusion-loving food scene. Enter Chakraya, the resort’s Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant. From its warm timber tones to its flavours, this high-end dining spot takes its inspiration from the island’s traditions.
After a night at Chakraya, move from warm and intimate to light and airy at Fusion restaurant. The interiors are as fresh as the food, with nourishing dishes that complement the AvaniWell vibe and are just the thing in between your sauna session and Pilates class.
Later, it’s time to get the residents of the three-bedroomer together at the Bistro & Bar (open from breakfast to dinner). Here, it’s all about the casual classics, eaten in blissed-out calm.
Other facilities
Find a golf cours, kids program and more on the property.
When there’s business to attend to, the resort has 24 meeting and event spaces for everything from conferences to weddings. But the fairway always beckons. Designed by Steve Smyers, the 18-hole championship golf course has dramatic elevation changes and fairway contours, 60 bunkers, generous greens and epic views across the vineyards to the Brokenback range. Mind it doesn’t sting your swing.
For the little ones, the AvaniKids program will keep them busy with creative activities and outdoor adventures. But if you’d rather wait it out in style while everyone else is off golfing or gallivanting, take your pick: a luxuriously long swim in one of three outdoor pools, a cabana by the upgraded pool bar or settling in for a film at the outdoor cinema right as those evening crickets start up.
