COAST magazine Summer 2020-21

SUMMER 2020/21

WIN 2 NIGHTS AT BOATHOUSE PATONGA COTTAGE 13 BEST SECLUDED BEACHES THE CENTRAL COAST’S SEAHORSES GROWERS, ARTISAN MAKERS, PRODUCERS MAP

© RA STANLEY

BROKEN BAY P E A R L S

t s a o C l a r t n e en gem of the C

The hidd

P E A R L M E AT & OY S T E R S

PEARL FARM TOURS

PEARLS & JEWELLERY

0488 361 042 I 12 Kowan Rd, Mooney Mooney I W W W . P E A R L S O F A U S T R A L I A . C O M . A U

CONTENTS WELCOME 6 DISCOVER THE CENTRAL COAST Map – villages and beaches 13 of the Best unspoilt and secluded

beaches on the Central Coast

8 9

SUMMER SHOPPING GUIDE A summer to celebrate Christmas gift inspirations

20 22

MY COAST Lucy Wicks

24

SEAHORSES: a love affair for life

26

HOME STYLE The Pelican House: Sooze and

David Cooper, Wagstaffe 6 Good ways Covid is changing our homes

30 36

PEOPLE OF THE COAST Tom Slingsby: is this flying, sailing,

or madness!

42

FOOD AND DINING Fave foodie spots on the Coast

46

COASTING ALONG with Libby Greig

55

GROWERS, ARTISAN MAKERS AND PRODUCERS Map

PEOPLE OF THE COAST Sue O’Neill: from Pearl Beach to

Uganda with love and hope

70

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

72

CREATORS OF THE COAST Jane Barrow: ceramicist with a

‘wabi-sabi’ touch Tina Madsen-Walcott made a

sea change from biochemist to designer

74 76

FEATURE: What would you do if a very large Clydesdale walked into your bedroom unannounced?

80

58

CLASSES AND COURSES

86

HEALTH AND WELL BEING Even if we can’t control the winds

of change in 2020, we can adjust our sails

62

LUXURY ESCAPES Barefoot luxury

66

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Map: National Parks and State Forests Moonee Beach walking trail,

Munmorah State Conservation Area Munmorah sea caves

88 89 92

94

DESTINATION WEDDINGS Love approximately, at Circa 1876

98

HUNTER VALLEY Ken and Gwen Sloan: Mistletoe Wines,

Pokolbin

103

ONCE UPON A TIME at Brisbane Water: the wooden shipbuilders

107

FUN FOR KIDS on the Coast

111

© HAYDEN BRAY

GARDENS Meg Gossert: Fernbank Farm, a little romance

COAST PUBLISHER Catharine Retter editorial@coastpublishing.com.au SUB EDITOR Carla Grossetti ART DIRECTOR Jude Rowe, Agave Creative Group PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHERS Reed Plummer, Central Coast Drones • Lisa Haymes Photography • Dr David Harasti

© BRIEL URIEL

PRINCIPAL WRITERS Di Bartok • Kim Cole • Brooke Doherty • Jennifer Ennion • Libby Greig • Suzy Jarratt • Catharine Retter • Katie Stokes • Sarah Tolmie • Paul Urquhart

Welcome W

e’re delighted to be able to say, ‘Welcome back everyone to the print version of COAST magazine’. We launched our long-awaited monthly COAST online during winter (thanks Covid for something good!) and are grateful to so many people who now also read us online across Australia and, increasingly, overseas. (You can subscribe to the online editions at coastmagazine.com.au) Our hearts have been especially warmed, too, by the number of readers who kept telling us how much they were looking forward to reading COAST in print again as their regular quarterly magazine.

Thanks, too, to our loyal advertisers who make this free magazine possible.

My goddaughter once gave me a Gratitude Diary at a sorrowful time in my life and I found it an unexpected and lifesaving mood-lifter. So, during our months of hug-less social distancing and isolating, I ticked off all the things I felt gratitude for in living on the Central Coast: our endless beaches and fresh air, bushwalks and birdsong, low-flying pelicans, the joyful antics of whales swimming close to our shores, the number 6

COAST

ILLUSTRATORS Maps: Guy Holt • Lauren Merrick ADVERTISING Anissa Vineburg 0408 692 129 Diane Dunlea 0425 279 707 advertising@coastpublishing.com.au DIGITAL Jenna Nicholl jenna@coastpublishing.com.au DISTRIBUTION Alex Tkachenko admin@coastpublishing.com.au

of boats out on weekends (instead of sitting at their moorings), screeching lorikeets, regularly Zooming with my family and, of course, living more than an arm’s length away from so many Covid hotspots.

Even more remotely, but no less intimately (if that’s not too much of a juxtaposition), there was the sense of community across our many local neighbourhood Facebook pages, as well as the international #ViewfromMyWindow group that has linked millions of people with very personalised glimpses of what others look out onto from their homes, from Broome to Belarus, and Cairo to Kathmandu.

Wonderful though many of those glimpses were, it all made me realise time and again why, over the past year, the Central Coast has become the second most popular region in all of Australia* that more and more people want to move to or escape to on holidays! c

Catharine Retter, Publisher * Source: Ripehouse Advisory; State Titles Offices; The Demographics Group

ADMINISTRATION admin@coastpublishing.com.au COAST is published by Coast Publishing ABN 11 145 976 049 PO Box 6407 Kincumber NSW 2251 For more ‘What’s On for Kids’ information contact Katie Stokes at playinginpuddles.com.au COPYRIGHT AND WARRANTIES The editorial content, photographic content, design and graphic art (including design of any advertisements by Coast Publishing) are all subject to copyright and must not be reproduced in any form without written permission from Coast Publishing.

While we strive to ensure information contained in this magazine is correct and current at the time of printing, details may be subject to change and we recommend contacting venues or event organisers before planning your visit. The information contained in this magazine has been provided by contributors, interviewees and advertisers and their sources.

No warranty is given by Coast Publishing as to the accuracy of this information nor any liability arising from any reliance upon the information contained herein.

FIND US ON Facebook Instagram @coast_publishing Receive COAST online, free, in your inbox each month by subscribing at coastmagazine.com.au We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Awabakal and Darkinjung peoples and their Elders past and present. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land.

ON THE COVER The Entrance, by Jim Picot.

Congratulations to Jim on being named winner of the Sienna International Drone Award Photo of the Year, 2020.

WIN

2 nights holiday accommodation for up to 10 guests at

THE BOATHOUSE HOTEL’S

PATONGA COTTAGE

Patonga Cottage, next door to The Boathouse Hotel Patonga and its landmark Norfolk Island Pines, is designed with the stylish touches evident in any Boathouse Hotel establishment — ideal for holiday relaxation.

Overlooking idyllic Patonga Bay, this white-washed 4-bedroom cottage was once the Patonga post office. It has everything you’d want for a seaside stay: open-plan living and dining area, large timber deck, garden, firepit and a private tank-pool, outdoor shower and foot bath for sandy feet and salty bodies. Dine at The Boathouse Hotel, have your meal delivered to the Cottage, or enjoy fish and chips on the beach.

There is also a full kitchen in the Cottage.

Take a ferry trip across to Palm Beach, watch the pelicans, enjoy the local nature walks, take the kids to the park across the road, or settle back in a swing chair on the deck and contemplate nature.

Just tell us why you’d like to win by entering at coastmagazine.com.au The prize may be redeemed for The Patonga Cottage, or for one apartment at any Boathouse Hotel (and is subject to the apartment’s maximum guest numbers)*.

Please read the Terms and Conditions listed with the entry form on the coastmagazine.com.au website.

*Images portray The Boathouse Group accommodation.

theboathousehotelpatonga.com.au

7

13 OF THE BEST UNSPOILT AND SECLUDED BEACHES ON THE

Central Coast

GRAVELLY BEACH

REED PLUMMER CENTRAL COAST DRONES

WHO BETTER TO INTIMATELY KNOW THE VERY BEST OF THE CENTRAL COAST’S MOST SECLUDED BEACHES THAN REED PLUMMER THE MAN WHO HAS SPENT THE LAST SIX YEARS VISITING THEM IN THEIR MANY MOODS TO PHOTOGRAPH THEM FROM ON HIGH. HERE ARE HIS FAVOURITE SPOTS.

»

DISCOVER • Central Coast

STARTING FROM THE NORTH END OF THE COAST:

FRAZER, BONGON AND TIMBER BEACHES

FRAZER BEACH

Frazer and the two beaches that branch off it – Bongon Beach and Timber Beach – with their spectacularly beautiful and rugged coastline are amazing and as good as any exotic locations far from home. They lie within the Munmorah State Conservation Area. Frazer has a picnic area and campground, and usually boasts a reasonable beach break protected from summer north-easterlies.

Unpatrolled.

BONGON BEACH

BONGON BEACH

Bongon is a short walk around the rocks from Frazer or down the slope from the Frazer Blowhole carpark, and shares the same bay between northern Snapper Point and southern Little Bumpy.

It’s a 50-metre wide, south-facing beach wedged between rock platforms and is sheltered, usually with low waves at the shore.

Unpatrolled.

10 COAST

DISCOVER • Central Coast

TIMBER BEACH

TIMBER BEACH

TIMBER BEACH

Timber is a bit of a local hot spot and my favourite beach on the coast. It’s only 30 metres long at the back of a deep, narrow rocky valley, and can be seen and reached along a well-used track from the lookout off the Bongon Head track. The beach faces east and, out of the three local beaches, receives the most waves. During high seas it’s completely covered and, when its calmer, hidden cave entries expose themselves for those willing to explore.

Unpatrolled.

11

DISCOVER • Central Coast

BIRDIE BEACH Birdie, north of Budgewoi, is absolutely beautiful, but some people can be deterred because it is the coast’s only nudist beach. That said, it’s an unclad beach only in its far northern corner. The other 5 km stretch of the beach is pristine, very isolated, and with beautiful blue waters. It looks across to Bird Island and you reach it from Birdie Beach Drive through the Munmorah State Conservation Reserve. Unpatrolled.

GRAVELLY BEACH (aka PEBBLY BEACH) place for a walk and a good place to find a spot to yourself away from the crowds on neighbouring beaches. It’s a 600-metre long beach facing southeast and waves are slightly reduced by the outcrop of Soldiers Point.

GRAVELLY BEACH

BIRDIE BEACH

My next secluded spot is Gravelly Beach, the patch of sand between Norah Head and Soldiers Beach. It’s an awesome

12 COAST

KEN DUNCAN’S

walking in the wild EXHIBITION NOW SHOWING

Ken Duncan Gallery is proud to announce the release of Ken’s long-awaited book, Walking in the Wild. And, to celebrate, we are hosting a new exhibition featuring many stunning new wildlife shots, along with your all-time favourites.

wildlife photography tips During Ken’s exhibition, you will have the opportunity to watch a video of Ken presenting his top wildlife photography tips.

Tickets for Ken’s Wildlife Photography Tips are $30 per person.

Places are limited and bookings are essential.

Book online at www.kenduncan.com Ken Duncan Gallery 414 The Entrance Road, Erina Heights Open 10am - 4pm Daily (Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day) Phone (02) 4367 6701 or visit www.kenduncan.com

Ken’s Walking in the Wild exhibition will be on display at his Central Coast Gallery from November 14. We know you can’t travel the world right now, so why not visit Ken’s new exhibition to see some of the world’s most exotic animals photographed on every continent.

Ken Duncan’s brand-new book, Walking in the Wild, devoted entirely to wildlife photos.

Available now.

At home on the coast Bronte Queen Bedhead in Blackbutt from $2,775

Norah Bedside in Blackbutt from $1,630

Visit our West Gosford showroom

DISCOVER • Central Coast

PELICAN BEACH

PELICAN BEACH

Pelican Beach known locally as ‘Pelos’, in Wyrrabalong National Park is at the northern end of Magenta and north of The Entrance. It’s a stunning long stretch of beach and is similar to Birdie Beach in its isolation – you can easily be the only one there. It has a great surfing break protected from the summer northerly winds. Unpatrolled.

SPOON BAY

SPOON BAY

Spoon Bay lies wholly within the Wamberal Lagoon Nature Reserve and backs onto densely vegetated sand dunes. It can only be reached on foot from Spoon Bay Road car park or along the beach from Wamberal. It’s a bit more popular than the previous beaches but still a very local spot where you’ll find fewer people. Its coral and marine life are fun for all ages to explore. It’s also home to some worldclass reef breaks, but I’ll get into trouble if I say too much more about that! Unpatrolled.

15

BOUDDI NATIONAL PARK

DISCOVER • Central Coast

BOUDDI NATIONAL PARK Next is pretty much most of Bouddi National Park: Littles, Maitland Bay, Bullimah, Tallows and Little Tallows are some of the most beautiful and relaxed spots on the coast. Each has its own loveable characteristics.

LITTLE BEACH

LITTLE BEACH

Littles is an awesome surf spot. It has good camping (you need to book through National Parks) and great bushwalks, a picnic area, and rockpools to explore. Not surprisingly, it’s a small beach and is tucked into a deep, narrow valley that can only be reached on foot along a 600-metre forested track. Unpatrolled.

16 COAST

DISCOVER • Central Coast

MAITLAND BAY This is one of the most idyllic spots on the coast and comes with a lot of history. You can reach it along the Coastal Walk through Bouddi National Park from Putty Beach, or the shortest track begins at the Maitland Bay Information Centre. The bay was named after SS Maitland which sank there in 1898 and you can still see bits of its rusted remnants at the eastern end of the bay at low tide. There’s an abundance of wildlife, both on land and in the marine park.

It has beautiful calm waters that are usually

BULLIMAH BEACH

MAITLAND BAY

protected from the larger swells.

BULLIMAH BEACH I’m always surprised to find another person here, so it certainly qualifies as ‘secluded’.

It’s a west-facing beach at the western tip of Gerrin Point, so try to get there for an amazing sunset over the water. It can only be reached on foot from Maitland Bay or Putty Beach, or by boat. Unpatrolled.

17

TALLOW BEACH AND LITTLE TALLOW BEACH Tallows is a 400-metre-long ocean beach and has bush camping facilities. Neighbouring Little Tallows is a 50-metre stretch of sand wedged between rocky headwalls. Both are reached through Bouddi National Park. Great surfing and camping spot. Great bushwalks.

LOBSTER BEACH This is a west-facing beach on the bay side of Bouddi, accessed from Wagstaffe. This 320-metre-long beach is peaceful and quiet with views across Broken Bay to Pearl Beach and Ocean Beach. It can only be reached on foot over a 50-metre-high ridge. However, that said, it is mostly accessed by boat from Broken Bay. Great spot for a picnic and to watch the ferry and all the nice boats go by.

And, yes, it was named ‘Lobster’ Beach for a good reason!

LOBSTER BEACH

centralcoastdrones.com.au

18 COAST

FROM BOTTOM: LITTLE TALLOW BEACH AND TALLOW BEACH

DISCOVER • Central Coast

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FINANCE We bulk bill the Medicare CDBS Zip Pay and Zip Money payment plans We partner with SuperCare

SUMMER • Shopping Guide

A Summer to Celebrate

WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

WITH THE CENTRAL COAST SOAKED IN SUNSHINE AND OUR BEACHES LOOKING THEIR BEST, SUMMER IS THE SEASON TO CELEBRATE LIFE BY THE SEA. SPOIL YOURSELF WITH A LITTLE (OR A LOT) OF SAND- AND SURF-INSPIRED SHOPPING.

Casika Swim Positive body image is all the rage so why not stand out in a sexy new bikini by Casika Swim. The metallics are hard to resist, the high-waisted briefs very ‘James Bond’, and the feminine florals scream ‘yachting life’. The handmade collection has been designed

by Central Coast local Cassandra Gibson, who has drawn inspiration from her favourite beaches as well as her time dancing at the Moulin Rouge, Paris. Through the collection Summer Somewhere, Cassandra hopes to encourage women to feel good in their own skin.

‘I want women to feel empowered and confident when they wear my collection as the luxurious fabrics and designs were created to do just that,’ she says.

The swimwear is available in sizes 6-12 and is sold through their website. The 2021 range (which will include size 14) will be sold in local boutiques. casika.com.au

Tiny Folk Co. Your one-stop-shop for everything cool and cute for little ones is Tiny Folk Co., a boutique that’s proving so popular with on-trend parents that owner Brooke Evrard has defied the Covid downturn to open a second store at Erina Heights. The shops designed ‘for little babes’ are brimming with whimsical, educational and fun toys for kids, but have made our list thanks to the range of stylish summer threads. There are Olas Supply Co. button-up shirts for boys in tropical, beach designs, and oh-so-cute overalls for girls. There are also Halcyon Nights and Susukoshi onesies in pastel purples and crayon greens, as well as fun Nudie Bumm boardshorts in botanical prints. With this carefully curated range, your kids will be the coolest cuties on the sand.

Shop 4, 340-344 The Entrance Road, Long Jetty Shop 3, 488 The Entrance Rd, Erina Heights

20 COAST

SUMMER • Shopping Guide

Slimes Boardstore An institution on the Coast, Slimes is synonymous with surf culture and is your go-to for surfboards. With a whopping range of up to 500 boards at any given time, you’re spoilt for choice.

To help you find the right fit, there’s a great demo line so you can try a board for two days before making a decision. The $40 demo price comes off the cost of the board if you decide to buy. Winwin. Slimes also stocks Prone Foil, designed for surfers when the waves are small and, if you need new fins, a board cover, wetsuit or boardshort, you can grab them here, too. As the saying goes, it’s your one-stop-shop for everything surf.

1/203 The Entrance Rd, Erina

Louley Natural materials, relaxed styles and pretty tones make Louley a refreshing find for women keen to add a few new pieces to their summer wardrobe. The independent, family-owned brand is based on the Central Coast and is centred on garments that are created sustainably in small batches. Designed to last, the clothing has been crafted from biodegradable fabrics such as linen and cotton. As for the range, think loose feminine dresses with balloon sleeves, minimal slip dresses and a few short numbers for summer fun, with a palette of white, hazelnut, black and blue. louley.net

Coastal Road, Toukley WORDS JEMMA DALEY It all started with busy mum Jo Middleton, selling upcycled furniture on Facebook and, after only two years, she has built her idea into a thriving business in the heart of Toukley.

Jo loves natural materials and the qualities they add to soft furnishings and furniture, each individually selected – and especially the unique elmwood pieces. The store offers homewares with a classy coastal aesthetic in everything from local artisan wall-art to white-washed, beachy furniture.

Shop the textured wall baskets, cane woven mirrors, and crystalinfused candles to rejuvenate your home with these one-of-a-kind coastal finds.

Shop 137 Main Rd, Toukley NSW 2263 and online at coastalroad.online/

21

Christmas

G I F T I N S P I R AT I O N S that let you buy better, while buying local

Salmon & Co, Ettalong Beach

Peter the Pelican bowl. $59 salmonandco.com

Drift Home & Living, Forresters Beach

Beautiful hand-glazed cups. $20 100 Per cent linen, raw-edged napkin. $12.95 Cowrie shell napkin ring. $10 drifthomeandliving.com.au

Haven at Home,

Three Donkys,

Erina Heights

Wamberal

Wandering-Folk picnic rug. $190 Mother-of-pearl star-sign tiles by artist, Jai Vasicek. $79 Kirstin Ash pearl necklace. $129

Unique ceramic house. Small, $23.

Medium, $42 Set of four, 100 per cent linen napkins, blue. $94. Cream and black, $82 The Originals: Beach Houses to Fall in Love With book $49.95 Preserved Buxus wreath. Medium, $135

havenathome.com.au

threedonkeys.com.au

Interiorwise, East Gosford

The Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pack can creatively transform a piece of furniture.

1 litre Chalk Paint (of your choice), paint stirrer, large paint brush, sanding pads, clear wax. $110 interiorwise.com.au

22 COAST

Wamberal locals Roy, Jo and their Three Donkeys, Sienna, Hunter and Elijah are very proud to own and operate Three Donkeys Wholefood Café & Three Donkeys Home. Offering a lifestyle of eating well, living well and feeling well.

Wholefood Café

Home threedonkeys.com.au

Our menu caters to dietary requirements, specialising in gluten, dairy and refined sugar free options, as well as being Vegan friendly. Enjoy a Specialty coffee or one of our many caffeine free drinks, with your choice of locally made raw desserts.

The Home shop offers a unique range of décor, fashion, furniture and flowers. Jo and her team will also help you with any styling advice you may need, and if you haven’t got time to pop in, go to our website and shop online.

WHOLEFOOD C A F É Open 7 days. 7am-2pm 6 Ghersi Ave Wamberal NSW 2260 I 02 4339 8052

H O M E Open Mon-Sat. 10am-4pm 2 Ghersi Ave Wamberal NSW 2260 I 02 4309 5440

You

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Medically managed cosmetic treatments for You • • • • • • • • • • • •

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All treatments and procedures delivered by doctors.

Beauty through Science

3/30 Karalta Road, Erina, NSW I 0410 000 227

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23

MY COAST • Lucy Wicks

My Coast WHAT INSPIRES LUCY WICKS MOST ARE OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES, AND HEARING OF THEIR CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES.

MY COAST • Lucy Wicks

E

ven though being a mum is her favourite thing in life, Lucy Wicks is not one to define herself by her role as a mother, politician, surf-patroller, or even a once-upon-a-timeclassically trained violinist. She is much more likely to think of herself in terms such as ‘passionate’, ‘determined’, and ‘driven by what motivates people’.

Lucy’s staff are quick to mention her big-heartedness, which extends to her rescue dog, Bella. She’s known for not being able to leave a lost animal alone by the side of the road, and for bringing the odd injured bird into the office.

Her earliest memory of the Central Coast was waking up in the new family home in Point Clare, in 1985, and seeing palm trees.

Having grown up on a farm with vast open spaces, the semitropics outside her window were an instant symbol of the sea change the family had chosen.

What she’s grown to love most about the Central Coast are the differences between suburbs, and yet the connectedness that binds people. A close second are the beaches, each with their own personality; as well as the hills behind the Coast and being surrounded by natural bushland.

Politics was something Lucy knew she wanted to get into from the age of 15. Her violin teacher Miss Anne Lewis — whom Lucy credits as an important influence and for encouraging her in life — set up work experience for her with their local State Member of Parliament. Although the tasks she was given were menial, Lucy was hooked.

‘What I saw in that week was that, through government, you can enable other people’s dreams,’ she says.

‘I was later told at the Central Coast Conservatorium, “You could be a professional violinist if you only practised.” And I remember replying, “But why would I want to do that; I am going into politics!” That was probably the end of any professional violin playing career for me.’

As a first-born, a school principal’s daughter, and a school captain (twice), there were often high expectations placed on Lucy.

‘My maths teacher at the Gosford Christian School taught me never to be afraid to think through a problem. I was not good at maths in the beginning, but she had the patience to problem-solve with me. And I ended up doing a year of maths at university!’

Lucy is excited by the changes now happening on the Coast and cites the Central Coast Clinical School and Research Institute

Lucy’s parents are also on-going role models for her. Their shared living arrangements let her manage parliamentary sitting weeks in Canberra and long working days in the electorate knowing that her two children, Mollie-Joy (named after both grandmothers) and Oscar are well cared for.

‘I love to cook on weekends and entertain friends. I am an incredibly messy cook, and I’m no Julie Goodwin, but I love the textures, the colours and the tastes of different foods. I even cooked a five-course dinner for 50 people around the pool for my 33rd birthday. But, all that said, I can’t cook a roast! I love that food connects people, and it’s over a meal that you hear people’s stories. What could be better?’

Some of Lucy Wick’s favourite things: Chocolate croissants: Ludo’s Gourmet Kitchen, Avoca Beach Delicatessen: Salt Pig Deli, Erina Cupcakes: Cakes by Kyla, Gosford Favourite place: A quiet thinking spot near the top of The Skillion at Terrigal Haven Swim: Terrigal Beach, out to the buoy and back.

Walks: Along Patonga, and early morning walks on Avoca or North Avoca beaches Weekend outings: Australian Reptile Park, Glenworth Valley.

being built in Gosford, in conjunction with the University of Newcastle, as a prime example.

‘The opportunities for our region as a centre of medical research excellence are unprecedented. And I love that the next generation will have more choices. They can choose to gain further education in Gosford, or Newcastle, or in Sydney.’

25

COAST • On the Water

The White’s Seahorse has been sighted in waters around Ettalong, Saratoga, Kincumber and Tascott. And in Lake Macquarie around Gwandalan and Belmont.

26 COAST

COAST • On the Water

SEAHORSES: a love affair for life WORDS CATHARINE RETTER

E

veryone seems to love seahorses with their horsey faces, little pot bellies, curled tails, vacuum snouts and pretty colours. And there is one species in particular – White’s Seahorse – that’s known to live around the Central Coast in Brisbane Water, Tuggerah Lake and Lake Macquarie.

Seahorses only have a tiny dorsal fin for limited propulsion and they’re said to be the slowest fish in the ocean, so it’s probably taken them millions of years to drift down on the East Australian Current (like Nemo) from Hervey Bay in Queensland (where they may have originated) to havens such as Port Stephens, the Central Coast estuaries and Sydney Harbour. On their journey south, they would have survived by using their tails to cling to algae and any flotsam and jetsam, but you won’t find them much south of Sydney Harbour because the water temperature gets too cold for their liking.

Once the seahorses have found a habitat with the right temperature, environment, and food source, they don’t tend to move more than 70 metres! That makes habitat destruction especially risky for seahorses. An important factor in choosing where to live is also where they can use their tails to hang on to seagrass, soft corals and sponges while the movements of currents let their food – microscopic shrimp – drift past them to be vacuumed up in their seahorse snouts.

The seahorses have an amazing ability to camouflage themselves and can adapt their colouring according to their habitat with ease. The seahorses living around sea sponges tend to be bright colours such as gold and orange. Around seagrasses, you’ll find grey seahorses. And on the pink soft corals, the seahorses are pink or white in colour.

PHOTOS DR DAVID HARASTI

Seahorses are often referred to as ‘the canaries of estuarine waters’ as their survival also reflects the health of our estuaries.

And it’s the loss of habitat in our estuaries that’s made the White’s Seahorse the first seahorse to be listed as endangered in Australia (and only the second seahorse in the world to be so listed). In Port Stephens, there’s been a 97 per cent decline in their numbers in

»

27

COAST • On the Water

The female seahorse deposits her eggs into the male’s brood pouch.

He incubates them for three weeks, looking decidedly pregnant, and gives birth to around 100 babies at a time.

just eight years as a result of significant loss of their soft coral and sponge habitats.

Senior research scientist based at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Dr David Harasti, is Australia’s foremost authority on White’s Seahorse and his PhD research led to the creation of underwater ‘hotels’ for the seahorses. The hotels are metal cages lowered into the water where, over a period of months, they become covered in marine growth and provide a safe haven for the seahorses.

‘The seahorses treat the hotels a bit like their local pub,’ says Dr Harasti. ‘They congregate there, stay a while, pick up a mate, go through a courting ritual, and pair off. They’re monogamous, so they’re living proof of being able to find true love underwater!’

Associate Professor Troy Gaston and Brittney Valenzisi, from the University of Newcastle’s School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the Ourimbah campus, are currently undertaking research in Brisbane Water, Tuggerah Lake and Lake Macquarie to assess seahorse numbers, and the findings may well result in seahorse hotel installations here, too.

‘We have been breeding seahorses at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, and released 95 into Sydney Harbour in April 2020 onto sea hotels that we placed for them,’ says Dr Harasti. ‘We tag the seahorses, and the results so far have been heartening. If we get a 20 per cent survival rate, and even one or two individuals breeding, that’s a good outcome.’

28 COAST

Predators of seahorses include large fish such as snapper and flathead as well as octopus, so safe havens are essential to these slow-movers for survival.

The lifelong seahorse mates breed from nine months of age, from October to February each year, with the female depositing her eggs into the male’s brood pouch. He incubates them for three weeks, looking decidedly pregnant, and gives birth to around 100 babies at a time. They grow to an average of 10 cm in stretched-out length, and the larger males can breed up to eight times in a season.

The scientific name for seahorse is ‘Hippocampus’, the same as the part of the human brain. But is the seahorse named after our brain, or our brain after the seahorse?

The clues lie in the meaning of ‘hippocampus’ and the shape of our brain. ‘Hippo’ is Greek for horse. And ‘kampos’ means sea monster.

How could we not love seahorses? It’s a no-brainer.

WATCH THIS SPACE: We hope the newly refurbished Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre in Terrigal may have a beautiful new Hippocampus whitei Seahorse exhibit in 2021.

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HOME STYLE • The Pelican House

THE PELICAN HOUSE Sooze and David Cooper, Wagstaffe

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HOME STYLE • The Pelican House

FAR LEFT Sooze and David Cooper.

LEFT The air conditioning ducting blends with exposed ceiling joists and VJ panelling.

WHEN SOOZE AND DAVID COOPER FIRST SAW THE 80-YEAR-OLD FISHERMAN’S COTTAGE IN WAGSTAFFE, THE POTENTIAL BUYER AHEAD OF THEM PASSED THEM MUTTERING, ‘TOO SMALL, TOO NARROW, TWO BEDROOMS’. BUT TO THEM IT WAS ‘IDYLLIC WATERFRONT, LOW MAINTENANCE, AND WEEKENDER BLISS.’

They bought it, fully intending to use it occasionally but also to rent it out as an Airbnb.

‘But then we fell in love with it,’ says Sooze. ‘And we decided to keep it just for family and friends.’

‘It was quite liveable and we found ourselves spending more and more time here,’ says David. ‘It was easy to get to from where we live on the northern beaches. We just had to hop on the Palm Beach ferry that stops almost at the bottom of the garden.’

But as friends discovered the delights of the Wagstaffe weekender, two bedrooms began to feel too small. The Coopers decided to renovate and extend upwards, transforming the single-storey cottage into two storeys with four-bedrooms. The biggest challenge was how to keep the style of the cottage that they’d fallen in love with.

‘Fiona Brodie, who drew up the architectural plans for us, suggested Construct Central Coast as a builder,’ says Sooze. ‘She warned us that they really only work on much bigger projects, but suggested we try them anyway.’

The timing was somehow right and Dan from Construct loved the building and the vision the Coopers had in mind.

‘The DA went through smoothly because the plans kept everything just within building regulations.’

Because of the footprint of the house, everything is compact, and yet highly liveable. The overall white colour scheme for the walls and ceiling, and the air conditioning ducting cleverly built into the ceiling style, combine to add a sense of spaciousness.

‘The early construction work coincided with the cancellation of the Palm Beach ferries when the channel in Broken Bay had silted up,’ recalls Sooze. ‘So when I had to come for on-site meetings, I’d have to catch the ferry to Patonga, and Luke [from Construct] would very kindly pick me up there and drive us to Wagstaffe.’

‘Not only that,’ says David, ‘They emailed us daily photo updates, and set up a webcam, and I could logon to the live cam on my office computer and see how the build was progressing.

They were just great people to deal with.’

The floors sloped and had to be lifted, and there was a skewwiff wall that had to be addressed. Steel side beams were put in to support the new storey, avoiding the need for an internal structural support wall – important when space in a long, narrow house is of the utmost. Because an additional storey was added, a new roof was also needed.

»

The original placement of the stove meant the cook had their back to the rest of the house. It’s now hidden in the benchtop that divides the kitchen from the main living area. The need for a rangehood between kitchen and living area was eliminated with the exhaust fan built into the Miele induction stovetop ducted under the house.

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ABOVE Access to the new storey is by a spiral staircase which remains unobtrusive and, in keeping with the spiral shape, a large round skylight sits in the ceiling above.

LEFT Detail of the spiral staircase.

‘We had not originally intended to redo the kitchen, but it had to be carefully dismantled so the floor could be replaced,’ says Sooze. ‘Then we saw it on the webcam and couldn’t imagine putting the old kitchen back in with everything else looking so fresh and new.’

Access to the new storey is by a spiral staircase which somehow remains unobtrusive within the main living area. In keeping with the spiral shape, a large round skylight sits in the ceiling above it.

The circular nature of the staircase also means that no large furniture could be carried up to the new floor, and some ingenuity was required. The Japanese-style bath in the bathroom was installed during the building process, and the wardrobe and queen-sized bed for the master bedroom were assembled in situ.

‘The compacted mattress magically unfolded to its true size as we stripped the plastic packaging from it,’ says Sooze.

Sooze’s eye for style and design is evident throughout the house in the furnishings, accessories and art choices. Downstairs, a loungeroom wall is slowly being covered in white-framed drawings and paintings, evidence that the Coopers also encourage visitors to find their inner creative.

‘They don’t have to be masterpieces,’ says Sooze. ‘But they provide lovely memories of our friends and family visits.’

And that, after all, is what this welcoming house is all about.

The home is a finalist in the 2020 HIA-CSR Hunter Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards.

»

LEFT The bathroom adjoining the master bedroom is just right for two people and snugly accommodates a Japanese-style bath, generous shower, basin and vanity.

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11/3/2020 10:52:41 PM

HOME STYLE • The Pelican House

Architectural design

Fiona Brodie Design

Builder

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Tiles

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Timber floor & decking

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Joinery

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ABOVE The master bedroom, housed on the first floor, has glorious views overlooking Brisbane Water. A built-in bedhead shields the room from the doorway and discreetly houses the electrical fittings.

LEFT A pelican letterbox was Sooze’s ‘Covid creative project’ and its completion happily coincided with an easing of restrictions that allowed for a Champagne christening with neighbours who relished the idea of coming to ‘the opening of a letterbox!’

RIGHT The deck overlooking the water was extended to make it more useable. ‘My one and only contribution to the build,’ says David with a laugh, ‘is the outdoor table which I built from some of our old wharf timbers.’ It blends agelessly with the weathered-deck timbers.

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HOME STYLE • Covid

6 good ways Covid is changing our homes Major events in history are known to have changed the way the world lives. We know that natural disasters such as bushfires and floods can bring out the best in communities; that the Depression made our grandparents more thrifty for the rest of their lives; that the World Wars showed everyone women could do men’s jobs.

Now Covid, too, has altered the way we live in our homes, the way we socialise and the way we work and conduct business.

And there are some silver linings to come out of this.

Spending more time at home has made many of us more conscious of the space we share with housemates or family, and even the limitations of our homes and how they could be more comfortable and more pleasant environments.

Neuro-architecture or emotional architecture is the new ‘thing’. This is architecture that recognises the way we respond to our built environment: that things like a long, narrow corridor, perhaps a little dimly lit, can be oppressive, or even makes us feel trapped or restless; and that indoor gardens or pleasant outlooks have the opposite effect. (The science side of this architecture has measured heart rates and body temperatures, and even our sweat glands to see how we respond to our environments.)

Apparently, it’s also the reason we love texture, curves and symmetry in our lives.

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1. Working and schooling from home The most obvious change arising from Covid has been the need for many of us to work from home as our studies, nooks and crannies, and bedrooms became virtual school rooms and offices — that everyone can see behind you on Zoom.

Appropriate lighting is also important across these new functions.

Often, these rooms also need to change their function depending on the time of day to transform into quiet zones or even exercise zones with places to use or store bikes, yoga mats, etc. And then these multi-purpose spaces may need to flip back to being bedrooms, kitchens and corners.

2. Insulation, air con and heating Working from home has made us all that little bit more conscious of our increased energy bills and the need for homes that work with the environment to provide solutions to reduce our energy consumption: think passive measures such as blinds, louvres, verandas, and insulation, as well as air conditioners and heating.

3. Buying local Not only do many of us want to support our local businesses but as supply chains become more complex, and transporting goods from overseas brings with it an entirely new list of issues, Covid is making many of us think local.

4. Indoor gardens Unless we’re lucky enough to have spectacular outlooks — or spend a lot of time on ‘#ViewFromMyWindow’ on Facebook — we’re escaping into our gardens or onto balconies more, as well as bringing the outside in with pot plants and living green walls to add a little variety and a touch of nature to our days.

For those of us who think this may not be the last pandemic the world experiences, the ambience of common areas in the home is likely to become more ’playful’ to satisfy the restlessness that many of us experienced in our days of confinement.

Architects we spoke to believe indoor-outdoor living areas will become increasingly important, as will bedrooms with private patios, balconies or courtyards. As apartment dwellers realise the importance of green space available to every apartment owner or renter, rooftop terraces and balconies will become more important for outdoor freedom.

»

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HOME STYLE • Covid

5. Home improvements and renovations One of the industry sectors that has benefitted from working from home and reduced socialising is the home improvement industry. There are all those jobs we’d been putting off that are now staring us in the face every day … and we have just that bit more time to attend to them too.

6. Relocation from cities to regional areas It’s little wonder that city dwellers’ thoughts are turning to relocating to regional areas such as the Central Coast.

Although many of us commute to the city, working from home is now increasingly viable. Housing prices are more affordable away from capital cities, as is the opportunity to choose more space with a sea-change or a tree-change location.

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COAST • Environment

This is what really happens to your recycling on the Central Coast Sometimes we can tend to get a bit cynical about just how much

The Central Coast is also at the forefront of road-building using

of our recycling efforts are truly recycled and put to good use.

Here on the Central Coast, all of our recyclables are first taken to IQRenew at Somersby for sorting.

up to 90 per cent recycled products in road base, road surface, kerbs, guttering, footpaths and drainage. Just over half a kilometre of road uses recycled: 631,000 plastic bags 117,000 glass bottles 14,400 user printer cartridge toner 160 tonnes of reclaimed road asphalt

All of our glass is then taken to Wyong for crushing to be recycled into glass, sand, and aggregates. The sand product, for example, is used as a drainage medium for pipe bedding and road making.

Plastics are currently sent elsewhere for recycling, but plans are afoot to convert residual scrap plastic into crude oil in Somersby in the future.

Steel and aluminium is sent to the Hunter Valley for recycling, with cans crushed and used in tin plate to be reused in packaging.

Paper and cardboard is sent to Sydney for processing into office paper, towels, napkins, toilet paper, greeting cards, corrugated and cardboard packaging, magazines and newspapers.

100 per cent of mattress materials are recycled and are no longer sent to landfill. The metals are reused in railway wheels, foam is repurposed in carpet underlays, the fabric is used in wall panels, and the remainder – floc, wood and plastic – are used in biofuels.

How can you help make recycling more effective?

Top tip: Don’t bag your recycling, and never put plastic bags into your recycle bin Remove lids and place in bin separately Flatten boxes Make sure bottles, cans and jars are empty of food and liquids

What can be recycled?

Paper and cardboard items free of plastic and foil linings Plastic bottles and containers that held a product used in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry Metal food and drink cans Aerosol spray cans used for the home or on your body Glass bottles and jars that held food, drink or medicine products For more information1coast.com.au

41

PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Tom Slingsby

SailGP’s F50 on Sydney Harbour, a sight to behold.

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PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Tom Slingsby

TOM SLINGSBY

IS THIS FLYING, SAILING, OR MADNESS! IT ALL STARTED FOR LOCAL BOY, TOM SLINGSBY, RACING MOTHS AND THEN LASERS ON BRISBANE WATER ON THE CENTRAL COAST.

T

om grew up in Koolewong with his twin sisters, Alana

and Jess. His father sailed with the Gosford Sailing Club and, from the age of seven, Tom began sailing with his dad on Brisbane Water, then competed in the twilight races, and progressing to junior classes. He just loved to compete, whether it was tennis, sailing, or even playing cards.

Surprisingly, his early love was tennis not sailing, and his goal was to be a professional tennis player – his mum was a keen tennis player – and his idols were Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Tom practised in the mornings at Woy Woy tennis courts on the way to school at St John the Baptist.

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Tom Slingsby skippering the F50.

43

PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Tom Slingsby He later went to high school at St Edwards in East Gosford, training at the Gosford courts.

A little before the Sydney Olympics he realised he was not enjoying tennis as much as he had, and his training sessions dropped down from twice daily. Then his dad took him to watch the 2000 Olympic sailing races on Sydney Harbour, and the sights and excitement made him realise that this is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

‘I love a project and a goal,’ says Tom. ‘I’d write my goals on a sheet of paper on my bedroom wall and after the Olympics those goals became, NSW Championship National Championship Compete in World Title Win World Title Win Olympic Medal ‘To get used to ocean sailing, I sailed out of Terrigal Haven. And I’d watch sporting documentaries, and could see all the successful sportspeople had the same mentality, the will to compete and to win. I always want to win so badly, and I have that drive in my training too, the drive that gets me out of bed every morning to run and get fitter. I don’t handle losing very well so you have to turn that feeling into a positive lesson learnt.’

It’s a matter of history that Tom went on to achieve his goals as well as a few he hadn’t dreamt of. He not only sailed in the

winning Oracle team for the 34th Americas Cup in 2013, but has been a five times world champion in Laser dinghies as well as in the Etchells class in 2010.

He skippered the supermaxi Perpetual Loyal to win the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 2016.

And did we mention he won Gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Laser Class?

He was made the Australian Institute of Sport’s Athlete of the Year in the same year, and in 2014 was awarded an OAM for his service to sport.

Tom is still an ambassador for Gosford Sailing Club, and in competitions when he needs to fill in the name of his home club, it’s always ‘Gosford Sailing Club’.

After achieving so much in sailing, Tom decided to try his hand at the F50s, the fastest yacht class on earth, in catamarans that exceed speeds of 90 km sailing out of the water up on their hydrofoils.

‘Sailing an F50 is different to sailing any other boat,’ Tom is quick to say, ‘ It’s Formula One racing on water. But once you master the technical differences it all comes back to sailing, reading the wind, and tactics.

‘Someone asked me what the difference is between the super cars and F50s. I said, “similar, but we don’t have brakes”. You stop by stalling the sails and dropping off the foils – intentionally or unintentionally – but it can lead to injuries when you’ve been going so fast, so we try not to fall off!’

A young Tom Slingsby winning the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal in a Laser.

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PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Tom Slingsby

From the age of 17, Tom’s sailing career has taken him all over the world, and from 2014 to 2017 he lived in Bermuda, then came back to Australia to live in Terrigal before moving to Sydney to skipper the Australian super-fast F50 team to victory in the inaugural SailGP competition.

He’s now Skipper and CEO of SailGP, and his beloved English Bulldog, Nala, is getting used to having him home a lot more.

Covid has given him time to relax, and time for himself. He considers himself lucky that sailing in single-handed boats fitted in with the self-isolation rules so he tried to get out on the water several days a week in a 12 ft Moth that also sails on hydrofoils.

‘I enjoyed getting back to basics, albeit at a slightly slower speed,’ he says. ‘They’re a good training tool for the F50, the nearest you can get to the much bigger and faster F50s.’

What does Tom have up on his bedroom wall chart these days?

‘I always want to compete, though a time will come when I’m not physically able to compete in very physical boats. As the team CEO for SailGP, I will have to recognise when that time has come for me to stop. I enjoy the management side of things which I’ve been doing for a few years now: I enjoy running a team, getting the right personalities together, working on the training programs.

‘The Central Coast has had a massive influence on my life. It gave me a humble, down to earth attitude that helped me deal with competing in the big races overseas, and with the success.’

ABOVE Sailing the F50 out of the water on hydrofoils at speeds up to 90 km.

BELOW Tom led the Australian team to victory over Japan in the US$1 million inaugural SailGP Championship in France, making him the fastest skipper in the world in 2019.

45

FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

A SUMMER GUIDE TO

FAVE FOODIE SPOTS ON THE COAST

BEYOND THE BEACH WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

PHAT PLATTER, everywhere One look at Phat Platter creations and you’ll be coming up with any excuse to have people around to celebrate the arrival of summer with a perfectly poised picnic platter to share with your nearest and dearest. From baby showers and birthday gatherings to kids’ parties and corporate events, Phat Platter crafts a smorgasbord of delicious treats to impress. We’re talking a slab of honeycomb atop of wheel of brie snuggled up to a generous serving of prosciutto and plump strawberries.

‘I have had a passion for food and design my whole life,’ says owner Stevie Larsen. ‘Living overseas in London, then Canada, opened my eyes to the amazing restaurants, one being a wine and cheese bar called Basalt in Whistler, where I worked,’ she adds.

‘This is where I learnt about amazing cheeses and cured meats and found my love for grazing boards.’

The Wamberal local started the business in 2017 and uses a range of mostly Australian produce, with a few French and

46 COAST

Italian cheeses, and makes extras such as caramelised nuts.

Her most popular product is currently the cheese and charcuterie box, but the grazing tables and picnics are flying out the door as Covid-19 restrictions ease. It’s no wonder. Stevie sets up the most glamorous picnics with rattan furniture, glassware, floral arrangements and plenty of throws. She also creates tiered grazing tables with a mix of sweet and savoury, plus boxes of goodies you can pick up or have delivered for a semi-DIY experience. phatplatter.com

»

Ettalong Beach Waterfront Reserve

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FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

SWEET CAROLINE, East Gosford Beautiful, fun and perfect for summer flings with friends, Sweet Caroline is one of the newest, hippest venues on the Central Coast. Launching in August (2020), owners Tony and Eliza Benvenuto describe their East Gosford café as a quirky wonderland, with casual, creative dishes. The daytime menu features breakfast delights such as an eggs benny croissant and Italian baked eggs, while lunch is about classic options done well: fish tacos and spiced calamari, for example. The casual eatery turns into a funky neon-lit restaurant at night, where the chefs step it up a notch with more-ish meals including truffle mushrooms, and Italian pork and veal meatballs. Pair your dish with a pinot grigio or Aperol spritz and you’ll be enjoying la dolce vita without travelling to Europe.

Not long after tying the knot in February, the Sydney couple lost their jobs as a result of Covid-19. As soon as they could, over the following months, they got back to visiting the Central Coast where they had family, and knew it was a good fit.

‘We’ve previously had cafés in Sydney and felt this was the perfect opportunity to express our creativity while also setting up a future on the Coast,’ Tony says. ‘We looked for venues for a few weeks until we found our little gem, and once we saw it we knew we could create something special with the space.’

Once a plant nursery, the café still has a cheerful abundance of plants in its outdoor setting, quirky neon lights, and a mirrored waterfall. Inside, there are comfy vintage chairs and a sofa that make you feel right at home.

Sweet Caroline

BOUFFANT, Gosford WORDS KATIE STOKES

Shop 12/36-40 Victoria Street, East Gosford

© SHAN ROSE PHOTOGRPHY

sweetcarolinecentralcoast.com.au/

48 COAST

A line of people greets the Bouffant team most mornings at opening, and it’s a constant that remains for much of the day.

People come from far and wide for their baked treats, whose images they’ve seen loved, reposted and storied on Instagram.

Bouffant is co-owned by Andrew Mansfield and Markus Kunz, the same duo behind East Gosford’s Oomph café. In March they opened their first bakery in East Gosford’s main shopping precinct. It was called The Bakery, and it quickly gained popularity when people saw they could buy a pastry there for less than $2!

They do this by creating a croissant pastry that they then use to create multiple treats. They still use quality ingredients and each croissant is still rolled out by hand, but they’ve worked out how they can skip some of the more time-consuming tasks in order to create a beautiful product fast, and at a price point that ensures they can deliver their ‘fluffy goodness’ to all.

The concept took off, and in July they adopted the name Bouffant and opened a second shop in Gosford. Located in a historic sandstone building on Mann Street, the shop’s pastel pinkpanelled countertop is lined with almond croissants, Portuguese tarts, salted caramel-filled doughnuts and white chocolate-andraspberry muffins. Pastel pink colours everything – from the pendant lights and splashback tiles to the coffee cups and plant pots – rendering a space that’s Insta-worthy in every sense.

As we go to print, the Bouffant team are set to to open their third shop in Terrigal… and we have no doubt that it won’t be their last.

38 Mann Street, Gosford bouffant.com.au/

»

Your home is your haven Home, gifts and lifestyle store

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MARGARITA DAZE Umina’s beachfront social Set on the shores of Ocean Beach our indoor and outdoor spaces are perfect for casual get togethers and celebrations! A locals favourite with a friendly and informal atmosphere “Margies” offer an enticing cocktail and craft beer selection along with fresh seafood, pizzas, pub favourites and share options - something to keep the whole crew happy!

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49

FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

LOADED DOUGH, Terrigal

ARC RESTAURANT, Terrigal Where boho-luxe meets Bali WORDS KATIE STOKES

Sometimes you just want a classic: a meal or cocktail that’s stood the test of time, rode the fads and is still a resounding favourite because it’s just so damned good. That’s what Arc delivers: traditional, bistro-style food and drinks that are tasty and assured. The kind of dishes you order with confidence.

But, here’s the golden twist, they’ve taken the dishes out of the bistro and have instead paired these favourite flavours with a gorgeous resort-style setting and table service that sings.

The decor is boho-luxe meets Bali. Think woven raffia cushions, carved wooden tables from India, seagrass and rattan pendants and antique entry doors.

The menu is packed with timeless dishes, such as slowroasted pork belly with creamy mash, honey-glazed Dutch carrots and Madeira mustard sauce, and 100-day grain-fed beef sirloin served with chips and café de Paris butter. They even have a prawn cocktail, a favourite of the ’60s. It’s made from Australian prawns, iceberg lettuce, avocado, Yarra Valley salmon roe and cocktail sauce. And people love it.

Most of the dishes have a French or Italian influence, but they occasionally dip into the Asia Pacific (tempura prawns and oysters with wakame and wasabi mayo), or Peru (kingfish ceviche), or the Med (oven-roasted chicken with house-made labneh, baba-ganoush, harissa and pearl couscous).

There’s no smoke and mirrors or fancy garnishes; it’s quality ingredients and trusted mixings. And when it comes to cocktails: shaken, stirred and poured straight up. Make ours a Margarita.

Shop 7 and 8/18 Church Street, Terrigal; 0451717607. arcterrigal.com.au/

50 COAST

WORDS KATIE STOKES At Loaded Dough they make cookies. But these aren’t just any cookies – oh no, no. These are giant New York-style cookies stuffed with fillings, drizzled with chocolate and topped with fudge brownies, M&Ms and marshmallows!

Loaded Dough’s beginnings read like a classic from Disney.

Mitch Connor was a construction worker, and on days off he liked to bake. Each week he’d take his hard hat, steel-capped boots and a bunch of cookies with him to the site. As he says, ‘It was costing me $100 a week to make these cookies for my mates.’

People seemed to like them, so he and his partner, Kasinda Croser (a real estate agent), bought some ingredients and decided to try their luck selling a few through Instagram. They sold out in a day. Within three weeks they’d both resigned from their jobs and started baking full-time. And then, in October, just three months since launch, they signed the lease for their first standalone digs, a shop at Terrigal Beach.

Their cookies are incredibly popular, and it’s easy to see why.

Their Loaded Rocky Road cookie, for example, is made from their ‘secret loaded dough’, crushed Scotch Fingers, milk chocolate and diced red frogs. It comes with a Nutella and marshmallow centre, and it’s topped with drizzled chocolate and a marshmallow!

They also create custom Cookie Pizzas, which are gaining cult status among in-the-know teens looking for a birthday ‘cake’ with a difference. It’s quartered into four flavours and is packed with some 16 different treats! It beats the half-and-half any day.

Loaded Dough: Shop 3/1A Campbell Cres, Terrigal Beach instagram.com/loaded.dough/

FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

NEW IN THE NORTH THE CENTRAL COAST IS TEEMING WITH SO MANY PLACES TO SEE AND RESTAURANTS TO TRY THAT THE NORTHERN END OF THIS BEAUTIFUL REGION CAN TEND TO BE A LITTLE OVERLOOKED UNLESS YOU’RE A LOCAL IN-THE-KNOW. LUCKILY, AREAS LIKE WYONG AND TOUKLEY ARE BOOMING WITH NEW, ENTREPRENEURIAL CAFÉS, RESTAURANTS AND BAKERIES JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO TAKE A BITE. WORDS JEMMA DALEY

DAILY DOUGH CO, Wyong

© @SARAHLOVESSOCIALS

Their ginormous, fluffy doughnuts are ‘blowing up’ on Instagram, but the story behind their beginnings makes this sweet treat all the more tasty. Emma Peat, the creator of these delicious treats and owner of Daily Dough Co, was working four jobs when Covid hit and, like so many others, she was left unemployed.

It was thanks to this turn of fate that Emma decided to get back to her first love, baking, and began selling her delightful doughnuts from home. When the overload of orders became too big for her tiny kitchen, she knew it was time to take it to the next level. By July, Emma was able to open her very own doughnut shop, Daily Dough Co, in Wyong, and since then, her doughnuts have absolutely taken off. Pop on in and enjoy a delicious crème brûlée doughnut and a coffee …but be warned, they sell fast!

Wyong Milk Factory, 141 Alison Road, Wyong dailydoughco.com/

»

FADE NATION, Toukley If just a coffee isn’t enough, and you’re looking for more than lunch, Fade Nation in Toukley provides just that. It’s a barber shop that doubles as a café specialising in smoothies, fresh juices and coffee that you can sip while getting a fresh new do. And when you’re done, be sure to browse their collection of Fade Nation apparel before you go.

309 Main Road,Toukley facebook.com/fadenationtoukley/

Fade Nation

51

FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

JUICY LU’S RESTAURANT AND BAR, Wyong Alyssa Walker is another business owner who was able to realise her dream in the wake of Covid. After five years of working in hospitality, Alyssa found a run-down corner shop in Wyong and saw its potential for a popular restaurant and trendy bar of her very own. By mid-year, her dream was realised, and Juicy Lu’s has been buzzing ever since. Check out their sensational burgers and a unique cocktail concoction of your choosing – perhaps a Nutella martini or an elderflower bomb to blow your senses.

108 Pacific Highway, Wyong facebook.com/Juicylusbar/ Juicy Lu’s

REIGN BURGER CO., Wyong Owner Rindy Moroney, a disability support worker and now business owner, was inspired by a holiday in the United States to make the bold decision to open her own burger place with a difference in Wyong. Stop by for a sweet chilli buttermilk cob burger, jammed with buttermilk chicken and oozing delicious brie cheese.

Rindy not only spends her time creating unique, taste-tempting burger combinations but continues to believe in helping other start-up businesses when she can. One such business was Loaded Dough, makers of the Instagram-famous cookies. Together, the two businesses create unique taste combinations, such as the ice cream sandwich made with the delicious New York-style Loaded Dough cookies.

Reign Burger Co

5 Alison Road, Wyong facebook.com/reignburgerco/

WHEN IN ROME RESTAURANT, Toukley If you’re devastated by the thought of not spending your summer in Italy this year, then rest-assured, this little familyowned restaurant in Toukley – under new owners – is bringing Rome to you. It exudes Italian charm with twinkling fairy lights and a view of the fired-up pizza oven, so you’ll be slipping ‘ciaow’ and ‘saluté’ into your conversation in no time. Try Nonna Maria’s traditional lasagne followed by some of mamma’s tiramisu and let all your problems melt away. And, si, ‘When in Rome’ is the name of the restaurant.

268 Main Road, Toukley facebook.com/wheninromerestaurantnsw/

52 COAST

»

Factory-door sales now at our Spicery in Charmhaven - The Ultimate Spice Experience

Herbie, one of Australia’s foremost culinary herb and spice experts, has the widest possible range of top quality dried herbs, spices and blends.

1800 437 243 • www.herbies.com.au

4/25 Arizona Rd, Charmhaven Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm Saturdays 9:30am to 2:00pm Closed Sundays & Public Holidays

THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND

ETTALONG

TOURISM ON THE CENTRAL COAST PENINSULA

your destination ...

51-52 The Esplanade Ettalong Beach NSW 2257 (02) 4343 0111 www.ettalongdiggers.com info@ettalongdiggers.com Ettalong Diggers Visitor Information Centre (02) 4343 0140 @ettalongdiggerstourisminfo #ettalongdiggersvisitorinfo

53

FOOD & DINING • Summer Guide

THE MARSHMALLOW CO., Wyong WORDS JENNIFER ENNION Throw away your idea of supermarket marshmallows and say hello to the fully loaded gourmet version at The Marshmallow Co. Joel and Breah Twyman started selling marshmallows in 2017.

‘We started making them by accident,’ Joel says.

The couple was having a backyard bonfire and made marshmallows for the occasion. But they went overboard and Joel ended up taking some to work to share with colleagues.

The marshmallows were such a hit that friends and family wanted to buy some. That’s when they launched their market business.

Although people weren’t used to anything but pink and white marshmallows, once they tasted the Twyman’s decadent versions they were hooked. And The Marshmallow Co. moved to a bricksand-mortar home in Wyong.

‘We’ve had a really awesome response,’ he says. ‘People travel from all ends of the Coast.’

As soon as you lay your eyes on the fluffy handmade creations it’s easy to understand why people travel far for them. The most popular flavours are lemon meringue, toasted coconut and raspberry white chocolate, but there are a few unique flavours, too, including Neapolitan, Banoffee and watermelon. The couple also creates custom wedding flavours, and sells hot chocolate and hampers. There is even a DIY s’mores kit, if you want to swing in and pick one up before your next summer camping trip.

Shop 10, 14-16 Alison Road, Wyong themarshmallow.co/

Open For Breakfast Daily

www.avocabeachhotel.com.au 54 COAST

Open Lunch & Dinner 7 Days

02 4382 2322

Coasting along with

COASTING ALONG • Summer

LIBBY GREIG

A letter to the year 2020 Dear 2020, Whatever were you thinking of? When I asked you mid-year whether you could get any worse, it was a rhetorical question, not a challenge.

families while socially isolating that perhaps we could have done without knowing, but there are also a few more good things that have got us through this difficult time. For example, whoever knew that patience while home-schooling would officially be

Wow, it’s been year of living dangerously. What with drought, fire, flood and then pandemic, you really went into overdrive. As we cruise (sorry, that word has taken on a whole different meaning now) into another summer, we mere humans can probably all agree on one thing: that we are not the people we were this time last year.

There are things we’ve discovered about ourselves and our

recognised as a Super Power.

All right, I must confess that 2020 is the year when I haven’t written (or even read) the great Australian novel, learned another language, lost five kilos, or taken up pottery, or even attempted world domination. But on chatting with my friends (over Zoom) I realise I am not alone there, thank goodness.

» 55

COASTING ALONG • Summer

For people working from home, it has been the year of Zoom.

I am no longer a baby boomer but a Baby Zoomer. How did I ever cope with my previous super-busy life: going to work, to the gym, making dinner, all in one day. How did I do it? I’m working hard now on learning to postpone things … even procrastination.

I think I was one of those smug baby boomers who thought they had escaped scot-free from world calamities such as the Great Depression and World War II. Now I look at my offspring and I realise how much more I have in common with my parents who survived these events with such grace. Heavens forbid.

It hasn’t been all bad of course. It’s also been the Year of the Puppy, when more people than ever turned to the love and companionship of a new, four-legged friend. Then there’s been online shopping – first of all for toilet paper, groceries, masks, and home bread-making supplies. And then essential shopping for new clothes to accommodate our larger figures brought about by all that bread-making and home-baking. Though with my changing figure, I was pushed into reading a BMI chart … and discovered I’m just too short.

I’m grateful for small mercies, Year 2020. It was just as well

your biggest challenge coincided with winter, not summer. Did anyone know what I was wearing under three layers of clothing?

Who knows, underneath it all, I might have been still in my pyjamas at three in the afternoon.

We seem to have gone back to basics in not taking things for granted. It reminds me of my country childhood except I wouldn’t have been allowed to watch this much television or eat quite as much chocolate.

And thank you 2020, for giving me time to sit in my garden … to contemplate nature, even just looking up at the shapes in clouds. But then I wondered whether clouds ever look down on us and say, ‘Hey, look, that one’s shaped like an idiot.’

Will you, 2020, be remembered as the year that triggered our great vision for the future? Will it be the year we fully recognised climate change? Will the ‘#Kindness Pandemic’ continue? Will that wonderful sense of a shared worldwide community from ‘#View from My Window’ remain our vision as we hopefully return to near-normal lives? One can hope.

Perhaps the whole year was a blessing in disguise. But I’m ready to say goodbye to you, 2020, and I am looking forward to you 2021 and blessings that don’t come in a disguise.

ENJOY DELICIOUS MEALS MADE WITH FRESH, LOCAL PRODUCE AND BREATHTAKING VIEWS AT SEASALT RESTAURANT. For a dining experience with a difference, you can’t go past Seasalt Restaurant with spectacular views over Terrigal Beach.

Seasalt Restaurant is known for fresh seasonal menus with a coastal influence.

Award-winning chef Dana Chantler has created a menu to suit all tastes with favourites including the best-selling seafood platter and a dessert share plate that makes lovers of sweets rejoice. Seasalt Restaurant offers an extensive wine list featuring local and Hunter Valley wines, tap and bottled craft beers and a classic cocktail list.

OPEN 7 DAYS FOR BREAKFAST AND DINNER First Floor, Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific, Pine Tree Lane, Terrigal W: terrigalpacific.crowneplaza.com P: (02) 4384 9133

/SeasaltRestaurantTerrigal

ADVENTURE IS

CALLING

EXPERIENCE A WORLD OF WONDER & WILDLIFE AT THE AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PARK From the moment you arrive at Australian Reptile Park, you will be greeted by a journey that takes you into a magical world of wildlife and adventure.

Hand-feed free-roaming kangaroos in a beautiful bushland setting and admire some of Australia’s most famous native animals including koalas, echidnas, wombats, cassowaries, dingos, quokkas, wallabies and Tasmanian devils.

The Australian Reptile Park is also home to a variety of exotic reptiles from around the world including Komodo dragons, American alligators, and giant Galapagos tortoises. Visitors can also experience the awe-inspiring power of Elvis the saltwater crocodile during weekends and holidays.

FREE PARKING ∙ ON-SITE CAFÉ ∙ PICNIC AREAS ∙ KIDS PLAYGROUND WWW.REPTILEPARK.COM.AU | PACIFIC HWY, SOMERSBY NSW 2250 | PH: 02 4340 1022

CENTRAL COAST Growers, Artisan Makers & Producers Map

Wollombi

10

Laguna

1

8

Dooralong

9

2 6

5

Kulnura

Yarramalong

Charmhaven

3

7

Jilliby

1 9

4

Wyong Creek

19 12 Wyong

11 14 12

Peats Ridge

13

17 Somersby

18 Ourimbah

15 16

Holgate

9

5

10

6

Gosford

2 4 Kincumber

7 8 11 Mooney Mooney

58 COAST

Matcham

Erina Heights

3

Farm-fresh Growers DOORALONG 1. Dooralong Farm Biodynamic meats, eggs, vegs facebook.com/dooralongfarm JAN-DEC

6. East Coast Beverages Orange orchard & juices eastcoastbeverages.com.au JAN-DEC

2. Central Coast Honey Co. Honey honeycompany.com.au JAN-DEC

7. Grace Springs Farm Regenerative pasture produce and farm tours gracespringsfarm.net/farmtours JAN-DEC

JILLIBY

LAGUNA

3. Valleys End Farm Permaculture valleysendfarm.net JUNE

8. Little Valley Farm Christmas trees littlevalleyfarm.com.au NOV-DEC

4. Full Circle Farm Regenerative agriculture fullcirclefarm.com.au

9. Little Valley Farm Alpaca fleece littlevalleyfarm.com.au JAN-DEC

KULNURA 5. Wyuna Farms Oranges facebook.com/wyunafarms MAY-JAN

MATCHAM 10. Matcham Honey Italian or Russian varieties, honeycomb and seasonal creamed honey.

Stuart Johnston 0425255197 JAN-DEC

MOONEY MOONEY

SOMERSBY

11. Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed Oysters, prawns, smoked fish hawkesburyriveroystershed.com JAN-DEC

15. Sustainable Natives Plants facebook.com/SustainableNatives-551036224918866/ JAN-DEC

PEATS RIDGE

16. Coachwood Nursery Plants coachwoodnursery.com JAN-DEC

12. Royale Orchids Orchid nursery royaleorchids.com.au JAN-DEC 13. S&P Dominbello Flower Growers Cut flowers spdominello.com.au JAN-DEC 14. S&P Dominbello Flower Growers Christmas trees spdominello.com.au NOV-DEC

17. The Pecan Lady Pecans pecanlady.com.au JUNE-DEC 18. S&S Peruch Avocado Farm Avocados, citrus facebook.com/S-SPeruch-341837973422098 OCT-JAN WYONG CREEK 19. The Food Farm Regenerative pasture-grown meats, eggs, vegs thefoodfarm.com.au JAN-DEC

Artisan Makers & Producers CHARMHAVEN 1. Herbies Spices Herbs and spices herbies.com.au JAN-DEC ERINA HEIGHTS 2. Six String Brewing Company Boutique beers sixstringbrewing.com.au JAN-DEC 3. Distillery Botanica Gin, coffee liqueur distillerybotanica.com JAN-DEC

4. Mr Goaty Gelato Artisan gelato & café mrgoatygelato.com.au JAN-DEC GOSFORD 5. Bay Rd Brewing Boutique beers bayrdbrewing.com.au JAN-DEC HOLGATE 6. Firescreek Winery Botanical winery & tastings firescreek.com.au JAN-DEC

KINCUMBER

WOLLOMBI

7. Block n Tackle Brewery Boutique beers blockntackle.beer JAN-DEC

10. Noyce Brothers Wine Wines noycebros.com.au JAN-DEC

MOONEY MOONEY

WYONG

8. Broken Bay Pearl Farm Pearling and pearl farm tours brokenbaypearls.com.au JAN-DEC

11. Little Creek Handmade cheeses littlecreekcheese.com.au JAN-DEC

WEST GOSFORD

12. Luka Chocolates Handmade chocolates lukachocolates.com.au JAN-DEC

9. Nougat & Chocolate Factory Chocolates, nougat & café chocolatefactorygosford.com.au JAN-DEC

*Farmgate producers do not keep regular retail hours and produce may be subject to seasonal factors, so please check before visiting.

59

THE SWEETEST PLACE ON THE CENTRAL COAST

Huge retail store • Cafe/Patisserie • House made ice cream • Kids chocolatier workshops • Factory tours Open daily 6 Jusfrute Dr West Gosford PH: 4322 3222 www.chocolatefactorygosford.com.au

HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Even if we can’t control the winds of change in 2020, we can adjust our sails

WORDS DR MICHELLE REISS Lifestyle medicine physician

W

e’ve all heard the saying, ‘life is about making choices’, but when life changes without time for preparation, it can be easy to despair and fear

the future.

Anxiety increases around the question of ‘What if’. ‘What if I lose my job?’ ‘What if I get the virus?’ ‘What if my elderly parent gets the virus?’

Ongoing fears, social separation, forced changes in routines, and relentless media hysteria, can lead to increased mental fatigue, anxiety and depression.

BUT, if we can’t control the wind, maybe we can adjust our sails! It’s the power of taking control of the things that you can

62 COAST

change, and using this power to steer your ship towards your new horizon, that can un-install the mental effects of events such as those in 2020.

There have been countless stories emerging this year of the positive effects of Covid; stories of opportunity and enterprise, reconnection to the simple things in life and renewed focus on values such as kindness.

Facebook has run the ‘#Kindness Pandemic’ with a series of stories about strangers, neighbours and children delivering acts of kindness in their communities.

We’ve seen neighbourhoods connecting on their front yards rather than the usual ‘Hi-Bye’ as they pass.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING

The Central Coast has had a surge in bushwalkers and sunrise viewers these past few months, and schools and real estate agencies are reporting an influx of Sydneysiders relocating to our beautiful area.

These stories of opportunity and connection are testimony to people adjusting their sails, and amid this storm, we can always rely on our internal compass to point true, to help us navigate toward our purpose and sense of fulfillment.

Simon Sinek* explains fulfillment very well with his ‘Golden Circles’ and ‘Find Your Why’ teachings. If we live our lives by accident, then we live as it happens, meaning that we’re merely passengers. In contrast, if we define a purpose, we become the captain of our own ship; we’ll adjust our sails, and we’ll make more intentional choices.

If these choices make us feel good about ourselves because they align with our beliefs and values, or because they lead to increased confidence or self-esteem, we’ll experience contentment and calmness.

Social isolation showed us that we’re social creatures requiring connectedness and support, so we’ve seen neighbours slowing down and purposely meeting in their front yards across garden fences, rekindling the fulfillment that comes from these simple values. If you don’t adjust to find ways to connect, the winds of isolation can push you into very lonely waters.

Being made redundant undeniably leads to fear of the future and stress in the present. Such an event is beyond our control, but how we react is a choice. We might initially feel undervalued or humiliated, and the financial fear may be constricting. But with the change comes opportunity, and it would be helpful to foster a mindset that embraces challenges and effort. That’s easy to say, but with effort comes the reward of achievement and pride.

When planning ahead, we should stop and think: how much do we value feeling healthy, living with quality, spending time with people who matter, and enjoying the simple pleasures?

Maybe 2020 has brought with it an opportunity to do a stocktake of our lives. Do I find fulfillment in my job? Do I feel proud of my lifestyle? Am I being a valuable friend or family member? Am I living with passion and purpose?

And the biggest question is: Am I the captain of my ship, and have I tacked my sails against the winds of adversity?

Or have I succumbed to being a passenger and go where the wind blows me?

When life throws us events beyond our control, the best we can do is to take control of the things that we can change. By changing our mindsets, finding a purpose aligned with our values and seeking opportunity amid negativity, we’re able to navigate a path forward. *simonsinek.com/find-your-why/#for-individuals

Experience dentistry like never before.

Shop 2, Erina Plaza, 210 Central Coast Highway, Erina, NSW 2250 (02) 4367 - 6222 www.newleafdentists.com.au

e v u o ’ y ! t i d n fou THE PERFECT SUMMER ESCAPE

S H O R T & L O N G T E R M H O L I D AY R E N TA L S L U X U R Y T O B U D G E T A C C O M M O D AT I O N AV O C A B E A C H • C O PA C A B A N A • M A C M A S T E R B E A C H • T E R R I G A L • WA M B E R A L • F O R R E S T E R S B E A C H

02 4382 1311 I

holidays@georgebrand.com.au

www.holidays.georgebrand.com.au

LUXURY ESCAPES

BAREFOOT

Luxury

WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

WHETHER YOU’RE ESCAPING THE CITY FOR AN EXTENDED WEEKEND OR SEARCHING FOR SOMEWHERE SPECIAL FOR A WEEK, THE CENTRAL COAST HAS A GROWING LIST OF LUXURY ABODES WORTH BEDDING DOWN IN. HERE ARE SOME OF THE NEWEST AND HOTTEST TOP-END PLACES TO STAY.

© JENNIFER ENNION

Nest at Blue Bay Light, stylish and tucked away toward the northern end of the Central Coast is the little beauty Nest, at Blue Bay. A quick stroll from its namesake beach, this luxury couple’s retreat is a hidden gem that effortlessly blends coastal chic with city sophistication, thanks to the artistic flare of co-owner Kerry Knight. It’s the small details here that really make this one-bedder special: the herringbone bathroom tiles, the vibrant garden wall alongside the bathtub, the vintage utensils in the kitchenette, the gas fireplace, a tucked-away luggage compartment, and recycled Oregon timber features. But what’s really the selling point?

‘In summer it will be the location and the bath…’ says Kerry.

‘It’s a two-minute walk and you’re having a coffee; five minutes, you’re on the beach.’

Nest welcomed its first guests in August but is already proving popular, so it’s best to book far ahead. You’ll pay around $530 for a minimum two-night stay.

Admire it… @nestatbluebay.

Book it… via nestatbluebay.com.au, airbnb.com.au.

Perfectly positioned on The Round Drive, close enough to walk to the beach but far enough away from the hubbub, Anchor in Avoca Beach is a fresh take on a seaside property suitable for families and groups. When renovating and styling Anchor, coowner Melissa Lever wanted to create a home away from home.

‘We just want you to be able to kick your shoes off, and it’s floorboards so you can walk in with sand and it’s just a very relaxed style,’ says Melissa.

What we love about this place is that it’s coastal styling with a very modern Australia twist that really captures the relaxed summer appeal of the Central Coast. Think pastel pinks and greens, blonde timber, plenty of plants, light artwork and delicate tiling. The house features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, chillout zones and an outdoor firepit, with a few farmhouse touches thrown in. There’s a seven-night minimum stay, so expect to spend about $4,245 in summer.

Admire it… @anchorinavocabeach.

Book it… via anchorinavocabeach.com.au and airbnb.com.au.

66 COAST

© ELIN_BANDMAN_PHOTOGRAPHY

Anchor in Avoca Beach

»

Find your perfect place!

HOL I D AY S + SA LES + R EN TA LS From our start in premiere holiday accommodation over 25 years ago, Accom Property offers unique & exlusive opportunities to buy, rent & stay at some of the Central Coast’s best properties.

Terrigal office: 02 4385 9564 • Avoca Beach office: 02 4385 3860 Ettalong Beach office: 02 4344 6152 Follow us on instagram & facebook: @accomholidays

A C C O M H O L I D AY S . C O M • A C C O M P R O P E RT Y. C O M

LUXURY ESCAPES

The Patonga Cottage The newest offering from The Boathouse Group is The Patonga Cottage, next door to The Patonga Hotel. The hotel’s classic coastal styling has been carried over to the four-bedroom abode, with tropical furnishings and a white, navy and grey palette.

Although it sounds quaint, the cottage sleeps up to 10 guests and features open-plan living and dining areas, plus a retro plunge pool.

‘We have always loved the cottage for its charm and history,’ says The Boathouse Group marketing director Rhiannon Swan.

‘Patonga is such a gorgeous seaside town, and we feel very lucky to be able to give the cottage a new life.’

The styling is simple, fresh and comfortable, with beautiful pieces such as coral and marble bowls, a swinging chair, colourful rug, and a landscaped garden. Spend three nights here (minimum stay) for $4,500.

Admire it… @theboathousehotelpatonga.

Book it… via theboathousehotelpatonga.com.au.

*All prices listed are based on summer rates and are correct at time of publication.

Booker Seaside Fit for the famous and fancy free, Booker Seaside is ultimate luxury right on the water at Booker Bay. This penthouse apartment is all smooth lines and sleek design, styled by Coco Republic. The fully equipped kitchen is large, the lounge is open plan, the balcony spacious with views of moored yachts, and the three bedrooms are contemporary and comfortable. It sleeps up to six, and there are two bathrooms and a car space, while finer details include a private sand beach, cathedral ceilings and an Eco fire in the living area. Having opened in 2020, it’s likely you’ll beat your friends to staying here and can boast about your visit at your next dinner party. A minimum two-night stay will set you back a pretty penny: about $2,540.

Admire it... @bookerseaside. Book it… via belleescapes.com.au and airbnb.com.au.

68 COAST

Central Coast Holiday Escapes

Your Beach, Bay & Bush accommodation specialists KILLCARE PENINSULA

Properties to suit all your holiday needs from budget to luxury accommodation

02 4360 2222

centralcoastholidayescapes.com.au raywhitekillcare.com

Central Coast Holiday Escapes beach bay bush

69

PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Sue O’Neill

SUE O’NEILL

from Pearl Beach to Uganda with love and hope WORDS DI BARTOK

70 COAST

PEOPLE OF THE COAST • Sue O’Neill

S

ue O’Neill looks over the expansive ocean right outside her large sliding doors – and thinks of 478 children in Africa.

It is only Covid’s border closures that now keep this colourful Pearl Beach woman from her beloved Uganda where she heads a Rotary team helping to run a thriving primary school of children who are enthusiastic to learn. ‘Sadly, not many Ugandan children receive more than a primary school education, but even that is a huge game-changer for them in terms of literacy as well as what they learn about personal health,’ Sue said.

Covid has closed the school for now, but Rotary is still supporting the children with educational tools such as books. It’s due to re-open in February 2021 but the great unknown is how many of the children – particularly the girls – will be in a position to return to their eduction.

‘Soon after puberty, the girls have boyfriends and get pregnant,’ Sue said. ‘And that’s one of the reasons learning how to take care of their health is so important.’

Since 2016, she and other Rotarians, have expanded the fledgling Divine Mercy Primary School into a well-equipped (by African standards) place of learning for 478 children, mostly between the ages of 3 to 11.

For Sue, her husband Norm and two of their three children, helping the disadvantaged is second nature. As successful business people, it is all about giving back, without even thinking of it that way. Sue is an active member of the one-year-old Rotary Club of Brisbane Water. She is adept at rolling up her sleeves for

causes near and far but, the Ugandan school, in the village of Buwampa, is closest to her heart.

A few of the children do go on to higher education, and Sue proudly mentions the young man she is sponsoring, who is now studying medicine. He is not only the first in his family but also one of the first in his village to go to university.

The original school was started by community leaders in the village of Buwampa in 2012 who, amid the poverty of the area, saw the value of education in building a future for their people.

They started with three mud-built classrooms, and Rotary’s support has taken the humble school to new heights, and the school now has 48.9 per cent female students in a country where education for girls is still not widely recognised as being at all useful.

Sue, despite the trappings of her Central Coast life, cannot wait to return to Uganda, where her work is needed more than ever.

‘We were about to introduce the Montessori method into the school, guided by my daughter-in-law who is interested in Montessori, and the teachers over there were very excited to start their training,’ Sue said.

Sue, with her signature purple hair and red lipstick, is as colourful to her Ugandan friends as they are to her.

‘African women tend to put colour in their hair so they are more fascinated with how straight mine is,’ Sue said.

If a project such as this interests you, visit brisbanewaterrotary.org.au/news/ or find one of more than a dozen Rotary Clubs on the Central Coast at: rotarydistrict9685.org.au/clubdirectory

71

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • Summer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT BROOKE DOHERTY TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT’S GOING ON THIS SUMMER.

ON THE COAST

COAST OPERA AUSTRALIA

images are juxtaposed against the technological challenges that photographers inventively overcome in their quest to gain the perfect shot. Featuring four high-profile photographers – Ryan Heywood, Spencer Hornby, Reed Plummer, Luke Shadbolt – who have either grown up or live on the NSW Central Coast, the exhibition delves into what ocean photography is, how it differs from other photographic forms and how it may evolve into the future.

5 December to 31 January. Gosford Regional Gallery, Webb Street, East Gosford. centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/galleries Free entry. (No need for timed entry tickets.)

MUSIC Coast Opera Australia sings (and walks) on water In an afternoon of popular opera unlike any other, Coast Opera Australia – supported by the Coast Opera Australia Orchestra – launches its 2021 season on the dam at Saddles at Mt White in Opera Afloat.

Deck chairs, umbrellas, and food options provided. Sit back, dip your toes in the water, and relax with a glass of bubbly, beer or wine while you listen to some of Australia’s finest operatic artists as well as our own homegrown emerging artists sing our most loved classic arias as they float by.

Russell Austin – Solo Exhibition Never one to shirk from a challenge, Austin will showcase his 18.5-metre mural in the Gosford Regional Art Gallery foyer space.

Created on paper in response to the Art Whispers Project, the mural features a number of Central Coast families and explores our rich cultural diversity. Take a peek!

5 December to 27 January. Gosford Regional Gallery, Webb Street, East Gosford. centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/galleries

28 February at 5 pm. For further information and bookings visit coastoperaaustralia.com/

THEATRE

EXHIBITIONS It Seems to Come in Waves The adventure-driven world of ocean photography is certainly a competitive arena, and also a dangerous one.

In this intriguing and visually stunning exhibition co-curated by Luke Shadbolt, the majesty, artistry and inspirational value of the

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IT SEEMS TO COME IN WAVES

Both The Art House in Wyong, and Laycock St Theatre in North Gosford are launching back into operation with commercial shows in January. Check COAST online for updates as they’re released. coastmagazine.com.au/

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© MICHAEL WEE

© IAN HOBBS

CREATORS OF THE COAST • Jane Barrow

JANE BARROW Ceramicist with a ‘wabi-sabi’ touch WORDS SUZY JARRATT

JANE WAS 20 WHEN DAVE HUNT, HER FORMER TAFE LECTURER, SUGGESTED SHE ACCOMPANY HIM TO JAPAN WHERE CLASSIC JAPANESE CERAMICS ARE GUIDED BY THE AESTHETIC OF WABI-SABI, WHICH EMBRACES SIMPLICITY, NATURALNESS, AGEING AND IRREGULARITY.

‘I worked sitting cross-legged in a traditional wood-fired workshop,’ recalls Jane Barrow. ‘I had sore knees for a year but, since doing yoga, I’ve become really good at it now! I was given shapes to throw, and I was taught Japanese in a rather unorthodox way. Every pot I made was turned upside down to dry before being put back on the wheel to turn. The artists would write a word on the bottom of each one and every day they made me learn them all.’

While working she was clad in traditional clothes – tabi (split-toed socks) and monpe (peasant pants). ‘I guess I looked somewhat eccentric.’

Her first stop in Japan was Shigaraki, a pottery town with a history dating back more than 1,200 years.

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‘After a year I went to Bizen, one of Japan’s six ancient kiln areas, and known for its dark wood-fired fly-ash glazed ceramics. There was a lot of crass, commercial work being made in Shigaraki – like flowerpots and clay bears – Bizen was more interesting and I wanted to learn to build kilns. I was fortunate to be accepted into one of the workshops as a trainee and mentored by a cultural living treasure, Fugiwara Rakuzan.

During her time there, Jane received a $150,000 sponsorship to build a 15-metre long Anagama kiln – an ancient cave-like kiln that is completely sealed except for a small opening through which to stoke wood – and to establish premises in the seaside village of Hamazaka.

‘While at Hamazaka, I produced several exhibitions of wood-

fired vessels inspired by my training,’ said Jane, who was to spend six years away before returning to Australia in 1983. Since then she has built many kilns.

Now 63, Jane has also spent time with Aboriginal communities in the Simpson Desert and the Kimberley, and had studios at the Finger Wharf and Ourimbah and is presently teaching ceramics at Newcastle TAFE. ‘I’m teaching my students about kilns right now. Many people don’t understand fire – I now do.

Back in the 80s, there was a great demand for her ceramics in hotels and Jane made substantial works for every room in the Park Hyatt on Sydney Harbour at The Rocks. She also supplied pieces to the Melbourne Casino and, in the Hawke and Keating era, the Prime Minister’s Department would buy Jane’s creations as gifts for visiting overseas politicians.

‘I always got a kick out of seeing them displayed behind various foreign ministers being interviewed on television!’

In 2014, as a requirement for a Master of Fine Arts degree from the National Art School, Jane submitted The Stillness and wrote a fascinating, masterful study in response to this body of work – a stunning, awe-inspiring installation of 50 hollow ceramic columns softly tapered at the base and necks.

She has kept 23 pieces.

‘I feel they need to go into a permanent collection or into the foyer of a building. I’d really love if the Gosford Regional Gallery could include them in a permanent exhibition of Central Coast creatives; there is so much talent in this region.

© IAN HOBBS

© IAN HOBBS

© MICHAEL WEE

CREATORS OF THE COAST • Jane Barrow

Jane’s Mooney Mooney home and studio are a spectacular and surprising experience. The sprawling expanse of high ceilings and glass walls are not apparent from the road. Nor are two enormous kilns, or the mangroves at the water’s edge It is a wonderful creative space reflecting many of the styles and philosophies that have influenced this artist over the years.

As well as ceramic vessels the gallery will feature her unique stoneware and flatware – well worth a visit.

Gallery Mooney Mooney, Point Road. View by appointment 0421 369 104 email: janeebarrow@icloud.com

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CREATORS OF THE COAST • Tina Madsen-Walcott

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CREATORS OF THE COAST • Tina Madsen-Walcott

Tina Madsen-Walcott

a sea change from biochemist to designer WORDS JENNIFER ENNION

B

iochemist turned headwear designer Tina Madsen-Walcott sells around 300,000 hats a year in Australia. Add to that making and distributing hats to companies in Denmark, South Africa and the United States – and soon Israel and the United Arab Emirates – and Tina is a juggernaut in the fashion industry. She’s designed a hat for Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, and worked in partnership with Danish model, Helena Christensen. Tina, too, is tall and striking in appearance. Her creative thinking stands out in her personal and business life, and it quickly becomes apparent that she has a wonderful eye for clothes, design and décor. Yet this Central Coast-based woman, originally from Denmark, is both warm and humble.

Tina also flies under the radar with her parent company Rigon Headwear, which she owns with husband Peter Walcott.

The pair started Rigon Headwear 22 years ago and have four warehouses in West Gosford. One of their main clients is the Australian Cancer Council, for which they’ve been the licensee for the past decade. That means Rigon Headwear makes every Cancer Council hat (all of which are UPF 50), and every time you buy one, 10 per cent of the purchase price supports cancer research.

Tina and Peter moved to Green Point from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs 15 years ago to buy a warehouse. They also have a showroom at their West Gosford premises for Christine Headwear, designed for cancer patients who’ve lost their hair.

The elegant scarves and turbans come in a range of botanical prints and bold colours.

Also under Rigon Headwear are the boutique but affordable labels BeforeDark and Tina M Copenhagen. All of the hats are handmade, with materials including raffia from Madagascar, which is sent to Korea to be crocheted. The hats are then shaped in China, although the always forward-thinking Tina plans on starting production on the Central Coast. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she is currently working on another range for the Australian outback, teaming up with Aboriginal designers who receive the royalties.

On top of that, she has recently created Evoke Headwear with a new material called Flexibraid. It’s aimed at golfers but the hats suit anyone who’s active outdoors.

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CREATORS OF THE COAST • Tina Madsen-Walcott

‘These hats, not only do they look fabulous on, you can totally squash them in your bag, you can wear them in the water, swim underwater … they are just amazing,’ Tina says.

As for the hat for Crown Princess Mary, it was a gift during one of her royal visits to Australia.

‘Being Danish doing hats, I thought, “Why not?”, Tina recalls.

‘We presented the hat via the Danish embassy and Mary wore it on many occasions during her visit … sometimes the stars do line up.’

78 COAST

So how does all of this come about from a biochemist? Having always loved fashion and colours, Tina was convinced to switch to millinery and headwear design by her husband who was in the industry. After they had their two daughters (now 15 and 20), working together made sense.

‘It’s one of those things, it lands in your lap and you run with it, I guess,’ she says. ‘I love being creative. I’ve always had that part of my brain working so for me, yes, it’s very enjoyable.’

Tina’s passion and drive for her business is admirable, as is her attitude to fitting in plenty of downtime, which includes yoga and beach walks with her dogs. She thrives on creating hygge (a Danish term for a cosy, welcoming home environment), but also loves to travel and spend time on the water.

‘Boating is a great passion for our family and we are fortunate to have a boat so we use it as often as we can on weekends.

‘Our children love to join us to relax and to do various forms of water sports.’

This work/life balance surely plays a huge role in Rigon Headwear’s success, but on a more obvious level Tina attributes it to constantly looking outside the box.

‘I think the key for our success is that we have different labels, we have different brands,’ she says. ‘We’re just sort of innovative in how we do it.’

That innovation keeps them creative and they have another secret collaboration in the pipeline, but you’ll have to stay tuned to hear more. rigonheadwear.com.au/

Relax, Unwind & Enjoy this Hidden Gem in Terrigal

This fabulous resort with its modern beautifully appointed Studio’s, 1 bedroom 2 storey Lofts and 2-bedroom apartments is such a peaceful property. The rooms are well equipped with kitchenettes giving you the option to cook or BBQ on their newly finished rooftop area. A perfect space for meetings and chilling.

There’s also a romance suite attached to it for couples wanting a special weekend or even honeymoon night.

You can email admin@terrigalpacific.net.au or phone 02 4385 1555 direct for great rates

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COAST • Feature

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What would you do if a very large Clydesdale walked into your bedroom unannounced?

WORDS CATHARINE RETTER PHOTOS LISA HAYMES

F

or the residents in Peninsula Village in Umina, the smiles tell the story when Wellington and his owners, Jayden and Alex Beesley called in to say hello.

Vulnerable and often frail though the residents were, hands stretched up to pat Wellington’s soft nose, and arms reached out to hug the 850kg Clydesdale as he quietly and patiently ducked his head through doorways and placed his dinner-plate sized feet between beds or alongside walkers and wheelchairs.

‘He can be a bit of a handful back on the farm near Morriset,’ says Jayden. ‘He loves to kick up his heels, throw his feed around or try out his strength when being ridden, but bring him inside a retirement village or nursing home and he’s a totally different animal. He just seems to understand why he’s there.’

We met Wellington moments before his visit, as he stood next to his horse float and snatched a last munch of hay from the haynet, then took a sip of water and dribbled it over anyone who

stood nearby. Jayden and Alex brushed his newly shampooed coat, combed a last knot from his thick black mane, and gave his feet a final clean out with the hoofpick. Then, in a final touch, Alex dusted the long white ‘feathers’, the hair around his fetlocks, with Johnson baby powder to make sure he was spotlessly clean.

Inside the main building, first stop was the small hair salon with only one way in and the same way out. In went Wellington to say hello to those also getting their hair shampooed and beautified.

After the first of many pats, he backed slowly out of the salon, his manoeuvrability belying his huge size, and completely putting his trust in Jayden to keep him from backing into furniture or walls.

Then it was down the corridor to the first of many rooms where residents in beds, chairs or walking around welcomed him with open arms. Everywhere he went, walkers and wheelchairs made a beeline for the big visitor. Staff were not immune either, and hurried to take selfies with him.

»

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COAST • Feature

Wellington creates smiles wherever he goes.

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Live Fee Free for up to 12 Months*

Discover a hidden paradise at

Henry Kendall Gardens Your ideal retirement lifestyle on the Central Coast awaits at Henry Kendall Gardens.

Set amongst 100 acres of rainforest and beautiful grounds you will find resort style facilities and a welcoming community. A village bus provides convenient free transport, and the train station, hospital and conveniences of Gosford are only 5 minutes away.

Plus, for a limited time, you could Live Fee Free for up to 12 Months when you move to Henry Kendall Gardens*.

Call 1800 550 550 for more information on a range of homes for sale and to book a private appointment. *The Live Fee Free fro up to 12 Months’ promotion is subject to the Lendlease Retirement Living Promotion Terms and Conditions - “Live Fee Free for up to 12 months” Offer and ‘$7000 Welcome Gift’ Offer (‘Terms and Conditions’) and is available to a limited number of prospective purchasers for a limited time only, and only on selected contract types. To find out more, visit www.retirementbylendlease.com.au.

Other fees may still apply – see residence contract for full details. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only. Information about the services and facilities provided in the village is correct at the time of printing but may change as the needs of residents change. Lendlease proudly operates under the Retirement Villages Act. October 2020. Published by Lendlease RL Realty (NSW) Pty Ltd ABN 27 138 535 823.

From Wyee to Woy Woy, you can enjoy the benefits of healthier living today!

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Programs start 25 January and 19 April, 2021 Registrations close one week before start dates.

Visit www.activeandhealthy.nsw.gov.au or phone Central Coast Health Promotion on 4320 9700

COAST • Feature Wellington’s bedside manner was the essence of calm, his eyes half-closed as he bathed in all the affection … unless he was snuffling in the bedclothes in the hope of finding a stray carrot or crumbs from the morning’s banana cake.

His face was patted a hundred times, and kisses planted on his big square jaw. ‘You are beautiful,’ was the most common greeting wherever he stopped.

One lady told us it brought back happy memories of the working draught horses on her father’s farm 80 years ago.

Another asked if she could hop on Wellington’s back, but changed her mind when not even her stretched-out hand could reach that high. Still another told us she had ‘two of these at home … except they’re Shetlands.’

Perhaps the only minor exception to the warm welcome was from Zorro, the resident therapy Papillon dog who sought the higher safety of a staffer’s arms before feeling confident enough to face this giant intruder in his territory.

Wherever Wellington went, owner Alex was always two paces behind, carrying a bucket and disinfectant ‘just in case’, but Wellington behaved himself like the gentleman he is, and the only thing he left behind was the warmth of a velvet-soft muzzle against a tender cheek, or the gentle touch of a bowed head accepting yet another pat.

For me, he left the memory of the joy in so many elderly faces, and the realization that huge though he is, his biggest strength is in the power he has is to create smiles wherever he goes. c Wellington can be contacted through W & C Events for nursing home visits, or wedding carriage hire. facebook.com/wellyandclaudi

Wellington lets off steam in his paddock after a day’s work.

84 COAST

WORLD CLASS HEALTHCARE RIGHT HERE ON THE COAST

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CLASSES AND COURSES • Summer

CLASSES AND COURSES WORDS BROOKE DOHERTY

© JACS POWELL

HOME-BASED COOKING CLASSES From Italian gnocchi, pasta and superb soffrito sauces to delicious Asian cuisine, stir fries and soups, Lori from Lori’s Sense for Taste will guide and build your confidence in creating wholesome dishes that you can recreate time and again. All classes are held in her sizeable kitchen and she incorporates fresh ingredients from the garden. Numbers are strictly limited to four people so you get individual guidance to create your dish. Given that Lori has been the ‘go-to’ woman for sporting groups such as the Wallabies, you’ll be in the best hands. Classes run Mondays and Thursdays throughout December, January and February from 10 am, and last three hours. Saturday classes are available by appointment.

© JACS POWELL

Bookings: lorissensefortaste.com.au From $150 pp.

Phone: 0414 721 656

ADULT CRAFT, ART, LIFESTYLE, ART THERAPY AND SCHOOL HOLIDAY SESSIONS There’s a new kid on the creative block at Long Jetty: Exhale Art and Wellness Studio. The brainchild of Danielle Higgins who is (among other talents) a qualified transpersonal art therapist, the business encompasses a range of weekly classes for kids, and weekend classes for adults. There are one-off activities to emotionally heal, nourish and enhance the mind, body and soul. It’s a great little place for people to connect, relax and have some well-deserved fun. The studio space is also available for artists to exhibit and sell their wares and for local creatives to run classes in collaboration with their team. Check out the website for details on school holiday classes.

Exhale Art & Wellness Studio, Unit 7, 314-316 The Entrance Rd, Long Jetty.

Bookings: exhaleart.com.au

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CLASSES AND COURSES • Summer

AN EVENING PAINTING, SIPPING AND LISTENING TO GOOD MUSIC A new concept in the Paint ‘n’ Sip experience that has been taking-off around Australia is Pinot and Picasso. Choose a session based upon the funky style of artwork you want to replicate, and bring along your favourite wine to enjoy as you’re guided in painting a chosen masterpiece. What makes it even more enjoyable is the addition of like-minded adults and atmospheric music to get the artistic juices flowing. Don’t worry about bringing a glass or other materials: they’re all supplied. It makes for a fun night out.

Pinot & Picasso 2/6 Pine Tree Lane Terrigal.

Bookings: pinotandpicasso.com.au From $59.

PRIVATE ART CLASSES If your artistic tastes are more highbrow, or you lack the confidence to paint in a group, Naomi Veitch may be the the kind of creative you are looking for. Trained in graphic design, Naomi specialises in painting scenic and wildlife images and can guide you through the painting or drawing process. Her home studio is filled with abundant natural light and set in the bush, so there is plenty of inspiration to be found should you need it.

Canvases can be purchased on site, and all other equipment is supplied.

Bookings are essential.

Info: coastalartaustralia.com Times: Weekdays between 10 am and 2 pm Bookings: info@coastalartaustralia.com or phone: 0405 137 235 $75 for 1.5 hours

COMBINE DANCE-ACROBATICS-MUSIC-MARTIAL ARTS Capoeiras is an African-Brazilian martial art that combines dance, acrobatics, and music. Grupo Capoeiras is a not-for-profit group with classes for kids and adults. It builds fun, cardio endurance, muscle tone and strength in a wonderful experience for young and old, male and female, beginners and advanced.

Free at Warnervale Community Hall, cnr Warnervale and Virginia Roads, Warnervale, 2259 Mondays and Fridays 5 pm to 6 pm.

And at Erina Trust Hall, 27 Karalta Rd, Erina Wednesday from 5 pm to 6 pm To book, call 0439 007 017 capoeiras.com

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GREAT OUTDOORS • Munmorah State Conservation Area

GREAT OUTDOORS

MOONEE BEACH WALKING TRAIL

MUNMORAH STATE CONSERVATION AREA From bushland to turquoise sea WORDS KIM COLE

M

unmorah State Conservation Area was created in 1977 to protect the diversity of coastal native plant communities, the habitat of threatened species, and to provide recreational access. Located at the northern end of the Central Coast, the area boasts 12 km of sweeping coastline, walking trails, fishing hotspots, two camping areas, picnic spots, stunning ocean views and, of course, native flora and fauna.

The area has sweeping views over some of the Central Coast’s most secluded beaches (see feature article, page 9), grasstrees, and birdlife. Look out, too, for wallaby tracks across your path.

Prior to entering the conservation area you’re greeted at the pay station by a National Parks & Wildlife team member who can answer questions you may have. Unless you have an annual pass, it will cost you $8 for an all-day entry fee.

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GREAT OUTDOORS • Munmorah State Conservation Area

Entry from the northern entry to the park: Drive along Blue Wren Drive then turn onto Campbell Drive.

Entry from the southern entry to the park: Drive along Birdie Beach Road, turn left onto Blue Wren Drive, and then right onto Campbell Drive.

On Campbell Drive, the road surface becomes unsealed and unpredictable, so take care if you have a low-base car. Best suited for 4WD vehicles.

The final turn is onto Snapper Road where there is a small gravel parking area and the Moonee Beach Walking Trail sign.

The Trail: The 4 km return trail slowly descends towards Mooney Beach with gorgeous views to your right over Ghosties Beach, and then Moonee Beach. Straight ahead are expansive views of the ever-growing housing development at Catherine Hill Bay. At the half-way point is the highlight of the walk: Moonee Beach where you’ll want to throw off your shoes and watch the waves roll into shore. You’ll be tempted to dive into the bluegreen crystal-clear waters but keep in mind that the beach is not patrolled and is well known for strong currents and rips.

Want to extend your walking trail experience? Continue walking south where you’ll come across a huge rock platform. Big and little kids will love searching for crabs under rocks and in the small rockpools.

We found it hard to turn back to hop back onto the trail for the return trip. What we thought was a slight decline on the trek down to the beach seemed much steeper on the way back. Our leg muscles started to burn, and the midday sun pelted down, so the lesson for summer hiking on this trail is to either start early morning or later in the afternoon.

90 COAST

Trail conditions: The Moonee Beach Trail is suitable for beginners (and kids) with a moderate level of fitness. The ground surfaces vary, with the greater part of bushland areas rocky under foot, so good walking shoes are a must.

You’ll need to bring plenty of drinking water, sunscreen and a hat. Mobile phone coverage is great for some carriers; inconsistent for others.

There is no access to tap water or public toilets along this trail, but both can be found at the two camping grounds – Frazer and Freemans Camping Grounds, with Frazer being the only patrolled beach in the conservation area (during summer school holidays and Easter) There are two picnic areas: Tea Tree and Palms.

Opening hours: 5.30 am to 9 pm (daylight saving time), and 5.30 am to 6 pm (other times).

Bicycles are only allowed on managed trails not on the walking trails.

»

with Terrigal Ocean Tours WHALE WATCHING TOURS (MAY - NOV)

SUMMER FUN TOURS (NOV - APRIL)

Book your boat tour at www.TerrigalTours.com.au or 0449-999-868.

The Outlook Riding Academy is a family owned equestrian centre, between Terrigal and Avoca.

This outstanding private setting truly takes your breath away!

The horses are beautifully cared for, educated and calm natured.

Experience a led-pony/horse ride, technical training, a trail ride (up to 2 hrs, ideal for one off visitors), add a gourmet picnic to your lesson, try games on horseback or host a child/teens ‘Pony Party’.

All ages and abilities are catered for, with a delightful team of skilled staff. During school holidays, half & full day camps are available for children 5-15 yrs. (approx.) Besides horse riding, Camp days include archery, high jump, calf roping or cooling off under a sprinkler!

Vouchers can be purchased online as a gift to somebody.

Direct Bookings/Vouchers www.theoutlookridingacademy.com.au Facebook theoutlookridingacademy Instagram @theoutlookridingacademy

Gate 2, 256 The Scenic Highway

© STEVE PASSLOW

GREAT OUTDOORS • Munmorah State Conservation Area

92 COAST

© STEVE PASSLOW

© STEVE PASSLOW

MUNMORAH SEA CAVES On the other side of the sand dune, south from Moonee Beach, you’ll be rewarded with a stunning coastline view of Ghosties Beach. The beach is renowned for its network of caves with their beautiful pink hue.

Be warned, though, the sea caves at Ghosties Beach and Snapper Point are jealously guarded by the elements.

Although accessible from the Conservation Area and Catherine Hill Bay, the coastline is rugged and wild, involving rock climbs and rough tracks, as well as an understanding of the tide, wind strength and direction, wave height and swell size in order to reach the caves. And last, but by no means least, you need to be a strong sea swimmer if you are caught by the incoming tide – as many people have been. Phone reception is poor and the caves are quite isolated.

Conditions can be erratic and dangerous, and even Steve Passlow, the experienced photographer who took the photos on this page, only decides to proceed once he gets there and can assess conditions.

H e av e n o n e a rt H A place where two hearts beat and become one.

Enchanting and romantic. Beautifully elegant, yet simple and relaxed.

Fernbank Farm – it’s simply heaven on earth...

Enquire today about your day.

Fernbank Farm, 756 Yarramalong Road, Yarramalong Valley 0414 541 901 | www.fernbankfarmweddings.com.au

GARDENS • Fernbank Farm

MEG GOSSERT FERNBANK FARM

A Little Romance

JUST A SHORT DRIVE AWAY FROM THE BUSTLE OF THE SUMMER BEACH

SCENE ON THE CENTRAL COAST LIES A ROMANTIC GREEN AND PLEASANT

VALLEY WHERE FERNBANK FARM DEMONSTRATES ALL THAT IS APPEALING ABOUT A COUNTRY GARDEN.

94 COAST

GARDENS • Fernbank Farm

WORDS PAUL URQUHART PHOTOS BRIGID ARNOTT

F

ernbank Farm is the brainchild of local businesswoman, Meg Gossert, who has lived here for 34 years since finding the character-rich Federation home with its then small garden and surrounding horse paddocks.

Nine years ago, she set the nascent garden and buildings as a wedding venue, and astute readers will have seen her ads in COAST. The house dates from 1904 but required extensive restoration which Meg readily undertook, repairing the high ceilings, elaborate cornices and ceiling roses that are so much a feature of the Federation style.

The work to establish a grand garden began about 11 years ago when Meg laid a sandstone edge around an existing dam to give it a more structured look and added a drive and some retaining walls. Just beyond the dam, now an ornamental pond, she installed a rotunda where its outline was reflected in the waters below. It now forms a dramatic focal point from the various seating areas and gathering spots dotted around the landscape.

A masterplan The garden was originally planned as a private garden – not a wedding venue – but a major fillip to the present overall look and feel of the garden came when Meg engaged local garden identity, Michael Cooke to prepare a masterplan for the development of this large space. His design became the blueprint that by and large exists today.

A wedding venue requires plenty of attention to be paid to the practicalities of hosting large gatherings. Car parking and road access are prime among them but catering, accommodation and

»

Claret ash and iceberg roses signal the end of summer.

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GARDENS • Fernbank Farm all-weather areas are also factored into the design. Each of these basic functions are landscaped with trees that provide shade, flowers or autumn colour.

Essentially, the garden is a series of large open spaces, some level, some sloping, interspersed with social hubs for groups to gather and celebrate while admiring the mainly seasonal garden of trees and feature plantings. Rose beds and flowering shrubs complement seating areas and vistas wherever you look.

Most of the development occurred between 2008 and 2009 but in 2012, a new arbour, designed by Gosford architects Ben White and Andrew Dickson, was constructed by Cornerstone Landscapes. It’s a very solid structure with huge beams from an old wharf and a laser-cut steel top. Cornerstone’s Andre Noble described it as ‘fitting together like a Meccano set’. This became the wisteria walk and a new feature within the overall garden.

Ribbons and huge floral displays adorn it for weddings, but the real attraction is the wisteria, which has now grown to cover the whole structure. Our photos from its early days show the form of the feature with its huge wharf timbers and the sturdy steel supports. It’s an impressive structure still, now covered in wisteria.

LEFT The solid construction of the wisteria is shown here with its large wharf timbers, laser-cut steel frame and industrial lighting. The wisteria has now grown to cover this completely.

BELOW A gravel courtyard with the lake in the distance, is reminiscent of a French village square.

96 COAST

GARDENS • Fernbank Farm

ABOVE Large Eleagnus balls backed by autumnal claret ash are enhanced by the distant rainforest-covered hills.

RIGHT Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’.

Meg’s collection of old gates, bird cages and other collectibles have been incorporated into the structure of the garden and are enhanced by architectural planting of a broad Eleagnus hedge originally planted by Meg, and copses of grasses, one of Michael’s signature design flourishes that provide year-round interest.

A seasonal celebration The trees are good solid doers especially given the roller-coaster ride the climate has experienced for some years now. Plants have had to be able to withstand the rigours of drought, flood, heatwaves and the good seasons in between. Rows of golden ash and claret ash, both sturdy and reliable trees, provide summer shade and beautiful seasonal colour in the cooler months. Golden elms and ornamental pears add further to the garden’s seasonal appeal. A courtyard of London planes evokes a very French atmosphere with seating also inspired by a French village square.

Underfoot, the crunch of gravel makes sitting and walking a breeze. Further afield, an avenue of jacarandas glows gloriously in November, a bluish haze with a blush of purple.

In spring and summer, a large lily pond, filled with pink lotus and water lilies is a major attraction at a lower point of the garden. A popular spot, too, is the rose garden with rows of Rosa ‘Mutabilis’, a well-suited rose for our humid climate. Flowering for ages, it forms a neat round shape and is disease-resistent.

Another plus is its changing colour from pink to apricot with hints of yellow, hence the name ‘Mutabilis’. Alongside is another rose, ‘Duchesse de Brabant’, a long-flowering fragrant tea rose with soft pink petals. Together they form a subtle and romantic backdrop and feature in the overall scheme.

A large row of Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’ with bold glossy foliage and large fragrant blooms shares space with mounds of white May bush massed in white flowers in the early spring. Along the buildings, summer colour and fragrance are provided by columns of lemon scented jasmine (Jasminum azoricum), an under-utilised climber from Madeira, and the brassy orange of Bauhinia galpini, commonly known as African orchid tree or Pride of the Cape.

Both shrubs are climate hardy and thriving.

Fernbank is a bold and romantic setting enhanced by its backdrop of natural forest trees and beauty in any season, and in any atmosphere – from sunny summers to the mists of autumn and spring.

Fernbank Farm, Yarramalong Road at Wyong Creek.

Contact 0414 541 901 or fernbankfarmweddings.com.au

97

Love approximately,

at Circa 1876

WORDS SARAH TOLMIE

98 COAST

W

hichever way you look at it, love was sorta, kinda, eventually going to happen for Annaliese and Andrew. Except that it almost didn’t.

Anneliese was to meet Andrew through a friend but cancelled … not once but several times. The last time, she sheepishly admits, was because she got a better offer to go to watch X-Factor live. For some reason, Andrew did not let up and, somehow, they eventually followed through with a meet-up.

Lots of boxes were ticked for Annaliese on that first date.

‘Andrew was dressed well and was very open. He asked a lot of questions and was great at keeping the conversation going.

I loved his sense of humour and the fact he didn’t take himself too seriously’.

In turn, Andrew was impressed by her ‘outgoing nature and enthusiasm for life, and that her gentle spirit shone through her smile.’

After four years together as a couple, travelling through the full spectrum of life’s joys and challenges, including long distance love, career catapults and stretching themselves in the property market, not only did Annaliese and Andrew know they could make their love a lifetime endeavour, they knew they could always have a laugh and be a little bit silly along the way.

When it came to planning their wedding, what was most important was holding the vision of sharing the love, joy and fun, and leaving the details and execution to the professionals.

‘We were after a classic and chic look, a fun party vibe, and an authentic ceremony,’ says Annaliese. ‘We wanted a venue with a great vibe and intimate feel, and enough space for all our family and friends. We wanted an outdoor ceremony at the same location as the reception, so there’d be a seamless flow from ceremony to canapes and drinks, then on to the dinner. The choice of Circa 1876 was easy. It was classy, elegant and already had special history for them through previous family weddings and great times.

Annaliese is no wallflower. She is bright and vivacious and turns heads, and of course she was going to arrive in style. The choice of ‘carriage’, a 60s Mustang convertible was also an easy one.

She’d loved them since she was a teenager after a neighbour took her for a joy ride up the street.

The style for the day was black tie. And Annaliese’s wedding dress was a classically simple sweetheart-strapless, with a full skirt paired with a lace bolero for the ceremony, and replaced with a bow and embellished belt for the reception. Blue sparkly Jimmy Choo shoes provided the ‘touch of blue’.

The ceremony, held at the end of the tree-lined avenue next to the vines, featured a full bridal party, lots of laughs and love.

‘We thought choosing a celebrant was going to be super difficult but luckily my friend referred us to Sarah and she was such a good fit for our personalities and style. She was funny, cheeky, sweet and instantly likeable, and I’m so glad we had her

for our special day. Unbeknown to us, this was not the first time she had officiated at our family ceremonies, so that was a special touch too,’ says Annaliese.

‘It was an incredible feeling, confirming our love for each other in front of all our family and friends, sneaking a little comment in here and there, hearing each other’s vows, and having our parents give their blessings for our marriage.’

‘Music plays a big part in our lives so making sure the live band was on-point was really important. We saw them perform twice before deciding, even though we loved them both times, especially the lead singer, Tom, who really gets the party going!

The string trio which played for our ceremony and during canapes really added to the ambience, made even more magical by the beautiful weather.’

‘We’re looking forward to being there for each other throughout all the good times and challenging times, supporting and loving each other, sharing our triumphs and our tribulations, and building a family of our own together. We’re excited to grow old together and continue to build upon our relationship, loving each other more each day,’ say Annaliese and Andrew.

»

99

DESTINATION WEDDING • Profile

Hair: Carlie B Make Up: Kim Barry Celebrant: Sarah Tolmie, Life and Love Flowers: Teena Willcox Music: Baker Boys Band (reception) and Jasmine Strings (ceremony) Cake: Hello Naomi Venue: Circa 1876 Videographer: Bottlebrush Films Photographer: Chloe May Mustangs: Sydney Mustangs Jeweller: Cerrone Wedding Dress: Perfect Day Bridal Bridesmaids: Rodeo Show Groom and Groomsmen: Suit Shop by P Johnson

100 COAST

ELEGANT . LUXURIOUS . RUSTIC . ROMANTIC

SPRINGS WEDDINGS P E AT S R I D G E Escape to the ultimate wedding experience at The Springs in the hinterland of The Central Coast. The 125 acre bushland property provides the perfect backdrop for your ceremony and wedding photos.

From intimate to extravagant weddings, the luxury, designer venue with a capacity to hold up to 350 guests and an Executive Chef to cater to any dietary and religious requirements, The Springs is the ideal choice to celebrate any cultural wedding or religious wedding. Surrounded by many local farms, Chef Dan has access to fresh and fabulous produce to inspire his creative wedding menus, creating anything from vegetarian Indian Feasts to amazing Kosher weddings.

From the farm to plate travelling bites, sit down dinners, grazing stations and rustic share plates, The Springs delivers the ultimate wedding food experience. We offer perfectly paired beverage packages to match the organic menus, with boutique, organic local wines and a selection of craft beers. Our mixologist can create the perfect farm to glass signature cocktail just for you. With our very own Wedding stylist and in-house wedding team, The Springs offers you a personal service from the beginning to the very end.

Make your day even more memorable by arriving in style by helicopter.

Indulge yourself. Springs Weddings in the hinterland at Peats Ridge.

FOLLOW US thespringspeatsridge thesprings thespringsweddings

(02) 4373 1522 1 0 8 0 P E AT S R I D G E R OA D W W W. T H E - S P R I N G S . C O M . A U

Gourmet grazing tables and boxes

Luxury pop up picnics

Wedding and event coordination

Florence the mobile bar

We are all about helping you celebrate and create lasting memories whatever the occasion may be.

Alicia 0449 259 996 I memorylaneweddingsandevents.com.au

The Wildflower Place PLANTS

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We specialise in Australian Native Plants, Flowers and Giftware.

Open 7 days a week 9am till 5pm.

453 Central Coast Hwy, Erina Heights Phone 02 4365 5510 Email twp@tpg.com.au

Subtropical Specialists

Check us out on

Browse our extraordinary range of subtropical plants in the nursery, or just enjoy a tranquil, unique dining experience surrounded by lush subtropical vegetation.

Over 120 yrs combined staff experience in native plants and flowers.

Come and see us for personal advice.

4369 1422 I 9 Poole Close Empire Bay www.impactplants.com.au

WINE • Hunter Valley

KEN AND GWEN SLOAN

MISTLETOE WINES, Pokolbin

Gwen and Ken Sloan

T

he mistletoe plant has long been associated with stolen kisses, so with a name like this, you might expect a romantic connection that led to the naming of the Sloan’s vineyard. Although there have been any number of marriage proposals at Mistletoe Wines, the origin of the name goes back to the predominance of Ironbark trees that grew in the area, which the native mistletoe plants seem to love. The vineyard is also a favoured spot for the mistletoe honeyeater birds that add a bright blue, grey and red sight flitting among the vines.

As a lad, Ken had been introduced to wines by local Italian, Maltese and Greek neighbours in Sydney and, by 19, he’d read every book he could lay his hands on about wines and winemaking.

‘By the 1970s, a mate and I were buying grapes and making wines on his poultry farm at Kenthurst, and even won medals at the 1978 Mudgee Wine Show.’

Before Ken and Gwen eventually headed up to the Hunter Valley, they operated a successful leather goods business in West Gosford in the 1980s and ’90s. They were already food and wine lovers and were active members of a Beefsteak and Burgundy group in Terrigal.

‘We’d meet at the Retreat restaurant, the first hatted restaurant outside Sydney,’ recalls Ken. The Hunter remained a dream until the late 1980s. ‘The idea was to build a weekender up at the Hunter and plant a few rose bushes, then sit back to enjoy the beautiful Hermitage Road countryside. Then a local, who was doing some work for us on the property, confided in us what good vineyard country we’d bought, and that it would be a waste not to grow vines on it,’ says Ken, ‘And so we did.

These days it’s a family affair with three generations working in the vineyard and cellar door, with Scott Stephens as winemaker.

» 103

WINE • Hunter Valley

‘Other than the bottling, we now do everything on site with Scott, and that way we have total control of the quality with each vintage assessed in the field and if it’s not up to par, it doesn’t get through the door of the winery. It may cost us initially, but in the long run it would cost more in reputation.’

‘Because the grapes are hand-harvested and then brought into the winery, there’s no transport and unwanted maceration of the grapes,’ says winemaker, Scott. ‘Hand-picking gives us the option to include whole bunches in the ferment, which gives the wines more lifted- and fruit-driven characters.’

The great attention to detail has resulted in an extraordinary number of awards. Among them, the Mistletoe 2009 Reserve

old rootstock no longer exists after Phylloxera wiped them out in the early 1900s. To survive, nearly all the vines in Europe had to be grafted onto American rootstocks. So, now, the Hunter Valley’s rootstock is unique in that it is still grown on its own roots, not grafted.

‘Both the Reserve and Grand Reserve are only produced in exceptional years and, to date, there have only been four wines we deemed good enough to wear the Grand Reserve mantle: the 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018 vintages.’

These wines have been rated at 97 points by James Halliday who regards Mistletoe wines in the top eight per cent of wineries in Australia.

Chardonnay, named NSW Wine of the Year in 2011, as well as Reserve Wine of Show at the 2010 International Chardonnay Challenge in New Zealand. (It came in second to the Penfolds White Grange at $120 per bottle.) Mistletoe Semillons and Grand Reserve Shiraz have also won an enviable number of trophies and gold medals.

Ken and Scott are particularly proud of their Shiraz wines.

‘The vineyard is planted on volcanic red clay–loam soil,’ says Scott. ‘It’s the type of soil that grows the best Shiraz grapes.’

‘Interestingly, they were grown from old Tyrell vines that trace their origins back to the 1820s in France,’ adds Ken. ‘There, the

Another interest of Ken’s is the wild yeast found at the vineyard that brings slight differences and nuances that can make a wine more complex and interesting, and potentially give it an edge over wines made with commercial yeast strains.

‘It can also be a winemaker’s worst nightmare,’ says Scott.

‘It can be slow to start, or get stuck during the fermentation process. But when it works you get a wine like the 2019 Mistletoe Wild Chardonnay. And it’s a credit to Ken to risk the process for the sake of getting an exceptional wine.’

‘People tell us that, as a relatively small winery, we’re punching above our weight,’ says Ken, a happy smile on his face.

771 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin mistletoewines.com.au/

Above: The Mistletoe Flowerpecker bird.

Right: Bringing in the Mistletoe Shiraz.

104 COAST

WE BELIEVE IN THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE. THEY JUST NEED TO BE AMAZING.

Hunters Quarter (HQ) is a relaxed and elegant dining

With a private terrace in the vineyards, it’s the perfect place

destination, located in the Cockfighters Ghost Vineyard of

to while away a few hours with family, friends and fantastic

Pokolbin, in the heart of the picturesque Hunter Valley.

food. Whatever the occasion come in and settle into a chair in our restaurant and dine on a fresh seasonal dish or

Our restaurant is a dining space with something for

two. Additional to Restaurant reservations HQ takes group

everyone – whatever the occasion, come and discover a

bookings and organises private events upon request.

contemporary dining experience with welcoming service in a unique and beautiful setting.

576 De Beyers Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320

Good food is about technique, great food about passion.

•

(02) 4998 7776

•

huntersquarter.com

MISTLETOE WINERY

WE ARE FAMILY MISTLETOE is a small family owned and run winery that was established by the current owners in 1989. Now in its 32st year, Mistletoe’s “no-compromise” approach to producing small quantities of “true to origin” premium quality wine has seen it rewarded with many, many hundreds of awards and accolades.

se elea heer R New tmas C 0” 02 ris “Ch zcato 2 OW! Mo ER N out ORD ’t miss Don

With three generations of the founding family now actively engaged in running the business on a day to day basis, Mistletoe is a truly unique family winery.

With over 20 different wines, including Sparkling, Whites, Reds, Rosés, Fortified and Dessert styles on tasting, Mistletoe has one of th most comprehensive ranges of wines seen in the Hunter.

• All wines are made in our onsite winery • Winery tastings available for larger groups – bookings essential!

• Mistletoe Wines are only available for purchase from the Winery Cellar Door • Knowledgeable and friendly staff to make you welcome When visiting Mistletoe be sure to take time to visit POKOLBIN GALLERY and MISTLETOE SCULPTURE GARDEN also in the grounds of the Cellar Door.

Mistletoe is approximately one hour from the Central Coast and we recommend that you use the A15 Hunter Expressway to visit us. Stay on the A15 and turn left into Hermitage Road. It is a much easier, more scenic, and safer route into Hunter Wine Country.

To learn more about our area go to www.aroundhermitage.com.au We look forward to welcoming you,

The Mistletoe Family.

Open 10am until 6pm Daily | 771 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin 2320 PH 1800 055 080 | E office@mistletoewines.com.au www.mistletoewine.com.au

ONCE UPON A TIME • Brisbane Water

ONCE UPON A TIME AT BRISBANE WATER

The steamship lugger, Alice, at Rock Davis’s shipyard at Blackwall, built in 1888.

THE WOODEN SHIPBUILDERS

T

he countryside around Brisbane Water estuary on the Central Coast – named after the 6th Governor of NSW, Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane – was known for its fine growths of blackbutt, ironbark, mahogany, spotted gum

At its peak, between1861 and 1880, 200 vessels were launched from these yards. In all, 500 registered vessels were built at Brisbane Water, though many more were not officially recorded.

The earliest cargo ships from the Central Coast carried timber

and colonial beech timbers. Much of the timber was found to resist marine borers (known as shipworms) so was ideal for shipbuilding. It was because of this, and easy foreshore access, that shipbuilding yards sprang up along the estuary in the 1800s.

The Darkinjung peoples had long built boats, canoes and rafts in the area, and the first known vessel reported to have been built there by the early European settlers was by Robert Henderson in January 1830. His 14-ton sloop, Sarah, is thought to have launched from his property, Veteran Hall, on the southern side of what is now Saratoga. It was not the first ship built by early European settlers in the area, but previous builders’ names were not recorded.

Shipyards were soon to be found in Kincumber, Davistown, Blackwall, Daleys Point, Bensville, Point Frederick, Green Point and Gosford, with the most prolific being Rock Davis’s yard at Blackwall. Beyond Brisbane Water, there was also a shipyard at Terrigal Haven.

and wooden shingles (in their thousands) to Sydney and up and down the coast, as well as shells to be burnt for lime (a component in mortar), bark for huts, mangrove ashes for soapmaking, fresh produce of maize, onions, sugarcane, bananas, wheat, and live pigs.

Significant sand movements in the channel close to Box Head, Little Box Head, Lobster Beach and Half Tide Rocks were the bane of the shipowners, as it can be for today’s sailors navigating the channel. Vessels usually left Brisbane Water on the rising tide so they could more easily clear the bar at Half Tide Rocks. Irate locals called for beacons to mark the danger points, as well as dredging of the channel, and even the removal of the reef. The Woy Woy channel, too, was an issue between Pelican Island and Brickwharf Road.

An indication of how notorious conditions were for sailors at the time, is that 300 of the locally built vessels foundered or were wrecked, mainly in storms or on dangerous river bars.

»

107

ONCE UPON A TIME • Brisbane Water

Others were wrecked or sunk in World War II. Boilers, too, were known to explode, resulting in the sinking of these unfortunate vessels, and often the death of their even more unfortunate crews.

With the advent of iron and then steel ships, timber shipbuilding in the area faded as a viable industry. World War II saw a number of smaller ships built for the American navy but, by the 1940s, Beattie’s shipyard on Cockle Creek (now known as Cockle Channel, Daleys Point) was the last remaining working shipyard. By 1959, only one or two wooden vessels were still being built in places like Hardys Bay. The names of the early ship builders live on in local suburbs and street names, as well as in the names of islands on Brisbane Water. Although the list below is far from complete, some of the shipbuilders whose names live on, include: Robert Henderson: (8 ships.) He was a farmer, grazier, mariner, constable, shipowner, shipbuilder, and publican. His name was also linked to smuggling spirits in Broken Bay but he escaped any charges ‘through legal technicalities’. Henderson Road in Saratoga is named after him.

Davis brothers: Benjamin, Thomas, Rock, Edward, as well as Rock Jnr and Ben’s son, Arthur. (775 ships.) The brothers, sons of William Davis, were all said to be very tall, strong and handsome, and dominated shipbuilding at Brisbane Water over a period of 65 years. The first to open a yard was Benjamin. He built at the rate of one or two vessels per year and registered his first vessel, Venus, a clinker-built 27-ton ketch in 1848. His brothers set up adjoining yards, each in their own right, and their shipbuilding was to extend from Davistown to Point Frederick, Gosford, Blackwall, Terrigal Haven, and Bensville. The last was named after Benjamin Davis, with Davistown named after the family.

Davistown waterfront, c 1928.

108 COAST

Ben Davis’s first home built on the Norton Grant at Bensville, after his move from Davistown.

MV Erina II, built by Arthur Davis and Sons at Empire Bay in 1934.

ONCE UPON A TIME • Brisbane Water

Codock II a heritage ferry (built at Cockatoo Island, Sydney) is now at home in Davistown.

Riley family: (3 and possibly more ships.) Shell Island in Brisbane Water was bought by John Riley, a ticket-of-leave Londoner, in 1855. He grew bananas, ran cattle and used seaweed as fertiliser, and the first known shipbuilding on the island was in the 1860s.

James Riley, his second son, is the registered builder of a ketch and numerous 10-footers. His brothers were William Riley, a captain, and Thomas Riley, a shipwright. Rileys Island and Rileys Conservation Reserve are named after the family.

George Wagstaffe: (281 ships.) Known as Captain George Wagstaffe, he was a farmer and master mariner who shipped produce to Sydney from Brisbane Water and the Hawkesbury River. He launched his first vessel in 1903 from a land grant known as Mulhall, at a place the Aborigines called Kourunggourong (a name still used for the northern point of Wagstaffe).

Although he was a relatively short-term resident (15 years), the village of Wagstaffe was named after him.

An excellent history of the shipbuilders is available in Gwen Dundon’s book, The Shipbuilders of Brisbane Water NSW (Openbook Publishers,1997).

The Shipbuilders Memorial Sculpture by John Woulfe.

A shipbuilders’ memorial sculpture juts into the Broadwater near Carrack Road, Kincumber, adjoining a 3.3 km scenic walk along the foreshore. Information posts along the walk tell of the local shipbuilding history. johnwoulfe.com.au

109

WHAT’S ON • For Kids

FUN FOR KIDS

ON THE COAST

WORDS KATIE STOKES

ARTISTIC PLAY Little Seeds ArtPlay recently launched on the Central Coast, bringing their tiny tots art classes to Terrigal. Children learn through play, and these fun-filled, unstructured classes let them be creative through open-ended art experiences. In each session, the children are invited to explore multiple stations that encourage sensory play. They can build with clay, create a largescale drawing, push toy cars through paint, or get absorbed in tipping, splashing and scooping a sensory tub full of things to do. It’s messy. It’s imaginative. And it’s a heap of fun.

And the best part is that parents are encouraged to get involved too. Bring your paint shirts and and let your imagination out to play..

In each term, there are five-week classes for children aged 16 months to six years, as well as Christmas workshops and school holiday classes for children up to 10 years old. littleseedsartplay.com/

»

PICK YOUR OWN Did you know that there’s a local farm in Jilliby where you can forage for blueberries, pluck tomatoes from vines and pick tulips from the ground? Located on the Central Coast plateau, The Giving Farm (aka Central Coast Veggie Patch) is a familyfriendly farm where you can experience pick-your-own days and meet some feathered and hooved animals.

When it’s time to harvest, Missy, Anthony and their three kids swing open their farm gates and invite you to walk their paddocks and pick from their crops. You might be harvesting grape tomatoes one month, and mini cucumbers the next.

At other times they have rows of tulips, sunflowers or lavender available to pick.

‘Our tomatoes taste so different to those people buy in the shops,’ says Missy. ‘Kids get to pick and taste a real tomato.’

They also get to cuddle the chooks, pat the lamb and feed the goats. It’s guaranteed to get even the most urbanised visitors thinking of a farm-change. centralcoastveggiepatch.com.au/ Dates for pickings are announced on facebook.com/TheGivingFarmAU

111

CENTRAL COAST

MARINE DISCOVERY CENTRE

ire: Kayaks, H Stand-up Paddle boards & Pedalboats on beautiful Avoca Lake

Explore I Educate I Protect

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112 COAST

www.ccmdc.org.au

Heazlett Park foreshore 15 Ficus Ave, Avoca Beach

0413 808 394 www.aquafun.net.au

WHAT’S ON • For Kids

GET GOALS A new soccer school has arrived on the Coast! If you have a boy or girl who’s happiest kicking a ball around, here’s the chance to sign them up.

The Central Coast School of Soccer (CCSS) run ‘elite’ school holiday soccer camps as well as futsal skills-development programs.

Run by UEFAC- and FA L2-qualified coaches, these programs are designed for players, ‘who wish to accelerate their technical skills, physical fitness and unlock their football potential,’ says CCSS coach Jack Marsh.

The programs are for kids aged five to16 and, whether they’re a beginner or experienced player. And there’s a real focus on improving each child’s skillset. The summer school holiday camps run for four half-days and the futsal skills development program runs for eight weeks. centralcoastschoolofsoccer.com.au/

»

SPLASH ABOUT Get set to make a splash at Splash Park, the new accessible water play park that has opened at Woy Woy’s Peninsula Leisure Centre.

The ocean-themed play area includes a 300-litre mega-soaker tipping-bucket and myriad sculptural fountains that children are encouraged to play with and manipulate. There’s a ship’s mast that tips water onto kids, a large red anchor that sprays water, a blue pole that creates an umbrella of water, and a mythical blue sea creature that squirts water from its mouth.

At one end of the water park is a quieter play for toddlers, and the other end has been designed with more boisterous play in mind: think water cannons that can be moved and aimed at friends, as well as a large spiral that’s begging to be run through.

Peninsula Leisure Centre: 02 4325 8123; 243 Blackwall Road, Woy Woy.

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TWO YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY

Celebrating

WHAT’S ON • For Kids

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114 COAST

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LUCY WICKS MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR ROBERTSON

t s a o C l a r t n e C e h t r o Del ivering f The Morrison Government is delivering $86.5 million to fix 29 roads across the Central Coast.

Jointly funding the $72.5 million Central Coast Research Institute and Central Coast Clinical School in Gosford, open to students in 2021.

Making commuters’ lives easier with $35 million for commuter car parks at Gosford and Woy Woy stations.

Investing in community infrastructure with over $11 million for sporting facilities and public parks.

Level 3, 69 Central Coast Highway, West Gosford NSW 2250 02 4322 2400 lucy.wicks.mp@aph.gov.au lucywicksmp.com LucyWicksMP Authorised by Lucy Wicks MP, Liberal Party of Australia, Level 3, 69 Central Coast Hwy, West Gosford NSW 2250.

HAMPTONS H A R R I N G T O N WAT E R S

Residents’ Leisure Club

COMING SOON

Harrington Golf Club

t o the m i d-n orth coast

Shopping Village

Over 55s living reimagined: Hamptons offers you an idyllic lifestyle with a brand-new Residents’ Leisure

3km Walking Track

Club, beautiful natural surrounds, convenient amenities and endless waterside activities. This luxury villa-style

Harrigan’s Irish Pub

community is designed to encourage social connection and foster a vibrant, active lifestyle. Make your sea change at Hamptons, Harrington Waters today.

W: www.harringtonwaters.com.au/hamptons E: sales@harringtonwaters.com.au P: 1800 290 616