2 minute read
MY COAST Nature and the Terrigal Boardwalk
Along the Terrigal Beach end of the Boardwalk, the sea swirls beneath our feet in a sensation that’s somehow quite different to passively watching waves from the shore. A wave breaks against the rock face, then ebbs back erratically at all angles to meet the onrush of the next. It’s high tide and the ocean is giving the newly renovated rockpool beside the Boardwalk its daily bath. The next breaker heaves itself against the cliff that dares bar its way. Spray cascades over a small section of the boardwalk and walkers caught out, shriek in surprise.
Closer to The Haven end of the walk, there’s a noticeable difference; the sea is quieter and laps gently against the pylons. The water is clean and clear, and fish dart and disappear. Come whale migration season, the walk will provide unbeatable viewing points of any whale mums that stop into The Haven’s quiet waters to give their frolicking calves a safe rest on their way to the Antarctic.
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The Boardwalk is an easy 300-metre stroll along the blackbutt timber decking. It’s popular during the day with people of all ages enjoying the view, parents with strollers, and dogs and their walkers. At night, it’s an area that feels safe. There are people all around, and the walk is subtly lit all along its length by integrated LED lights that shine down from under the spotted gum handrail. The Boardwalk was funded jointly by the NSW State Government and the Central Coast Council, and all materials have been chosen to withstand the coastal elements well into the future.
It has made The Haven much more accessible from Terrigal Beach, with venues such as Cove Cafe, the Reef Restaurant and the Trojans Rugby Club cafe quickly experiencing a ‘massive increase’ in visitors.
First mooted in the 1990s, most people have now hailed the Boardwalk as a wonderful new attraction for the region, some others say it’s a way of spoiling our natural environment. Whatever you think, it’s only rivalled locally by the boardwalk along the renowned Bouddi Coastal Walk (does anyone complain about that one?), and further afield, perhaps even by the curvy ‘boardwalk for cars’, the Sea Cliff Bridge, a highlight of the Grand Pacific Drive on the south coast.
The Terrigal Boardwalk is an experience you’ll enjoy taking visitors to, time and again.
© KEVIN MORGAN, MAGIC LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
