MATURE TRAVELLER
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Taking a quick break on the Magical Central Coast

​
By Sandip Hor
 
Since the end of March this year, I have contained myself in and around my home in South Strathfield – in the  Inner West suburb of Sydney, because of the restrictions due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
It is not difficult to imagine how frustrating this has been for a person like me with an utterly itchy foot who has travelled to more than one hundred countries in six continents and for years had at least one travel – either overseas on interstate - scheduled every month.
So when overdosed with virtual travel, webinars and watch parties, NSW Government’s  decision to ease travel within the state came as a welcome relief.
Almost straightaway I hit the road not only to see and appreciate how beautiful and charming my own back yard is, but also to boost the crumbling rural tourism economy in my own humble way.
I chose the Central Coast region being close to home - within an hour and a half drive northwards from Sydney.
For a few days I explored parts of the picturesque country around Gosford – a modern urban hideout on the Brisbane Water and within close proximity of magnificent national parks, glittering waterways, stunning beaches, lively waterside townships and quite villages.
Pacific Motorway (M1) connects Sydney with the Central Coast and the entry point is the famous Mooney Mooney Bridge across the Hawkesbury River. The moment I crossed the famous twin cantilever channel I sensed a kind of freedom in the lap of unspoilt nature.
This trip was basically shaking hands with nature while sunbathing at an open parklands under the blue sky, rambling along sandy paths of Ettalong Beach and Forresters Beach, bushwalking through the forests of Brisbane Water National Park, and watching radiant colors of the sky when sun vanishing into the horizon. Surely this had a soothing effect on my weary mind and soul stressed from the trauma of the current pandemic situation.
Another key feature of the trip was viewing spectacular avian species on the water from ducks, geese, swans, darters, cranes, egrets, herons, gulls and storks to giant pelicans who are the famous residents of The Entrance – a resort township set where the sparkling Pacific Ocean meets the calm waters of Tuggerah Lake. Watching the nation’s largest water birds being fed ceremoniously around 3.30 pm every day is the biggest attraction of this scenic sanctuary.
While travelling I was pretty impressed to see the locals and outsiders maintaining social distances and adopting other health safety measures as directed by the government. Similar was the situation at local shops, cafes and restaurants. Hope this attitude will help to end the pandemic sooner than later and open doors for more tourism within the state and beyond in coming months.
 
Fact File
Getting There: It’s easy to reach destination by road, driving north from Sydney along Pacific Motorway (M1) and Central Coast Highway (A49) or south from Newcastle. Gosford is 76km from Sydney and 90km from Newcastle. An alternative is to travel by intercity trains on the Sydney- Newcastle line.
Stay: Plenty of staying options throughout the region from luxury resorts and hotels to backpacker hostels and Airbnb accommodations. I stayed at Seabreeze Retreat – an Airbnb nest at Point Clare, not far from Gosford.
More info: www.visitnsw.com

Picture
Pelican feeding at The Entrance is a major event
Picture
The famous Hawkesbury River Bridge is the Gateway to the Coast
Picture
The beautiful unspoilt beaches are a highlight of the Coast and great for bushwalking
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  • Destinations - Australia
    • Alice Springs
    • Green Island Qld
    • Palm Cove
    • Yeppoon QLD
    • Reptile Park
    • Sapphire Coast
    • Mollymook
    • Hyde Park Barracks
    • Palm Cove Social Club
    • Kangaroo Island
    • Aussie Country Towns
    • Escape to Australia
    • Lord Howe Island
    • Rottnest Island
    • Vibe Hotel Darling Harbour
    • The Public Silo Trail WA >
      • Coober Pedy SA
    • Brisbane Calile
    • In awe of the Kimberley
    • Hunter Gatherings
    • Pacific Hotel Cairns
    • Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours
    • Kangaroo Island
    • Sunshine State
    • Kimberley Coast
    • The Kimberley and Mitchell Falls
    • Forget Bali - Go Bush
    • Barcaldine
    • Tap and Go Sydney
    • Port Douglas
    • The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
    • Darwin
    • Brisbane Grand Ladies
    • Brisbane to Townsville >
      • Citadines Sydney Airport
    • Mudgee
    • Kimberley Coast
    • Mudgee's Blue Wren Winery
    • Uber Cool Brisbane
    • Southern Highlands NSW
    • Perth Day Cruise
    • Lord Howe - Return to Paradise
    • Broome
    • The Hydro Majestic Hotel
    • O'REILLY'S
    • Sealink Swan River
  • Travel
    • Destinations - Overseas >
      • Yamoto The Battleship
      • Tierra Tourismo
      • Ascott The Residence
      • Ireland
      • Disneyland Resort
      • African Elephants
      • Guernsey
      • Salzburg
      • Austria's Silent Night
      • Ethiopia
      • Yorkshire
      • Bryce Canyon
      • Macao
      • Dubai Taj
      • Destination India
      • Return to Sri Lanka
      • Nepal
      • The Balkans Tour
      • Disney Star Wars
      • Destinations - Asia
      • Indian Motorbike
      • The Falkland Islands
      • Rajasthan
      • Marrakech
      • Ganges Odyssey
      • Hokkaido
      • Würzburg
      • Samoa
      • Tripura India
      • Hong Kong Park Lane
      • A Day in Hong Kong
      • Zagreb Croatia
      • Paris Mercure
      • Majorca
      • Dubai
      • Croatia
      • Flanders
      • Wales
      • Switzerland
      • Morocco Part 3
      • Morocco Part 2
      • Ireland's Movies
      • Morocco Part 1
      • Milwaukee
      • Hong Kong Peak Tram
      • India's Golden Triangle
      • Destination USA & Canada
      • Peru's Colca Valley
      • Destination Africa
      • Samoa Paradise
      • Italy
      • Jasper Canada >
        • Cuba Cars >
          • Thai Market
          • Sri Lanka
          • Caribbean Airport
      • Antarctica
      • Kuala Lumpur
      • Cuba >
        • The Netherlands
      • P&O Samoa
      • Destination Europe
      • British Columbia
      • Winnipeg Canada
      • Thailand
      • The Canadian
      • Ghana Bikes
      • Finland
      • Malaysia Medical
      • Finland 'Escape'
      • Stockholm
      • Deadwood, USA
      • Helsinki cool
      • South & Central America
      • French Village
      • Alaska 101
      • Samoa Win
      • Vietnam
      • Cumbria England
      • Doha Qatar
      • Ottawa
      • Tokyo Disney 1 >
        • Tokyo Disney Part 2
        • Tokyo Disney Part 3
      • Hong Kong
    • LUXURY RESORTS >
      • The Havannah Vanuatu
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2020 brochure
      • Back-Roads Touring Film Locations >
        • Adina Brisbane
      • Pan Pacific Hotels
      • Novotel Century Hong Kong
    • TRAINS >
      • Yorkshire Train
      • Eurail >
        • Eurail New Free App
      • Canada Rail
      • The Ghan
      • Portugal Rail
      • China's Trains
    • Airline Reviews >
      • Hawaiian Airlines
      • Fly Rex
      • Cathay Pacific A350-1000
      • Air Asia
      • Cathay Pacific Menu
      • Cathay Pacific Business
      • CMV Vasco da Gama
      • Scoot to Berlin
      • Costa Rica Lindblad
      • Airbus A350 1000
      • The Rhine Part 1
      • Airbus
      • Tigerair Australia
      • Finnair
      • Asiana Airlines
      • Flying Finnair to Europe
      • Business Class with Cathay
      • Finnair
      • Singapore Airlines
      • Air France Business Class
      • British Airways
  • CRUISING
    • Norwegian Cruise Lines
    • Princess Explorer >
      • SeaDream Visits Elba
      • MSC Bellissima
    • ms Volendam >
      • Cunard Queens
      • Rivers will boom
    • CroisiEurope >
      • SeaDream A Seven-Day Dream >
        • Cruising
        • Sailing the Orient
      • msNoordam >
        • CroisiEurope
        • SeaDream Wins Again
        • Riviera Cruises
        • Rhine Part 3
      • Sunborn Yacht Hotel
      • Riverboats
      • AMERICAN STEAMBOATS >
        • HAL Latest
        • Voyager of the Seas
    • Paul Gauguin Cruises Tahitian Dreaming
    • Silversea NZ Part 1 >
      • Lake Geneva Part 2
      • Avalon Waterways
    • Majestic Princess
    • Sun Princess
    • Silja Line
    • Pacific Jewel
    • Norwegian Jewel
    • Azamara >
      • Bordeaux and Riverboats
      • River Cruises >
        • CroisiEurope
    • Diamond Princess >
      • Multigenerational Cruising
      • MSC Grandiosa
      • China Shore Tour
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • 14-day Baltic cruise on the Celestial Eclipse. >
      • Captain Cook Cruises Fiji
    • Lake Geneva Part 1
    • CroisiEurope Rhine River >
      • Rhine Part 2
    • Riviera Cruises
    • What's New >
      • PNG with P&O >
        • Holland America Line
        • Crystal's 2019 Collection of Globetrotting Voyages
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2021
      • New Vibe Hotel for Sydney
      • Back Roads Touring
      • Henty CoPilot
      • Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam >
        • Mekong Riverboat
        • MSC Seaside
        • MSC Opera
      • Princess Cruises Australia
    • SeaDream Memories
    • Volendam
    • Silversea NZ part 2
  • CARAVANS & RV
    • Caravans Rule!
    • YaMate Insect Repellent
  • GROUP TOURS & EVENTS
    • Gambaro Hotel
    • Nossa Festival
    • Noosa Food and Wine Feastival
    • TravelComfort
    • Canberra Wine Food
    • Puglia with Lyndey Milan
    • Sydney Microbrewery
    • Back-Roads Touring Goes USA
    • Noosa Wine and Food Festival
    • BBQ Beer and BS
    • Cuisines of France and Mexico
    • Wine with David Ellis
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Canon EOS R
    • Canon EOS200D
    • Canon EOS M 50
    • Inflighto
    • Canon - PowerShot SX730 HS
    • Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III >
      • Shoulder Bag
    • Travel Light
    • Firefly
    • My Flight Hammock
    • LG Stylus DAB+
    • Paklite
    • Navman >
      • Flight Kit
      • Eyeglasses
      • Listen Wireless Headphones
      • Rigon Headwear >
        • Travel Sickness
    • Lonely Planet Wellness
    • Motorola
    • New From Nikon
    • Flight testing the Focal Headphones
    • Samsung Camera
    • Nokia Lumia 925- WOW
    • The New Paklite Collection
    • New from Samsonite >
      • Seaquatix
    • 5 Suitcase Essentials for Arthritis Sufferers
    • Mature Traveller's ARE SEXY
    • Room hangables
  • Books
    • Penguin Books
    • Captain Cook's Epic Voyage
    • In Her Footsteps
    • Riptides
    • The Drover's Wife
    • Who Owns History
    • Lonely Planet Dark Skies
    • Latest Lonely Planet Kids
    • Lonely Planet The Universe
    • Win BIG with Lonely Planet
    • Conversations in the Kitchen
    • The Rescue Dog
    • Lonely Planet Kids’ Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts
    • Welcome to your period
    • Flight to Fame
    • Long Flight Home
    • The Daredevil’s Guide to Outer Space
    • Hush Hush
    • The Last Elephants
    • Home at Last
    • Lonely Planet Kids Stickers
    • Rome Precincts
    • The Ink Stain
    • Storm Boy
    • Muttshots
    • King of the Air
    • Steam Australia
    • More Lonely Planet Kids
    • Australian Birds
    • Lonely Planet Atlas
    • The Rescuers >
      • NSW Central Coast
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • Six Decades of Holden V Ford
    • Teida's Story
    • Take Back Australia Mark Latham
    • Hardie Grant Books
    • New Holland Publishers
    • The Pacific In the Wake of Captain Cook
    • Bill Lawry
    • Endeavour
    • In the Valley of the Blue Gums
    • Political Correctness
    • Heros of Hamel
    • Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports
    • The Last 100 Days
    • Against The Odds
    • How to win a Noble Prize
    • Child of Africa
    • Where the Murray River Runs
    • Moment of Thruth
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018
    • A Short History of Golf
    • Freedom’s Salesman
    • Mark Latham
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • A Hard Place
    • A Haunting Place
    • Big Boys’ Toys
    • Fly Fishing
    • Stealth Raiders
    • Hero or Deserter?
    • GOLF RESORTS OF THE WORLD
    • THE CHARGE
    • Gelignite Jack Murray
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF PIKELET
    • Fur-Ever Loved
    • Alicorn
    • Roped In from Hardie Grant
    • The Australian Bird Guide
    • The Mysterious Mr Jacob
    • The Rugby League Book of Records
    • Rubbing Shoulders Around the World
    • Make Science Fun
    • Pawtraits
    • Gallipoli
  • Photo Gallery
    • Paul Gauguin Cruises Tahiti
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • Kakadu
    • Hotel Kurrajong
    • The Cook Islands
    • The Steamboats of Lake Geneva
    • Sir Donald Campbell Bluebird >
      • Archives >
        • Travel
        • Entertainment
        • Lifestyle
      • Samsung in the Whitsundays
    • SAMOA images with a Nokia 925
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Offspring