Destination Guide | CENTRAL COAST FOR Rocky Trail MATES

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Hiya, Rocky Trail Mates!

The Central Coast is a vibrant mix of urban hubs, beach towns and hinterland villages, offering superb natural beauty alongside classy bars, lively entertainment, fantastic shopping, and modern eateries delivered by world-class chefs.

Find your next adventure on the Central Coast with Rocky Trail!

Get your mates to come and race together with you and explore the Central Coast while you’re here – there is SO much to do!

Martin and I have been living on the Central Coast for seven years and we’ve had so much fun exploring what this beautiful region has to offer when it comes to beaches, mountain bike trails and cycling paths and socialising – cafes, restaurants, pubs, action, shopping, chocolate tasting (and buying!), wellness treats and all that right in between Sydney and Newcastle – and certainly worth the drive from Canberra and further afar.

Bring your mates!

Our events are proudly supported by the Central Coast Council and together with the major sponsors Shimano Cycling Australia, RIDE Fox Australia and sealant partner, Stan’s NoTubes with Jetblack Products Australia, all your rider photos from Rocky Trail events are included in the entry fee! What a great souvenir from a weekend away together!

See you out there on those rocky trails,
Juliane

Destination Information

From headland to hinterland, you’ll love the Central Coast!

Great ways to explore the Central Coast for groups of mates

Wyong Milk Factory

Wyong Milk Factory is a 2 minute drive from the event centre – cafe, restaurant, hairdresser, beauty treatments, gift & furniture store, pub, fitness centre, cheese factory, chocolate factory – need we say more???

Wyong Town Centre

Take a stroll through the Wyong Town Centre on Allison Road – barber, cupcake store, restaurants, a pizzeria cafes with Glee Roasters and Duck Duck Moose and one of our event partners, Panonia.

TreeTops Adventure Park

Just 300m from the Rocky Trail event centre at Ourimbah State Forest you can experience the iconic Australian bush like never before. Get up-close and personal with native Australian wildlife and magnificent Gum trees, as you climb, weave and fly through the tree tops on self-guided rope courses. Flex your adventurous spirit and test yourself mentally and physically with over 100 elevated obstacles with rope ladders, wobbly bridges, tunnels, cargo-nets and zip lines. – Perfect for the accompanying families and friends while you race or as a pre- or post-race activity together!

Australian Reptile Park

One of our most favourite excursions is to the Australian Reptile Park just off the Gosford exit – you would have noticed the huge dinosaur on your way up to Wyong! This is a hands-on zoo located in a natural bush setting, home to exotic reptiles from around the world and a wide variety of Australian native animals. Enjoy live entertaining shows, themed exhibits and behind the scenes tours. Learn about conservation work undertaken by keepers including the Tasmanian devil breeding program at Devil Ark, and our lifesaving snake and spider venom collection work.

Gosford – Kincumber Pub

This a great pub, but don’t let the name fool you – great food, delicious cocktails in a really nice and sophisticated setting!

Tasting Triple – Wine, Schnapps, Beer

This is one of our “classic-Wisata-visitor-tours” on the Central Coast – visit the Distillery Botanica for some delicious spirits, head down to the Six String Brewery for a cool beer (and a delicious snack in their on-site pub) and then, for dessert, visit the Firescreek Fruit Winery just around the corner – all three are within a 2-5 minute drive from each other between Gosford and Terrigal near Erina.

The winery opened its cellar doors in December 2003 to offer you a seasonal variety of boutique fruit flower and herb wines. Wine tasting is complimentary – Cellardoor Wine Tastings: Every Wednesday to Sunday. 10:30am- 4:30pm

This boutique distillery is home to an array of award winning tipples including Moore’s Dry Gin, Distillery Botanica Gin and Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur. The distillery is set amongst 3 acres of beautiful gardens. You’re invited to take a stroll through the lovely gardens and drop into the cellar door, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

At Six String Brewery it’s all about great beer and music – the tasting room and brewery is located near Erina. Open Wed-Sat 12-10pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. – There is a great smokehouse/bar/restaurant, which is an offspring of the brewery – Sounds on West in Umina. The ribs and hearty food there are so delicious, especially when washed down with a cool brew! We’ve been there and can only highly recommend it!

Don’t miss the Food & Wine Festival, happening on Sunday 6th February at Mt Penang Gardens!! Check the website for all the deets.

Beaches, restaurants, bars and nightlife

Discover the Coast’s bustling nightlife on the weekends! Here are our favourites:

Short walks to lookouts

The Central Coast has several fantastic headlands and vantage points to view this region. Our favourite spots are:

  1. Crackneck Lookout, (Wyrrabalong National Park).
    You can drive right to the top. Limited parking is available, and it can be very busy on sunny weekends. Several picnic tables and benches are available. Pack a picnic and enjoy the sunshine.
  2. The Skillion, Terrigal.
    As you drive into Terrigal, the Skillion is a prominent landmark. Parking is available easily, however, it is a steep walk to the top. There is a concrete stairway and path added, so no problems taking prams up there. The view is certainly a reward for a bit of effort!
  3. Norah Head Lighthouse.
    Norah Head Lighthouse is beautiful to visit in any season – see our notes on the beautiful bushwalk below! There is designated parking with a pathway to the Lighthouse. There are ample spots to sit and scan for the passing whales. Why not get the best view of the whales right from the top and book a lighthouse tour to walk the 96 stairs to the top!
  4. Bateau Bay Beach Viewing Area.
    While it is not the highest vantage point, a beautifully landscaped sandstone platform provides a clear viewing point out over Bateau Bay. Plenty of parking is available, and picnic tables and amenities are close by. Check out our notes on our favourite bushwalks below! – Park the car here and take the bushwalk to the top of Crackneck. It is not a difficult bushwalk however the surface is uneven, and it is undulating terrain.
  5. Copacabana Beach – Whale Watching Platform – Captain Cook Lookout.
    At the Southern end of the coast this purpose built platform has views all the way south to Palm Beach.

We collected some links to websites and blogs of locals for ideas to explore the Central Coast for the weekend!

What else is happening on the Central Coast on the Rocky Trail event weekends? Find out HERE

INS(TA)PIRATION:
There are so many experiences that await,
here are just a few to get you started:

Share your stories, tag
#LoveCentralCoast
Official Rocky Trail hashtags:
#rockytrailracer #rockytrailentertainment

Do you have any questions?

Talk to us via our online chat – click on the orange circle symbol on your bottom right screen corner and we’ll be right with you! (We always love talking bikes, racing and riding!)