Central Coast, NSW
NRMA Ocean Beach
The park we have come back to over the longest stretch, and the earliest trip in our record — once in August 2015 when the children were small, then twice in the tent, October to October. The creek that runs out across the sand is the reason.
- Where
- Umina Beach, Central Coast, NSW
- Stayed
- 29–30 Aug 2015 · 5–7 Oct 2024 · 4–5 Oct 2025
- In
- Tent for the last two
- Trips
- Three
- Booked as
- Ocean Beach Holiday Resort
The record
Three stays, ten years apart
The earliest trip in the record, and the park we have come back to longest — once with small children in August 2015, then twice in the tent, October to October.
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August 2015
The first time
NRMA Ocean Beach — with small children
One night of two. Our first night camping in Australia, and we were no good at it. No tent, no gear, no idea how any of it worked — my sister’s family organised the whole thing and we turned up. Raksha Bandhan fell on the Saturday and the rakhi was tied at the campsite.
The day was the easy part. The water play park did most of the work, then the beach, and it was warm enough that nobody thought about the night.
The night was the lesson. It was cold in a way we were completely unprepared for, nobody slept, and in the morning we packed up and went home a day early rather than do it again. We had booked two nights and used one.
Ten years later there is a trailer, a rooftop tent and a gazebo, and it started here — badly.
The water play park 
The bucket, mid-tip 
Down at the water 
The headland end of the beach 
Small and clean 
A rakhi being tied, on the trip -
October 2024
Back with the tent
NRMA Ocean Beach — tent
Two nights, the Labour Day long weekend. Nine years between visits, for no better reason than forgetting how close it is. Two families this time, and a third who joined on the second day.
The park had changed. More sites, a second pool, a new amenities block, more play area — and considerably busier. The October long weekend is the first warm one after winter, so half of Sydney has the same idea, and it was full.
We had the western end, with room for the tent, the kitchen under the gazebo and the trailer, and the camp kitchen next door. The creek runs out across the sand at that corner, and that is the thing we came back for.
The view past the tent 
Same spot, wider 
Where the creek meets the beach 
The creek through the park 
Sites along the creek 
In the shallows 
Swell coming in 
The park from up the hill -
October 2025
Same month, bigger set-up
NRMA Ocean Beach — tent
One night of three booked. Back with my sister’s family — the same people we camped with in 2015, ten years on. The two boys who were five on that first trip are teenagers now, and there is a third, not quite six, who had not been born when we first came here.
Both families on one site: our tent, their tent, the gazebo over the kitchen and the trailer with its rooftop tent, all on the same pitch. The day went to the beach, with the gazebo up on the sand because sitting in the sun was too much. Most of the food came pre-cooked from home and was reheated, which is how we do it now.
We had the site until Tuesday but came home on the Sunday evening — work reasons on their side, and we wanted a day at home before the week started. No complaints about the place; we just left early.
The whole set-up 
From the car end 
Shade rigged on the sand
What we have learned here
Book a year out. Not an exaggeration. Everything we book, sites and cabins, goes in about twelve months ahead. Inside six months of a long weekend you will not find anything at this park.
Sites come in very different sizes, so book for the size you need. They vary a lot across this park and the booking page does not always make it obvious. Ours took two tents, a gazebo over the kitchen, a trailer with a rooftop tent, and the car, all on one pitch. If you are travelling with another family or towing anything, ask about the dimensions rather than assuming.
Sites have a head-count limit, and two families can share one. Ours allowed around six adults, and NRMA had no problem with two families and two tents on the one pitch within that. Worth asking when you book, because it changes the cost of a trip with friends completely.
Only one car per site gets through the boom gate, and it parks on your site. The pitch has to be big enough for the car alongside everything else — and if two families are sharing, the second car stays outside the gate. Plan your unloading around it.
The western end is the quiet end. Powered sites, with a small road running right up to them so a trailer goes on without unhitching. The camp kitchen is next door and the creek runs out across the sand at that corner. Beach access is about 150 metres.
The cost of the quiet end is the walk. The water play park and the main pool are central — roughly 300 metres, four or five minutes, and longer with small children who want to go twice a day. The second pool and spa are away east near reception and are effectively a separate outing.
The camp kitchen is genuinely good. Sinks, stoves, microwaves, a fridge and hot water, kept clean. It is the reason you can bring food to reheat rather than cooking everything from scratch.
Tricycles can be hired. Two kinds — a single, and a two-seater with a seat for an adult and one for a child. Worth knowing if you have a child who will not walk to the pool twice a day. We have not recorded what they cost, so ask at reception.
The creek. There is usually some water running out across the sand at the western corner, shallow enough for small children to play in. We have only seen it in October, three times, so take that as our experience rather than a promise.
Days out on the NRMA card
Checked 29 September 2026, and every price below is an NRMA member price. The discount comes with membership, not with the booking — staying at an NRMA park makes no difference to it, and without a membership you pay the gate price. We earn nothing from any of this. Prices move, so take the figures as what was showing on the day. Distances are straight-line from the park, not road distance.
The Australian Reptile Park is the close one — the same Somersby park listed under what is nearby above, about half an hour away. $47.60 against $55.99. It is the only one on this list you could do in a morning and still get an afternoon on the sand.
The rest are a Sydney day, forty kilometres or so south. Taronga Zoo at Mosman; SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium at $36.04 against $57; WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and Madame Tussauds, both $33.15 against $49; and IMAX at Burwood. Featherdale at Doonside is $41.65 against $49 and forty-eight kilometres — the same sort of drive, without harbour parking at the end of it.
On the water, and seasonal. Whale watching runs out of Circular Quay and Darling Harbour through winter and spring; the two-hour express cruise was $72.80 against $91. The tall ship afternoon cruise from The Rocks was $58.65 against $69. Check what is actually sailing before you drive down.
Further out, if you are going home the long way. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park at Nulkaba and Symbio at Helensburgh are both $41.65 against $49; iFLY at Penrith is $101.15 against $119. NRMA’s own list carries twenty-four of these within a hundred kilometres of the park.
Getting there
How far it is, and how to get there without a car
One map, and one question: how far south, north or inland is this actually? Then, if you are not driving, what runs — and what does not.
Train and bus
Central Coast & Newcastle Line from Sydney Central to Woy Woy, then Busways route 50 down Ocean Beach Road. Two to two and a half hours door to door.
The scenic way
The Palm Beach to Ettalong ferry still runs, seven days — it is worth saying because the old Fantasea page still shows a suspension notice from the 2023 channel dredging, and that notice is out of date.
Palm Beach to Wagstaffe is 20 minutes, Wagstaffe to Ettalong another 10.
Card only, no cash.
From Sydney Central it is three changes and over three hours, so treat it as an outing rather than a route.
The last leg. Reachable without a car, but watch the bus.
From the Ocean Beach Road stop it is 700 to 900 metres of flat footpath.
The catch is route 50’s frequency — roughly every 30 to 40 minutes in weekday peak, about hourly at weekends, and the last bus is mid evening.
If your train gets in late, take a taxi for the 8 km from Woy Woy.
From Ettalong wharf it is 2.8 km, which is a slog with gear.
Checked September 2026 Check before you book.
Every service above was checked against the operator’s own timetable rather than a travel site, but timetables change and some operators publish no frequency at all — where that is so, we have said so instead of guessing.
Confirm on transportnsw.info or with the operator before you rely on a connection.
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
Worth the drive
What there is to do
A compact peninsula — nearly everything here is inside half an hour, with a national park at each end.
The fee situation is the thing people get wrong.
Bouddi and Brisbane Water both charge $8 per vehicle per day, but in Bouddi that applies in the Putty Beach area only: walk into Maitland Bay from the information centre end and you pay nothing.
There are no cash booths anywhere — card machines or the Park’nPay app, so carry a phone or a card.
Tides matter more than you would expect here: the Maitland Bay shipwreck only shows at low tide, and Ettalong’s Broken Bay frontage is a different place at high and low water.
- Ocean Beach and Umina BeachThe surf beach runs straight off the front gate, with Umina Beach continuing south towards Ettalong.Both are on the council’s patrolled list.Surf club patrols cover weekends and public holidays to Monday 26 April 2027, and Central Coast Council lifeguards are on 9 to 5 on weekdays. Outside those there are no flags at all.Patrol seasons and hours change — Surf Life Saving Australia’s Beachsafe has the current position for every Australian beach.Free
- The ferry from Ettalong to Palm BeachAbout seven minutes’ drive to the Ettalong wharf, then thirty minutes across Broken Bay via Wagstaffe.It turns the northern beaches into a half-day outing instead of a two-hour drive around the top of the Hawkesbury.Be on the wharf ten minutes early.It is an open-water crossing and they run diversion timetables in bad weather, so check before you commit — 1800 326 822.One way: adult $15.10 · child and concession $7.55
- Maitland Bay track, Bouddi National ParkThe pick of the short walks: 2 km return, grade 3 — fifteen to twenty minutes down, thirty to forty back up, steep with steps.At low tide the eastern end of the bay shows the remains of the PS Maitland, wrecked in 1898; at high tide there is nothing to see, so check first.National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) suggests the flatter 3 km walk out to Putty Beach with a car pick-up as the alternative to the climb.Free from the information centre end
- Bouddi coastal walkTwenty to twenty-five minutes to the Killcare end.The full track is 8.5 km one way, grade 3, three and a half to four and a half hours — but it breaks into family-sized pieces.Putty Beach to Maitland Bay 3 km, Maitland Bay to Little Beach 3.5 km, Little Beach to MacMasters 1.7 km.$8 per vehicle per day in the Putty Beach area only
- Pearl Beach and the rockpoolTen to twelve minutes around the headland.A 25 m ocean pool sits at the southern end off Green Point Road, and it is the calmer swim.Council lists Pearl Beach as unpatrolled with no lifeguards and NPWS warns of strong rips there — treat the pool, not the beach, as the option with young children.Neither council nor the tourism body publishes anything about parking or toilets.Free
- Ettalong Markets at the GalleriaFive to seven minutes.Saturdays and Sundays, 9 to 4, in an undercover Mediterranean-style arcade — which makes it the reliable wet-weather fallback on the peninsula.Local art, homewares, handmade goods, secondhand books, crepes and coffee. Pet-friendly.Free
- Umina Beach MarketsThird Sunday of the month, 9 to 2, at the Umina surf club — a few minutes away and walkable along the beach.Around ninety stalls of local makers.Only worth planning around if your stay covers a third Sunday.Free
- Bulgandry Art Site Aboriginal PlaceAbout twenty minutes via Woy Woy Road.A 290 m gravel path from the car park to Aboriginal rock engravings, with a boardwalk running around them and step-free access from the car park — one of the few genuinely easy outings here for small legs or a pram.Check the NPWS alerts page first; the access road closes for works from time to time.$8 per vehicle per day
- Somersby Falls, Brisbane Water National ParkThirty to thirty-five minutes, at the far edge of the range.An 800 m return walk through rainforest to the top and bottom falls; NPWS says plainly that it is steep and slippery in places and to take care with children.Free barbecues and tables at the picnic area, wheelchair accessible, but bring your own drinking water.Gates close at dusk — 7 to 8 in daylight saving, 7 to 6 otherwise.$8 per vehicle per day
- Australian Reptile Park, SomersbyAbout thirty minutes. Daily 9 to 5 except Christmas Day.The paid attraction worth the money on a wet day: the live shows and animal meet-and-greets are included with entry and run all day.Tickets stay valid for ninety days from the date booked, so a washed-out plan can be moved.Adult $49.99 · child 3–15 $32.99 · family $144.99
- Peninsula Leisure Centre, Woy WoyAbout ten minutes, at 243 Blackwall Road.Indoor heated 50 m pool plus leisure and warm-water pools with ramp access, a splash park and a waterslide — the strongest bad-weather option with young children, and the answer in the months when the surf beach has no flags.Casual swim prices are not published online; ring the centre.Not published — ring
Checked September 2026 Check before you go.
Fees, opening hours and seasonal closures change, and we have not been to all of these.
Distances are approximate — put the name in your maps app rather than trusting our figure.
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
Local, for us
Groceries, mandirs and where to eat
Better than you would expect for eating and worse for shopping.
Four Indian restaurants sit within ten minutes of the gate, two of them a four-minute drive up West Street, and the one at the Ettalong Galleria opens seven days for both lunch and dinner — which makes it the safe bet when you arrive tired on a Monday and half the peninsula is shut.
There is no Indian grocer anywhere on the peninsula; the nearest two are side by side on the Pacific Highway at Wyoming, thirty minutes each way through Gosford.
The Central Coast has a gurudwara but no mandir.
Indian grocery
- Nothing on the peninsulaNot in Umina Beach, Woy Woy, Ettalong or Empire Bay. We checked the trade directories for both postcodes: the peninsula has a Woolworths, a Coles, an IGA and one East Asian grocer, and nothing South Asian at all. Bring your atta, dal and spices.
- Namaste Australian, Wyoming12/482 Pacific Highway, Wyoming — about thirty to thirty-five minutes, straight through Gosford.Flours and grains, beans and lentils, spices, frozen items, and usefully a religious and festival range, so pooja supplies are stocked. Currently pick-up only.Their own site says unit 12 and two directories say 13, so look along the 482 strip.Ring (02) 4339 8756 before a thirty-minute drive.
- Singh Indian Continental Grocer8/451 Pacific Highway, Wyoming — essentially across the road from Namaste.Spices, lentils, rice, flour, fresh produce and Indian sweets.We could not verify it against anything but directory listings, which is exactly what fails; the practical answer is to drive to Namaste and look across at 451 while you are there. 0406 896 796.
Mandirs and gurudwaras
- Gurdwara Sahib Central Coast, GosfordUnits 5–6, 134 Erina Street, Gosford — twenty-five to thirty minutes via Woy Woy Road.It is a shopfront gurdwara in the 134 building rather than a standalone temple, so look for the sign rather than a dome.Opened in May 2024 by the Central Coast Sikh community, with free langar every Sunday.Current listings show 5:15 am to 8 pm, seven days — the paper reported 5 am at the opening, so treat the quarter-hour as approximate.There is no website; the sangat runs an active Facebook page, and the contact number given is 0430 203 660.One listing puts it at a different Erina Street number; the 134 building is the right one.
- No mandir on the Central CoastThere is a Hindu community organisation — Hindu Temple Central Coast NSW, incorporated in 2024 — but it has no building.It hires venues for festivals; its registered address is a residential one.There is no temple you can turn up to for darshan anywhere between Hornsby and Newcastle.Near a festival it is worth ringing 0450 408 117.
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) New Gokula Farm83 Lewis Road, Millfield, near Cessnock — about an hour and forty minutes north up the M1, and the closest temple to this park in any direction.Closer than Helensburgh, which is a full two hours south through Sydney.They take visitors and have accommodation, but do not publish darshan times, so ring (02) 4998 1800 first.
Pure vegetarian — any cuisine
- Vegalicious, EttalongShop 47b, Ettalong Beach Galleria, 189 Ocean View Road — six minutes, towards the rear of the arcade.The kitchen is entirely vegan and gluten-free: no meat, poultry or fish on the premises.Bowls, curries, pasta, raw desserts, smoothies.Wednesday to Sunday daytime only, closed Monday and Tuesday, and sources differ by half an hour on closing — go early rather than late. 0411 555 233.
- No pure-vegetarian Indian anywhere on the coastNo Govinda’s, no Gopal’s, no South Indian tiffin house, nothing. We searched Gosford, Erina and Tuggerah for South Indian and dosa specialists as well. The nearest fully meat-free Indian kitchen is in Sydney’s west. Every Indian restaurant below serves meat.
Indian restaurants — vegetarian and non-vegetarian
- The Grand Pavilion2/241 West Street, Umina Beach — four minutes, on the main street.Full vegetarian section including dal makhani and paneer tikka, alongside chicken, lamb, goat, beef and fish.Monday and Wednesday 5 to 10, Thursday to Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday both, closed Tuesday.It appears to be a rebrand of an older restaurant at the same address, so ignore older listings for that shopfront and trust its own hours. (02) 4341 7234.
- CopperpotShop 1, 206 West Street, Umina Beach — four minutes, on the corner near Norman Street.Evenings only, roughly 4 to 9:15, seven days.It carries a dedicated vegan section and staff will swap coconut milk for cream — but it is a veg-friendly restaurant and not a vegetarian one, and beef, lamb, chicken and seafood come out of the same kitchen.One vegan directory gives 228 West Street; 206 is correct. (02) 4342 2004.
- The Indian StreetShops 52–55, Galleria Ettalong Beach — six minutes, entry from Schnapper Road or the Galleria car park.Northern and southern Indian, licensed and bring your own (BYO) wine, dine-in and takeaway.Open seven days, lunch 11:30 to 2:30 and dinner 5 to 10 — the most reliable opening pattern of anything on this list. (02) 4309 3343.
- Spices 2934 Blackwall Road, Woy Woy — about ten minutes.Goan cooking, which is what sets it apart: a Goan fish curry alongside the usual entrees, chicken, lamb, beef and a vegetable section.Licensed and BYO, dine-in, takeaway and online ordering.Tuesday to Saturday 11 to 2:30 and 4:30 to 9:30, Sunday dinner only, closed Monday. (02) 4339 8225.
Checked September 2026 Please check before you drive.
These were verified online, not by us in person, and small businesses close, move and change names without updating their listings.
Distances and times are rough — put the address in your maps app rather than trusting our figure.
If something here is wrong or has closed, tell us and we will fix it.
Where next
Other places in the record
Distances are straight-line from this park to that one, which is enough to tell you whether two trips could be one.
Something on this page wrong, or out of date? We would rather be told than be wrong — tell us about this page. And if there is something you wish this site covered and it does not, tell us that too.