4 delicious reasons to explore the NSW Central Coast
The Central Coast is close enough to Sydney (just an hour’s drive) yet far enough to make you feel a million miles away. For those who want more holiday time and less travelling time you should consider the Central Coast for your next weekend away.
Beautiful beaches, friendly folk and a local food haven – I’m in! After a day tripping around the coast here are some of my highlights
Wyong Milk Factory
You must check out this little gem on the site of the old milk factory in Wyong. Starting its life in the early 1900s as a butter and then milk factory, the Wyong Milk Factory has been lovingly restored and is now home to a number of businesses including a café, bakery, cheese shop, chocolate shop and an old riverside barn which has been converted into a fitness centre. There’s also a public BBQ area next to the river in case you want to BYO lunch.
We head to the Milk Factory Café for breakfast. I can’t go past eggs benedict but I think the stand out was Mr LML’s corn and feta fritters which were well presented with avocado, capsicum, rocket and a tomato relish. There’s plenty of seating on the outside terrace so we sit back and enjoy the relaxing environment – a very pleasant way to sip a latte and start the day.
Little Creek Cheese Company
Little Creek Cheese Company is our next stop on the Milk Factory grounds. We meet Alex whose family business started off as a hobby at home with a cheese making kit and has grown into an award winning business. You can watch and learn about the cheese making process, have tastings, and purchase a wide range of cheeses to take home. Our favourite is the BBQ halloumi and we happily leave with a stash.
Little Creek Cheese Company is open 7 days a week
Luka Chocolate shop
Luka Chocolate is a beautiful chocolate shop and café. There is a viewing window through to the chocolate making area, where you can see it being made live in front of you (Wed – Fri, 10am-4pm). We scoff a delicious Pistachio egg while we learn about the chocolate freshly handcrafted in Australia. The range of chocolates is impressive and the team’s passion for the product is clear. If you still have some more room in your chocolate stomach you might like to enjoy a traditionally made French style hot chocolate. Yum!
The owner Kate, who named the shop after her son.
Shelly Beach Markets
The Entrance, just half an hour from Wyong, is home to the Shelly Beach Markets, founded less than two years ago. As we stroll the local food, art, crafts, homewares and fashion stalls, live music plays in the background and starts to gather a small crowd.
The Shelly Beach markets are located at Lakes Secondary College, The Entrance and are held on the last Saturday of the month.
Hot Tip: Take time to stop and check out the waterways of The Entrance on your way through. Surrounded by lagoons, lakes and beaches, it’s a popular holiday spot. There’s also a huge pelican population and at 3.30pm daily you can get up close to see them feed. Fishing is also popular in the area so why not try and take in the catch of the day yourself. There’s also a number of alfresco cafes in the town centre.
On the list for next time…
It was a bit early in the day for us, but next time we will definitely try out Distillery Botanica and its boutique spirits and alcohol.
I would also love to check out Six Strings Brewing Company. Handcrafted beer brewed right here on the Central Coast, as well as a tapas style restaurant. You can join a brewery tour at 11am on Saturdays or take a self-guided tour at other times.
Have you been to the Central Coast? Tell us about it in the comments.
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