Central Coast Magazines Home and Lifestyle Winter 2024

Discover Nature at its best this winter

A natural attraction of the Central Coast is the huge variety of bushland parks, trails, and stunning lookouts to enjoy on foot, on your bike, and even by horse. Central Coast Council manages a network of bushland and other natural reserves in the Coastal Open Space System (COSS). These reserves are places where our native plants, animals, fungi, and other living organisms can thrive. Access to parts of or some reserves is prohibited to allow native species to remain undisturbed but in others Council has provided picnic areas, lookouts and walking tracks so that residents and visitors can experience and enjoy the natural environment. Bushwalking - Our reserves have many walking tracks to explore from 20-minute gentle circuit tracks, to challenging full day walks. They lead through a variety of habitats including lush rainforest, towering wet

interesting plants and rock formations. “The Sid Pulsford fire trail” provides a longer experience for walkers and bike riders wanting to explore the reserve further. The main picnic area can be reached by car from Kincumber Street, Kincumber. Picnics - Our bushland reserves have several large picnic areas to enjoy. You may want to try one of our hilltop picnic areas “St John’s Picnic Area” in Katandra Reserve at Mount Elliot, “Yaruga Picnic Area” in Rumbalara Reserve at East Gosford, “Honeman’s Rock Picnic Area” in Kincumba Mountain Reserve at Kincumber. Lookouts - Many lookouts provide outstanding views of the coastline, waterways, bushland, and urban areas. Some of the easier access lookouts in the bushland reserves are: “Marie Byles Lookout” at Killcare Heights, “St John Lookout” in Katandra Reserve at Mount Elliot, “Yaruga Lookout” in Rumbalara Reserve at East Gosford.

sclerophyll forests and wildflower-filled ridge top woodlands including: Rumbalara and Katandra Reserves – “The Railway to Rainforest” walk leads from Gosford Railway Station to the rainforest at Seymour Pond, in Katandra Reserve in Holgate. This is an extensive 11-kilometre return walk (22km all up) that allows views of some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Coastal Open Space System. There are a number of shorter loop walks available if time is limited. The walk can be accessed from the Donnison Street entrance to Rumbalara Reserve or off the Katandra Road entrance to Katandra Reserve. Picnic and barbecue facilities are provided in both reserves. Kincumba Mountain Regional Reserve - is accessible from Terrigal, Green Point and Kincumber. The Kanning Wal k - is a short walk full of

TRY OUR NEW WINTER MENU!