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Council offices will be closed from Friday 29 March for the Easter long weekend and will reopen 8.30am Tuesday 2 April 2024. Full details of service and facility interruptions.

Beaches
The Central Coast is home to some of our state's most beautiful beaches. Find information on beach patrol times water quality hiring beach wheelchairs for people with a disability and booking an event on a beach.

The Central Coast stretches across 80km of scenic coastline and fringed by 41 beaches that are popular with locals and attract thousands of visitors each year. Of those 41 beaches together with Surf Life Saving Clubs across the coast we patrol 15 Beaches. 

Patrolled Beaches

If you have an emergency contact 000.

Beach season 2023-24: 15 Central Coast beaches and the Grant McBride Baths, as of 23 September 2023, are patrolled 9am-5pm daily until 28 April 2024 (inclusive). During the Christmas holiday period 18 December 2023 until 28 January 2024, all locations are patrolled for an extra hour (9am-6pm). Except for Umina Beach, Avoca Beach and Terrigal Beach, which are patrolled 8am–6pm. 

Council lifeguards patrol Monday to Friday, and Surf Life Saving volunteers patrol on weekends and public holidays.

Patrolled Beaches (Check beach status before visiting): 

  • Avoca Beach 
  • Copacabana Beach
  • Killcare Beach 
  • Lakes Beach
  • MacMasters Beach 
  • North Avoca Beach 
  • Ocean Beach
  • Shelly Beach 
  • Soldiers Beach 
  • Terrigal Beach 
  • The Entrance Beach 
  • The Entrance North Beach 
  • The Grant McBride Baths
  • Toowoon Bay 
  • Umina Beach 
  • Wamberal Beach
  • Visit our Beach Safety page before you hit the sand.

  • For daily beach pollution forecasts, go to the NSW Government’s Beachwatch webpage. Report pollution to 131 555. 

  • To see the open/close status of beaches on a weekend and public holidays, go to the BeachSafe website. This website also has beach condition information.

  • Council has a suite of serviced beach wheelchairs available for free hire by both the local community and visitors and has beach matting installed at several beaches. Find out more and book a beach wheelchair from our Accessibility and Inclusion section. 

  • Contact Surf Life Saving Central Coast on 4353 0299 for the contact details of each individual surf club or Central Coast Council on 02 4306 7900.

Beach status (Monday to Friday)
FAQs
  • Visit the Dog parks and beaches webpage to find out which of our beaches are dog friendly.

  • Always read the signs displayed at the beach which will warn of any dangers and also you can ask the lifeguard or lifesaver in attendance.

  • Yes. It is much safer to swim at a patrolled beach.

  • The NSW Government's Shark Management Program includes SMART drumlines and listening stations, coupled with shark-spotting drones, piloted by Surf Life Saving NSW, as well as community awareness and education campaigns and research. For more information and to view SMART drumline and listening station locations on the Central Coast, please visit www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au

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