The magic of Christmas on the Coast returns from 24 November, with Town Centre Carols, larger than life Christmas trees, lights and bauble displays, and visits from Santa to ensure the Coast sparkles with Christmas fun.Discover a Christmas Wonderland in Gosford, Wyong, The Entrance and Toukley - designed to bring the community together and spread joy across the region.The much-loved Christmas tree and wreath installations return, as do sparkling decorations, all of which will be on display.A series of seasonal events and activities will be available for the public to enjoy, including DIY Christmas photos, Christmas Carols and other live entertainment, and of course, an opportunity to post a letter to Santa!The festivities kick off on Friday 24 November running until Sunday 7 January across the four Town Centres.Individual businesses are also getting into the Christmas spirit across the four Town Centres with a trail of Christmas window displays.Businesses located in Gosford, Wyong, The Entrance and Toukley are taking part in the festivities with a Christmas Window Display Competition.Visitors and residents are encouraged to plan a ‘window display’ trail and vote for their favourite via a QR code for a chance to win a $250 gift card.Voting opens 24 November and closes 7 January 2024 with the winners announced 10 January 2024.The Christmas activations will provide support and a boost for local businesses.We’ve got a fantastic month-long program of free events for families, shoppers and visitors to enjoy.Christmas calendar of events:Friday 24 November – Sunday 7 January - Across the four Town Centres Christmas Window Display CompetitionFreeSaturday 2 December – Sunday 24 December – The Village Green, Toukley Christmas photos and post a letter to Santa Refer to the program for timesFreeSaturday 2 December – Wyong High SchoolWyong Community Christmas Carols6-9pm Presented by Bendigo BankFreeSaturday 2 December – The Village Green, Toukley Tinsel Time in ToukleyPresented by Toukley Neighbourhood Centre 5-9pm FreeSunday 24 December – Kibble Park, Gosford Christmas Eve Community Carols Presented by Gosford Uniting Church6-9pm FreeSunday 24 December – Memorial Park, The Entrance Christmas Eve Carols in the ParkPresented by JC Entertainment6-9pm FreeTo find out more about Christmas on the Coast and other festive activities taking place this December, visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/Christmas

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign runs every year from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to 10 December 2023 (Human Rights Day) raising awareness and educating the community on this important issue.The Central Coast consistently has one of the highest number of incidences of family and domestic violence compared to any other local government area*.Family, domestic and sexual violence occurs across all ages, socioeconomic and demographic groups but mainly affects women and children, Indigenous women, young women and pregnant women and people with a disability.Central Coast Council is once again working with the community, local leaders and organisations to develop a range of programs, projects and activities in support of the national campaign to initiate important conversations around domestic and family violence.Walk against Domestic and Family ViolenceWednesday 6 December, 10amStarts at the Anglican Church Gosford (7 Mann Street) to Kibble Park, GosfordPresented by the Central Coast Domestic Violence CommitteeCommunity members are encouraged to collect an orange shirt on the day to show support for this important campaign, before participating in the annual awareness raising walk around Kibble Park. There will also be guest speakers, live entertainment, information stalls and more.Art installation in Kibble Park 04 December – 13 DecemberVisitors to Kibble Park, Gosford may notice two dimensional houses suspended from a Jacaranda tree in Kibble Park.

Central Coast Council has completed the North Avoca paths project, which delivers an improved and safer network of continuous footpaths for pedestrians between View Street, Tramway Road and Elgata Avenue at North Avoca, benefiting locals and visitors travelling between the Scenic Highway, North Avoca shops and nearby beach.This multi-year project, made possible by grant funding of $4.3million by the Australian Government, with a Council contribution,  includes the construction of over 650 metres of continuous new footpaths, street drainage, retaining walls, street trees and kerb and gutter infrastructure as well as new road pavement and line marking, which benefits drivers as well as pedestrians.Projects such as this are extremely important as they benefit not only local residents, but also contribute to a better experience for visitors to the area – which in turn can benefit local businesses and the local economy.

To help keep the community and motorists travelling safely, we have crews out each week to deliver road improvements and maintenance works.

The Central Coast has confirmed its place as a leading New South Wales destination, with the exciting announcement the region has taken home three golden wins in the 2023 NSW Tourism Awards, powered by Business NSW and presented in partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW, held on 8 November at White Bay Cruise Terminal, Balmain.The three Gold wins include Destination Central Coast managed by Central Coast Council winning the category Local Government Award for Tourism, along with the Australian Reptile Park winning the Major Tourist Attractions category, and Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific also winning Gold in the Business Event Venues category. This highly respected Gold Award is the third win in succession for Council’s Marketing and Tourism team in the Local Government Award for Tourism category at the NSW Tourism Awards, with Council taking out Silver in 2022 and Bronze in 2021. It’s a category open to all local government authorities and recognises excellence in tourism planning, the provision of tourism facilities and services, marketing, event development and management, and the overall contribution made to the NSW tourism industry.Council sends congratulations to the Australian Reptile Park and Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific for their incredible Gold win achievements last night, as well as Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures for achieving finalist status in the Award for Visitor Litter Prevention category presented by Long Jetty-based organisation Take 3 for the Sea.All of these outstanding tourism businesses have made a successful contribution to the visitor economy on the Central Coast.  The Central Coast visitor economy is a major contributor to supporting the growth of the region, bringing in more than $1 billion in the last year alone, boosting local businesses as well as providing employment,” Mr Hart said. According to the latest visitation numbers released in March 2023 by Destination NSW, via Tourism Research Australia, the region saw 5.7 million visitors annually. The Gold Award to Destination Central Coast is a major milestone adding to previous finalist and award achievements for the region:* NSW Tourism Awards 2021 Bronze Winner, 2022 Silver Winner &

This year as part of National Water Week 16-22 October, Central Coast Council Water and Sewer encouraged the Central Coast community to take the leap towards water conservation through several community programs. These programs included the Primary School Poster Competition, Walter Smart and Friends School Performances and workshops (in which nine local schools got involved) and Water Night.In addition to local schools getting involved in the educational side of the week, there was a strong response to our National Water Week Primary School Poster Competition.

View the Accessible Beaches Central Coast brochure online or pick up a printed copy from Council's customer service centres at Gosford or Wyong, or one of our libraries.With an abundance of beautiful waterways on the Central Coast, heading to the beach is a way of life for many locals and a major drawcard for tourists.

🚘 WEEKLY ROAD WORKS UPDATEVarious road treatments that cover the life cycle of the road are underway this week, with crews filling potholes (as the first level of maintenance to keep the road safe in the short term) through to longer term treatments such as heavy patching, road rehabilitation and full road renewals.

Central Coast Council is pleased to present national touring exhibition OCCURRENT AFFAIR – at the Gosford Regional Gallery featuring new and recent works by influential Aboriginal artist collective proppaNOW from 18 November to 11 February 2024.Established in Brisbane in 2003, proppaNOW is one of Australia’s leading cultural collectives.

Help ensure your furry friend will be reunited with you if they get lost by having your cat or dog microchipped for free on Saturday 18 November 2023. If you’re a local resident, we encourage you to bring your cat or dog to our Animal Care Facilities at Erina and Charmhaven, to be microchipped for free.