The Central Coast (NSW) is a region with highly distinctive characteristics based on:

• Its central location between Sydney and Newcastle
• The scenic beauty of its beaches, waterways, bushlands and mountains
• An urban environment in which the towns and villages, each with their own identity, are separated by open space
• Easy access to major national infrastructure: roads, rail, ports, international airport, state-of-the-art communications
• A long-established holiday and tourism industry
• A robust manufacturing sector
• Productive agricultural land, ideal climate and proximity to large Sydney and Hunter markets

These characteristics combine to provide a quality of life for residents that is the envy of many other regions. It offers the advantage of being a part of Australia’s biggest metropolitan area, but still retains a semi-rural atmosphere and sense of community that is far removed from the anonymity and impersonality of the city.

The statistical information that appears in this web site outlining the regional profile has been prepared using statistical information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), data from Government Departments, and information supplied by Wyong Shire Council and Gosford City Council. It should be noted that much of the data comes from the 1991 Census, and may not accurately represent the current situation in the region. However, some important trends are clearly evident.

Geography

The Central Coast region, with an area of 1,854 square kilometres, comprises the City of Gosford (1,028 square kilometres) in the South and Wyong Shire (826 square kilometres) in the North. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the East, the Hawkesbury River to the South, Lake Macquarie to the North and the Judge Dowling Ranges to the West. Situated between the major population centres of Sydney and Newcastle, each about one hour away, the region has an attractive natural environment of ocean beaches, extensive lakes and waterways, mountain forests and lush valleys.

Average elevation is 40 metres above sea level. The dominant impression of the region is of towns and villages separated by extensive areas of natural vegetation. Geologically, the Southern section lies on a hard bedrock of chemically stable Hawkesbury sandstone, while in the North are the sedimentary units containing the coalbeds of the Hunter Valley. Mean monthly rainfall varies between 67 millimetres in September and 153 millimetres in February, with an annual mean of 1335 millimetres. The temperature ranges from a mean minimum of 5.3°C in July to a mean maximum of 27.4°C in January.

Demographics

The estimated population of the Central Coast in 1996 was 263,050, with 146,750 in Gosford City and 116,300 in Wyong Shire. Between 1986 and 1995, the population of the Central Coast had an average annual growth rate of 3.6%, represented by 3.3% in Gosford City and 3.9% in Wyong Shire; this compares with a NSW growth rate of rate of 1.4% for the same period. The region has a high proportion of persons aged over 60 years, being a popular retirement area (22% compared to 16.5% for NSW). However, there has been an increase in the percentage of children aged between 5 and 19 years, suggesting that a large number of families are moving into the area. The proportion of people in this age group is the same as the NSW average. 20 to 49 year olds are underrepresented compared to the State average.

Between 1991 and 2021 the regional population is predicted to increase by 75,000 (0.94% per annum), with 50,000 of this in Wyong Shire and 25,000 in Gosford City. This makes Wyong Shire at 1.38% per annum one of the highest population growth areas in Sydney’s outer ring. The Shire’s population is expected to equal that of Gosford by 2021. Most of the region’s households comprise two-parent families, followed by couples without offspring and lone persons. At 9%, the proportion of one-parent families is very slightly below the State average.

Compared to the State average, there are less people with degrees and higher degrees/diplomas in both Wyong and Gosford, less people with diplomas in Wyong, more tradespeople in both, and significantly more unqualified people in Wyong Shire. Thus the region has a distinct skew towards unskilled and semiskilled people, with this being particularly evident in Wyong Shire.

Income levels on the Central Coast are comparatively lower than the state average. 48% of households in Wyong Shire and 44.5% in Gosford City earned less than $25,000 in 1991, compared with the State average of 33.5%. Similarly, only 19% of households in Wyong Shire and 28% in Gosford City earned more than $40,000 in 1991, compared with the average of 31% in NSW. This is a very telling statistic, but it must be tempered somewhat by the fact that the real cost of living tends to be lower in regional than in urban areas.