82 Outdoor Activities on the Central Coast

outdoor fun without the crowds – bushwalks, rockpools, gardens and more

If your favourite thing to do with family is to escape the crowds and get back to nature while getting some fresh air and exercise, you’ve come to the right place. Here on the Central Coast we’re blessed with myriad secret spaces and hidden locations that can be explored and enjoyed with your tribe.

Here are some of our favourite places on the Central Coast to escape and explore together.

The Coast’s best bike paths and scooter tracks for kids

The Central Coast has lots of wonderful bike paths and scooter tracks for families. We know that little legs can’t go very far, and when you have a toddler on a scooter or a preschooler on training wheels, it’s important to find a bike path that they can complete happily.

We’ve cycled across the Coast to bring you our top favourite bike and scooter paths for young kids, so that you know where to head for a ride – and, importantly, where you can break for toilets and park plays along the way.

10 central coast stroller walks

We’ve stomped the pavement to bring you the Central Coast’s most pram-friendly walks. Grab your bub, throw on your joggers and enjoy these gorgeous walking tracks. We’ve found lake-side paths at Chittaway Bay,  ocean-fronted esplanades on the Peninsula and over-water pathways at Gosford.

These are walks you’ll love doing with your babies – they’re flat, picturesque, wide enough for strollers and many have coffee along the way. You’ll also find some with playgrounds en-route or grassy patches that just beg you to throw down a rug and have a picnic lunch.

Share this feature with your Mothers’ Groups, Dad Clubs and parents-to-be – they’ll thank you for it.

the central coast’s best beaches for families

The Central Coast is home to 41 beaches. Some have awesome surf breaks, some are secluded and unpatrolled, some are beautifully isolated and require a 20-minute hike from car park to sand: we love these spaces, but they’re not always great for families with tiny tots. We’ve rambled the coastline to bring you this little list of beaches that we believe are some of the best on the Central Coast for families – for their ease, their beauty… and their coffee! 

central coast parks and playgrounds

Playing in Puddles loves playgrounds! We visit and review parks across the Central Coast – from Kilcare to Lake Munmorah – so that you know what to expect before getting the kids in the car.

Check out our reviews to discover the Central Coast’s fully fenced parks (perfect for toddlers), beachside play spaces and more challenging playgrounds for older kids. Happy playing!

Top skate parks on the coast

With more than 25 skate parks located across the Central Coast, there are plenty of bowls to ride, rails to slide and boxes for young ones to ollie off. Here are four of our favourite Central Coast skate parks that cater to all levels – from tots on three-wheeled scooters to teens on skateboards, plus rollerskaters, BMX bandits and rollerbladers.