Australians are choosing to holiday at home post-pandemic, with the top 10 domestic travel destinations in Australia all regional, and nine out of the ten – coastal!The latest DSpark report, commissioned by Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) Australia, shows visits by Australian travellers surged for all top 10 regional tourism destinations during the recent summer/autumn (December 2022-May 2023), compared to pre-Covid. The Central Coast is sitting at number 10, with overall growth post-pandemic 2%. 

🚘WEEKLY ROAD WORKS UPDATE Each week, we have road work underway across the Coast to deliver improvements and maintenance works.

The online poll simply asks the community whether they support Austin Butler Access remaining under the control of Council, or whether a sale to the shopping centre should proceed with the funds going towards the long-term greening of the local area.The online poll is open to all Central Coast residents to have their say.Council has been approached by Peninsula Plaza to sell the land to provide improved pedestrian safety and facilitate goods vehicles docking.

We are recruiting for our unique youth leadership program ‘Youth-for-Youth’ (or Y4Y) Action Team to help build a brighter future for Central Coast community for generations to come.Applications are now open for this once in a lifetime opportunity to join the 2024 Y4Y Action Team – a group of 12 young people, aged 15-24, connecting like-minded individuals who care about community challenges and want to work together to develop meaningful solutions that create positive change.The program engages young people, empowering them to take action, be advocates for their peers and provide advice on Council initiatives from a young person’s perspective.Now in its fifth year, the Y4Y Action Team has developed a thriving network in the local youth sector committed to working with Council to continue to create positive change and shape a thriving, dynamic Central Coast community guided by the Central Coast Youth Strategy.The Y4Y leadership program equips young people with essential skills like communication, teamwork, project delivery and problem-solving.

More than 47,000 people attended the 2023 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout on the October long weekend at the Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex.Hosted by Central Coast Council in partnership with the Newcastle All Blacks, the event is one of the largest annual Indigenous sporting events in New South Wales.Also referred to as the ‘Koori Knockout’, the event, last held on the Coast in 2019, once again showcased the outstanding talent and sportsmanship of both men and women rugby league players. Council’s Director Community and Recreation Services Melanie Smith, said the 150 teams who participated across the four-day event, provided enormous entertainment for visitors who travelled from across the country to attend.“We want to congratulate all the teams who participated, especially the winners of the men’s and women’s competitions - the Walgett Aboriginal Connection and the Newcastle Yowies respectively.“Council is proud of being able to provide a venue of such calibre, which of course is also of huge benefit year-round for the local community and sporting clubs.”Council’s Administrator, Rik Hart, said this year’s event involved a larger number of teams than participated in 2019.“With so many more teams participating this year, the Tuggerah venue proved it is the best complex to cater for such large numbers, which in turn has delivered significant economic benefits to the local community.

Mental health support is on the way for Wyong men this Mental Health Month with The Men’s Table launching a local support group.Central Coast Council have partnered with local Primary Health Network to establish a Men’s Table in the Wyong area.The Men’s Table will host a community engagement pop up event at Bunnings Tuggerah on Saturday, 21 October from 10am to 4pm.The Men’s Table program is a safe place for local men to come together to share and be heard in a confidential and non-judgemental environment, creating a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and connection.The Men’s Table’s first community engagement event aims to engage local men in the program and attract volunteers to assist with the on-going running of the program.According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, over two in five Australians aged 16-85 years had experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life.Beyond Blue statistics state that men make up an average of seven out of every nine suicides every day in Australia and Central Coast Health District has reported the highest number of deaths by suicide in Australia since 2016.Council is committed to creating new opportunities for connection, inclusion and community activities that strengthen our collective sense of self. Programs like Men’s Table allow us to work together to solve pressing social issues, to support those in need and enhance community safety.Council has a range of resources and information on men’s health referrals to download below or collect from any Central Coast Council library or Wyong customer service centre including business cards, coasters and posters.