Terrigal is a coastal town in the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

History

Terrigal was first settled in 1826 by European Settler John Gray, who called his property Tarrygal, after the indigenous

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

place name, signifying 'place of little birds'.

Geography and climate

The town's long beach is highly popular with tourists with a large Crowne Plaza hotel. Of geographical significance are the Terrigal lagoons. There are in fact two lagoons at Terrigal, one of which has been filled in to make way for a traffic oval. A local landmark is "The Skillion", a promontory which provides a view of all Terrigal. In recent years the Skillion has undergone rehabilitation by the local city council. Other popular attractions are the numerous nearby surf schools and trails. The Skillion is on a preserved area of land known as "The Haven". The Haven is centred by a popular public oval which is home of the "Terrigal Trojans", a Rugby Union club. Their new club house was provided by the former Gosford City Council. During the summer it is used by the Terrigal Matcham Cricket Club for both senior and junior fixtures. The Haven also has a popular boat ramp which is partnered by a diving club, and a small number of restaurants and cafes (due to tight development restrictions on the area). ViewChurch

Gosford City Council has invested Terrigal's CBD with a multi-level car park, esplanade walkway and stormwater drainage system. As a result of improved infrastructure and increased developer interest, Terrigal has become substantially more urban since the 1970s, when there was only one market, one medical centre and several orchards in the area. Terrigal's growth as a tourist destination and investment opportunity for wealthy individuals, such as holiday homes and small businesses, has had both positive and negative effects on the area. Terrigal, as a popular beach-destination, is generally relatively mild to warm all year round, although can become somewhat cool during the winter months.

Landmarks

Terrigal is home to a number of both natural and man-made landmarks. The Skillion is a sedimentary rock formation which was formed in the Triassic Period. Not only is the Skillion a beautiful artifact, the flip-side features an extremely steep hill which is used for exercise by locals and tourists. The Terrigal Boardwalk was opened on the 14th April 2021, and was commissioned by the Central Coast Council and partially funded by the NSW Government, to much controversy. The boardwalk provides a link between the Terrigal Beach, the rockpools, boatramp, and The Skillion. The Twyst Terrigal is a well-known roundabout at the intersection of Terrigal Drive and Oceanview Drive, one of the main travel routes into the town. There has been debate over the need for upgrades along this route, with traffic lights proposed by local MPs, however locals and tourists do not believe that the historical Twyst should be replaced by traffic lights.

Amenities

Just outside the CBD lie a number of amenities: a recently re-built hotel (2006), a primary school and high school (separate campuses),

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

, basketball stadium (used for training by Olympic athletes in the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

), and a large multi-purpose oval with three fields and year-round sporting activities. There have been calls for construction of a skate bowl park at the beach, similar to those at other surf beaches such as those at Bondi and Maroubra, to allow the many local skaters who currently use the esplanade and the space between the surf life saving club and the beach side car park. Recent development of high quality skate bowls at beach-side locations including nearby Copacabana Beach, Bar Beach, Port Macquarie,

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, and Cronulla (in advanced planning at the time of writing) have lent weight to the case for skate facilities at Terrigal. In April 2011, HMAS ''Adelaide'' was scuttled off Terrigal as a dive wreck.

Transport

Not far from the town centre are large shopping centres and M1 freeway () linked to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

(south) and Newcastle (north). The town itself is served by Terrigal Drive (to the west), Scenic Highway (to the south) and Ocean View Drive to the north. Terrigal is served by Busways routes 67 and 68 to Gosford station.Routes 67 & 68 timetable
Busways

Gallery

File:Beach Front.jpg, Beachfront File:Morning Beach.jpg, Morning beach File:Residential Development.jpg, Residential development File:Local Businesses.jpg, Local businesses

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of the Central Coast (New South Wales) Surfing locations in New South Wales