Terrigal

Terrigal was first settled in 1826 by European Settler John Gray, who called his property Tarrygal, after the indigenous[2] Aboriginal place name, signifying 'place of little birds'. Early industry included Sawmilling and shipbuilding by Thomas Davis, who in 1886 constructed the General Gordon which was a notable steamship that operated on the Hawkesbury River at the Haven, which at the time was known as Broxmouth Ville Common [3][4]

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 Central Coast Council. Other popular attractions are the numerous nearby surf schools and trails.[5]

The Haven – 2006

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 (now Central Coast 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).

Terrigal in the 1920s

The former Gosford City Council had invested Terrigal's town hub 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.

Terrigal is home to a number of both natural and man-made landmarks. The Skillion (indigenous name "Kurrawyba") is a sedimentary rock formation which was formed in the Triassic Period.[7] 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, and is great vantage point for viewing whale migrations, especially between June and July.[8]

Terrigal Lagoon, an intermittently closed intermediate saline coastal lagoon,[9] is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia and is popular for Kayaking and Paddleboards. Terrigal Lagoon is located between Terrigal and Wamberal, and adjacent to the east coast, about 85 kilometres (53 mi) north of Sydney.

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.[10] The boardwalk provides a link between the Terrigal Beach, the rockpools, boatramp, and The Skillion.

Terrigal Foreshore War Memorial was redeveloped in 2019 from the combination of two older war memorials, one that historically sat near the Surf Life Saving Club, and the other was the former Erina District War Memorial which was originally on the intersection of Terrigal Drive and The Entrance Road.[11]

According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 12,730 people in Terrigal.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.9% of the population.
• 74.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 7% and New Zealand 1.9%.
• 87.6% of people spoke only English at home.
• The most common responses for religion were No Religion 39.4%, Catholic 23.6% and Anglican 15.1%.[12]

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, basketball stadium (used for training by Olympic athletes in the 2000 Sydney Olympics), 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.[13] Recent development of high quality skate bowls at beach-side locations including nearby Copacabana Beach, Bar Beach, Port Macquarie, Cairns, 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.[14]

At federal level, Terrigal is within the Division of Robertson. In the Federal election of May 2022 it was won by Gordon Reid of the Australian Labor Party, previously held for nine years by Lucy Wicks of the Liberal Party of Australia.

In the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Terrigal is within the electorate of Terrigal, currently held by Adam Crouch of the Liberal Party.

Not far from the town centre are large shopping centres and M1 freeway (19 kilometres (12 mi)) linked to Sydney (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.[15]

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  Beachfront
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  Morning beach
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  Residential development
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  Local businesses

A panoramic view of Terrigal, with a storm out to sea, 2007