Central Coast

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Central Coast

Map of Central Coast region Population: 316,008
Area: 1,849 sq km

Major cities

Gosford
Wyong

Regional overview

dynamic and diverse tourism industry
strategic location for warehousing and distribution
home to some of Australia’s best known food and beverage brands

Major sectors

warehousing and logistics
food processing
manufacturing
building and building products
health and community services
tourism
information communications technology (ICT)

Only 60 minutes drive north of Sydney, the Central Coast stretches along the Tasman Sea from the Hawkesbury River in the south to the shores of Lake Macquarie in the north, and west to the Dooralong and Yarramalong Valleys.

The Central Coast has a temperate climate, with daytime temperatures averaging 27 degrees Celsius in summer and 17 degrees Celsius in winter.

Its central location, advanced infrastructure, skilled workforce and attractive lifestyle make the Central Coast a viable business alternative to Sydney for many major industries.

Competitive advantages

highly skilled and motivated workforce
centralised and cost-effective market access
broad range of industrial and commercial property options
affordable commercial rent
advanced telecommunication capacity

Industries

Tourism

Known for its relaxed lifestyle, mountain forests, unspoilt beaches and waterways, the Central Coast boasts a thriving tourism industry catering for holidaymakers from around the world. Host to over 4.5m visitors, 3.2m domestic overnight visitors and a total regional expenditure of $762m.

Warehousing and Logistics

The Central Coast’s logistical advantage is its strategic East Coast location, excellent transport links, available land, skilled and motivated workforce and supportive planning regime. Alliance Distribution Services, Toll and Woolworths have established distribution and logistics centres within the region.

Information Technology

The Central Coast boasts an IT industry that is known for its innovation, research and development, production and software support. The region’s advanced educational infrastructure continues to develop and support the necessary skills for this dynamic industry.

Call centres

The region’s variety of choice in property options and low occupancy costs continues to attract call centre operators. Industry sectors such as banking, insurance, telecommunications and government have established centres on the Central Coast.

Manufacturing

Because of its easy access to ports and its close proximity to Sydney and the consumer markets of the eastern seaboard, the Central Coast has attracted a strong manufacturing sector including leading manufacturers such as Borg, Halley & Mellows and Open Shutters as well as a successful food and beverage manufacturing industry, which includes some of Australia’s best-known brands such as Sanitarium, Sara Lee, Master Foods Kelloggs and the new Bluetongue Brewery.

The region is also home to a new and dynamic precision engineering cluster. Firms such as Gibbens Industries, Pall Australia, Avoca Engineering, ADC Krone, Aalborg Industries and Precision Engineering Group are now all operating on the Central Coast.

Agriculture

The Central Coast Plateau produces some 14.6% of agricultural production in the Sydney region with poultry, farming, plant nurseries and cut flowers the most important industries on the Plateau.

Business and Community Services

Growth is particularly strong in the property, business, health and aged care services, construction and retail sectors. The highest proportion of Central Coast employment is within the knowledge based service industries (30%) and the person based service industries (27%).

Infrastructure

Transport

The Central Coast is linked to Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne and Brisbane by both the F3 Freeway and the Main Northern Railway.
Travelling time from Gosford to Sydney Central train station is around 60 minutes.
The regional airport at Warnervale is suitable for light aircraft.

Major education facilities

University of Newcastle: Central Coast Campus, Ourimbah
TAFE NSW Hunter Institute has three campuses at Ourimbah, Gosford and Wyong
Central Coast Community College
Central Coast Grammar School.

Telecommunications

The Central Coast has fibre optic cable and advanced switching technology that offers the same range of telecommunications amenities as any major metropolitan centre in Australia.
Communications to the capital cities and into the national fibre optic trunks are provided via high-capacity transmission systems.

Investment opportunities

Gosford CBD redevelopment: a new masterplan for Gosford with opportunities to develop a world-class waterfront regional city through new commercial, retail and residential projects.
Industrial lands: new 400ha Wyong Employment Zone, complimenting existing greenfield sites at Somersby, Berkeley Vale and North Wyong.
Mt Penang Parklands: development of a new 40ha Business Park adjacent to the F3 and 30 minutes from northern Sydney.
Supplier Park: a unique food and beverage cluster located near major food retail distribution centres at Warnervale.
Tuggerah Business Park: covering 75 hectares and close to road and commuter rail.

Labour

The Central Coast is home to a skilled and motivated labour force that has played an integral role in establishing the region as one of NSW’s emerging information services centres.

The region’s exceptional quality of life is attracting increasing numbers of ‘sea changers’ who are typically highly skilled, experienced and adaptable.

Research

The Central Coast Research Foundation provides research services to business, government and the community. Email ccrf@hvrf.com.au or www.hvrf.com.au

For more information contact:

NSW Department of Trade and Investment
Central Coast Office
Business Incubator Building
North Loop Road
Central Coast Campus
University of Newcastle
PO Box 260
Ourimbah NSW 2258
Tel: (02) 4340 8700
Fax: (02) 4362 3095

Regional Development Australia - Central Coast
www.rdacc.org.au
Tel: (02) 4349 4949