Hi, i just thiught id join in this conversation.

Ive been staying up the central coast for 3 years now (i dont own anything so id like to think im not biased, but i currently rent in Woy Woy) here is my opinion.

Umina cops a lot of flak about the mt druitt by the sea stuff. These days it is getting revamped slowly and i have noticed more and more nicer houses going up and families down there. The CBD is set to be redeveloped and the Umina mall to be knocked down and re-done. Being close to this area in Woy Woy I go down to this beach almost every week and have never been a victim of crime. The beach is gorgeous and usually you have a large area to yourself. Many times i’ve had the entire beach to myself on colder days. This is really an area to keep and eye on. Same goes for Ettalong Beach next door to Umina, however this is already getting much more expensive.

Woy woy is a beautiful area but let down by council inaction. I live here for the convenience of commuting to sydney, it really is great for that. 1 hour exactly to St Leonards, fantastic. The cbd is in decline though and many businesses have relocated to either Umina, Erina or some cases Ettalong.

I do not like Gosford Cbd at all. Apparently it is in line for a huge makeover so this would be worth considering but its current state is dreadful. Junkies galore in the park outside, and one of the shopping centres even being bulldozed into a carpark due to it being so dead. This area has plenty of potential though, someone just needs to spark it. Personally i would buy in East Gosford. It is a very nice suburb a stone throw away from Gosford and Erina and seems very peaceful. I would expect it to boom in future years.

Erina is nice however very busy. It really is the cbd of the central coast now, taken over from Gosford, however there is no train line so traffic is a nightmare. The shopping centre however, is fantastic.

Narara, lisarow, niagra park etc in Gosford are all reasonable suburbs in my opinion. They are all further away from the beach but seem nice if you buy on the right street.

I would not buy in the Wyong shire unless you are near water. I was suprised one of the previous posters mentioned Umina as a problem but not Wyong. Just go and have a drive around this area ( Wyong itself and Watanobbi especially) high housing commission, an extra half an hour commute to sydney each way than woy woy and a cbd that seems to be filled with drug users. People ive known up there have told me Woy woy and Umina are double bay compared to Wyong, and these are people that live there. Driving through i would tend to agree. Bateu bay and forresters beach are beautiful areas up that way however.

All in all i guess we are all opinionated, however not owning property anywhere yet, i like to think i can offer a good insight. I would close off by saying that almost anywhere in gosford area particularly would be a safer bet than Western Sydney. People complain about crime up here but sometimes i think its to keep a booming population away. Driving through supposed crime hotspots like Woy Woy and Narara at night, i’ve been lucky to even see a person on the street. It overall is just quiet. Driving through Mt druitt at night though or Campbelltown ( which i have when i lived in Sydney) there are gangs trawling the streets, particularly near the train stations.

Hope this provides some insight.