With approval rating from residents and visitors, Terrigal business people believe the walkway will be a catalyst in the future growth of the popular seaside town.
Terrigal is one of Australia’s most famous beaches and is ranks in the world’s list of beautiful seaside places with its stunning beach and natural features.
However a lack of parking and major traffic problems have always been a major concern with locals and visitors and this is now having a massive detrimental effect on the tourism industry.
The boardwalk will ease the problem by providing access to the widespread and plentiful parking facilities at The Haven.
Visitors have been forced to walk over the steep hill from The Haven into town, but they can now walk on a level walkway around the headland.
Tim Andrews of L J Hooker Terrigal is “Mr Terrigal”, having been a leading businessman in the town for many years. He believes the benefits of the new boardwalk will be a massive boost for the resort town.
“This is fantastic news,” he told Central Coast Business Access in an exclusive interview. “Terrigal is finally moving ahead with the boardwalk opening up all The Haven for parking access.”
“There were 10,000 people at Terrigal on Anzac Day Dawn service, for example, and many of them were seniors and children who were forced to park at The Haven and then struggle over the hill. Now they will be able to park and walk straight around to the beach in a couple of minutes.”
Mr Andrews said Terrigal was a stunningly beautiful place and needed to get with the times and go ahead.
International visitors
International visitors
“I can’t understand why some locals are against this? It is just what we need to boost tourism.”
Mr Andrews said similar boardwalks had become major attractions all around the world. “We have got to get this place going and the boardwalk is just what we need.”
He said the boardwalk would also be popular with residents because they would now be able to walk or jog all the way to The Skillion from Terrigal township on an “easy” route.
Terrigal Rugby club official and longtime local businessman Mr Bill Slater also praised the boardwalk. “It doesn’t really affect the Rugby Club which is based at The Haven, but it will be good for the town,” he said.
Many visiting international Rugby teams and NRL teams have based themselves at Terrigal and they can now walk around the headland to train at The Haven. The All Blacks, Ireland and the Australian Kangaroos have all used Terrigal as a base.
The Haven is rated the world’s most beautiful Rugby ground with its stunning surroundings.
Mr Slater said 6000 people attended a recent night match at The Haven between traditional rivals Terrigal and Avoca, which showed the potential of the ground.
Member for Terrigal Mr Adam Crouch has been a major supporter of the boardwalk plan and arranged for a $2.9M State Government grant. Central Coast Mayor Jane Smith surprisingly backed the project after visiting the site with a qualified engineer.
The boardwalk has been talked about for many years in Terrigal and as long ago as 1994 the former Gosford City Council drew up plans to go ahead with concept. However they were unable to fund the project.
Business and tourist operators in Terrigal and throughout the coast are counting on the boardwalk to provide a boost to the economy mid week, when the seaside town is traditionally quiet, especially in winter.
However local Facebook groups opposed to the boardwalk applied pressure on council to scrap the plans. They claim the boardwalk is not needed and will ruin the traditional golden sandstone headland which has been a part of Terrigal folklore for generations, featuring in many famous artworks and photos.
Traffic nightmare
They argue it will also ruin the seclusion of The Haven beach and turn the car park and turnoff into a traffic nightmare.
Recently I went for a walk through Terrigal and talked with a leading business owner.
Recently I went for a walk through Terrigal and talked with a leading business owner.
“It’s very quiet,” the owner of the long-term business, who did wish to be identified, told me.
“We believe the boardwalk will be a major attraction for midweek visitors who are traditionally older. It will also provide access for families on weekends and for disabled visitors.
“Many people stopped coming to Terrigal because of the lack of parking. Others drive through town, become dismayed at the lack of parking, and drive on to other beaches.”
He said the boardwalk would also draw tourists who didn’t want to swim at the beach, especially international visitors on coach tours. He said most visitors came to Terrigal to walk around and never go swimming.
At the moment, most coach tours visit the Reptile Park and then continue on to Port Stephens for the dolphin cruise.
