
Sam Wilson
More Love Your Local
Top 20+ Locations to shoot on the Central Coast - Part 2
Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed part 1. Just in case you missed it, you can find it here

Part one was all about the beaches, but I wanted to highlight that the central Coast has so much more to offer - we also have some beautiful waterways, national parks and forests, but let’s start with some of our beautiful waterfalls -
Somersby Falls
These are our most popular falls and with good reason, they are only about a 10 minute drive from the freeway, they have a lovely picnic area, amenities and the falls themselves are not too difficult to access. There are 2 falls both of which are graded as a 3. Imaginatively named Middle and Bottom, with a third right at the beginning of the walk named, yes you guessed it, Top Falls.
As far as photography goes, these are best visited after decent rain, however there is always some water flowing. I also found a nice little fall off to the side of the stairs, but this definitely was after lots of rain.


Girrakool
These are lesser known but also very easy to get to being close to the freeway and a fairly easy walk to access. These do really need to be visited pretty quickly after rain to get nice flow, but there are numerous walks to do here if you’re interested in more than waterfalls.

Ironbark Falls
The last of the waterfalls I’m going to share a photo from is the tucked away Ironbark Falls at Mangrove Mountain. These are about a 30 minute drive from the freeway and are really only worth visiting within a couple of days after good rain.
It’s a lovely little, if in a few places, slippery walk in but not a cardio killer.
Another plus side is that it’s not as photographed as either Somersby or Girrakool.

One last waterfall I will mention is Kariong Brook Falls - I haven’t photographed here, but I have done the walk in and out of here. It is more difficult to access being just under 3km each way and classified as a hard track. Also good rain is required for nice flow which just adds an extra challenge to the walk.
Moving away from waterfalls onto some other notable mentions for photography
Patonga
This is a sleepy little village tucked away at the very south end of the Central Coast. It has a beautiful waterfront dotted with boats, but the photo I’m sharing from here is a spot called Warrah Trig which is in the Brisbane Water National Park. It is a short and easy walk from the car to this incredible view over Lion Island and beyond.

Strickland State Forest
This is a location that is very close to my home and it has stolen my heart. There are just so many wonderful spots along the numerous walks in here to photograph, and the photo I’m sharing is right near the car park and I thoroughly enjoyed wading around in the water up to my knees to get this photo. Even better, there were no people around so I had this little haven all to myself.


Koolewong and Woy Woy Waterfront
Heading back to the south end of the Central Coast we have Brisbane Water with many photographic opportunities. The two that I will share are both only a couple of minutes from both parking your car and a good breakfast - coincidence?

Don’t forget the rural areas we have that have lovely countryside views and plenty of autumn colour to be photographed.
Autumn Colours
Not something that would spring to mind when thinking of the Coast, we do have a few lovely spots to capture the magic autumn colours. One of which is quite close to a great local winery. Another coincidence???

And to finish up on the Central Coast, I need to showcase this secret location. I’m only calling it secret as a friend took me to this place, and I’m sure I’ll never be able to find it again!

P.S.
It would be remiss of me to not mention a couple of gems that are very close neighbours to the Central Coast.


What Have I Missed?
Way too many to mention I’m sure, but I’m definitely on a mission to build my portfolio to include as many of these locations as I can get to -
Yet to get to, or have a photo that I think worthy of sharing -
Killcare
Forresters Beach
Long Jetty
North Avoca
Soldiers Beach
Too many walks and national parks to mention, however a search of the wonderful resource Wildwalks will give you plenty of options.
If there are any locations that I have neglected to mention, please let me know so I can add them to my list.

That’s it for now
Next up we travel to the Snowy Mountains of NSW and surrounds from a couple of trips I did earlier in 2021, join here to see more of the stunning Central Coast if you haven't already subscribed.
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