8 Great Places to Run on the Central Coast NSW
There are so many great places to go running on the Central Coast which offers a variety of surfaces and environments for the runner to enjoy. You’ll find that there are plenty of long country roads of both the tarmac and fire trail variety. With the Great North Walk passing through the west of the region and various tracks and trails there is ample single track for the more adventurous trail runners. Without any further ado here is the list of our favourite places to go running.
1. Ourimbah State Forest (Middle Ridge Rd)
Many of the Central Coast’s most avid runners can be found running up Palmdale Rd towards Ourimbah State Forest and then up Middle Ridge Rd (firetrail). The first few kilometers of Middle Ridge Rd are very steep but it’s great training and loads of fun on the way back! There are a few different courses that you can run out there but most stick with the main road and vary the distance depending on what kind of mileage your currently aiming for with most runners doing between 12-32km.
2. Mingara Athletics Track
If you’re doing interval workouts then there is nothing better than getting to do them in a purpose built facility. You don’t need to worry about cars, bikes, dogs or other people getting in the way, you can just run fast without worrying at all. Mingara Athletics Club runs training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6PM.
3. Crackneck
Running from Shelly Beach up to the top of Crackneck is definitely a great run with a rewarding view at the top. You can run most of the way on single track around the headlands if you know where to go otherwise there is always the road until you get to Bateau Bay where the path is well marked.
4. Lakeside Track (Bike Path)
This mostly flat shared path is a great place for a jog of any distance. There is 12km of pathway available from The Entrance to Chittaway Bay along the picturesque Tuggerah Lake foreshore. The pathway is concrete but the path is set in the grass reserve most of the way so you could run on the grass if you needed to.
5. Rumbalara
Situated close to the Gosford CBD Rumbalara Reserve is a fantastic way to quickly escape the office to get some running in. The Reserve is littered with trails of various difficulties allowing you to run from a few ks to 12km easily. Running these trails is quite challenging because of the steep hills but the lookouts are worth the effort.
6. Bouddi National Park
There are loads of trails to run in Bouddi National Park and they range from relatively easy to pretty tough with loads of stairs. A favourite of ours in the Bouddi Coastal Walk which makes for a relatively easy run round the coastal fringe of the National Park.
7. Brisbane Water Cycleway
The cycleway runs from Woy Woy right around to the public swimming pools and then on to Point Frederick. This concrete cycleway is a great way to get away from cars and enjoy a jog or run at your pace without interruption.
8. Katandra Reserve
Katandra Reserve offers a great little loop that can be accessed from a few locations. This is a single trail run on some pretty demanding terrain to beware that this might be pretty slow if you’re not used to running in these sorts of conditions.