Gosford (pop. 129,000) is the tourist center of the Brisbane Water area and a favorite commuters' town with good rail connections with Sydney.
Round the town are many attractive picnic areas and a reptile park. In the town itself is a small stone house of 1838, once occupied by the poet Henry Kendall in 1874-5.
In the immediate vicinity of Gosford are two national parks and a recreation area.
The main entrance to the park was established in 1959. The park features sandstone hills with wide views and many Aboriginal remains, including rock drawings, waterfalls, beautiful spring flowers (including waratahs). Brisbane Water National Park is separated by the Hawkesbury River and Broken Bay from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
Address: Brisbane Water National Park, Woy Woy Road, Kariong, Gosford, NSW 2250, Australia
Tips: Access the main entrance to the park at Girrakool, just off the Pacific Highway, Calga exit. The east park of the park can be reached on the road from Kariong-Woy to Woy-Patonga.
The Australian Reptile Park and Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1948. The park has participated in the venom milking program for the past 50 years, saving over 300 lives each year!!
The park is home to Australian mammals such as the platypus, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, dingoes and kangaroos.
Address: Australian Reptile Park, Pacific Highway, Somersby, NSW 2250, Australia
Hours:
9am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Old Sydney Town, a few kilometers west of Gosford, is a faithful reconstruction of a settlement of pioneering days (before 1810), with buildings in colonial style. There are regular presentations of events from the colonial past in an open-air theatre. There is also a replica of an old sailing ship dating from the early days of settlement.
ATTRACTION IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.
Address: Old Sydney Town, Somersby, NSW 2250, Australia
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