What’s On

We hosted a car club get together organised by Michael Morris of Morris Signs Ourimbah with cars coming from Qld, Vic, SA, WA and, of course, NSW.

Approx 60 cars, 150 people from kids to grandparents! A great occasion was had by all and it was an absolute pleasure to have everyone at the Homestead. Perfect guests! Thanks to you all for making the occasion so special.

 

 

Lots of fun and colour at the Homestead for the 2022 National Town Crier Championships. Congratulations to all the Criers for a great competition!

 

We finally had the long awaited Jake Cassar show at the Homestead. Postponed for 15 months it was great to see Jake and all the people who had booked for his show last year. Lots of wonderful music, bushcraft info, bush tucker tasting, didge playing, fun, laughter and devonshire teas for everyone. Thanks to all the people who came to the show, and to Jake for another fabulous gig at the Homestead.

           

 

 

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Biggest Morning Tea. It was wonderful to see so many people supporting this great cause.

Many thanks also to all the local businesses and individuals who donated items for the raffle. We couldn’t have done it without you.

           

WHEN:          TUESDAY, 1ST JUNE 2021   10am – 12pm.

DETAILS:   TEA, COFFEE, CAKES, SCONES, FRUIT.
                       RAFFLE. WANDER THROUGH THE
                       MUSEUM AND GARDENS
COST:          $10pp
RSVP:          By 26TH MAY 2021 Bookings Essential
PHONE:        4352 1886
EMAIL:        info@new.alisonhomestead.com.au

A big thank you to all our visitors over the past few weeks. It’s been a real pleasure to welcome you all to the Museum after the very quiet year it’s been for everyone.

We are very grateful to each and every one of you for your support.

 

We had a visit from another Car Club today. This time it was the MG Restorers Club. It was a lovely day for a Club Run and their cars were all looking lovely in the sunshine. 

           

We had a great visit last weekend from the Morgan Owners Club who came up from Sydney via Wisemans Ferry. These photos were taken by Jason, a member of the Club, and we thank him for allowing us to post them for everyone to enjoy.

Members of the Central Coast British Car Club also came along with their cars which made for a great display at the Museum.

   

   

We had the official unveiling of our new Aboriginal Mural on Friday. The mural was painted by local Aboriginal artist, Jodie Freeman, in consultation with the Darkinjung Land Council and represents the importance of the area to their people. We were joined by Jodie, David Harris MP, Barry Duncan representing the Land Council, Mark and Tia from Bendigo Bank and Stephen Clarke OA, CC Town Crier. 

            

 

             

Thanks to the Bendigo Bank for their grant to help cover the cost of the mural.

 

A Big THANK YOU to our wonderful volunteers, Barry and Dirk, for the fantastic work they’ve been doing  to keep the gardens and grounds of the Museum looking their best over the past few months. Now we’re open again, it’s so nice to have the place looking great.  We had a visit from a large group of cockatoos this week – even though we can’t have large groups yet – nobody told them and they’re obviously enjoying the grounds too.

     

     

 

SENIORS WEEK 2020 EVENT

MORNING TEA WITH JAKE CASSAR

ADDITIONAL SHOW

Due to the quick sale of tickets for our Seniors Week Morning Tea with Jake Cassar on 12th February, we have arranged for Jake to do a second show over morning tea to be held on

Thursday, 20th February 10am-12pm

$10 per person

Bookings essential. Reserved seating only.

 

 

Join us at Alison Homestead Museum for a Devonshire Tea with entertainment presented by Jake Cassar, renowned Central Coast singer, songwriter, musician and bushcraft expert. Following his two previous sell-out shows, Jake is back with another show.

Where:      1 Cape Rd, Wyong 2259

Date:      Thursday, 20th February 2020

Time:      10am – 12pm

Cost:     $10pp (includes Museum entry, Morning Tea and the Show)

TICKETS ON SALE:     6^TH JANUARY 2020

Bookings essential.      Reserved seating only.

To book:     Ph: 4352 1886     or     Email: info@new.alisonhomestead.com.au

 

We have had many visits from clubs, bus companies and groups this year and would like to thank everyone for their support.  And thank you for your kinds words.  We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

45 members of our Group visited Alison Homestead for a Social Activity – Tour & Luncheon.  The Homestead was a joy to visit, and to see and hear the history of the homestead was enjoyed by all.  The beautiful old pieces on display are just fantastic, and a credit to you all.  The staff/volunteers on the day were friendly, brilliant and very knowledgeable.  The hamburger lunch was so fresh and tasty.  On behalf of our Club, Thank you for a fabulous day.  Di

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A quick email to thank you all for providing us with a lovely morning tea last week. The scones were delicious. Our members thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the Homestead. You definitely sit on a beautiful piece of land. We all enjoyed just sitting at the tables over looking the sheep in the paddock. Once again many thanks for allowing our social club to visit Alison Homestead as part of our holiday. Neil

Thank you and all the volunteers at Alison Homestead who did so much for us yesterday.  We had a great time.  The many emails and phone calls from Car Club members who attended have been most complimentary.  A special thank you to Rosemary who did a splendid job, preparing our lunch, serving it and giving us an interesting talk on the history of the Homestead.  Bob

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Last week we were very happy to welcome the Central Coast Friendship Force again. This time they brought a lovely group of visitors from Wisconsin,USA. They donated us a beautiful Aussie Xmas Bush which in the past week has put on a magnificent show. Many thanks to this fantastic local group. We look forward to seeing you all and your visitors again. Always a great occasion.

                                   

 

We have some new boat models on display at the Museum. 

Come and discover their stories.

 

Thank you to Wyong RSL who brought a plaque this week for the Lone Pine they donated to us a few months ago. They will be returning again for a dedication ceremony in a few weeks.

 

 

 

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A big thank you to Alison Homestead for providing the most perfect venue for our Harvest Festival Workshops. We were looked after so well and nothing was a problem. The place was so clean and easy to adapt for the workshops. Many of our participants went through the museum, walked around the grounds and commented what a beautiful place it was.  The Pickled Pepper Cooking School.

     

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HARVEST FESTIVAL EVENT 8TH & 9TH JUNE 2019

We are hosting a Harvest Festival Event this year. Local company, The Pickled Pepper, will be running workshops at the Homestead on Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm both days.

Showcasing quality local produce from the Central Coast area.

Learn where to source local produce direct from the farmer:- including organic fruit and vegetables, pasture-raised beef, chicken, and free-range “happy chicken” eggs.

At the workshop you will also prepare a jar of Preserved Lemons,a jar of Pickled Vegetables and all resources and recipes from the workshop are yours to take home.

For more info and tickets go to
https://www.pickledpepperworkshops.com/workshops

 

 

 

HERITAGE FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS

ENJOY A DEVONSHIRE TEA AND

A PERFORMANCE BY CONVICT FOOTPRINTS THEATRE COMPANY

The multi award winning Convict Footprints have been producing living history ‘Theatre in the Wild’ shows since 2012 at historic sites including The Great North Road, Sydney’s Quarantine Station, Cockatoo Island, Wisemans Ferry, Tobruk Sheep Station and Bella Vista Farm.

 

WHEN: SATURDAY 11TH MAY 10AM – 12PM

COST: $20 PER PERSON INCLUDES THE SHOW, DEVONSHIRE TEA & MUSEUM ENTRY

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL.          RESERVED SEATING ONLY

PH: 4352 1886              E: info@new.alisonhomestead.com.au

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SENIORS WEEK EVENT

MORNING TEA WITH JAKE CASSAR

             

 Join us at Alison Homestead Museum 

for a Devonshire Tea with entertainment presented by Jake Cassar,

renowned local singer, guitarist, songwriter, musician & bushcraft expert.

 

Where:  1 Cape Rd, Wyong 2259

Date:  Thursday, 28th February

Time:  10am – 12pm

Cost:  $5 (includes Museum entry & Morning Tea with Jake Cassar)

Bookings essential.  Reserved seating only.

To book: Ph: 4352 1886 or Email: info@new.alisonhomestead.com.au

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PLANT SALE

SUNDAY 2ND DECEMBER 10AM – 2PM

We have a large variety of plants for sale including Bromeliads, Dutch Iris, Walking Iris, Elk Horns, Pentas, Clivea, Agapanthas, Vinca, Geraniums, Jade, Day Lilies and a variety of Kangaroo Paw and Succulents.  

Plants are priced from $5 – $35.

Devonshire Teas will be available on the day.

                 

 

EXCITING NEW PUBLICATION

                                                    

Local author, Greg Tunn, has released a new book Surfstruck: A Tour of Central Coast Surf Life Saving Clubs.  Following on from his popular Pub Struck, which told of the history and quirky tales of 25 hotels across the Central Coast, Greg has spent the past year delving into the history and equally quirky tales of our Surf Life Saving Clubs.  He has sat down with many life members who have the most knowledge of what each club is about, its history and culture. The book is full of fascinating, little known stories across the 16 clubs on the Coast.

We have a copy at the Museum which you are welcome to browse through.  To buy a copy contact Greg on 0418 896 478 or gregorytunn@bigpond.com

 

 

 

Following our 2nd place in the Community Gardens section of this year’s Wyong District Garden Competition, and with the recent rain we’ve had, our gardens are putting on an amazing display.

    

    

 

We’d like to thank everyone who came to visit us for lunch as part of Chromefest’s Hinterland drive last Friday. It was a real buzz to welcome you all and we were blown away by the fabulous display of cars. Special thanks to California Cruisin for including us in your special 10th anniversary weekend.

    

    

 

   

 

 

We had another great visit from the Central Coast Friendship Force last week with a group of visitors from Bangkok.  We thank them very much for donating us another great plant for our garden.

    

    

 

 

 

        

 Our new marquee in the sunny courtyard                                       The first group to use the new marquee

VOTE FOR OUR SCARECROWS

Our Bu’Ket Family Wedding

Saturday 1st September sees the start of the Yarramalong Festival’s Scarecrow Competition. Running until Sunday 16th September, this event has proved to be very popular over the years, with visitors coming from far and wide to view many imaginative, clever and amusing Scarecrows throughout the Yarramalong Valley. Enjoy a pleasant drive through the Valley to view all the fantastic Scarecrows entered in the competition.

We’ve had some lovely weddings at the Homestead during the year and our Bu’Ket family from last year’s Scarecrow Comp decided to follow suit. 

In addition to our usual opening hours, Alison Homestead will be open on Saturday 1 and 8 September 10 am – 2pm for The Scarecrow trail for the Yarramalong Valley Spring Festival. Come in and enjoy a Devonshire Tea while you’re here. Don’t forget to vote for our scarecrow display at www.yarramalongvalleyspringfestival.com.au.

 

 

For the third year in a row the expanding gardens at Alison Homestead have been given a special boost.

Each year we have invited different members of the community to take part in a tree planting to mark National Tree Planting Day.  This year we asked the Disabled Surfers Association (Aust.) of the Central Coast in association with Breakaway to nominate three people with disabilities and mobility needs to come along and do the planting honours.

Winter weather conditions were ideal when Peter Semtani from Bensville, David Lunn from Killarney Vale and Katrina Miller from Kanwal picked up the trowels and planted three bird-attracting native trees.  We would like to thank them for coming along and helping us with the job!

Seventeen trees now have a pride of place in the Homestead grounds thanks to the National Tree Planting Day initiative.

 

               

 

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I would like to pass on to everyone involved in our visit to the Homestead a big thank you for the day.  We have had numerous phone calls to say everything from the grounds to the meals and staff were excellent and they had a great day. Could you pass this great feedback onto everyone and we hope to see you again in the future. Penny

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These pictures were taken by John from Fun Coach 4U in Newcastle, when he brought some visitors to the Museum this week.

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guys from the Men’s Shed have done a great job renovating the stocks

 

 

The Bromeliads in the garden are looking great

   

 

 

 

         

A crowd of visitors turned out at Alison Homestead Museum to be a part of the opening of our new Historic Scale Model Exhibition.

Mr David Mehan MP, Member for The Entrance, officially opened the exhibition of ships, planes and historic buildings.

Award winning Central Coast model maker Peter Rea spoke about the work involved in creating the intricate models depicting the shipbuilding industry of the Central Coast and beyond. These models have been constructed by the 4H Research Group and the Rotary Shipbuilders Memorial Project.

Last year the models were shown at a number of historical pop-up exhibitions including Erina Fair and the Rotary 4 Villages Walk. This prompted Wyong District Museum & Historical Society to offer space for a more permanent exhibition at Alison Homestead.

Peter Hayllar and Graham Sturt, who have both produced models for the Museum over the years, were also in attendance.  Peter has made wooden models of some of the historic local buildings and we are now also lucky to be home to some of his latest project – tree houses – which are displayed around the grounds of the Museum. They are a must see.

Graham created an extensive model depicting farm life in the area made entirely from nails and metal.  A very intricate design technique.

Following the official opening, David Mehan joined guests and Museum staff for a morning tea and delicious homemade scones with jam and cream served by our wonderful museum volunteers.

Visitors spent the morning marvelling at the models and took the time to visit all the other historic displays of memorabilia, photos, tools and equipment relating to the early settlers of Wyong district.

 

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Thank you for everything you did to make our wedding day so remarkable and beautiful, I could not have done it without you ladies and Greg’s dedication to the homestead.  Kind Regards, Rhonda

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THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED

SENIORS WEEK EVENT

WYONG DISTRICT MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY

invites you to 

 MORNING TEA AT ALISON HOMESTEAD

Wednesday, 11th April  10am – 12pm

 

 Delicious devonshire tea in a relaxing country atmosphere.

View a selection of historical DVDs depicting the early days of Wyong and surrounds.

From 11am, Special Guest Speaker, local historian, Phillip Morley, will chat about the history of the Homestead and the families who owned it.

Cost $5 per person which includes a Museum tour after morning tea.

Bookings essential.

1 Cape Rd, Wyong

Ph: 4352 1886

E: info@new.alisonhomestead.com.au

W: www.alisonhomestead.com.au

THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED

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I would like to thank you all for a wonderful morning this morning.  Our group enjoyed it immensely. The tour was lovely, the coffee tea and scones were lovely but most of all, your hospitality  and friendly manner was beautiful. 

I will be recommending the homestead to other people…..   Thank you so much for welcoming us.    We are very grateful. Sandra

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I know this is late but I just wanted to let you know that everyone who attended our lunch and tour at Alison Homestead on 10 January for our group celebrations really enjoyed it.  Please pass on our thanks to Rosemary and the other lovely ladies who looked after us so well with the tour and delicious lunch – there was positive feedback from everyone. 

Many of the Wyong members who attended relived fond memories of functions held there when it was the home of Gladys & Arthur Pearce, who were members of our group and Rotary, so it was a lovely day in many ways!  Warm regards,  Susan

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We were recently visited by the Cobra Car Club following a  Club run from Sydney having lunch at the Homestead then visiting the Milk Factory to visit Little Creek Cheese and Luka Chocolates before taking a leisurely drive home.

 

13th January 3pm – 7pm

Central Coast British Car Club and Triumph Sports Owners Association Sydney Club will be visiting Alison Homestead.  Come and have a look at the display of historic vehicles and wander round the Museum, bring a picnic, use the BBQ and relax in the picnic area.   $5 per vehicle which includes Museum entry. 

 

 

 

We were visited by the Central Coast Friendship Force with a group of visitors from Mexico that they were hosting. It was an absolute delight to welcome them all to the Homestead for a fun time over lunch. David Harris, our local MP was a special guest for the occasion. The group also planted a beautiful flowering gum in the grounds of the Museum as a reminder of their visit. We would like to thank the CCFF for a great day! And a beautiful tree, which is covered in flowers.

            

 

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Just wanted to tell you all what a very enjoyable time we had at Alison Homestead last week when you hosted an 80th birthday luncheon for our group.  The birthday girls loved it. Joan especially appreciated the surprise aspect of it and I thought you did that extremely well.

All enjoyed looking about the estate as well.  The school house was a hit. A lot of the group were ex primary school teachers.  Thank you too for providing vegetarian food for us. It was just like a delicious home made meal and we did appreciate your efforts. Thank you too for the bonus of a birthday cake!   I am hoping to bring another group sometime in the new year for a morning tea.  Thanks again.  Jean

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We are very proud to have been awarded the winning trophy in the Community Garden section of the 44th Annual Wyong Garden Competition this week.  Our amazing team of volunteers have worked tirelessly over the past 2 years to reestablish the gardens after they were destroyed by the arson attack and long rebuild process.  A great recognition of the many hours put in by our hard working team of gardeners.  GREAT WORK GUYS !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We would like to pass on a big thank you to the Elderslee Foundation for their donation of funds to enable us to purchase a new mower for the property.  Their generosity is very much appreciated by the team who keep the grounds so well maintained.  This is the first time we have owned a brand new mower for many years and it will make the job so much easier.

 

 

 

Our Bu Ket Scarecrow family won the traditional section of the Yarramalong Spring Fair Scarecrow competition.  A big thank you to all of you who voted for us.  And a huge thank you to our volunteer, Pauline for her inventiveness and creativity, to all who helped to bring them to life and to the men from our Men’s Shed for displaying the family so well.

 

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The team of volunteers treated us like royalty – with an interesting tour of the many and varied artifacts and a brief history of the building and attractive environs.  A delicious lunch then saw us having the run of the dining room – and the ladies very pleased that with the amount and variety, meal preparation would not be needed for at least 24 hours following… in order to burn off the excess consumed while we all socialised!! A HUGE thank you to Greg and all the ladies who prepared our lunch and led the tour etc.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and would love to come again at some time in the future…. We appreciated our welcome and all your work.   Pam

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2017 Tree Planting Day

Following a successful inaugural event last year The Wyong and District Historical Society and Museum held another tree planting at Alison Homestead in Wyong in late July to mark the 2017 National Tree Day.

This year a group from Northcott in Wyong came along and planted four bird-attracting native trees in a new section of the raised garden bed behind the main carpark.

Northcott is an Australian organisation providing programs and services for children and adults with disabilities and their families living in NSW and the ACT. It is committed to building an inclusive society in which people can live the life they choose. Northcott supports people with physical, intellectual and rare and lesser-known disabilities to help them develop independence, confidence and life skills.

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Had a lovely visit to Alison Homestead Museum… Morning tea served by volunteers to our bus trip group… Thank you very much … We had a very informative guided tour of the property & on the history of Alison Homestead… I then bought some plants that were for sale…thank you very much…😊😊  Lorraine

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Our Kangaroos in a field of jonquills.  More pics in the Gallery.

 

It is with deep sadness that we learnt of the passing of Terry Wand on Saturday, 17th June.  He was an amazing member of the community with an enormous wealth of local historical knowledge as well.  Terry will be greatly missed by us all at the Museum and the Wyong community has also lost a wonderful advocate.  Our sympathy and thoughts go out to Terry’s family and friends.

Terry Wand, OAM

 

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Elderslee Foundation for the wonderful donation towards the two onsite projects we hope to get the go ahead for from Council.  We have DAs in for an extension to our Men’s Shed and also for an administration building.     See our newsletter for more details.

 

 

          

Sunday 7th May, 10am-2pm

Small and intimate, this is a wedding event with a difference. Think picnic blankets, tunes and interesting conversations with change-makers within the wedding industry. Find ethical and sustainable suppliers in one enjoyable fuss-free day.

This is a BYO mug and water bottle event. Come with a curious mind and hungry belly, leaving only footprints.

$8 PER PERSON OR $12 PER COUPLE/$17 PER GROUP

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Thank you so much for opening the museum today for us and showing us around. We all really enjoyed the visit so much. It was very informative and the displays are presented beautifully. Many thanks for your time, wealth of local knowledge and for such an interesting morning.   Ana

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I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU very much for helping to facilitate our visit to Alison Homestead on Friday.  The members absolutely loved it, it’s a beautiful venue and we really enjoyed our time there. The staff were welcoming, friendly & knowledgeable.  Again, many thanks for your help and a wonderful day!   Kylie

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 OUR NEW LEAD LIGHT WINDOWS

We are very grateful to Bruce Murray for donating these beautiful lead light windows to the Museum.  This is his story:

“The lead light windows came from the Church of England located in Anzac Ave, Tuggerah. The church was being demolished so I acted quickly and obtained the windows, otherwise they would have been lost forever.

The Chaselings were residents of Tuggerah and regular church goers and the centre window is my Grandmother, Blanche Chaseling, married to my Grandfather, Percy Hunter Murray. Either side window is Blanche Chaseling’s Mother and Father, William Henry Chaseling and Elizabeth Harriet Ferguson.”

We would also like to give a big thanks to our Men’s Shed members for framing and mounting the windows at the Museum. See the Men’s Shed page for their story.

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What a wonderful venue you have there.  Our event couldn’t have been any smoother – it was a great success.   Everyone just loved the location and the very special tour.  Thank you so much and I hope to see you again for another event one day.   Vanessa

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My ladies today had a really enjoyable morning.   So much so we would like to come back perhaps later in the year as some of our ladies couldn’t make to-day, and were upset of the fact they couldn’t join us.  I would also like to bring my hubby up along with some of our other friends to show them the lovely Alison Homestead.  Thank you once again for a lovely day.   Fay

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2016 TREE PLANTING

We would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to the students of Wyong High School, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College and St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School  for helping us with the planting of some new trees in the grounds of the Museum.  The enthusiasm of the students was fantastic & they were a real asset to the project !

The trees were generously donated by Wyong Landcare and Bunnings and we are very grateful for their support.

Thanks to Pat, one of our great volunteers, for organising the tree donations, the participation of the local schools and the great morning tea for all the hard workers.

     

 

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I just wanted to thank all staff/volunteers for the wonderful experience for our day centre clients yesterday. Every single person (including our staff) enjoyed the day (especially the stockade).  Being a Not for Profit organisation I would also like to say thank you for the warm reception and the affordability of the visit.  Thank you for being part of making those beautiful memories for our clients.   Kerry

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NEW CAFE BLINDS

 The addition of the cafe blinds to our undercover outdoor area, just in time to keep out the cold winter weather, is proving to be a real bonus.  The area is a great place to sit and chat over morning tea, lunch or for an event or function.

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Many thanks for a most enjoyable and informative morning at the Museum on Monday.  Our members thoroughly enjoyed the outing and now know bit more about the Wyong area as a result.  Please thank all your staff.  Sincere appreciation, Annette

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WHATS ON IN THE AREA

We are across the road from the Wyong Milk Factory which houses the award winning Little Creek Cheese Factory,  Luka Chocolates, Rusty Udder Tavern, cafe, gym, kayak hire and picnic areas on the beautiful Wyong River.  Also in town is the Wyong Arthouse bringing world class acts to the Coast, the historic site of Wyong Pioneer Dairy with its beautiful wetlands and birdlife, Wyong Race Club and Kooindah Waters Golf Resort.  Just a few kilometres up the road in Yarramalong are Treetop Adventure Park and Amazement Farm and Funpark.

The town is set beside the beautiful Wyong River and is situated at the top end of Tuggerah Lake, the perfect spot for a leisurely drive, walk, bike ride and picnic, or to throw in a line or launch a boat and do some fishing or prawning.

All just a few minutes drive from the M1 and Tuggerah Shopping Centre.

Escape the hustle and bustle and come and see what’s happening in Wyong.

For the latest information on what’s happening on the Central Coast, places to go, things to do click on the Your Guide Central Coast link below: 

https://yourguidecentralcoast.com.au/

 

 

Visit the link below to read the latest edition of the Coast Magazine:

http://www.coastpublishing.com.au/