Not one, but two great beaches? Some places sound too good to be true, but Umina Beach does in fact have two, equally lovely beachfronts. Connected to each other, Ocean Beach and Umina Beach have proven immensely popular to tourists for over one hundred years. Over the latter half of the twentieth century, the number of people making their home in Umina Beach year-round has risen steadily. Today, many of the people you see taking a relaxed walk along the beachfront are in the fortunate position of being able to do so every day of the year.

Umina Beach offers plenty of dining options. The suburb still has the feel of a holiday town and you’ll find lots of eateries to match, including fast-food outlets, ice-creameries and fish and chip shops. Nearby Ettalong Beach also provides a huge selection of cafés, delicatessens and restaurants. Olive on Ocean View, Ettalong Fine Foods and Ettalong Pizza and Pasta House are all popular. Head to nearby Woy Woy and you expand your options even further. Woy Woy has a big selection of cafés and restaurants, including those offering Chinese, Indian, Italian and Thai cuisine.

Umina has a great local shopping precinct serving local residents. The Umina Beach Shopping Centre is home to green grocer, butchery and bakery along with a range of specialty stores. Nearby Woy Woy offers a more shops - including supermarkets and department stores - in the large local shopping complex. You’ll also find a great range of boutiques, specialty stores and national retailers here.

Umina Beach is approximately ten kilometres from Gosford. Residents have some access to public transport, with a private bus company providing services to Gosford and neighbouring suburbs. Additionally, a railway station is located in nearby Woy Woy. This service provides access to locations along the Central Coast, with stations located at Koolewong, Tascott, Point Clare, Gosford, Niagara Park, Lisarow, Ourimbah, Tuggerah, Wyong and Warnervale. This line also provides regular services to Newcastle and to Sydney, which is approximately 80 kilometres to the south.

You can see why Umina Beach is so popular with families. The area offers some great, affordable options for families including some spacious units. More common are the brick and tile residences that often sit on well-proportioned lots. In addition, you can still find examples of the unpretentious fibro and weatherboard cottages that once dominated the suburb.

Popular with families, Umina Beach offers plenty of childcare services in nearby suburbs including Booker Bay, Empire Bay, Umina Beach and Pretty Beach. Umina Public School caters to children from kindergarten to year six, and Brisbane Water Secondary College (Middle Campus) is also located in Umina. Locals also have great access to tertiary education. The University of Newcastle is co-located with the Hunter Institute of TAFE and the Central Coast Community College at Ourimbah, and a second TAFE campus is located nearby in the Gosford CBD.

As you’d expect, most local sport and recreation takes place on Umina’s beautiful beachfront. Umina’s linked beaches offer great opportunities for swimming, surfing and kayaking and the beachfront is also patrolled by members of Umina’s large surf life saving club. There are great opportunities for sport away from the beach. Football and soccer are very popular here and here and you’ll see members of local teams training on the three local ovals located in the suburb. Plenty of other team sports are also played in the region, including netball, softball, cricket and tennis. Keen walkers, runners and cyclists also have one of the loveliest spots imaginable to exercise: Brisbane Waters National Park is nearby and it’s criss-crossed by tracks, some of which take you close to the waterfront.