Is a Coastal Chic Life for You?

I’m always receiving emails asking for advice on making the move to the Coast.

With Sydney house prices at record highs, the prospect of owning a home near the beach in relative proximity to the big smoke is very appealing.

That’s why we made the move to Umina Beach over two years ago. We chose Umina because it’s within a few minutes of the beach, shops and Woy Woy station – the closest Central Coast stop to Sydney.

We were able to snag a renovated four-bedroom home with a pool for about a third of the average price of a Sydney home.

For the privilege of a home in a beachside suburb, I commute to my job in Sydney.

It’s often exhausting and sometimes, when I’m having a busy week or spending lots of time in Sydney on weekends, it’s particularly tough.

But I love coastal living and I’m not sure I could go back to city living.

Coastal living at Pearl beach

It tested my patience. I can’t believe I used to negotiate that gauntlet regularly.

On the Coast, I don’t factor traffic into my drive time and love that I don’t have to worry about pesky Sydney nuisances like parking meters or time limits in shopping centre car parks.

This blog is positive by nature, it’s all about the chic side of the Central Coast.

While it’s definitely the direction the Coast is heading, it doesn’t mean the area doesn’t have its share of issues and problems. It’s not perfect.

However, as more and more city slickers are squeezed out of Sydney and move further north, the Coast is definitely growing and changing.

Weekend fun at Woy Woy

I drove into the city the other weekend and got caught in bottlenecks all along Victoria Road.

There are some daggy cafés and old pubs which aren’t to my liking but there’s also hip and happening bars, boutiques, cafés and restaurants like Pocket Bar, the Box, Pearls, Margarita Daze, Drift, Bombini and Bella.

If you’re thinking about moving here, have a good look around the blog and you’ll find all of these places and more.

The Coast is also home to beautiful beaches, bush walks, markets and festivals.

We have long days during the week but come the weekend, we enjoy our coastal lifestyle.

The commute isn’t for everyone and definitely takes some adjusting to but if you can adapt and make it work, coastal living could be for you too.

There are also lots of clever people who have made the move and found a way to work from the Coast.

Hopefully the Coastal Chic instagram and blog will continue to inspire Coasties to enjoy all that is chic about their home and others to join us and discover a life that’s coastal chic on the Central Coast.