Exploring our communities
Published on 12 February 2024
Swapping the big smoke for a sea change doesn’t have to mean losing touch with your big city roots. From Warners Bay’s cosmopolitan appeal to the coastal beauty of Caves Beach, take a closer look below at some of our top spots to discover new beginnings.
Warners Bay
Cosmopolitan Warners Bay sits right on the edge of beautiful Lake Macquarie in the city’s scenic northeast. A true lifestyle suburb, it offers idyllic lakeside living with an urban edge.
New apartment blocks adjoining the retail precinct make the most of incredible over-the-water sunsets, but not at the expense of sprawling open spaces for the whole community.
The suburb’s foreshore park stretches for hundreds of metres around the lake, with shared pathways, sun lounges, exercise equipment, a communal ping pong table and an art trail featuring permanent installations from across the globe. Across the road beats the heart of Warners Bay’s cafe culture.
The strip along The Esplanade features some of the region’s best cafes, restaurants and boutiques, while Warners At The Bay further inland is one of Australia’s most celebrated bottle shops, with more than 1000 beers, 350 wines and 250 variety of spirits on offer.
Housing across the suburb ranges from waterfront mansions to classic cottages, all within a few minutes of the lake and major shopping centres.
Warners Bay also plays host to regular family-friendly events, including foreshore markets, free music concerts and major annual fixtures such as Float Your Boat and Lake Macquarie Superboats.
A shared path winds around the lake to Speers Point Park – a sprawling recreational area that includes one of Australia’s biggest and best public playgrounds, and an adjoining dog exercise area.
Teralba
Once known for its mining and industry, this quaint town in the city’s north-west is forging a new reputation as an emerging creative hub. A growing number of creative and artisan businesses are setting up shop in the area, including a ‘Makers Place’ selling works by local artists, as well as upcycled and recycled craft supplies. The Flying Spanners Cafe across the road serves up eclectic art and home-made treats – all within a couple of kilometres of the city’s freshly renovated Museum of Art and Culture.
Housing here has a largely heritage feel, reflected in the rows of former mining cottages radiating out from the suburb’s centre.
Newer residential development sits perched on the hill above town, including Billy’s Lookout, an emerging neighbourhood earmarked for almost 500 new homes. The 71ha precinct is surrounded by parkland, playgrounds and nature tracks, all just two minutes from the lake and less than five minutes from Marmong Marina and its rows of yachts and motor boats.
Teralba’s laidback feel, friendly community and affordability are big drawcards for new residents, as are the local Teralba Public School and Lake Macquarie High in neighbouring Booragul for families.
Caves Beach
With its impressive beauty and holiday lifestyle, it’s not hard to see why Caves Beach is a favourite weekend getaway for both locals and Sydneysiders. This serene suburb in the city’s south-east takes its name from the intriguing network of sea caves unique to this stretch of coast.
Close to the coast, lake, parklands and Wallarah National Park, families here are spoilt for choice with outdoor pursuits. With such a heady mix of natural features, it’s no surprise that fishing, sailing, swimming, mountain-biking, hiking and surfing are part of everyday life for locals.
Equally embedded in the culture is the Caves Coastal Bar & Bungalows, just back from the beach and a favourite for lazy summer drinks and meals.
Homes here are reminiscent of Sydney’s Northern Beaches – without the eye-watering price tags. Classic bungalows, modern beach houses, villas, sprawling suburban homes and coastal apartments sit side by side, many with stunning water views.
Morisset Park
Surrounded by pristine parklands, bays, bush and the lake, Morisset Park lends itself to a feeling of seclusion and connectivity to nature, within commuting distance to Sydney.
This south-western suburb features the top-end Trinity Point – a luxe residential resort village under development on the lake’s edge idyllically located on the lake's edge, 88 minutes’ drive north of Sydney. Once complete, the 23ha precinct will feature terrace houses and apartments, a five-star Pullman hotel, resort facilities, restaurant, café and a188-berth marina.
Built on a natural peninsula, the entire suburb is walking distance from the water’s edge, as well as a bushland tracks that forms part of the Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area.
Families are also well catered for in Morisset Park with Bonnells Bay Public School nearby and many other primary and high schools based a stone’s throw away in Morisset.
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