Long Jetty

Lifestyle & dining

Long Jetty has built a genuine reputation as a food and coffee destination on the Central Coast, with its main strip along The Entrance Road lined with cafes, bakeries, wine bars and casual eateries that draw visitors from well beyond the local area. It has a slightly bohemian, creative streak that sets it apart from some of its more traditional beachside neighbours, with vintage stores and independent retailers adding to the character.

The lake is the other drawcard. Locals fish, paddleboard and kayak from the foreshore, while a short drive or ride gets you to the patrolled ocean beaches at Shelly Beach and Toowoon Bay for a swim or surf.

Shopping

Everyday shopping is well covered locally, with the Long Jetty village strip handling cafes, boutiques and specialty stores, while The Entrance, just next door, offers a fuller retail and supermarket offering along with its own dining and entertainment precinct. Between the two, residents rarely need to travel far for daily needs, and larger shopping centres further south at places like Erina remain a manageable drive away.

Getting around

Long Jetty is reasonably car-dependent, as is typical of much of the Central Coast, with The Entrance Road providing the main spine through the suburb and connecting to the M1 Motorway for trips to Sydney or Newcastle. Bus services link Long Jetty to Tuggerah and Wyong, where the closest train stations connect to the Central Coast & Newcastle Line.

The lake and beach lifestyle also means many trips within the suburb are done on foot or by bike, with a flat, walkable layout between the village, the foreshore and nearby Blue Bay and Shelly Beach.

Schools & families

Families in Long Jetty are served by Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College's The Entrance Campus, close by, with a range of other public and private schooling options available across the wider Entrance and Erina districts for families wanting more choice as children move through primary and secondary years.

Parks & recreation

Between the lake foreshore, ocean beaches and local parks, Long Jetty is well set up for an outdoors-oriented lifestyle. Long Jetty Foreshore Reserve and the lakefront paths are popular for walking and cycling, while the nearby beaches at Shelly Beach, Toowoon Bay and The Entrance North cater to swimmers, surfers and anyone after a coastal walk.

The property market

Long Jetty's housing stock is dominated by houses, which make up 73% of current listings, with townhouses accounting for 20% and apartments or units the remaining 7% — a mix that reflects its history as a low-rise, cottage-style beachside suburb. The median house price currently sits at $1.10 million, while units and apartments have a median of $682,000, giving buyers a genuine price gap between the two dwelling types.

Median rent across the suburb is $680 a week. House prices have eased slightly of late, down 1.6% over the recent period, which may offer a window of opportunity for buyers after a foothold in a suburb that has otherwise seen strong long-term demand thanks to its lake and beach setting.