Header image: Roslyn Donohoe Photography
The 5 Lands Walk is back on Saturday 20 June 2026, and this year it’s a big one — the event turns 20. Two decades of locals lacing up their shoes, walking 10km along some of the coast’s best beaches and having a cracking time doing it.
Same deal as always: it’s free, it runs from Macmasters Beach through to Terrigal, and free Busways shuttle buses make it accessible for even more locals.
What is the 5 Lands Walk?
The 5 Lands Walk is a free community festival that runs each year around the winter solstice, timed with the whale migration along the NSW coast. It covers five gorgeous beaches on Darkinjung Country – Macmasters, Copacabana, Avoca, North Avoca and Terrigal – with events, art, music and activities at each stop. Over 20,000 people take part annually, which says plenty.
What’s on at each land in 2026?
Walking the whole 10km is a fab way to get involved with the local community, but you can also utilise the free shuttle buses if you’d rather dip in and out between each land. There are plenty of pit stops along the way for sustenance and to refuel. Plus, the scenery! These beaches are without a doubt some of the jewels in the Central Coast’s crown.
Macmasters Beach is the starting point. Walkers gather from early morning, there’s brekkie and a Tai Chi session on the sand before the 8am start. It sets a nice tone for the day – calm and connected.
Copacabana Beach has heaps going on – bands and drumming, a local art show upstairs at the surf club, a history display, circus activities for the kids. The shops and cafes along the strip are well worth a stop – Burnt Honey for baked goods, Bees Knees for a toastie, Artie’s Place for a decent cuppa. Then head up Del Monte Place to Captain Cook Lookout – one of those views that stops you mid-sentence, and a highlight for whale watching on the Central Coast.
Avoca Beach is the midpoint, and it brings the energy. Beach sculptures, Pianos for the People, the Ephemera Choir, a mobile DJ stage, and another art show at the Avoca Beach SLSC. The whale migration is in full swing during the 5 Lands Walk, so keep your eyes on the water.
North Avoca is where things slow down a bit. There’s a Vocal Activation Workshop, a Yin Class and a collaborative Mandala Installation on the beach. The Boy and Rose is right there if you need a sit-down. Mid-walk swim is also highly recommended. Pack your swimmers, even in June – if the sun is shining, the ocean is usually mild and there’s nothing quite like an ocean swim to feel invigorated and alive.
Terrigal is the finish line. The closing celebrations take over the beachfront with music, dance, art installations and market stalls. Walk down from the hill and take in the Haven, We promise that no one will judge you if you pull into Trojans Clubhouse or the Terrigal Pavillion to take in the view! Or for a cheeky schooner to celebrate your efforts…
Continue along the Terrigal Boardwalk and onto Terrigal Beach and you’ve officially completed the 5 Lands Walk.
Go you!
The best spots for whale watching on the Central Coast
Getting there: parking and shuttle buses
Macmasters Beach has next to no parking. The easiest approach is to park at Terrigal – free parking at the Haven or the Wilson Rd carpark near the Crowne Plaza – where you can catch the shuttle bus to Macmasters, walk back, done.
Avoca Beach has extra off-street parking on Burns St. The other lands are generally fine for parking during winter.
Disability parking is available near each surf club for permit holders.
The free Busways shuttles run all day and will get you between lands, back to your car, or out to meet the Palm Beach Ferry if you’re coming up from Sydney.
Full bus timetable at 5landswalk.com.au.
Coming from Sydney for the 5 Lands Walk Central Coast?
Drive to Palm Beach, park at the ferry wharf, and catch the Palm Beach Ferry to Ettalong. A free Busways shuttle will meet you there and take you to Macmasters Beach to start the walk. Shuttles run back from Terrigal at the end of the day to meet the return ferry.
Alternatively, the train to Woy Woy is a good trip – the line runs through Ku-ring-gai Chase and Marramarra National Parks, crosses the Hawkesbury and comes through a 1.79km tunnel before pulling into Woy Woy. It’s scenic in a way most Sydney commutes are not.
Top 10 Central Coast walks for a nature hit
Can I do the 5 Lands Walk as a self-guided walk?
If the festival date doesn’t work for you, the route makes an excellent self-guided walk any time of year.
Strong legs required for the full 10km, but the epic scenery is the payoff for your hard work – endless ocean views, bushland, whale sightings between May and November, and some of the coast’s best beaches along the way.
From Macs to Copa, Avoca and North Avoca, finishing off in Terrigal… this is a picture-perfect walk on the Central Coast.
What’s on across the Central Coast? Coasties has you covered.
