Wellness
From Gosford foreshore to Tuggerah Lake, older residents can now access no-cost group exercise without joining a gym or paying a class fee.
Central Coast Council has expanded its ActiveAging program for the 2026–27 financial year, adding eight new free fitness sessions per week targeted at residents aged 60 and over. The sessions, which kicked off on July 1, run across six venues from Gosford to The Entrance and require no prior fitness experience or membership fee to attend.
The timing is pointed. Sydney just recorded its hottest June since 1859, and public health researchers have been warning for several years that sedentary behaviour among older adults spikes during winter months when outdoor activity feels less appealing. Council's community health unit says participation in its previous outdoor walking groups dropped roughly 30 percent between June and August last year. The expanded indoor and undercover program is a direct response to that winter drop-off, with Council committing $480,000 from its 2026–27 community wellbeing budget to keep the classes running through to June 30, 2027.
The anchor venue is the Gosford Regional Park Pavilion on Showground Road, where a Tuesday and Thursday morning chair yoga and strength session runs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Both classes are capped at 25 participants. The Wyong Leisure Centre on Anzac Road is hosting a low-impact aqua aerobics session every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., again at no cost to over-60s, with Council subsidising the pool hire directly. Over at the Tuggerah Lake foreshore path near The Entrance, a guided walking group departs from the Bicentennial Road car park every Monday at 8 a.m. — a gentle 4.5-kilometre loop that health coordinators describe as suitable for people returning to exercise after illness or injury.
The Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club on Terrigal Esplanade has partnered with Council to offer a beach-friendly balance and mobility class each Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. under the club's northern deck. Surf lifesaving clubs along this stretch of coastline have increasingly positioned themselves as community health hubs rather than purely emergency-response organisations, and the Friday class is a tangible example of that shift. Avoca Beach SLSC is also in discussions with Council about adding a similar program in the September quarter. A fifth site, the Bouddi Community Hall near Killcare, will host a gentle movement and stretching class on alternate Thursdays starting July 17.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data published in 2025 found that adults over 65 who participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week face a 28 percent lower risk of hospitalisation for falls-related injuries compared with inactive peers. Falls cost the NSW health system an estimated $560 million annually, a figure the NSW Falls Prevention Policy — renewed in 2024 — specifically targets through community-based exercise initiatives. Group exercise, the evidence consistently shows, adds an accountability element that solo walking rarely provides.
The Central Coast has a higher-than-average proportion of older residents: the 2021 Census put the over-65 share of the local government area's population at 19.4 percent, compared with 16.8 percent across Greater Sydney. That demographic reality gives programs like ActiveAging an outsized local significance. Council's community health team says pre-registration for the Gosford Pavilion sessions filled within 72 hours of the program being announced in mid-June, and a waitlist is already operating for the aqua aerobics class at Wyong Leisure Centre.
Anyone interested in joining should contact Central Coast Council's Community Wellbeing team directly through the council website or by calling the customer service line at 1300 463 954 to check current availability and register. Waitlisted residents are encouraged to show up anyway — cancellations are common and instructors regularly admit walk-ins when space permits. Council says a second intake of classes across additional venues is planned for September, pending budget confirmation. As always, anyone with an existing health condition or who has been inactive for an extended period should speak with a GP or practice nurse before starting a new exercise program.
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Published by The Daily Central Coast