NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

A BREAK, WITH TRADITION
Shaney Hudson, Sydney Morning Herald, March 6 – 7, 2010

“Heading south, Avoca Beach is half Terrigal’s size but has double the appeal.  It has the most character, in my view, of all the Central Coast beaches.  There are no chain hotels or expensive cafes, just a collection of quaint shops, such as the tiny Mouse Hall, selling knick-knacks by local artists.
For families, the estuary behind Avoca is made for school holidays, with shallows for toddlers, giant fluoro yellow paddle bikes, surf skis and kayaks.  For surfers a weathered pine platform in the car park is the place to assess surf conditions.
The heart of the village is the tiny Avoca Beach Picture Theatre, which is unique and full of character.  At the end of Avoca Drive, the Theatre has been operating for more than 60 years.  Outside the building is covered in bougainvillea and looks more like a beach shack; inside, there’s art deco grandeur, with leadlight lamps, red velvet seats, faded movie posters and an old-fashioned confectionary bar.
The Theatre specialises in independent movies, showing everything form cinema noir to surfing flicks, opera and even premieres.
Last year it hosted the inaugural Coasties Film Festival, at which shorts and features from film-makers in the region were screened.  Heading to the movies here has a real sense of occasion, evoking a simpler time when cinema was the height of entertainment and the social epicentre of a small town.
The villages character is largely drawn fro the old picture theatre, though the tide of development is rising.  Simple beach houses have been razed and replaced by condominiums built as high and wide and as close to the beach as the council will allow.
Just across from the Theatre, a new surf life saving club has been built overlooking the ocean pool and main public swimming area.  At the southern end of the beach, the club has a traditional beachside kiosk, along with a modern café and function centre."