Upgraded popular whale-watching Crackneck Lookout reopens on NSW Central Coast

The popular whale-watching Crackneck Lookout has reopened on the New South Wales Central Coast following significant upgraded.

The upgraded Crackneck Lookout now includes new viewing areas and wheelchair-friendly pathways to make the precinct more accessible for all visitors, as well as an expanded visitor precinct featuring a landscaped picnic area with timber and sandstone seating.

The carpark has also been upgraded to improve safety and provide accessible parking. A total of 55 parking spaces have been created, as well as a formalised minibus parking bay and a number of wheelchair-friendly parking spaces.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Central Coast Area Manager Steve Atkins said the upgrades have revitalised the stunning Central Coast location, creating a more accessible and user-friendly visitor precinct.

Atkins advised “Crackneck Lookout in Wyrrabalong National Park is very popular with the local community and is one of the best locations to observe whales on the Central Coast.

“Visitors to Central Coast national parks contribute more than $1 billion to our local economy each year and help generate over 2,520 jobs for the region.

“It’s fantastic to see this national park project completed so that locals and visitors to the Central Coast can enjoy the site’s unique vantage point as the annual humpback whale migration continues.

“The new arrangement will improve visitor safety, provide universal access to the spectacular ocean views, including for those in parked vehicles, and better manage the flow of traffic during peak periods.

“For those whale-watching enthusiasts, new information signage about humpback whales and their annual migration has been installed.”

The upgrade was carefully planned by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) team, considering both conservation and improving visitor infrastructure.

Following public consultation in September 2021, the concept design was adjusted to reduce environmental impacts.

Works were completed by local Aboriginal-owned company Goanna Services.

Image. Credit: NSW DPE