New book on history of tourism

Former schoolteacher Peter Fisher is about to launch his second book about the Central Coast following his earlier book Tales from the Rainforest.

The new book, Wish You Were Here: A History of Tourism on the NSW Central Coast, was four years in the writing.

It follows the progression of tourism in the region up to the 1970s.

Originally from Canada, Fisher has lived on the Central Coast for almost 40 years.

“Not only does the Central Coast make a world-class holiday destination, but it is one of the best places where many of us are lucky enough to live,” he said.

“It is paradise and a world away from the snow and cold I grew up with.

“Central Coast tourism first got its start when the railway went through.

“In an era when relatively few Sydneysiders had witnessed the Hawkesbury River firsthand, much less knew about or visited the Central Coast, the ability to hop on a steam train at Central station and arrive here within a few short hours was considered absolutely amazing.

“In the beginning, many local people did not recognise the value of tourism and dismissed it as a fad.

“Some argued and fought against encouraging visitors.

“For example, early Woy Woy was wholly unprepared for its influx of visitors because there was limited accommodation, unless people were happy to camp out.

“Many local residents were so sure that tourism would fail that they laughed when the first Woy Woy hotel was built because nobody believed it would ever have enough patronage.”

The book outlines the rise of tourism, with the 1920s marking the first wave of a substantial increase in tourism.

This followed the production of more affordable motor vehicles, the improvement of local roads and availability of accommodation, and finally the completion in 1930 of the Pacific Hwy, which made travelling from Sydney a much easier task.

The softcover book is A4 sized and runs to just over 150 pages.

It has photos on every page and includes a detailed index, references and bibliography.

Copies will be available for sale at Central Coast Antiques and Collectables, Gosford, the Locomotive Café, Tascott, and Evergreen Village, West Gosford.

It can also be bought direct from the author by emailing peterfishercentralcoast@gmail.com

The book will be officially launched by Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch in mid-November at Evergreen Village, West Gosford.