haleyj1

I've lived in Umina Beach my whole life.
My Husband and I both grew up here. We met each other at school, and have happy memories of childhood adventures.
Camping in Patonga, mountain bike riding through the many bush tracks between Umina and Patonga, fishing and jumping from Ettalong wharf after school during the Summer, and having the privilege of swimming at the beach until dark, and still being able to make it home before dinner.
Contrary to the stupid rumours, Umina is an incredibly safe place.
Kids as young as ten are still playing cricket in the street after dark, or riding their bikes down to the corner store.
I feel safe walking my dog at 9pm.
Umina is a part of who we are.
We have lived in Sydney to be closer to higher paying work oppertunities for a few years, but in the end we couldn't stand it anymore.
It was smelly, fast paced, and we didn't want to raise our children in a place you hear a horror story on the news about every evening.
Stabbings, shootings, gang related violence, terrorism... ew.
I didn't feel safe walking down the street in the middle of the day let alone at night, with Arabic men giving me "looks" or yelling derogatory things out their car windows.
We moved back home to start our family, and my Husband would rather get up early to travel into Sydney than have us ever back in that dirty environment again.

Umina is a place to call home.
The community spirit here is like nothing you will find anywhere else.
I love the way West Street comes alive at night, and people can walk around barefoot after just walking up from the beach for dinner.
I love the slow pace, the early morning walks with my dog along the beach, and eating dinner and watching the sunset on the beach with my family in the Summer, any night of the week.
I love that wherever we go, we are constantly seeing familiar, friendly faces.
We band together during times of crisis in our community, and we help each other out.
There are beautiful beaches, bush tracks, picnic and fishing spots e v e r y w h e r e, it's just gorgeous.
The people here are friendly, easy going, and look out for one another.
I love the way the people of Umina are so proud and protective of our community.
There is always something fun and free to do with the family on the weekends.
Bike riding, bush walking, boating, fishing, picnic and BBQ areas, fantastic playgrounds, community events, markets, lots of local clubs...and you don't need to drive anywhere, it's all within walking distance.
There are three public primary schools, one catholic primary school, and two highschools on the Peninsula, and the Primary Schools in particular have a fantastic reputation with strong ties to the community.
The cons of living in any small beachside community is obviously having to venture out of town a bit for private schools and larger shopping centres, but that's a small price to pay in my opinion.
Our children attend a Christian school twenty minutes drive out of town, but unless you work in town you have to drive out towards the private schools anyway, and most of them have buses that pick the kids up too (ours does).
We have a reputable local soccer club, little athletics, and several dance schools for kids.
A PCYC that runs other activities for children, like karate and boxing, and a Scouts group that's run through the local hall.
There's a Nippers at Umina Beach every Sunday during Summer.
The local church runs program's for children on Friday and Saturday nights, and a pantry club for those struggling in our community, where they can go and help themselves to groceries.
Deepwater Plaza has an abundance of shopping options, and there are lots of great cafes and restaurants, not only in Umina, but in the surrounding suburbs of Woy Woy and Ettalong Beach.
Lots of boutique shops, a leisure centre with indoor pools, basketball courts and a gym with a crche .
What I love most about Umina is the people. The people here are beautiful.
Easy going and friendly, will stop to have a chat..
We have our community "icons" like those with disabilities that everyone knows by name, and an old "can man" who sadly passed two years ago, but who we all loved, as well as an old man who walks around with two walking sticks telling jokes down West Street.
Some people might be turned off this place by the thought of these beautiful people, or by the "bogans"/old school Aussie's, but I think the many different people here, and the spirit of acceptance and belonging in this town is what makes it so special.
This is most definitely the place for you if you "get" life and what it's really all about.
If you are down to earth, love people and the outdoors, and want a simple, happy life.