Creative Escape: Designer Carlie Ballard’s Guide to the Central Coast

Offering up glorious scenery in all seasons, NSW’s Central Coast is particularly appealing in the springtime, when the great outdoors beckon with leafy bike rides, sandy strolls and abundant wildflowers to discover. There are also thrift shop gems and top-notch coffee waiting to be unearthed, not to mention art trails and and crafty workshops to plan your visit around. This natural stunner is a dreamy destination for a creative recharge, just 90 minutes’ drive north of Sydney.

Here, we catch up with designer Carlie Ballard, whose eponymous label sells hand-woven, ethically produced clothing and bedding. She’s a long-time local with a soft spot for the Peninsula, the southernmost region of the coast. Carlie and her family are currently living in Indonesia, so when we asked for her favourite Central Coast haunts, Carlie was more than happy to take a trip down memory lane (and the good news is, while she’s away, you can rent her gorgeous Umina Beach home!).

portraits and studio photos SUPPLIED BY CARLIE BALLARD other photos DESTINATION CENTRAL COAST

Tell us about yourself… 

My name is Carlie Ballard and I have a clothing label of the same name. I’m a Central Coast girl at heart – I grew up in the north, at Buff Point. After studying fine art at the University of Newcastle, I did a lot of travel and lived abroad, then I was in Sydney for 10 years until my partner and I started a family. We moved to Umina Beach on the Central Coast in 2017 and have adored creating a life wedged between the ocean, the Hawkesbury River and the abundant Brisbane Water National Park. 

I started creating ethical garments in 2012 with a beautiful workshop in Lucknow, India. I was introduced to traditional handloom fabric because we were able to order 25 metres of it rather than hundreds of metres at a time – little did I know that it would become the heart and passion of the brand. I’m a maximalist at heart, so I love a good splash of colour – and ikat handloom is the perfect match. 

What do you love most about the Central Coast? 

It feels like home. Most of my family lives on the Central Coast, so it’s hard to pop down to the shops and not see someone you know. But we’re currently on an 18-month stay in Indonesia, giving our children an opportunity to be exposed to another culture and be educated amongst children from all corners of the world. Returning home for little trips always has our house full of people – we step right back into life there, as if we hadn’t left. 

We’re not really home until we visit friends, have dinner at Tropicana Social Club in Woy Woy, and grab a bottle of pét-nat from Upstairs Wines at Ettalong Beach. 

What is your first stop when you return?  

We head straight home to our little sanctuary, which we’ve turned into holiday accommodation while we’re living in Indonesia. We built Tiny Wave Surf House over the course of four years, so it’s very much a piece of us in terms of style, DIY and concept. Our good friend and architect, Poppy Bevan, designed it for us and it’s truly so, so special. 

As it was being built, people walking their dogs would stop and ask us how the house worked, so we’d invite them in and show them – it’s definitely different to other places being built in the area. The block had two established avocado trees and we knew they’d become a feature of the space. It’s so nice now to be able to sit under their shade with friends.

What made you choose to settle in Umina Beach? 

It has a real creative buzz. Many of us still have connections in Sydney or work there – it’s a quick drive or train trip to the city if needed. But being able to walk or ride a bike to the beach and leave the traffic behind was such a breath of fresh air for us, after living in the city for so long. It’s on the Peninsula, which is a special part of the Central Coast because it has easy access to Brisbane Water National Park. In spring, our family loves to wander through and see how many different species of wildflowers and waratahs we can find!

There are so many opportunities to connect with nature uninterrupted here. The national park also has one of the most incredible sacred Aboriginal rock art sites, called Bulgandry, where you can get up close to ancient art. One of my favourite places to take my two children is Patonga. It’s only a 10-minute drive south of our home, but it has you feeling like you’ve stepped into a small fishing village.

How does the area influence your designs? 

The natural, coastal lifestyle inspires me to create garments that I want to reach for each morning – pieces that work for the relaxed dress code of the Central Coast. I want dresses that can be worn over swimwear, jackets to layer over those dresses in the cooler months and pants that are fun and unique, which I can throw on for the school run.  

What makes the creative community on the Central Coast special? 

It’s a really exciting time for the Central Coast. It’s so refreshing to see more and more creatives start businesses here or relocate their practice  – especially in our area because of its proximity to Sydney. The Central Coast allows creatives and families to have a little more space and it offers easy access to bushland and the ocean for inspiration. It removes the traffic and density of the population, which can really inhibit creative flow. 

The Peninsula is still a beautiful tapestry of existing and emerging [creatives], so when someone we know creates or opens something new, we are all very supportive of it. It’s creatives with vision that make the coast such an incredible place to call home. 

What are your top tips for a creative recharge on the Central Coast?  

Find a beautiful home to base yourself in (like Tiny Wave Surf House hehe), which is within walking distance of the beach. Being able to leave the car behind and just walk from your front door gives you space to dream and create. 

We grab coffee at either Lords of Pour at Ettalong Beach or Café Ronto at Umina Beach, then pop into the local second-hand stores. Woy Woy has one of my favourites, called Shop 55 – I challenge you to walk out empty-handed. Each piece is carefully sourced by the owner and there’s an abundance of rare vintage clothing. Heaven! A weekend is never really complete without a thrift shop, in my opinion. 

The walking track from Pearl Beach to Patonga in Brisbane Water National Park is hard to beat. A little drive through Pearl Beach, looking at the incredible homes in the sleepy seaside enclave, then a wander through the Pearl Beach Arboretum is such a perfect start to the bushwalk. You’ll finish in Patonga, where you can have a swim and an afternoon drink at The Boathouse Hotel Patonga.

There are so many opportunities for creativity in this part of the coast. A good friend of mine hosts indigo dyeing classes at her shop/workshop, Desert Traditions, which are well worth booking. On Friday nights, Centered Ceramics at Umina Beach runs Wine and Clay and Sip & Spin classes. They’re so fun!

Any festivals to keep an eye out for? 

The Peninsula is home to Words on the Waves, an annual festival held during May/June that draws some of the most accomplished writers to our community. I also adore going to the Pearl Beach Arboretum Ephemeral Art Trail – wandering through nature and searching for installation art is my idea of heaven!

This article was created in partnership with our friends at Destination Central Coast. For all the insider tips on planning a creative weekend escape from headland to hinterland, head to their website.