30th Birthday Party Central Coast

By 30, plenty of people have stopped wanting a function room and started wanting a good afternoon. The Central Coast handles that well: craft breweries in Gosford and Erina, a beach pub at Umina, a heritage tavern in Wyong and a golf estate in the hinterland, with workshops and games that slot in before dinner.

The breweries make an easy base. Six String Brewing Co. in Erina has an upstairs space over the brewhouse for 80 seated, share platters from $35 per person and the option of a guided tasting or behind-the-scenes tour. Bay Road Brewing in Gosford brews its own beer for 19 taps and can be booked outright. Nearby, Distillery Botanica runs a Distil Your Own gin or vodka workshop – pick botanicals in the garden, run them through a copper still and label the bottle – with experiences from $45 per person.

If the group would rather play, Hole in Fun at Lisarow pairs indoor mini golf and golf simulators with a licensed bar, The Paintball Place Kulnura runs themed games on bush fields, and Sip Paint & Create sends a qualified visual arts teacher to groups of six or more, at its Budgewoi studio or your venue.

Ways to run the evening:

• Pub party: Ocean Beach Hotel at Umina Beach, Hotel Gosford on Mann Street, The Lakes Hotel at The Entrance or Woodport Hotel in Erina.
• Big room with a stage: Wyong Milk Factory Tavern, whose beer garden takes 200, or The Savoy Bar and Music, a live music bar in an old Long Jetty cinema.
• Sit-down dinner: The Springs at Peats Ridge, with a private dining room for 40 or a ballroom for 180, or a shared Middle Eastern banquet at Motel Mezza in Wyong from $65 per person.
• Seafront table at Terrigal: Swells Terrigal over the beach, Coral Grill & Seafood upstairs on the Esplanade, or The Tropic's private dining room for 22.
• On the move: Bangin Bus Tours between stops, with Soho DJ and Shooting Stars Photobooth waiting at the last one.

Mixed crowd of friends and family? Ideas for every age are on the birthday party page, and the wine, gin and beer experiences page lists more tastings.