The Peninsula is a unique residential and business environment with a population in excess of 38,000 people and more than 22,000 homes. It accounts for more than 27% of the population of the former Gosford City Council region.

Surrounded by highly distinctive natural and scenic backdrops, the Peninsula area covers around 1,500 hectares. It is separated from nearby coastal settlements by national parks and on three sides by waterways, providing extensive water frontage with panoramic views.

The Peninsula area is made up of three distinct town centres. Woy Woy (the main commercial hub and transport interchange), Umina (the main strip retail centre) and Ettalong (the main tourism and café/restaurant hub). Each of these centres offer a variety of retailing and commercial services, leisure and tourist activities as well as local employment.

Woy Woy

Woy Woy comprises of 34,000 square metres of commercially zoned land of which 60% consists of retail businesses together with a mix of professional services (ie: solicitors, accountants, real estate agents) and major supermarkets including Deepwater Plaza and Peninsula Plaza. Woy Woy represents the commercial heart of the Peninsula and vital commuter transport hub consisting of the Woy Woy Rail Station and bus interchange. The town centre is enhanced by the Woy Woy waterfront precinct and Woy Woy Channel with ferry links to Davistown. The waterfront precinct boasts a mix of heritage listed buildings with cafes, bars and restaurants.

Ettalong Beach 

Ettalong Beach comprises of 11, 750 square metres of commercially zoned land adjacent to the Ettalong Beach foreshore of which the majority are small retailers, cafes and restaurants. Dominated by the Ettalong Beach Club and Mantra Resort and the newly completed Atlantis residential complex, Ettalong Beach is the centre of tourist activity on the Peninsula. The village is supported by the Ettalong Markets complex and Paradiso Theatre which forms an integral link between the ferry wharf at Ferry Road and town centre. The Ettalong Market complex is the restaurant hub of the Peninsula with a wide range of cafes and restaurants offering a range of international cuisine. Palm Beach Ferries operates an hourly daytime service between Ettalong Beach and Palm Beach. Ideally located at the entry to Brisbane Waters, the village boasts the magnificent Ettalong Beach Foreshore Reserve with walkways linking the centre to Ocean Beach Surf Club to the south west.

Umina Beach 

Umina Beach comprises 18,500 square metres of retail/commercial floor space consisting primarily of small to medium retailers and larger supermarkets. Umina Beach represents the main strip retail hub of the Peninsula and has undergone major changes with the addition of both a Woolworths and  Aldi in the precinct supplementing the existing Coles supermarket. The retail hub is further supported by large national businesses including Bunnings and MacDonalds. The centre is also serviced by both Shell and BP Service Stations at the busy West Street and Ocean Beach Road intersection. The success of the Umina Beach town centre rests with easily accessible parking, grid street access, major stand alone retailers and interconnecting boutique retailers. The town centre also lies in close proximity to both Ocean Beach Surf Club and Umina Beach Surf Club both of which are popular and safe swimming locations.

In addition there is an extensive network of open spaces, cycleways, schools and community facilities plus health and medical services located within a relatively compact area. 

Other than Kariong, the Peninsula is Gosford City's closest population centre to the F3 freeway and also has rail access to the metropolitan centre.