Telegraph
Woy Woy’s prodigal son is finally home. After enduring a lifetime of barbs and insults from Spike Milligan, the legendary British-Irish comic and writer who died on this day in 2002, this unassuming Australian township has finally made peace with its tormentor.
Milligan, who famously described Woy Woy, north of Sydney, as “the world’s only above ground cemetery” has been welcomed back into the fold with a permanent exhibition in the town library; a local bridge already honours the man Eddie Izzard calls “the godfather of alternative comedy”.
“Even though Spike was born in India and grew up in England, he considered the Central Coast his home and loved nothing more than to visit his family, write and relax here,” says librarian Geoff Potter, lifelong fan of The Goon Show. “There is plenty of evidence in his actions and words that he truly loved the place. I think we owe Spike an apology.”
During the 1960s and 1970s Milligan, then one of the UK’s most popular entertainers, was a frequent visitor to Australia where he performed stand-up comedy, appeared on radio and made several television programs. In between engagements he spent time with his parents Leo and Florence and younger brother Desmond who all lived on the attractive, hilly peninsula that juts into a majestic bay called, confusingly, Brisbane Water.
Potter says that ‘The Milligans of Woy Woy’ made a huge impact on the local community. Leo was a prolific newspaper columnist with a passion for the Wild West, Florence a singer and Desmond a talented artist. Despite his endless jokes about Woy Woy (Aboriginal for ‘Big Lagoon’) Spike regarded this sleepy coastal township as refuge from his growing celebrity. Over the years Spike supported many local causes and grew to appreciate the Central Coast’s natural beauty and significance to the local Darkinjung people. Three of his best known books, Hitler: My Part in his Downfall, Puckoon and Silly Verse For Kids, were written in his dad’s shed.
“His parents emigrated to Australia in 1950 and even though it took almost a decade for Spike to visit them when he finally did it is no surprise he fell in love with the area,” according to the librarian.
The Spike Milligan Exhibition, housed in special gallery at the Woy Woy Library, is destined to become a shrine for anyone who grew up with Eccles, Major Bloodnok, Neddie Seagoon, Henry Crun and the other bizarre characters who inhabited the parallel universe of The Goon Show (1951-1960). The collection includes photos, letters, diaries, manuscripts, LPs and treasured possessions such as Spike’s cornet.
“What you get is a really intimate portrait of the Milligan family,” says Potter. “It’s a fascinating family history – quite unconventional.”
Almost two decades after his death, the rather unsophisticated, classless and parochial Australia that Spike Milligan loved so much is fast disappearing. Even Woy Woy, once an enclave of Anglo-Irish working class life, is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. The old holiday shacks are being replaced by five-bedroom villas, smart new restaurants and cafes are popping up everywhere and it has embraced natural therapies and ‘wellness’ – the Gnostic Mana Café offers gluten-free and vegan lunch options while the nearby Hemp Store sells a wide range of hemp clothing, food and beauty products. Woy Woy now hosts a lively community market on the foreshore, with live music, produce stalls, vintage fashions and local crafts. It’s a long way from the somnolent village Spike Milligan once knew.
After a relaxed morning spent swimming on Umina Beach, as impressive as Bondi, ogling the opulent mansions at Pearl Beach and watching the pelicans at Patonga, I wander down to the newly-renovated Woy Woy Fishermen’s Wharf for lunch and tuck into BBQ Blue Mackerel with nam jimh sauce, tempura sea scallops and sardines with parsley and lemon salsa – the food is ocean-fresh, beautifully prepared and remarkably inexpensive. As the occasional pleasure boat motors lazily past the old wood wharf and out into Brisbane Water it’s hard to imagine anywhere more pleasant to be. The next day I dine at Ela Mesa, a vibrant little Greek restaurant hidden down a narrow passageway off the main street, and picture myself in the Mediterranean. The menu features dishes such as halloumi with braised figs, chargrilled Moreton Bay bugs (lobster), marinated lamb and some wicked desserts, like blood orange panna cotta.
Spike Milligan was fond of saying that if you plugged your electric toothbrush into the socket in Woy Woy all the town lights would dim, but that barb has lost some of its sting as this once-unloved coastal town rediscovers its spark. As one local remarked, in terms of beaches and scenery the Central Coast is in the same league as Queensland’s Gold Coast. “In many ways, I think this is better than the Gold Coast because there are no crowds,” he said. “We’re only an hour away from Sydney and yet hardly anyone knows we’re here.”
Getting there
Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) flies from London to Sydney with return economy airfares from £865. Lufthansa (lufthansa.com) and Cathay Pacific (cathaypacific.com) fly the same route for £1045 and £1088 respectively. The drive from Sydney to Woy Woy via the M1 freeway takes about 60 minutes.
Staying there
Mantra Ettalong Beach (mantraettalongbeach.com.au) is the smartest hotel on the peninsula, offering spacious rooms, a family-friendly pool and stunning views across Brisbane Water. Choose from studios and one- and two-bedroom suites. Overnight rates start at £82 per couple.
Local culture
Central Coast Ferries (centralcoastferries.com.au) have regular sailings from Fishermen’s Wharf in Woy Woy along Brisbane Water to Empire Bay. Woy Woy Library, cnr Blackwall Road and Oval Avenue, opens 9.30am to 5pm on weekdays, 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays and 12-noon to 3pm Sundays.
