Small beach town rocked after body found with stab wounds slumped by car

A quiet NSW beachside town has been rocked after the body of a man was found slumped next to a car in a surf club car park.

The body of a man in his 40s who had been stabbed has been found by a blue SUV next to a beach at Ocean Beach SLSC on Trafalgar Avenue at Umina Beach on the Central Coast.

The discovery was made at 3.15am after NSW Police were called to the car park. 

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The man hasn't been formally identified.

One local who said he has been going to the spot since he was a child said it was "a bit worrisome," and "a bit scary."

Another woman, who has lived there for five years, said she "felt a bit sick," at what had happened.

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"I always thought it was safe here," she said.

NSW Police Detective Inspector Paul Laksa admitted what had happened was "a concern".

"I think the main thing is that we don't have someone out in the public at large," he said.

He said he didn't know when the man was stabbed.

"The details around the injuries are unknown," he said.

The pair are believed to know each other and they are both from the area.

Homicide detectives have joined local police to investigate, and a man has been arrested and is expected to be charged.

Meanwhile a man aged 30 went to nearby Gosford Police Station at 7.30am.

He had suffered cuts and was taken into custody before being moved to hospital, for treatment under police guard.

Police expect to lay charges when he's out of hospital.

A large area around the surf club remains cordoned off.