Narooma
Crystal-clear waters, Montague Island and the famous Australia Rock
On the lands of the Yuin people.
A South Coast town built on a headland above some of the clearest water in New South Wales. Narooma is the departure point for Montague Island, a nature reserve teeming with fur seals and little penguins, and is home to the natural rock formation that looks exactly like a map of Australia.
Narooma sits on Yuin country on the far south coast of New South Wales, where the Wagonga Inlet meets the Tasman Sea. The water here is startlingly clear, coloured a deep turquoise that owes more to tropical islands than to the temperamental south coast, and the town makes the most of it with snorkelling, diving and boat tours departing from the inlet.
The main attraction offshore is Montague Island, a nature reserve 9 kilometres from the coast. The island supports a breeding colony of around 8,000 little penguins, a large fur seal haul-out, and seasonally visiting humpback whales. Guided day and twilight tours run from Narooma by boat and include walking the island with a National Parks guide. The seal snorkelling trips are a highlight, with seals regularly approaching swimmers in the clear water around the island.
Back on the mainland, Australia Rock is a natural formation in the headland where wave erosion has carved a gap in the rock that is shaped almost exactly like a map of Australia. It is free to visit, easy to find, and is the most photographed natural feature in town.
The Wagonga Inlet is a sheltered estuary good for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and fishing. The Mill Bay Boardwalk runs along the inlet and connects the town centre to the inlet bridge. Narooma is also the gateway to the Tilba region, a pair of heritage villages 15 minutes south that produce artisan cheese, honey and coffee.
Where to stay
Holiday parks near Narooma.
2 options via our booking partner
Beachcomber Holiday Park
16km away
Tuross Beach Cabins and Campsites
Tuross Head
·17.7km away
Bookings handled by our partner Parkbooker. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content
- Background text summarised from Wikipedia: Narooma , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images (3)
- Australia Rock.jpg · Nesoji · CC BY 4.0
- Freshlake Comfortably Gruntled.jpg · Pete from NSW Far South Coast, Australia · CC BY 2.0
- MontagueIslandFmNarooma.jpg · AYArktos · Public domain
Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons under licenses that permit commercial use. If you are the rights holder and believe an attribution is incorrect, please contact us.