Narooma, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Narooma is a town in the Australia
n state of New South Wales
on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway
. The name is said to be derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘clear blue waters’. At the 2006 census
, Narooma had a population of 3,100 people.
Montague Island, a National Parks and Wildlife Reserve, is eight kilometers offshore from Narooma. The island was sighted off the coast by Captain Cook
in 1770.
The heritage town of Central Tilba
is nearby to the south.
and Nerrigundah
; a ruined jetty and timber mill can still be seen there. Gold was discovered nearby at Central Tilba
in 1880 and a post office was opened at Corunna, but called Noorooma until 1882. There is still a street bearing this spelling in the town today
A township was surveyed at Narooma in 1883 and it was declared a port in 1884. Its school opened in 1886 and its post office in 1889. Transport to Narooma was first from the sea. From 1894 a hand-worked punt crossed Wagonga Inlet linking Narooma with Moruya
. A daily mail coach ran through the town between Bega
and Moruya.
Narooma was regarded as a tourist destination from the early twentieth century. The local oyster industry was established around 1900. The Uniting
(formerly Methodist
) Church on the Princes Highway dates from 1914. Together with the associated parsonage, it is regarded as an excellent example of the Australian Federation Carpenter Gothic architectural style.
In 1929 a petrol driven punt that had previously operated at Batemans Bay
was installed. The Narooma bridge was the first major bridge constructed on the Princes Highway by the Main Roads Board as part of its efforts to develop the highway. The bridge was built between 1929 and 1931 and crosses the Wagonga Inlet. The bridge has three spans and is made of steel and concrete. It is one of two bascule span bridges
of its type remaining in New South Wales in 2002; the other was being threatened with demolition in 2002. A footpath was added to the eastern (seaward) side of the bridge in 1960.
A fish cannery opened in 1937 or 1940 to process tuna and salmon. Salmon which visited the inlet annually were trapped and processed. It is said that during one of the annual visits a worker left the trap gate open which allowed a small number of fish to escape. The salmon never returned to Narooma and the cannery was closed.
which used to be separated by thousands of kilometers from the Australian coast. It traveled to the west and attached itself to the side of the Lachlan Fold Belt
which became part of Australia. The rock found near Narooma includes the Narooma Chert
dating from Cambrian
times, and turbidite
s. There is also the remains of an submarine volcano
with pillow lava
.
Mount Gulaga
, until recently also known as Mt. Dromedary, the name given by Captain Cook
for its resemblance to the Dromedary Camel, can be reached from the village of Tilba Tilba
. There are eight rainforest types on the mountain, and rock sites of significance to the local indigenous population. Views from the top of the mountain are limited by the vegetation. Beaches in the area include Dalmeny Beach, Narooma Beach, Bar Beach (flat water) and Yabarra Beach.
Australia Rock is found at the bar crossing (where the inlet empties into the sea). The shape of Australia cut into the rock wall was accidental and was created many years ago when a ship was tied to the rock with large chains to prevent it from washing away. The chains wore the shape into the rock during rough seas and it has been known as Australia Rock ever since.
The Narooma Golf Course was established in 1930 and has been rated amongst Australia's top 50 public access courses and Australia's top 25 resort golf courses. It is considered to be a spectacular and challenging course, with views of Montague Island to the east and Glass House Rocks to the south.
The Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival was held here annually on the October long weekend until it moved to Batemans Bay
in 2010.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
. The name is said to be derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘clear blue waters’. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Narooma had a population of 3,100 people.
Montague Island, a National Parks and Wildlife Reserve, is eight kilometers offshore from Narooma. The island was sighted off the coast by Captain Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
in 1770.
The heritage town of Central Tilba
Tilba, New South Wales
Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Central Tilba had a population of 223 people, and Tilba Tilba had a population of 275 people....
is nearby to the south.
History
There had been an earlier settlement nearby at Punkalla, which was a port for BodallaBodalla, New South Wales
Bodalla is a small town on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, and located in the local government area of Eurobodalla Shire. The town sits on the Princes Highway, and is connected by road to Moruya, Narooma, Nerrigundah, Eurobodalla and Potato Point.The Yuin people are consider to be...
and Nerrigundah
Nerrigundah, New South Wales
thumb|right|220px|Nerrigundah & memorial obeliskNerrigundah is a small village on the Eurobodalla Nature Coast in south eastern New South Wales. Situated at the head of the Tuross River Valley, it is nineteen kilometres inland from Bodalla. At the 2006 census, Nerrigundah had a population of 100...
; a ruined jetty and timber mill can still be seen there. Gold was discovered nearby at Central Tilba
Tilba, New South Wales
Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Central Tilba had a population of 223 people, and Tilba Tilba had a population of 275 people....
in 1880 and a post office was opened at Corunna, but called Noorooma until 1882. There is still a street bearing this spelling in the town today
A township was surveyed at Narooma in 1883 and it was declared a port in 1884. Its school opened in 1886 and its post office in 1889. Transport to Narooma was first from the sea. From 1894 a hand-worked punt crossed Wagonga Inlet linking Narooma with Moruya
Moruya, New South Wales
Moruya is a small regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River, approximately 300 kilometers south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Moruya had a population of 10,278 people. The town relies predominantly on agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism...
. A daily mail coach ran through the town between Bega
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
and Moruya.
Narooma was regarded as a tourist destination from the early twentieth century. The local oyster industry was established around 1900. The Uniting
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
(formerly Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
) Church on the Princes Highway dates from 1914. Together with the associated parsonage, it is regarded as an excellent example of the Australian Federation Carpenter Gothic architectural style.
In 1929 a petrol driven punt that had previously operated at Batemans Bay
Batemans Bay, New South Wales
- Media :Radio Stations*East Coast Radio 2EC *Power FM NSW South Coast - POWER FM from Nowra can also be received in parts of Batemans Bay on FM 94.9....
was installed. The Narooma bridge was the first major bridge constructed on the Princes Highway by the Main Roads Board as part of its efforts to develop the highway. The bridge was built between 1929 and 1931 and crosses the Wagonga Inlet. The bridge has three spans and is made of steel and concrete. It is one of two bascule span bridges
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
of its type remaining in New South Wales in 2002; the other was being threatened with demolition in 2002. A footpath was added to the eastern (seaward) side of the bridge in 1960.
A fish cannery opened in 1937 or 1940 to process tuna and salmon. Salmon which visited the inlet annually were trapped and processed. It is said that during one of the annual visits a worker left the trap gate open which allowed a small number of fish to escape. The salmon never returned to Narooma and the cannery was closed.
Geology
Narooma is located on the Narooma TerraneNarooma Terrane
The Narooma Accretionary Complex or Narooma Terrane is a geological structural region on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia that is the remains of a subduction zone or an oceanic terrane...
which used to be separated by thousands of kilometers from the Australian coast. It traveled to the west and attached itself to the side of the Lachlan Fold Belt
Lachlan Fold Belt
The Lachlan Fold Belt or Lachlan Orogen is a geological subdivision of the east part of Australia. It is a zone of folded and faulted rocks of similar age. It dominates New South Wales and Victoria, also extending into Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. It was formed in...
which became part of Australia. The rock found near Narooma includes the Narooma Chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
dating from Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
times, and turbidite
Turbidite
Turbidite geological formations have their origins in turbidity current deposits, which are deposits from a form of underwater avalanche that are responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean.-The ideal turbidite sequence:...
s. There is also the remains of an submarine volcano
Submarine volcano
Submarine volcanoes are underwater fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. They are estimated to account for 75% of annual magma output. The vast majority are located near areas of tectonic plate movement, known as ocean ridges...
with pillow lava
Pillow lava
Pillow lavas are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures that are attributed to the extrusion of the lava under water, or subaqueous extrusion. Pillow lavas in volcanic rock are characterized by thick sequences of discontinuous pillow-shaped masses, commonly up to one metre in...
.
Things to do and see
Charter operators tour from Narooma onto and around Montague Island.Mount Gulaga
Mount Gulaga
Mount Gulaga is one of the highest mountains on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It rises above the village of Central Tilba and is within the Gulaga National Park...
, until recently also known as Mt. Dromedary, the name given by Captain Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
for its resemblance to the Dromedary Camel, can be reached from the village of Tilba Tilba
Tilba, New South Wales
Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Central Tilba had a population of 223 people, and Tilba Tilba had a population of 275 people....
. There are eight rainforest types on the mountain, and rock sites of significance to the local indigenous population. Views from the top of the mountain are limited by the vegetation. Beaches in the area include Dalmeny Beach, Narooma Beach, Bar Beach (flat water) and Yabarra Beach.
Australia Rock is found at the bar crossing (where the inlet empties into the sea). The shape of Australia cut into the rock wall was accidental and was created many years ago when a ship was tied to the rock with large chains to prevent it from washing away. The chains wore the shape into the rock during rough seas and it has been known as Australia Rock ever since.
The Narooma Golf Course was established in 1930 and has been rated amongst Australia's top 50 public access courses and Australia's top 25 resort golf courses. It is considered to be a spectacular and challenging course, with views of Montague Island to the east and Glass House Rocks to the south.
The Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival was held here annually on the October long weekend until it moved to Batemans Bay
Batemans Bay, New South Wales
- Media :Radio Stations*East Coast Radio 2EC *Power FM NSW South Coast - POWER FM from Nowra can also be received in parts of Batemans Bay on FM 94.9....
in 2010.