A service centre for the agricultural activities of the area, and a fishing resort that is popular with holidaymakers.

From canoeing to fishing, surfing and beach walking, Narooma and the lazy, winding Wagonga River were made for summer holidays. The seas around Montague Island, just 11 km off Narooma, teem with marine life making the island a haven for sea birds and seals, once a hunting ground for the local Wallaga and Djiringanj people.

For golfers no visit to the south coast of NSW is complete without playing a round of Narooma's famous golf course. With its unique and stunning coastal setting the course is both a challenge for serious golfers and a pleasure to play for the not so serious. The 3rd Hole at Narooma Golf Course has now been officially recognised as one of the country's best with induction into the Australian Golf Digest Golf Holes Hall of Fame.


Narooma is a popular spot to go whale watching, either on a cruise or from a headland overlooking the ocean during the migration season from September to November.

Where is it?: 348 km south of Sydney via the Princes Highway at the mouth of the Wagonga Inlet.

Australia Rock)

Natural features in the area: South Pacific Ocean; Montague Island Nature Reserve (10 km offshore, south of Narooma; Wagonga River; Corunna Lake; Wagonga Inlet; Dromedary Conservation Area; Tilba Tilba Lake; Mitchells Ridge; Lawlers Creek; Grants Lookout; Bilba Bilba Creek; Burrimbidgee Creek; Wagonga Inlet; Makins Hill; Australia Rock (which features a naturally occurring hole with an uncanny resemblance to the map of Australia); Mt Dromedary; Mystery Bay; Camel Rock; Mumbulla Mountain; Fairhaven Point; Wallaga Lake; Broulee Island Nature Reserve.

Built features: Tilba Valley Wines and Vineyard; Brooklands Deer Farm; township of Dalmeny.

Heritage features: Uniting Church (1914); Parsonage (1935); Montague Island lighthouse (1878-81); Wallaga Lake has Aboriginal middens.

Brief history: The district was the tribal lands of the Wandandian Aborigines before the first white settlers arrived in the 1840s and established cattle runs. These runs were dissected into smaller farms after 1861. Gold was discovered in the area in 1880 at Montreal and finds soon followed at Cape Dromedary, Mt Dromedary, Wallaga Lake, Wagonga Heads, Corunna and Kianga. This led to the creation of a village called Noorooma at the site of present-day Corunna. Its name was changed to Corunna two years later. The township of Narooma was surveyed and declared a port in 1883-84.

As the gold petered out, timber became the predominant industry and the Wagonga forests became the source of supply of the state's railway sleepers. Fishing and tourism grew throughout the 20th century. The 'Noorooma' run was one of the first stations in the district, covering the area from Wagonga to Bermagui. It gave its name to the town. The official spelling was 'Noorooma' until 1972. The name, of Aboriginal origin, meanins 'clear blue water'.

In the area


Gulaga (Mt Dromedary) and the surrounding landscape have great spiritual significance to local Aboriginal people, particularly Aboriginal women. The park also incorporates the former Wallaga Lake National Park. When Mount Gulaga was an active volcano over 60 million years ago, its peak was approximately 3,000 metres in height. Though the peak has fallen due to shifts in the Earth's crust, the peak can still be seen from virtually anywhere in the Tilba region. It is also visible across from many lakes, such as Wallaga Lake National Park or Lake Corunna.
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Montague Island: 9 kilometres offshore from Narooma, it was sighted by James Cook in 1770 and named Cape Dromedary, then identified as an island and named by the master of the Second Fleet convict transport Surprize after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax. Montague Island is a popular tourist destination, known for its lighthouse, wildlife (especially little penguins), and recreational activities.

The Montague Island lighthouse was designed by James Barnet and built in 1881. The lighthouse is 21 metres tall and the light is 80 metres above sea level with a nominal range of 20 nautical miles (37 km) and a geographic range of 17 nautical miles (31 km).
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Broulee Island: currently joined to the mainland, Broulee Island's connecting spit has for many years been covered by water, at times a very deep navigable channel with a strong current. The first harbour in the area south of Batemans Bay was established at Broulee behind what is now known as the island. From 1972 the island has been managed as the Broulee Island Nature Reserve. There is a modern caravan park with on-site vans and cabins available.

The four kilometre Broulee Island Walk begins south of the main beach at Broulee, across a permanent sand bar. The walk features ocean vistas across pristine rock pools that photographers will love. It's also a great vantage point for whale watching over spring. Along the walk there is a brilliant display of native plants including coastal banksias, casuarinas, coastal wattles, westringias, red olive plum and lilli pilli. It's also a wonderful place for marine birdlife - including the outstanding fairy wren and white bellied sea eagle.