Narooma, New South Wales

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Narooma
New South Wales

Bridge at Narooma on the Princes Highway
Population: 3,391 (2001 Census)
Established: 1881
Postcode: 2546
Location:
LGA: Eurobodalla Shire Council
State District: Bega
Federal Division: Eden-Monaro

Narooma is a town in the Australian 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’.

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.

[edit] History

There had been an earlier settlement nearby at Punkalla, which was a port for Bodalla and Nerrigundah; a ruined jetty and timber mill can still be seen there. Gold was discovered nearby in 1880 and a post office was opened at Corunna, but called Noorooma until 1882. Narooma was declared a port in 1884, its school opened in 1886 and its post office opened in 1889.[1] 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.[2]

Narooma was regarded as a tourist resort 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.[1] 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 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.[2]

In 1940 a fish cannery opened.[1]

Narooma court house

The Uniting Church built 1914

The parsonage associated with Narooma's Uniting Church

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Narooma. Walkabout. John Fairfax. Retrieved on January 30, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Narooma Bridge. Heritage and conservation register. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2002). Retrieved on January 30, 2006.

Coordinates: 36°12′S, 150°08′E

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