The sun was slowly going down the horizon when we reached Narooma, on an Easter Saturday, a good 350 km from Sydney. Narooma is a gorgeous coastal town in the State of NSW, Australia. A dreamy locale, where every winding road is flanked by beautiful sights, charming its way into your heart.
But, the beginning of our holiday wasn’t a smooth one. On reaching the hotel that was booked for our stay, we were told that they never received our booking-order. Even though at that point we were holding a confirmation receipt, the hotel didn’t have any record of our names or number. It must have been a glitch on the booking website. Unfortunately, the hotel was already booked out so they couldn’t provide us with any other room, but the kind owner called up other hotels to check if they had any room available. Luckily, even on a busy long weekend, we found a room just across the road.
And so after a hiccup, we began our two days of fabulous holiday.
On the first day, we roamed around the breakwater, exploring places on both the side of Narooma Bridge. On day 2, we sailed to Montague Island and enjoyed a guided tour of the island, before heading back home.
Mill Bay Board Walk
This 800m long board walk provides a spectacular view of the waterside. The water is so clear that you can see scores of marine life swimming beneath. Here’s a picture of a school of fish, shaped like a fish.
I was fascinated by the different species of fish that I could spot so easily. No wonder this is a popular location for fishing.
Seal Watching
I was walking on the rocky path, along the waterside, when I happen to look down. Surprise surprise!! there was a pod of seals basking in the sun. That was a delightful sight and totally unexpected. I had never seen seals in their natural habitat before. They were so close that I could actually hop down and pat them (not advisable though :)). It was amazing to see these lovely creatures, sharing a space of nature with us.
Sting Ray Feeding
The shore near Mill Bay Board Walk is popular for Sting Ray feeding, where they compete with the seagulls for a piece of fish. Can you spot just a hint of Sting Ray in the below picture? Their wing span is pretty impressive but look quite sinister when viewed from the top.
Canoeing
We hired a canoe from Narooma Marina and went canoeing in the beautiful waters of Wagonga Inlet. I am not a good swimmer. I can barely survive in a swimming pool, so the thought of being in the middle of a massive waterbody was actually terrifying, which was why I didn’t opt for a Kayak. Canoe looked like a safer option as husband could man it pretty well.
The wind wasn’t strong that day and the afternoon sun was covered by grey clouds. We rowed for an hour, surrounded by the serene beauty of Narooma, listening to the sound of waves. It is an experience which I will always remember.
Australia Rock
A rock in the shape of the map of Australia – how ridiculously cool is that? We went to visit this place in the daytime, but later came to know that one can see beautiful sunrise from this spot.
Montague Island tour
We hired a ferry to Montague Island early in the morning. It is advisable to book the tickets in advance, specially during holidays. The ferry took about 20 minutes to reach the Island, where our group was given a tour by an extremely energetic and knowledgeable guide, who also is an employee there and lives on the island. The view of the wide open sea was incredible. Montague Island is not only culturally rich, but also boasts of diversity in flora and fauna.
The guide told us that during the annual whale migration season, he can spot from the island hundreds of whales swimming across. The seals have made these rocks their home, along with atleast 90 species of birds.
The lighthouse was built in 1881 and still proudly stands tall. We walked up to the top of lighthouse, and outside as well, where you get a magnificent view of the island and can also feel how strong the wind is up there.
Beaches
The beaches in Narooma have gorgeous white sand, extremely soft that make ‘khop khop’ noise when you walk on them. I know that’s a really bad attempt to describe that sound.
Since it was Autumn and the weather quite cold, I didn’t step into the water, but walked along the shoreline, feeling the breeze and collecting white shells.
Bar Beach Narooma
Surf Beach Rock
Afar you can see another famous rock formation called Camel Rock.
I spent two beautiful and relaxing days in Narooma. A lot still remains to be explored, which is good as I will have more reasons to visit this charming suburb.
I've never heard of this place before. But it sounds amazing. I'd love to take a walk around these stunning beaches, going seal watching and sting ray feeding. Thank you for sharing this with us! 🙂
Looks like a beautiful time. Australia Rock is so cool! And I'd love any time on the beach or exploring the lighthouse. 🙂
What a gorgeous place Narooma is and more so through your words and spectacular pictures!
Sounds like such a relaxing trip. I'd love to visit here. Definitely something I'll keep in mind for a road trip in Australia