Narooma, Australia: A Great 24 Hour Town

Travel the Princes Highway, from Sydney to Melbourne with a stopover in between

When traveling from Sydney to Melbourne you have a lot of options. You could take the train or one of the direct buses, or you could take Premiere Buses via the princes highway. They have a great deal for those who want to make some stops along the way. For only $89 AUD gets you a 3 month one way pass, with unlimited stops. It's even less if you have a backpacker card.

Our bus driver was great, offering suggestions on where else to stop off. He also dropped us off right in front of our YHA hostel. The same place they picked us up from.

The Princes Highway follows the coastline from Sydney to Melbourne. Stops include Noosa, Woolloogong, Ulladulla and Bateman's Bay to name a few.

Bateman's Bay was one of the buses stops and it didn't seem to have much going on.

Of all the stops on the Princes Highway, we chose Narooma. Not for any particular reason, just because it was there and was the most appealing.

The city of Narooma is pretty modest in size. In other words you can walk the whole thing. And if you take the bus to get there, then you really won't have a choice but to walk as there are no buses.

One of the many claims to Narooma fame include Australia Rock. The name was, from what I gather, derived because the rock looks kind of like Australia. Pretty clever. Do you see it?

The other popular walk is on the other side of Narooma's Bridge, called Mill Bay Boardwalk. From the boardwalk you can see all sorts of sea life. This walk also finishes on the Pacific Ocean and at Bar Beach.

An important fact to remember is that if you arrive into town by horse, it will not be allowed on the Mill Bay Boardwalk. If you take the bus, then I doubt Premiere would let you ride. So you probably won't have to worry about that.
Just in case...

You can go fishing here, or just have a relaxing beach day. Kayaking is quite popular as well.

More of the scenery during a walk around the town.

The coastline in Narooma is an equal mix of rocky and rugged and sandy soft.

Glasshouse Rock Beach, from atop the cliff. It is an empty beach, and only a short walk from the YHA. To get there from town, take the Princes Highway to the south end of town. Then turn east onto Glasshouse Rock Beach Road. That will take you to a cemetery that overlooks the beach. Actually it is three seperate sections of graves. Go to the smaller section of graves in the middle and on the other side of the fence you will find a path through the woods to get down to the beach safely. It is quite the walk, but worth it.

A lookout point above Australia Rock has a great view of the Jetty. From here you can walk down and get a better view of the rock, or walk out onto the jetty where you may find a seals sunning themselves on the jetty rocks.

Being a "sleepy fishing village" Narooma has great options for seafood. They even farm their own Oysters.

Right next to Quota park, you find a great Fish n Chips place called Taylor's. Get it take away (because it's cheaper) and sit at the park that overlooks the inlet only a couple feet away. Fish is fresh and prices are reasonable. The Taylor special was only $9 AUD. This seems like a steal after eating at the Sydney Fish market for over $15.

While Narooma might seem like a lot to do, I think it is a 24 Hour Town. I got a very good feel for the place after only 24 hours. As well, get you dinners in early. This retirement community seems to take its dentures out and close up shop at around 5pm. Diners, bakeries, restaurants all closed up shop before we could even get a chance to check them out. Luckily the Coles was open until 10.