I was a kid again, captivated and enthralled by wild creatures swimming and basking across the inlet entrance from where my son and I were. I looked to see if any of these beautiful Australian Fur Seals were on our side of the Narooma coast entrance but they were all across the water from us. My teenager son was likewise enraptured looking at these amazing marine mammals living their lives in front of us. We took a seat on the rocks to enjoy the show. We had already seen a lot in Narooma, remarking on the clear waters where so many fish thrived. I had wanted to come to the inlet entrance because I had read that seals were sometimes sighted there and I was hopeful that we may glimpse one but instead we saw a group of them. It was so wonderful to sit down on a rock, under beautiful weather, beside the sea and be engrossed in wild animals not bothered by out presence. We had a wonderful time and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
We had driven to Narooma in the morning, about a three hour drive from Canberra because we wanted to spend a day down at the coast. This trip was not about photography for me but about having a family day down the coast. Because this was a family trip, and not a solo jaunt, the first stop was lunch at the amazing Quarterdeck restaurant that has repurposed possibly an old boat house to have a delicious restaurant that sits over the water with superb views of the captivating Wagonga Inlet. We had a table right at the back of the establishment that was beside the wall length open window. When we won’t eating my son and I were sticking our heads outside to look at the fish in the shallow waters below the window. The staff were wonderful and the food divine, a great start to the day. Ther environs of the restaurant were enjoyable to wander around. The water was shallow, especially because the tide was going out, making it easy to see the creatures moving about beneath the surface.
Looking across the waters of the inlet we had views inland back to the mountain range that rose up just behind the coast. The scemery was dominated by the imposing Gulaga, a spiritually significant mountain feature for the local Yuin people that Captain Cook named Mount Dromedary when he sailed past in 1770.
Looking south down the inlet
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 160, 40mm, f/20 and 1/100 SEC])
Looking straight across the inlet from where we had lunch to the mountain range to the south-west
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 160, 40mm, f/20 and 1/100 SEC])
An Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) was swimming lazy circles among the wharves just outside the restaurant window. I don’t think it was was expecting food from the restaurant but maybe there were usually recreational anglers around who would throw off-cuts to waiting birds. There were certainly enough fish around if it wanted to use its enormous bill to scoop them up. Pelicans often hunt in groups where a school of fish in shallow water are easier to herd and capture. I always enjoy seeing these large water birds with there wondrously coloured bill.
Australian Pelican
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
In the same area that the pelican had been paddling a large group of School Whiting (Sillago flindersi) juveniles were swimming in circles. I can’t really say if they were there at the same time as the pelican because we only noticed the fish later. There were so many and they looked so easy to see with their shadows swimming along on the sand. It was interesting that no birds made a move at them but potentially the shadows distracted predators from the sand coloured fish swimming just above. Juvenile whitings love this type of environment, preferably near sea grass where they can obtain food yet avoid larger fish that may want to eat them.
School Whiting juveniles
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])
At the end of one wharf a Little Pied Cormorant had its wings outstretched to dry. It was nicely framed against the blue waters of Wagonga Inlet. These birds are at home in fresh and salt water, and in coastal environments may be seen in loose groups due to the amount of food about, as we could see in the clear waters of Narooma.
Little Pied Cormorant drying its wings
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])
A group of Crested Terns (Thalasseus bergii) were busy on a wharf but I had no idea what they were busy about. One adult flew in with a good size fish clenched across-ways in its yellow beak. It approached another adult, who did not seem to care. It was almost as if the first bird was trying to show-off what it had caught but the second bird refused to care. A juvenile bird then approached the first bird and started calling, like it was appealing for the fish but the adult did not pass it. The adult eventually flew off, perhaps to try and impress some other less fussy terns.
Crested Terns on the wharf, and one with a fish but no clear idea about what to do
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])
After enjoying looking around the inlet we headed to where the breakwaters stuck out into the ocean. My son remarked at how many fish were swimming around the rocks at the entrance. It was so easy to see them in the clear water as they gathered in great numbers. While the fish that we could see were not large fish I guessed that there were bigger fish around. The tide was flowing out from the inlet and we could see the current pushing out to see through the two breakwaters as some waves tried to come the otter way. The sky was a beautiful blue as we enjoyed the lovely atmosphere.
Entrance to Wagonga Inlet and Narooma, with the rocks where the seals were
(Apple iPhone 13 [ISO 50, 5.7mm, f/1.5 and 1/5600 SEC])
We walked past the family friendly netted beach on the south of the northern breakwater, while on the northern side there was a surf beach. The inlet entrance itself was also active with several kayakers paddling up to the breakwater but turning around after seeing the waves.
However, the waves did not discourage a returning recreational fisher who timed the run well, shooting through between waves to effect a very good entrance.
Two kayakers surveying the current flowing out of the entrance and deciding better of it
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Recreational fishing boat lining up to head into Wagonga Inlet
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 255mm, f/9.0 and 1/600 SEC])
It was at the breakwater that we saw the group of Australian Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus). At first I thought that all we were going to see was a seal dive into water because as walked walked to the path some movement caught my eye on the far breakwater. I just had enough time to say, “Seal!” And point. Before the said seal executed an athletic dive off the rocks into the water. The seal swam in the water near the rock and just as I was confirming with my son that he had seen the moving animal my wife informed us that there was a group of seals a bit further along the far breakwater. That was when we all stopped to take a moment to see some wild animals that we had never seen. This group of seals was unperturbed by the humans gazing at them. For it was not just us but people on the far breakwater were also enjoying the moment. I was so tempted to quickly drive around to see them closer from the other side of the entrance but I did not want to stop looking at them. After a little time there was a disagreement between two of them but that just led to noisy calling not fighting. We were enjoyed seeing these lovely creatures resting unconcerned with humans so nearby. It was a truly magical experience.
Australian Fur Seals on the rocks at the entrance to the inlet
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/400 SEC])
We eventually, but reluctantly, left the seals and continued walking along the breakwater. On the northern side where the spray of the incoming waves kept the rocks moist several Purple Swift-footed Shore Crabs (Leptograpsus variegatus) were moving around a large, barnacle covered rock. The white caps of the waves would sometimes explode over the rock but the crabs stayed put. These were very common crabs and their ability to withstand waves was fantastic, given the various sloping rocks they occupied across the breakwater.
Purple Swift-footed Shore Crabs on a barnacle encrusted rock
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/9.0 and 1/320 SEC])
We walked right to the end where we were greeted with a stunning view across the blue ocean water to Montague Island sitting under a blue sky about seven kilometres away. Montague Island is also called by its Yuin given name, Barunguba. In the local Yuin mythology Barunguba is the oldest son of Gulaga, the mother, mentioned earlier on. The island is a day trip from Narooma and can only be visited on one of the NSW National Parks approved tour boats because of its wildlife sanctuary status. We didn’t take the trip this time but it sounds like a very good reason for another visit to Narooma.
Looking from the end of the northern harbour arm across the entrance to the distant Montague Island (Barunguba)
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 100mm, f/13 and 1/250 SEC] two shot panorama)
After enjoying being by the water at Narooma we drove a little further north through the small township of Kianga to popular holiday destination of Dalmeny. Dalmeny was also right by the sea and has an estuarine lake that was periodically open to the sea. The water in the lake was more cloudy than at Narooma and it was hard to tell if the lake was open to the sea at that time. There was some wet sand between the sea and lake so potentially at high tide seawater was able to reach the lake. There was a bit of wind coming off the sea but not enough to stop people enjoying the beach as some small white-caps rolled in. The coastline was broad and wide with so much bush fringing the beaches as they arced into the distance. It was so nice to walk along the beach and of course to explore some rocks.
Waves rolling into Dalmeny
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
In one rock pool we found a small Bluebottle (Physalia utriculus) , or Pacific Man-o-War that had become stranded in this remnant of the receding sea. The bluebottle looked a bit dry on its sail, even though it was floating in water. It was still alive and, while it was small, I had no doubt that the stingers would still pack a punch so I was happy just to photograph it. I liked how bright blue of the creature was nicely contrasted against the brown of the background marine life. Even the curling stingers were a nice touch like a signature beneath a painting. This was not a single creature but a colony. The air filled sail is one creature but the tentacles were a colony that formed out at sea. The winds blow these animals wherever and they and their painful stingers often appear along beaches where they can ruin an otherwise lovely day at the beach. It is almost an Australian right of passage to be stung by one of these blue ocean dwellers.
Small Bluebottle or Pacific Man-o-War caught in a rock pool
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 320, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/320 SEC])
Sorry, there were not many photographs and the subjects were not great because this was more a family trip than a photographic one but I had to take my camera. My family has grudgingly accepted that my camera comes with us when we go touring. That said, I am glad that I took my camera because it was just such a beautiful day with so much to see. While we drove back to Canberra we were all still talking about seeing the fur seals. It was nice to be a kid again and be enraptured by an animal that was doing nothing except living its life in front of us.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the south coast of New South Wales has on offer. All the best until the next post.