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Town in New South Wales, Australia
Photo: Mattinbgn (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cooma is a town on the way to the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. It has all the services you expect and need, but it is also a regional centre, and has a fair share of attractions of interest to a visitor passing through, or staying for a while.
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Free museum documenting the rather epic engineering that went and continues to go into the Snowy Hydro electric scheme. Interactive, family-friendly exhibits that most adults will find a bit dry unless you're into heavy engineering, but the video shown every 30 minutes in the theatre is worth a watch.
Documents the history of prisons in NSW since the founding of the colony in 1788. Tours are led by minimum-security prisoners from Cooma Correctional Centre, located right next door.
The Cooma-Monaro railway used to run an historical tourist train from Cooma station, running along the railway line north for around 20 km. Services were suspended in 2014 due to safety concerns, but there's active work on rehabilitating the line and the society purchased a new steam loco in 2023. For now, you can still check out the society's museum.
Experience gliding with the Canberra Gliding Club most weekends (weather permitting).
The pick of the litter of Cooma's many bakeries, Kuma has great traditional Aussie pies in various flavour (around $8) and a line of surprisingly tasty French-style pastries.
It has a KFC and a Subway.
This stately Art Deco brick pile on Cooma's main drag is Cooma's most atmospheric pub and typically packed even on weekdays. Nice outdoor space too.
Probably the most upmarket drinking hole in Cooma, with a popular bar and a less popular bistro serving mediocre pub grub. Also has one single 6-person family room.
Cheap and cheerful motel accommodation in an old Chinese restaurant, complete with temple gate. Color scheme and decor will not win any interior design awards, but rooms are clean, functional and last renovated around 2022.
High-end, motel-style accommodation.
A clean, modern and sizable motel with rather spacious rooms.
By bus
There are direct bus services to Canberra and Bairnsdale stopping at all the towns along the Monaro, including Bombala. There are connections to Sydney and Melbourne at either end.
By car
Most people drive to Cooma along the Monaro Highway. It's just under five hours drive from Sydney, and just over a one-hour drive from Canberra.
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Cooma · Regional · OOM
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