Cooma

Why live in Cooma?



History

Cooma is the main town of the Monaro region. It is possible that the name Cooma may have derived from an Aboriginal word Coombah, meaning 'big lake' or 'open country'. Cooma was explored by Captain J.M. Currie in 1823. It was first surveyed in 1840 and was proclaimed a municipality in 1879. The railway from Sydney was extended to Cooma in 1889 and was closed in 1986.

In 1949, the town became the headquarters of the Snowy Mountains Scheme and the tenth anniversary of the scheme was celebrated with the erection of an avenue of flags representing the 27 nationalities of people working on the scheme.

With the growth of winter sports in the Snowy Mountains, Cooma has developed to capture the tourism market of travellers on their way to the mountains, cleverly claiming the title as the 'Gateway to the Snowy Mountains'.



Real Estate & Design

The early settled areas of Cooma have a mixture of Edwardian and Victorian style homes built in the 1870s and 1890s. Some of these and later homes were built from local stone and granite. With the introduction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme an array of fibro and weatherboard cottages were built to house the workers. These still remain and offer ideal renovation projects, investments or first home options. New subdivisions have seen the erection of large and modern executive style homes. Like many other areas lifestyle blocks have become increasingly popular and a range of housing has emerged that reflects the distinctly Australian characteristics of this area. Monaro graziers estates have also become popular, either sold on smaller parcels of land or as a viable option for those splitting their lifestyle between Canberra and rural areas.



Shopping

Cooma, as the major centre that other regional towns feed into, is well equipped for shopping.

Possessing both major supermarkets, an Aldi and an IGA, the town is also home to many other major retail names.

Shopping areas line Sharp Street, Cooma’s main street, and the entrance to the new shopping mall, Centennial Plaza is also accessible from here.



Sports & Fitness

As a regional town Cooma offers all the sporting options that are available in the larger cities plus some.

Aside from being the Gateway to the Snowy Mountains playfields, Cooma has a wide range of playing fields for children's and adult  field sports including soccer, hockey, rugby and cricket.

Other facilities available include fitness gyms, tennis courts and a public swimming pool open in summer.

The Cooma Golf Club is home to an eighteen hole golf course. A rifle range and club is also available for those with an eye for marksmanship.



Distance from Cities & Transportation

Cooma is located 115 km south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway that connects cooma with the Riverina. Cooma is serviced by the Cooma - Snowy Mountains Airport which is 15 kilometres from the CBD.

Country Link buses pass through Cooma on  daily journeys to both Canberra and the cooma Valley. There is a local bus service connecting various areas of town three times a day run by Cooma Coaches.



Famous Landmarks

Cooma is most well known for the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme and the impressive building belonging to this organisation is located on the main entrance from Canberra to Cooma.



Restaurants & Cafes

There are some excellent eateries located in Cooma and surrounds. Locals would recommend that the best fare can be found at many of the pubs and hotels.The main shopping area of Cooma has a number of cafes and restaurants including international cuisine.



Schools, Education & Institutions

Cooma has two public primary schools, Cooma Public School and Cooma North Public School. Both schools provide education for students from kindergarten to year 6.

There are two private school options in Cooma. St Patrick's Parish School is a Roman Catholic school that provides education from kindergarten to year 10 and the Snowy Mountains Christian School provides education from kindergarten to year 10.

Monaro High School is Cooma's only public high school; it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety.

Tertiary education for older students is available at the TAFE New South Wales Illawarra Institute Cooma Campus.