Most accommodation houses are still fully booked, although there were more rooms and sites becoming available.

Narooma District Chamber of Commerce President Nigel Jackson said: “It’s been fantastic to see the town buzzing and to hear so many positive reports from businesses within the district.

Visitor Centres have reported record numbers through the doors, beds have been very scarce and there has been a fun atmosphere in the district.

And there has been some great feedback about customer service, happy faces and businesses going ‘that extra mile’.

One example was when a local motel owner gave up their spare room for free to help out a European family who had tried for two hours to find a bed in the area and had resorted to sleeping in their car.

It is this type of friendly and helpful approach that brings people back to the district time and time again.”

And when talking about the future, Nigel says: “We obviously don’t know how 2009 will play out.

Some reports indicate that it might be a very tough year for Australian businesses and tourism operators in particular.

None of us know how our district will fare in the current turmoil....the start to the year has obviously been good! But, what we do know is that we have to maximise repeat business and, by being positive, working hard and making sure that people leave the area with a smile on their faces - we are setting ourselves up as the friendly town and enticing visitors to return to get another dose of ‘how life should be’.

It seems that the district is really coming together and working as a team - there is more patience about parking spaces, traffic and queues.

The vast majority of locals have been very supportive and understanding of the importance of the holiday season and, moreover, seem to be ensuring that they all do their bit to give visitors a great experience.”

Phil Potter from the Whale real estate said that Narooma is seen as a “cheap” holiday destination and that they are getting lots of enquiries from large families wanting affordable holiday accommodation.

The Narooma area also received a glowing review in the Canberra Times over the Christmas break detailing the great fishing available at the moment, with Narooma and Wallaga Lake mentioned.

Check out: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/other/angle rs-celebrate-with-fish-plentiful-from-coast-to-mountains/139 8448.aspx