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| The water fountain, the
Bunyip Inn and the main street of Berry
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Berry (including Coolangatta Village)
Attractive and fashionable town within easy reach of
Sydney
In recent times Berry has become very fashionable and
overtly trendy as Sydneysiders, particularly those living in
the southern and eastern suburbs, have found its pleasant
rolling hills an ideal location for weekend retreats. Over
the past decade, from the humble beginnings of the
alternative lifestyle cafe, the Berry Bazaar, it has grown
to a town of 1570 people awash with gift and craft shops,
coffee lounges and antique shops - although, it should be
pointed out that the town's famous donut shop (a caravan on
the main street) has remained unchanged.
Located 142 km south of Sydney via the Princes Highway
and 10 m above sea level, Berry, for most of the past
century, has been a quiet rural service town meeting the
needs of the surrounding farming district. The local Chamber
of Commerce named it 'The Town of Trees' in 1975 because,
towards the end of the last century, the local settlers
planted extensive stands of English oaks, elms and beech
trees. Many of these still stand today giving the town a
distinctly 'English' feel.
Once occupied by the Wodi Wodi Aborigines the chief
industry of the region, since the timber cutters left in the
mid-nineteenth century, has been dairying.
Aside from George Bass, who merely crossed the shoals at
the entrance to the Crookhaven in 1797, the first European
to officially visit the area was George William Evans. He
crossed the Shoalhaven in a bark canoe, climbed Cambewarra
Mountain then descended to Broughton Creek on a trek from
Jervis Bay to Appin in 1812. In his journal he recorded his
impression of the area:
These valleys lead into a small river [Broughton Creek]
which takes a north course from the main river of Shoals
Haven and runs through .. a most beautiful meadow and loses
itself in different branches which are the runs from the
mountains and contain such fine cedar: it is my opinion that
if the small river is navigable this part of the country
would make a beautiful settlement.
From 1818 to 1819 explorers Charles Throsby and Hamilton
Hume and surveyor James Meehan also explored the Shoalhaven
area, usually in each other's company.
Berry was originally called 'Broughton Creek' but the
name was changed by an Act of Parliament in 1890 in honour
of the entrepreneurial Scotsman Alexander Berry and his
brother David Berry. After studying medicine Alexander
became a surgeon's mate for the East India Company. He
decided to quit the profession out of antipathy for the
whippings he was obliged to attend and sympathy for the
profits that lay in commerce. In 1807 he sailed to NSW as
supercargo of the City of Edinburgh , though his stay was
brief. He sailed east but was forced to abandon the vessel
off the Azores and make his way to Lisbon. It was in Cadiz
that he met Edward Wollstonecraft, the nephew of writer and
proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and the cousin of
Mary Godwin who wrote 'Frankenstein' and married poet, Percy
Bysshe Shelley.
In 1819 Berry formed a partnership Edward Wollstonecraft,
and returned to Sydney. The two men sought a land grant and,
after Berry had investigated the Shoalhaven area, they took
up a run there in 1822. To allow boats access to the
Shoalhaven River, Berry had Hamilton Hume and a party of
convict labourers cut a 209-yard canal between it and the
Crookhaven River. Completed in twelve days it was the first
canal constructed in Australia.
The initial grant on the south side of the river soon
expanded to the north with the agreement of the partners to
take charge and expense of one convict for every 100 acres
of land, extending the property to more than 40 000 acres by
1863. While Wollstonecraft looked after affairs in Sydney,
Berry, who married his partner's sister in 1827, set up his
headquarters at the foot of Mount Coolangatta, north of the
river.
A self-supporting village began to develop around the
homestead. The partners used a combination of convict and
free labour to drain the swamps, grow tobacco, potatoes,
maize, barley and wheat and rear pigs and cattle, the latter
kept for their hides and the production of milk and cheese.
These items, destined to supply their Sydney stores, were
transported by means of a ship that they purchased and a
sloop which they had built . A tannery was erected, the
piles of which can be seen on the banks of the creek
opposite the David Berry Hospital on Beach Road. Mills and
workshops were established with tradesmen engaged in
cask-making, building prefabrication, experimental leather
treatment, the production of condensed milk and gelatine,
and shipbuilding; the first vessel being completed and
launched as early as 1824. The town of Coolangatta in
Queensland is named after one of Berry's schooners which was
wrecked there in August, 1846. The estate also bred
thoroughbred horses which were exported to India.
However, it was the cedar in the area, much of it
exported to Europe, that was the most profitable resource.
In 1828 Berry's men crossed Kangaroo Mountain to find a
million feet of cedar south of Broger's Creek. By the 1840s
a water-driven sawmill was in operation, supplied by an
earthen water race originating in Broughton Mill Creek.
Many of the employees were Aborigines. An 1838 census of
the estate indicates 242 black employees from seven tribes.
Indicative of the passing of tribal life is the fact that
the last known initiation ceremony on the coast occurred at
Mt Coolangatta in 1890.
By the 1850s Berry was leasing out his Shoalhaven
property to tenant farmers and it was this which enabled the
true development of the area and of the township of
Broughton Creek to begin.
A traveller, passing through the district in 1850, wrote
of his journey from Kiama to the property of Alexander Berry
in the following terms:
Leaving Kiama, we journeyed onwards due south, intending,
if possible, to reach Coolangatta, the residence of Mr
Berry, distant sixteen miles, before night. The road was
very bad, and cut up by the heavy rain, which still fell; on
the left is the sea, and on your right the country is hilly.
It is pleasing to pass the number of small farms you see on
either side of the road; the possessors of them appear
independent men, made so by being industrious, and expending
their labour upon fertile soil. Many of them had horses and
cattle, besides their farm-steadings; and those who had been
any length of time on the land possessed all that was useful
and comfortable in conducting the operations of a
dairy-farm.
This description, apart from the road which has improved
immeasurably over the past one hundred and thirty years, is
still a fair description of the area.
The first church service was held in the settlement in
1858. A post office was opened in 1861, being connected to
the electric telegraph in 1877. By 1868 there were 300
people in the village, which, besides the post office,
boasted a tannery, store and school and an inn opposite on
the site of the present Berry Hotel. The area was declared a
municipality at this time, much against Alexander Berry's
wishes.
After Alexander Berry died in 1873 the Coolangatta Estate
passed to his brother. David Berry nurtured the development
of Broughton Creek, donating land for an agricultural
showground and for four churches on the four corners of
town: Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Catholic and Anglican. In
1882, a survey was carried out on the western side of
Broughton Mill Creek and the first town land was sold the
following year. The railway arrived in 1893 and the Berry
milk factory, described as the 'largest and most complete in
the colony' opened two years later. 1899 saw the
establishment of the Berry Experimental Farm where the
Illawarra Shorthorn breed of cattle evolved. Electricity
arrived in 1927 and the last ship visited its wharf the
following year.
David Berry died in 1889 and by 1912 nearly all of the
property had been sold off. Fire gutted the old homestead in
1946.Eventually the site was restored and in 1972, to
coincide with the 150th anniversary of settlement, it was
opened as the Coolangatta Historic Village.
Things to see:
Historic Buildings in Berry
Today the Berry townscape has a number of significant
historical buildings. The National Bank (1889) and the Court
House (1891) are both of the Victorian Classical Revival.
The latter was designed by colonial architect James Barnet
who was involved in the construction of a number of notable
NSW public buildings including the General Post Office,
Customs House and the Macquarie Lighthouse at South Head.
The former English Scottish & Australian Chartered Bank
(1886) at 135 Queen Street is now a local history museum,
open 11-2 Saturdays, 11-3 on Sundays and, on school and
public holidays, from 11 to 2 every day (02) 4464 1551. The
building itself is unusual with an asymmetrical stepped
facade and interesting casement windows. It was built of
Flemish bonded brickwork and is probably the only survivor
of about six country banks that William Wardell (1823-1899)
designed. Wardell designed the E S & A Bank head office in
Melbourne, acclaimed as 'the most distinguished building of
the whole Australian Gothic-Revival Era'.
The Berry bank is a fine example of one of Wardell's more
modest projects. It was designed at a time when he was
expressing 'his newly discovered love for Italianate,
Palladian and Venetian architecture'. The post office next
door is also of historic interest, being built on land sold
for this purpose by David Berry, who was present at the
opening in 1886.
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| Post and Telegraph Office
(now a coffee house) with the Bunyip Inn Guest House
in the background
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The post office, National Bank and museum are all located
on or nearby the intersection of Queen St and Prince Alfred
St as you enter the central part of the town from the north.
To find the court house continue along Queen St for two
blocks turning left into Albany St and take the second right
into Victoria. It is on the left before the next
intersection.
Berry has many more buildings dating from the nineteenth
century, too numerable to mention, but they are listed in
great detail in a booklet, Historic Sites of Berry by Mary
L. Lidbetter, which is available from the Berry Museum.
Other attractions in Berry
There are a number of cafes and the main street offers
window shoppers a range of craft and antique shops. Crafts
are also among the many things on offer at the sizeable
Berry markets, held on the first Sunday of each month at the
showground. The Agricultural Show is held each February.
Those interested in boating will find a concrete boat ramp
into Broughton Creek off Wharf Road.
Coolangatta Historic Village
The Estate is located at 1335 Bolong Road which runs between
Coolangatta and Bomaderry. Many of the original buildings
from the 'Coolangatta' estate remain, including the
homestead with maid's quarters and laundry
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| The Convict cottage,
Coolangatta Historic Village Resort near Berry
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(one wing remains after a fire devastated the original
building in 1946), a large mid-Victorian cottage, the
stables and coachman's quarters (c.1823), the tinsmith's
shop, two coach houses (one c.1832), a billiards room, the
blacksmith's shop, convict cottage (c.1840) and estate
office, the community hall (c.1840), the stables, the
coachman's quarters, the cemetery and a monument to David
Berry. A pottery craft centre is located in the original
schoolhouse (established in 1861) and the old library was
transported to Shoalhaven Heads where it became St Peter's
Church.
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| The Great Hall at
Coolangatta Historic Village Resort near Berry
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Big Foot is a four-wheel drive service which ferries
passengers from the village to the summit of Mt Coolangatta
on weekends and school holidays and other times by
appointment. The views of Shoalhaven River and Seven Mile
Beach are impressive. There is also a winery on the Estate,
open daily from 10.00 am - 4.00 pm. It is open for lunch,
wine tasting and devonshire teas. All enquiries about the
village and its services should be directed to 02 4448 7131.
Branga Park Blueberries
At 100 Back Forest Rd is Branga Park Blueberries, open daily
from 8-6 from December to mid-February, weather permitting
(02) 4422 1556.
In the Berry Area
Black Ash and Devil's Glen Nature Reserves
The visitor intending to move on to Kangaroo Valley should
drive south down the town's main street (Queen Street) and
turn into Kangaroo Valley Road just as the Princes Highway
veers left towards Nowra. The scenic journey over the
mountains is pleasant and often affords views back across
the coastal plain to Seven Mile Beach.
About 9 km west along the road, on the slopes of the
Cambewarra Range are the Black Ash and Devil's Glen Nature
Reserves, both areas in good condition. A must is to stop at
the Cambewarra Lookout (678 m) and enjoy the view across
Nowra and the Shoalhaven Valley. This is one of the most
spectacular panoramas along the South Coast escarpment. To
access the spot turn south before entering Kangaroo Valley
and head towards Beaumont.
Vineyards
There are two vineyards in the area. Jasper Valley Winery on
Croziers Road - head south out of town along the highway
until you see the red, white and black signpost on a barrel
at the crest of the first hill. The excellent Silos Winery
and Restaurant lies 8 km south of Berry on the Princes
Highway.
Wild Country Park
Wild Country Park is located at Foxground, 11 km north from
Berry. It has an interesting collection of Australian
wildlife and it is possible to pat the kangaroos, photograph
emus and wombats. In wet weather beware of the leeches.
Coomonderry Swam
Coomonderry Swamp, with its rich variety of bird life, is
situated off the Coolangatta Road just before Shoalhaven
Heads.
Broadwalk
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Sale, Motels for Sale, Management Rights & Resorts for Sale, Farms for
Sale, Hotels for sale,Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale.
Phone:
1300 136 559
Email:
enquiries@broadwalkbusinessbrokers.com.au
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Disclaimer
We advise prospective purchasers that we take no
responsibility for the accuracy of any information in the business
provided by vendors or their professional advisers and that they should
make their own enquiries as to the accuracy of this information,
including obtaining independent legal and/or accounting advice
Berry
