Fast facts
- Attractive and stylish village combining rusticity with sophistication
- Surrounded by rich dairy country below the coastal escarpment
- 142 km south of Sydney, population 1,600
Why go there
With its historic buildings and leafy surrounds, Berry is a delightful village to visit year-round. In the past few years Berry has become a favourite refuge for Sydneysiders seeking fresher air and a less hectic lifestyle who don't want to forego some of the attractions of city living. So the town is well supplied with all the essential ingredients of an urban lifestyle, including attractive places to stay, arts, crafts and design outlets and several slick cafés and gourmet outlets.
History
Berry started life as Broughton Creek, a private town on a sprawling country estate belonging to Alexander Berry and Edward Wollstonecraft, who pioneered settlement in the district in the early 1800s. They harvested the cedar trees and established a diversified agricultural community at Coolangatta, to the east of Berry. The township grew as the centre of a thriving dairy industry. By the late 1800s, it boasted a number of impressive public buildings, most of which remain, and the town had been renamed.
Things to do
- Sample the local cafés, many of which specialise in local produce.
- Drive inland along Broughton Vale Road and turn off onto Wattamolla Road, which winds alongside Brogers Creek through a jade green valley.
Events
- The Berry Agricultural and Horticultural Show in February is a country show with a difference, featuring a ‘Beaut Utes’ parade and Ride-on Lawn Mower Racing.
- Berry Garden Festival in October, when gardeners throw open their front gates to show off their green-fingered expertise.
Don’t miss
- Berry Country Fair Markets, on the first Sunday of each month.
- Lunch at one of the local cafés (and fresh bread from Berry Sourdough Bakery) or country wineries, followed by a stroll along the streets lined with antique stores, art and craft galleries and homewares stores.
- Wine-tasting at Coolangatta Estate Winery.
- The local walking trails, from genteel strolls to rugged hikes.
- Berry Museum and Historical Society on Queen Street, open weekends.
