Our Family Weekend Away in Berry
My family have travelled quite a few times down through the NSW Southern Highlands and South Coast, visiting places like Picton, Bowral, Berrima and Huskisson.
by Fiona Kirsch
Most recently, we enjoyed visiting Berry, a picturesque and very interesting town situated in the Shoalhaven region, approximately two hours’ drive south of Sydney.
Berry was once known as Broughton but the name was changed to Berry to honour Alexander Berry and his brother David Berry, who established the nearby Coolangatta Estate in the 1800s, from where timber, wheat, and barley were shipped to Sydney.
The main street in Berry is Queen Street, full of shopping and eating delights.
The lush green countryside around Berry is a lovely sight and knowing that a beach is only 10 minutes away, makes Berry a perfect family getaway.
As we discovered there are quite a few fun things to do with the kids in and around Berry, here are some of the things we got up to!
Berry NSW Map
Boongaree Nature Play Park
Address: 151 North St, Berry
Toilets: Yes
Cafe: There is no cafe at the park, however it is a short walk from the main street tso you can grab a coffee or lunch to take with you.
Parking: There is parking available, however additional car spaces are part of the future park expansion.
Boongaree Nature Play Park opened in January 2022 and what a fantastic park it is! There is something for everyone, from huge climbing nets to swings, slides, monkey bars, flying foxes, sand diggers, water play and a learn-to-ride-your-bike circuit. There are also undercover picnic tables and BBQ facilities.
There are lots of fun things to enjoy here. Make sure you allow yourself enough time so your kiddies can play and explore.
As one of my kids said, ‘It is like a theme park’!
More additions are also being made to expand the park further.
Mums note: On the day we visited, the park was extremely busy. As the park attracts kids of all ages, make sure to keep an eye on your younger ones.
The Treat Factory
Address: Unit 6, Old Creamery Lane
Opening Hours: The Treat Factory and the Dairy Bar are open seven days a week from 9.30am to 4.30pm
Parking: There is a carpark
Toilets: Yes
The Treat Factory is a family-run business that opened more than 25 yearsago. They produce delicious homemade jams, sauces, mustards, chocolates, and many more sweet treats onsite. This is the place to pick up a delicious gift to take home with you. During school holidays they also offer fun workshops for the kids
Next door is the Dairy Bar. The Dairy Bar is in the original Berry Creamery dating back to 1895. Here you will find homemade gelato and sorbets made from local South Coast milk. Sit down and enjoy an ice cream or creamy milkshake before heading off.
Mums note: We chose to walk here from the main street in Berry. It is a flat walk but wear good walking shoes at it is a decent 15 minutes one way if you take your time like we did.
Berry Museum
Address: 135 Queen St, Berry
Opening Hours: Open Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 11am to 3pm
Entry Fee: Entry is free
http://www.berryhistory.org.au/
The Berry Museum is located on Queen Street, in the old English, Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank Building. This quaint museum, in the heritage-listed building, is a lovely place to learn about the history of the local area.
There are different rooms to explore and a great area for the kids to learn by touching the old items on display. Learning what a typewriter was and typing away on a real one was a highlight.
You can easily take your own self-guided tour around the museum like we did; we spent just under an hour there.
Although entry to the museum is free, donations are greatly welcomed. The museum is run by friendly volunteers of the local historical society, and they are very informative if you have any questions.
Berry Historic Walking Trail
Next to the Berry Museum is a large town map outlining the important historic buildings in Berry. Download the ‘Guide for Walking’ pdf which has been put together by the museum and walk at your own pace or even drive to the locations.
The guide has addresses of the historic buildings and provides historical information. We didn’t complete the entire walking trail, which can take two hours. Instead, we picked our places of interest from the walking guide and walked to find them. The old Post Office building and the C.B.C bank building were our favourites.
In addition to the historic walking trail, Berry overall has so many beautiful old cottages. We all thoroughly enjoyed roaming the streets, coffee in hand and admiring the gorgeous cottages and their gardens.
Goldfish Toy Shop
Address: 3/58 Albert St
Opening Hours: Open 7 days 930am to 4pm
https://www.goldfishtoyshop.com.au/
Both kids and adults loved looking around this wonderful toy shop. I like their motto ‘Smile, this is a happy shop’. Filled with gorgeous handmade wooden toys and items which you might not usually have the joy of finding; this is a fantastic place to browse. The kids came away with some lovely trinkets to remember their holiday in Berry.
The lovely gentlemen who owns this toyshop was so welcoming to us, even welcoming our fur baby inside the store and having a chat about the beautiful toys.
Berry Donut Van
Address: 73 Queen St
Opening Hours: Open every day 8.30 am to 4.45 pm
The famous Berry Donut Van is an attraction in itself. Opened in 1964, the Donut Van is well known for its delicious warm cinnamon donuts. People flock here from far and wide. When friends heard we were visiting Berry, every one of them said don’t miss the Donut Van!
The first day we arrived the queue was down the street. We returned on our final day in Berry early at 9am and had better luck sampling the delicious coffee and donuts. Who doesn’t love a cinnamon donut?! These ones live up to their hype and are worth a visit when you are in Berry.
Gerroa and Gerringong
The great thing about Berry is that you can be enjoying the beautiful green countryside one minute but be enjoying a stunning beach the next. A short 10-minute drive from Berry brings you to Seven Mile Beach Gerroa. The Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial lookout provides a lovely view of Seven Mile beach and the Gerroa coast.
Another 10 minutes and you are at Werri Beach, Gerringong. The kids loved walking on the rocks exploring and even had an impromptu swim as the weather was kind to us. There is a lovely flat walking path alongside Werri beach to enjoy. There is also a playground next to the Werri Beach Surf Club; grab a coffee from the kiosk and let the kids play!
Gerringong has a lovely ocean pool, check out Boat Harbour Rock Pool here.
Toilets: There are public toilets available at the beach
Café: The Kiosk at Werri Beach Surf Club serves coffee and snacks
Parking: There is plenty of parking available at the beaches
Cambewarra Mountain Lookout
Address: 1 Cambewarra Lookout Road, Beaumont
Entry Fee: Entry is free
Toilets: Yes
Cafe: There is a cafe with outdoor seating to take in the beautiful view. We arrived early while the cafe was setting up, but the menu serves breakfast, lunch and sweet treats and would be a good place to enjoy a meal with family and friends while enjoying the scenery.
Check out the Cafe’s Facebook page here
Cambewarra Mountain is approximately a 20-minute drive from Berry. The scenic drive is half the pleasure of the visit to the lookout. The lush countryside is just beautiful, although the road can be quite winding at times.
We arrived early in the morning with the mist creating a fun atmosphere for the kids at the lookout. The view looks out over the Shoalhaven region and there is plenty of beautiful nature to take in while having a walk around.
Berry Cafes + Restaurants
We chose two kid- and pet-friendly pubs while we stayed in Berry. Both serve delicious meals and have lovely family-friendly atmospheres.
Southern Hotel Berry
Address: 95 Queen St
https://www.southernhotelberry.com.au/
Inside and outside dining available. The kids menu included a generous cheeseburger and chips which was a big hit with the kids. Sit outside on the wrap-around verandah like we did and enjoy the sunshine while watching the Berry world go by.
The Berry Hotel
Address: 120 Queen St
Inside and outside dining available.
We enjoyed the chicken schnitzel and the battered fish and chips. The kids value meal which includes a meal, drink and ice-cream was thoroughly enjoyed.
We chose to sit outside at the front of the hotel where we enjoyed people-watching on the Queen Street shopping strip.
Hedgehog Coffee Shop
Address: 4/98 Queen St
We purchased takeaway bacon and egg rolls, milkshakes and coffees from here for breakfast. Great prices and great tasting food with super friendly staff.
(Seana adds: I love Milkwood Bakery at 109 Queen Street where you can buy the most delicious organic sourdough bread and a decadent and delicious array of sweet treats. Drooling as I think of it!)
Berry Accommodation
While in Berry we stayed in a perfect kid and pet-friendly house within walking distance of the main street of Berry and the Nature Park playground. Bantam Cottage is a two-bedroom cottage with a large backyard and outside deck perfect for relaxing.
It was lovely to have a whole house for the family to spread out in. The sweet, cosy cottage atmosphere was loved by the whole family. The cottage caters for kids providing board games, books and even marshmallows for the fireplace.
We all loved it so much that we are already thinking of staying again!
Check out current deals and specials for Berry accommodation on Booking.com here.
Booking.comBerry Markets
Berry Market – Is on the first Sunday of each month at Berry Showground 8:30am – 2.30pm
Berry Farmers Markets – On every Thursday at Berry Showground Cowsheds 2pm – 5pm
Find out more tourist information about Berry NSW information on www.berry.org.au.
Berry NSW is the perfect place to come with the kids to relax, leave the car parked for the day and explore the town on foot.
They say Berry is a foodie’s delight and it is! Make sure you leave your diet at home when you visit, there really are so many delights to enjoy.
Our family found Berry an ideal place to unwind, relax and enjoy a weekend away together.
We hope you do too!
Let’s end with a gorgeous view of the lush green countryside around Berry.
Photo credit: Destination NSW
