On the weekend we headed to Berrima – NSW, about an hour and a half away from Sydney as we wanted to get out of the city for a bit. The closeness to Sydney made it an ideal location for a quick day trip. The drive there and back is pretty easy. Heading there from Sydney will use a little more fuel as your going uphill but its made up on the return trip.
Berrima
Berrima a small historic town, is filled with very old buildings, in the context of Australia. Other than getting out of the city, the main reason for our visit was that I wanted to see Harpers Mansion and the maze. With everything being on the main street or just off it, getting around is quite easy. We just found a place to park the car and walked around from there. So don’t worry if you can’t find a spot in the first car park, there is plenty of other parking around.
Lunch Time!
We started out time in Berrima by seeking out some lunch. Some of the places seemed quite overpriced. One had meat pies for about $15 which is ridiculously so we walked straight past. Another had fish and chips for nearly $30. Being a small town I was expecting it to be more, but these prices were over the top.
When we entered the town I saw a small bakery, so we walked in that direction with the hope that it would be more affordable. Luckily the Gumnut Patisserie wasn’t too over the top. Both my partner and I ordered a Mussumn Curry Pie and a coffee. The pie pastry was so flaky and delicious. Unfortunately, the filling was much like standard curry pie but it was still delicious so we weren’t too disappointed.
The coffee was well made and came with a small slice of custard tart, one of my favourite desserts. The Gumnut Patisserie charged a fair bit extra for dining in, so I recommend getting takeaway and grabbing one of the benches that are a short walk away. Plus it’s nice to sit outside when I spend most of my week in the office.
Things to do in Berrima
As we were walking around we came across the Town’s Jail. Fascinatingly this jail is still in use as a training centre for inmates so we couldn’t get too close. However, there was an informative sign at the front of the building which we stopped to read (I won’t be sharing any spoilers here).
Harpers Mansion
We then moved onto the main attraction, Harpers Mansion. Entering from the front of the house signs directed us towards the back of the house, greeted by two lovely ladies. The entry fee was $10. One of the ladies guided us into the house and the features to keep an eye out for. It was amazing to see the restoration that had taken place in the house. After completing our tour of the house we headed outside to the maze. It was quite a small maze but still lots of fun to walk through. I definitely recommend exploring Harpers Mansion.
The Courthouse
After feeling that we had explored as much as we could we walked over to the courthouse. After seeing a sign saying “Amazing Light and Sound show” – or something like that, I was quite reluctant to enter. However, we decided to pop our head in any way as the ladies at Harpers Mansion said it was quite good. The tour which turned out to be self-guided began with a 10minute video which was more like 20minutes. The video was dated and featured some really odd photoshopped images with people in black and white placed over modern pictures. I have to admit that I ended up pulling my phone out and gaming a bit as I became quite bored. I think even the people in front felt the same after seeing their head move back when we all thought it was over.
Finally, the video ended and we walked around the courthouse. There were about three rooms in total. The last room is that of the light and sound show. If the other couple wasn’t there we would have left earlier. As soon as they left we did as well. I wouldn’t recommend visiting the courthouse. Especially not at a cost of $10. I just couldn’t see the value. Harpers Mansion was much more impressive.
Overall
Berrima is quite a cute small town. It’s a really nice place to have a quick escape from the city. However, be prepared for expensive food. I would definitly recommend visiting at least once but can’t see my self going back for a second trip unless I’m taking visitors.
