Historical Walking Tour of Berrima
Looking for things to do in Berrima? Start with its history. The site was chosen in 1829 by Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell, and in 1830 Robert Hoddle marked out the town on a plan modelled on a traditional English village with a central market place. It is the oldest continuing settlement in the Wingecarribee Shire. Its Georgian inns, the 1839 gaol, Edmund Blacket's Holy Trinity Church and the Pugin-designed St Francis Xavier's make the village a rare intact colonial streetscape. This self-guided walk links 11 historic places, each with a short audio story in the Sitesy app.
Opens in your browser. No download and no account needed.
What is Berrima known for?
Berrima is known as a remarkably preserved Georgian village. Its site was selected in 1829 by Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell for a new road from Sydney, and Robert Hoddle marked out the town in 1830 along the lines of a traditional English village. The heritage record calls it the oldest continuing settlement in the Wingecarribee Shire. Visitors come for the early inns along Jellore Street, Berrima Gaol (completed in 1839), Harper's Mansion, Holy Trinity Church, designed by Edmund Blacket, and St Francis Xavier's, the only intact Pugin-designed building in Australia.
The route: 11 historic places in Berrima
Start at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Berrima. Tap a stop to see it on the map.
Pins are numbered in walking order; lines join them directly, not along streets. Walking directions in Google Maps
- 1
Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Berrima
Consecrated in 1849, this sandstone church was the first individually designed by Edmund Blacket, colonial NSW's leading Gothic Revival architect. Built by William Munro from stone quarried on the Wingecarribee River, its Early English Gothic form features a timber hammer-beam roof. It joined the State Heritage Register in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2
CBC Bank Building, Berrima
Built around 1836 as an ashlar-stone Colonial Georgian cottage, this Jellore Street building housed the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney from 1866 to 1894 — Berrima's first bank. Later an antique shop and now a private residence, it was added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 3
Jellore Cottage
This modest weatherboard cottage on Jellore Street dates from around the 1860s, said to have housed the stable-manager of the nearby Victoria Inn. With its brick chimneys and surviving early detailing, it typifies Berrima's small 19th-century dwellings and was added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 4
Victoria Inn
Built in 1840 by Joseph Levy, an ex-convict turned prominent businessman, this one-and-a-half-storey Colonial Georgian sandstock-brick inn and brewery was a coaching stop on the road south. Later the residence "Allington" and Dr George Lambert's 1876 surgery, it retains sandstone quoins, a cedar staircase and dormers. State Heritage listed 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 5
Mail Coach Inn
Bought by Bryan McMahon in March 1833 and built by 1841, this 24 Jellore Street site traded under the (Royal) Mail Coach Inn sign from 1837 to 1839 as a licensed public house and mail staging post. Extended in the 1850s and 1880s, it was heritage-listed in 1999 and is now a private residence.
Source: Wikipedia
- 6
Berrima Inn
Brian McMahon received one of Berrima's first land grants in 1832 and built this inn by 1834, holding the town's first inn licence. It operated until 1848, then became a residence. The Colonial Georgian brick cottage, with 12-pane windows and hipped roof, later housed a craft shop and cafe. State Heritage listed in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 7
St Francis Xavier's Roman Catholic Church
Designed in 1842 from plans that Bishop John Bede Polding obtained from the English architect A. W. N. Pugin, this small church is described in its heritage record as the only intact, essentially unaltered Pugin-designed building in New South Wales, and in all of Australia. It follows an Early English Gothic style, with a full set of liturgical furnishings, to recall an English medieval village church. Only one similar Pugin church is recorded in the world, in Cumbria, England.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 8
White Horse Inn, Berrima
Built by Edward Davies between 1834 and 1850, this Georgian-style coaching inn served travellers and mail coaches passing through colonial Berrima; its cellars reportedly held convicts labouring on Berrima Bridge and Gaol. It later became a residence and a bank, and was added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 9
Magistrate's House
Built in the 1830s for merchant and auctioneer James Jerome Higgins, this sandstone and ashlar residence features cedar doors, jarrah floors and a stone-flagged verandah. After Higgins left in 1850 it was leased to Berrima's police magistrates, later becoming a school. It joined the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 10
Berrima Gaol
Completed in 1839 using convict labour, Berrima Gaol was built as a regional prison for the Southern Highlands, its three cell wings radiating from a central block behind a 4.3-metre stone wall. Later a WWI internment camp, it operated until 2020 as Australia's oldest correctional facility. State Heritage listed in 1999.
Source: Wikipedia
- 11
Harper's Mansion
Built around 1835-36 by publican and Chief Constable James Harper, this two-storey brick house is a fine surviving example of colonial Georgian design in NSW. The Roman Catholic Church owned it from 1856 to 1970, using it as a presbytery and convent. The National Trust acquired it in 1978 and now runs it as a museum. It joined the NSW State Heritage Register in 2002.
Source: Wikipedia
How Berrima was planned
Berrima was laid out rather than left to grow. In 1829 Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell chose the site while planning a new road from Sydney to replace the old Argyle Road, which had a steep climb over the Mittagong Range and a difficult river crossing at Bong Bong. In 1830 he instructed Robert Hoddle to mark out the town from a plan prepared in Mitchell's office, following the lines of a traditional English village with a central market place. The heritage record notes that the first town in the district was at Bong Bong in 1821, 8 km away, and that the area is the country of the Gundungurra and Tharawal people.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
How the walk works
Open it from this page
Tap Start this walk free. The walk opens in the Sitesy app in your browser, with the route and every stop ready.
Walk and listen
Each stop's story plays as you arrive, with directions to the next one. Pause for a coffee whenever you like.
Save it before you go
Save the walk's audio to your phone at home, so the stories play even where the signal drops.
Free to start
- This walk: every stop is free to hear. Walk stops never use up your free stories.
- 5 free stories a day about wherever you are, at home or away.
- 1 free custom walk a week, built around your time and interests.
7 days of unlimited stories and walks. One payment, no subscription.
Unlimited, wherever you are. Cancel any time.
Both plans also let you save whole areas to listen offline. You only sign in (with Google) if you buy a plan. Prices in Australian dollars.
Before you go
More walks nearby
Questions
What is Berrima known for?
Berrima is known as a remarkably preserved Georgian village. Its site was selected in 1829 by Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell for a new road from Sydney, and Robert Hoddle marked out the town in 1830 along the lines of a traditional English village. The heritage record calls it the oldest continuing settlement in the Wingecarribee Shire. Visitors come for the early inns along Jellore Street, Berrima Gaol (completed in 1839), Harper's Mansion, Holy Trinity Church, designed by Edmund Blacket, and St Francis Xavier's, the only intact Pugin-designed building in Australia.
What are the best things to do in Berrima's historic centre?
Walk the village core around Jellore and Argyle streets: this tour links 11 historic places, including the early inns, Holy Trinity Church, St Francis Xavier's, Berrima Gaol and Harper's Mansion.
How long is the Berrima walking tour?
About 72 minutes over roughly 1.9 km, including time to stop and listen at each place.
What is the history of Berrima in brief?
Sir Thomas Mitchell selected the site in 1829 for a new road from Sydney, and Robert Hoddle marked out the town in 1830 along the lines of an English village. It is the oldest continuing settlement in the Wingecarribee Shire.
Why is St Francis Xavier's church significant?
Its heritage record says it is the only intact and essentially unaltered Pugin-designed building in New South Wales and in Australia, built from plans Bishop Polding obtained from Pugin in 1842.
Do I need mobile data?
No. Load the tour in the Sitesy app before you go and it's saved for offline use.
Is the Berrima walking tour free?
Yes. Open it in the Sitesy app and every stop on this walk is free to hear, with no account needed. Free listeners also get 5 stories a day about wherever they are and 1 custom walk a week. The Trip pass (A$7.99 for 7 days) and Sitesy Plus (A$8.99 a month) unlock unlimited stories and walks.
Page last updated 16 October 2026.