Berry

The township of Berry, in the Shoalhaven area of the South Coast of New South Wales, lies on the South Coast Railway, and on the Princes Highway between Nowra and Kiama. For much of its early history Berry depended on timber cutting and dairy farming, with a tannery and boat building also present, but today, Berry thrives on tourism, with many souvenir shops, art galleries, antiques and collectibles shops, pet friendly cafes and restaurants, plus other pet services such as vets, pet breeders, dog groomers, pet minding and walking businesses, pet transport and pet insurance agents.

There are also a number of pet friendly accommodation venues in and around Berry including pet friendly cottages, pet friendly bed and breakfasts, pet friendly caravan parks and pet friendly hotels.

A local public hospital bequeathed by the Berry family, the David Berry Hospital, now serves as a rehabilitation hospital and palliative care hospice.

The population of Berry, less than 2,000, forms a mainly urban rather than farming community, with an influx of city dwellers attracted to a rural lifestyle with ease of access back to the Sydney metropolitan area and its attractions ('sea changers' and 'tree changers'). Most dairy farms have been subdivided into 'hobby farms' of small acreages, and the town businesses have changed to meet needs of tourists and the expanding hospitality industry.

Berry is the first truly rural town south of Sydney, and is situated on a coastal plain bounded by the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range to the west, and the Tasman Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, to the east. The township of Berry is surrounded by the districts of Toolijooa, Foxground and Broughton Village to the north, Harley Hill, Far Meadow, Jerry Bailey/Coolangatta and Back Forest to the east (with the beaches of Gerroa, Seven Mile Beach, and Shoalhaven Heads along the coast), Jaspers Brush and Meroo Meadow to the south, and Bundywallah, Bellawongerah, Cambewarra, Woodhill, Wattamolla, and the village of Kangaroo Valley are situated in the mountains to the west.

Some regular events that draw locals and tourists alike to Berry include country markets on the first Sunday of the month, the Berry Agricultural & Horticultural Show on the first weekend in February, the Berry Musicale festival held throughout May and June; and the Berry Garden Festival in October. Berry is also home to the Berry Magpies rugby league team, part of the NSW Group 7 rugby league competition.