Berry, Shoalhaven and Surrounds

20 October 2025 / Words: Simon and Cathy Trickett. Photos: Simon and Cathy Trickett, Rob Wilkins and Lili Chi

It was a mild morning that greeted the 10 cars and 17 people who congregated at the Little Sutton Bakehouse for a quick drink and briefing before departing. The group consisted of the usual suspects with the addition of Kerry from the Hunter Chapter who had come down for the run. Thank you for joining us Kerry, it was a pleasure to have you with us.

Not the most interesting of drives to begin, two hours up the Hume Highway to Berrima. Once in Berrima, we split into two groups so we could get some light refreshments at the various cafés. I also took the chance to get some marmalade from my favourite marmalade shop, Mrs Oldbucks Pantry.

Regrouping, we left Berrima for another, albeit shorter stint of driving on the Hume, before turning onto Picton Road. Once at Wilton we took the scenic road over Cataract River to Appin before beginning the descent towards the coast. We took the Bulli Pass which a number of attendees had never driven or hadn’t been on for many decades.

Lunch was at The Headlands Hotel in Austinmer. The food came quickly for some and not so quickly for others, but we weren’t running to a particularly tight schedule so we had plenty of time to chat and take in the glorious view up the coastline with the cliff face just off to the left.

The weather couldn’t have been better, mid 20’s, blue skies, slight breeze, just what the Canberran’s amongst us needed coming out of winter! Meandering north through the suburbs we soon found ourselves driving across the Sea Cliff Bridge and onto Bald Hill lookout. This gave us the reverse view from that at lunch as well as a clear view of the bridge. No hang gliders today so we couldn’t marvel at the flyer’s skill and fearlessness.

Because we could, we drove back over the Sea Cliff Bridge, my preferred direction as you can see the bridge snaking off into the distance. It would have been nice to park and walk across, however the small carpark was mostly full and wouldn’t have been able to accommodate our 10, albeit small, cars – next time maybe.

Heading south to Berry, some took the suburban route, others the M1. Those that took the M1, us included, were greeted with solid traffic as there had been a crash up ahead. Even with this delay, we were still slightly ahead of the others as they joined the M1. There were still some sections of slow traffic from merging lanes but once we cleared Wollongong and Port Kembla it was an easy drive to Berry.

Accommodation was at the Berry Village Boutique Motel. As soon as the car was unpacked, I was off to the donut van which just happens to be opposite the motel. With a ‘6 pack’ in hand I wandered back to the motel for a cuppa and a ‘nut – before you think I ate all 6, I had to share with Cathy! From subsequent conversations it appears others have also been indoctrinated into the wonders of the Berry Donut van!

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Simon's Donuts - 'There wasn't enough to share. Honestly!'

Dinner was at the Berry Hotel, with a number of people having a beverage or two beforehand. Lots more stories and laughs were had over dinner. It doesn’t matter how many times we have met, there is always something new to talk about or learn about each other.

Day 2 was another cracking day weather wise. Whilst we would only be covering around 200km, it would be a slower drive given the type of roads were would be travelling on. Again, thanks to Kerry from the South Coast who planned this route for a run we went on with the South Coast Chapter back in 2023.

Back roads would best describe today’s type of road, bumpy, narrow, twisty, steep, precarious. But they offered fantastic scenery and some great driving in areas we don’t normally get to. If you look at the route on a map, it appears as if somebody has just scribbled all over it! First off, we headed south towards Bomaderry, turning off just before in the direction of the coast. Farm access roads would be a good descriptor of what we travelled on, fortunately no tractors or wandering farm animals were encountered. Given the number of cars in the group and the number of turns, everybody did a great job of keeping up. After a quick stop given a false reading on a tyre pressure monitoring system (is this a trait of the NDs? It’s happened a few times now) we continued on our twisty way before completing a loop which saw us briefly duck into Berry again so that we could then head up the hill to morning tea.

Kangaroo Valley Road is an interesting road. Limited to cars only, it features very dark and shadowy sections as the sun is mostly blocked by the density of the tree canopy, shear drop offs and for us a 1st gear corner. Not quick going, but certainly one that tests the driver’s skill. Slowing for other vehicles, we were able to group up again as we arrived in Kangaroo Valley. After morning tea and a quick look around, we got back on the road and kept heading inland and up the hill on the other side of the valley. This section of road reminds me of say a ¾ version of the Kings Highway in both length and width, it is quite tight with minimal shoulders – a great stretch of road.

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Zoom zoom

Passing through Robertson we headed for the coast once again. We did pass the Robertson Pie Shop and I was tempted to stop but the brain prevailed over the stomach so we veered off down Jamberoo Mountain Road instead. This road has only been open again for the last few years but it doesn’t appear the work was done very well as the road had been closed again for the previous three days due to road work. Today though, we had a good run through the sweeping bends and picturesque country side.

Onwards to our next stop we headed. This time it was the Saddleback Mountain lookout. Alas there was some mist so the view wasn’t as clear as it could have been. However, it didn’t stop three young ladies from eyeing off Ian’s car and twisting his arm to pose for a photo with him in front his bright yellow NC! The reason being, one of them also owned a bright yellow car.

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Bumblebee attracted the ladies, and Ian just couldn't say no

Skirting Kiama we hit the highway for a short period until we turned into Gerringong for our last stretch of road before we arrived at our lunch destination. We have been to Hedy’s Bistro at Shoalhaven Heads a number of times now and it has always proved a good choice. A wide selection of tasty food, reasonable prices and quick service. Not to mention a great view across the Shoalhaven River towards the sea.

Following lunch, the afternoon was free time. We went for a wander through Berry and spied a number of other MX5’ers doing the same and also sampling the ice creams on offer from the local lolly shop!

Rather than plan another group dinner, we had left the second night open for people to choose their own given the selection of restaurants on offer. We, along with a handful of others went to the local Italian restaurant, Tre Bambini. The restaurant was chosen due to the high Google rating, and we were not disappointed. The staff were very friendly and the food was scrumptious. I was very satisfied with my choice of a swordfish steak topped with prawns and an amazing garlic cream sauce (the diet can wait for another day).

As we would be heading south, it was at this point we bid farewell to our new friend, Kerry who would be heading in a more direct route home to the central coast. Thank you for joining us, we will see you again soon I’m sure, possibly in your part of the country.
A cloudy day greeted us on our final day in Berry but no rain. Having had a bit of a sleep in, we assembled for a leisurely briefing before heading for Nowra. Half the group went for fuel whilst the others went directly to the Fleet Air Arm Museum. During this time a worker at HMAS Albatross had come down to enquire about the cars – we could have a new member as they were looking for a new car and were surprised at the affordability of such an exotic vehicle! The other group arrived shortly after.

This museum focuses on the history of naval aviation in the Royal Australian Navy. Exhibits range from a timber framed bi-plane, fixed wing aircraft, helicopters through to the latest drone technology. It is well worth the visit.

Here we split up, four cars went back towards the coast, whilst we led the remaining five cars back to Canberra via Nerriga, Tarago and Bungendore. However, it wouldn’t be a true chapter run if we didn’t fit in another meal! Instead of The Loaded Dog in Tarago, we opted for The Chubby Cat Café (no, I’m not making these names up!). Whilst small, they had a good selection of burgers and pies, as well as some yummy homemade cakes and slices. The staff were happy to accommodate our group and the burgers were ‘old school’, generous in size which pleased all those who had ordered one. Here we bid our farewells and headed towards Bungendore before driving off in different directions.

This run allowed me to introduce the members to a good number of roads that they hadn’t been on before or hadn’t been on for many years. For me, finding these new roads (at least for the Canberra Chapter) is what I get great satisfaction in. What was helpful on this run? An instant messaging app which we created a group in to allow for easy communication before and during the run. We used this to note changes, co-ordinate meeting times for dinners and remind the group of meeting and departure times. And two-way radios were very valuable when on the road (just get the 5watt version if you are going to buy one, far greater range).

Simon & Cathy, Run Leaders