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| The Big
Orange outside Berri
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Berri (including Glossop, Monash and
Winkie)
Citrus growing area famous for Berri Orange
Juice.
Located 236 km north east of Adelaide and 31
metres above sea level, Berri is a substantial
service centre on the banks of the Murray River.
In the era after World War II, it become
associated with the huge Berri wine and orange
juice factory, which produces a significant
proportion of the country's orange juice.
The town was named after an Aboriginal term,
reputedly coming from the Meru people who
occupied the area before European settlement,
which is thought to mean 'a wide bend in the
river'. This reflects its attractive riverfront
with floating wharf platforms, lookouts,
historic monuments, an indigenous bridge mural
and areas for picnics and sports activities. For
the peckish there is an award-winning
restaurant, a riverfront cafe and a hotel
bistro, and there is a shopping plaza.
The area was first explored by Europeans when
Charles Sturt made his way down the Murray River
in 1830. Of necessity he must have passed the
modern townsite of Berri.
A kind of township came into existence with
the arrival of paddle steamers on the Murray. A
landing near the town was used as a refuelling
stop.
Like Barmera, the town's development really
hinged on the ability to use the waters of the
Murray River to irrigate the surrounding area.
This did not occur until 1910 and, the following
year, the town was proclaimed. This relative
modernity (at the beginning of the motor age)
has meant that the town, which looks decidedly
modern, has a huge median strip down the main
street (Vaughan Terrace), giving it the
impression that there is almost a central park
with shops and a road on either side.
This irrigation program lead almost
immediately to the establishment of vineyards
and orchards in the area, although it is true
that the first residents lived in tents and,
after three years, the town still only boasted a
hotel, confectionery shop, general store and
billiard hall. By 1918 a distillery had been
established and the district was producing
spirits. By 1922 this distillery had become a
cooperative. The railway arrived in 1928.
By the 1950s a major fruit cooperative was
dominating local production. 20 years later it
was producing more than 150 different products -
everything from juice and wine to peel and dried
fruits. The famous Berri juices were first
manufactured and sold in 1943.
Major events include the Riverland Wine and
Food Festival and the Riverland Rodeo.
Things to see:
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The Big Orange
Located on the Old Sturt Highway, this is a
typical Aussie symbol. The Big Orange is a very
typical tourist trap set outside Berri in the
citrus orchards which surround the town. On the
first floor is a cafe and juice bar, with a
360-degree mural on the second level, executed
by local artist Garry Duncan. At the top of the
'orange' are fine views of the surrounding area.
Entry is free and it is open daily from 9.30
a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (08) 8582 4255.
Wilabalangaloo Homestead and Flora and
Fauna Reserve
Over the road from the Big Orange is the
Wilabalangaloo Nature Reserve, which is situated
on the banks of the Murray River. The name
derives from an Aboriginal word said to mean
'place of the red, yellow and brown stones,'
reflecting the colours exposed in the cliff face
along the river. It is a delightful combination
of a large historic National Trust homestead
museum (exhibitions include old photographs and
furniture) set in a flora and fauna reserve with
marked walking tracks along the river. The walk
is well worth taking as it offers magnificent
views of red sandstone cliffs and red gums which
characterise this area of the Murray River.
There are also native fauna in the area,
including an albino kangaroo, wombats and
peacocks. The reserve is open 10.00 a.m. to 4.00
p.m. Thursday to Monday. It is closed on
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except during school
holidays. The entry fee is $4 for adults and $1
for children. For more information ring (08)
8582 1804.
Berri Ltd
Berri Fruit Juices are manufacturers of Daily
Juice and the Gardener label of condiments.
Visitors can pick up the relavant products and
watch a video on the Riverland, its horticulture
industry and how the locally grown fruit is
processed from tree to supermarket shelf. It is
located on the Old Sturt Highway and entry is
free. Opening hours are 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
daily, tel: (08) 8582 3321.
Glossop was named after Vice Admiral Glossop,
Commander of the HMAS Sydney during World War I.
Berri Estates Winery
No visit to the district would be complete
without seeing the huge Berri winery. It is
reputedly the largest winery and distillery in
the Southern Hemisphere and certainly is the
largest in Australia. Located on the Old Sturt
Highway at Glossop, 13 km west of Berri, it was
founded in 1922, became part of the Berri
Renmano group in 1982 and was taken over by the
Hardy group of wine companies in 1992. It
specialises in premium quality red and white
table wines, brandy and fortified wines derived
from all grape varieties grown in the Murray
Valley. Familiar brands are Nottage Hill and
Banrock Station.
The cellar door isits adjacent a 70-year-old
lemon-scented gum and is open weekdays from 9.00
a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. to
4.00 p.m., Sundays of long weekends from 10.00
a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and public holidays from 10.00
a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (08) 8582 0340.
Sculpture in honour of Jimmy James
Located on Riverview Drive (not surprisingly it
is the road which runs beside the Murray River)
is a sculpture made out of two large slabs of
black, finely-polished granite with engravings
of birds and animals which were part of the
spirit world of Aboriginal tracker, Jimmy James,
who, for more than thirty years, tracked
escapees, felons and missing persons for the
police forces of South Australia, the Northern
Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. He
belonged to the Pitjantjatjara people and was
born around 1910. Jimmy arrived in the district
in the 1940s and took his name from his
well-known father-in-law. He died a few years
ago and is buried at Gerard, the Aboriginal
settlement near Winkie. For details, contact the
Berri Visitor and Information Centre, tel: (08)
8582 5511.
Murray River National Park - Katarapko
Katarapko, just south of Berri, offers an
opportunity to explore the district's mallee and
floodplain. Visitors can enjoy camping, fishing,
canoeing, birdwatching, picnicking and
bushwalking along such trails as the Kai Kai
Nature Trail and the Cragg's Hut Walk (both
30-minute easy strolls) and the one-hour Ngak
Indau Walking Trail. There is also the 6-km
Mallee Drive, which offers glimpses of
multi-stemmed trees, sand goannas, parrots and
kangaroos. Open 24 hours a day, the camping fees
are $6.50 per vehicle per night, $4 per person
per night without vehicle and $4 per motorcycle
per night. Ring (08) 8595 2111 for further
information.
Cobb Webb Leadlight Studio
If you are interested in leadlight art,
including lamps, mosaics, art pieces and
commissions, visit this studio at Dalziel Road,
Winkie. It is open weekdays from 10.00 a.m. to
4.00 p.m. and on weekends by appointment, tel:
(08) 8583 7383.
Monash Adventure Park
This popular family attraction is located five
minutes north of Berri, at Monash, a small town
which was originally known as 'Lone Gum', after
the solitary river red gum that still grows
there. The Park has such attractions as leaning
towers, a Burmese rope bridge, a wave bridge, a
maze, mini-basketball, a flying fox, a slippery
dip and much more. It has free electric
barbecues and picnic facilities, together with a
paddleboat kiosk. Located in Madison Avenue, it
is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily and
there is no entry fee, tel: (08) 8582 5511.
Monash was originally known as 'Lone Gum,'
after the solitary river red gum that still
peculiarly grows at some distance from the
river.
Chocolates and More
Over the road from the Adventure Park, in
Madison Avenue, is a factory producing handmade
chocolates. It is open every day but Monday
(except on long weekends) from 10.00 a.m. to
5.00 p.m. and entry is free, tel: (08) 8583
6099.
