Berri - Culture and History

The town was named after an Aboriginal term, reputedly coming from the Ngarrindjeri 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.