Berrima, Southern Highlands, NSW

 We couldn't get into the van park at Canberra until Sunday and as we had to check out of our spot at Kiama on Friday that left us with two days to kill.  It was a no brainer to head back up the range to the Southern Highlands.....a place that has stolen my heart.

The only place we could find a van site was at Mossvale and it was probably the worst van site we have ever had.   It was a completely bituminised site..... just like parking the van in a Woolworths car park!!! It's only redeeming thing was the giant eucalyptus tree to one side of us but that same tree then blocked our satellite signal and was full of white cockatoo that shat over the top of our van, slide-out and awning.  They even made them selves at home on my washing line and shat over my washing.  Philip pulled on a pair of shorts this morning only to find bird shit between his trouser legs......

Anyway.....the good part.  I managed to get us a lunch reservation at Bendooley Estate Winery at Berrima that is also home to the Berkelouw Book Barn that was established in 1812.  I am an avid reader as you would probably know if you have been following my blog for the past ten years and have an interest in every type of book from fiction to historical to non-fiction to autobiographical and this book barn had it all.  I spent a lot of time browsing the classics and would have bought so many if I had the room to carry them in the van. But I settled on a special edition of Bradshaws Continental Railway Guide as used by Michael Portillo on the SBS show of the same name.  It is one of my favourite television shows. I would have spent longer browsing but the maitre'd called us to our table for our lunch reservation.

I had read so many great reviews about the restaurant and as soon as the menu was handed to us I knew we were going to be in for a treat.  We both chose cold starters.  Philip the Kingfish, Scallop Ceviche with avocado, lime, coconut and chilli 

and I the Beetroot Cured Salmon with capers, kipflers, fennel and salmon roe.  We of course tried each others dish (no food envy in this marriage 😂)and we both declared Philips to be the more flavoursome but hey.....they were both fantastic dishes. Philip washed his entree down with a Bendooley Rose' and I chose the Bendooley sparkling chardonnay.  Both were perfect choices.

It was hard to choose a main as there were so many mouth watering choices but in the end we both chose pasta dishes as it was a cold day and there is nothing like a bowl of pasta to warm the body and soul.  Philip chose the Linguine with picked blue swimmer crab, chilli, garlic and gremolata 

and I chose the Rigatoni  with 'Nduja (pronounced Dooj-ah), prawns, basil, tomato and parmesan. It was absolutely superb and the only thing missing was a big piece of sourdough to mop up the delicious sauce!

We stayed with the Bendooley Estate wines to go with our pasta.  I enjoyed their Tempranillo and Philip the Pinot Gris. After eyeing off the desserts that were being take to other tables we just could not leave our table without trying the Tunisian Citrus Samosas and the Paris Brest.  They were so good and a perfect way to end our meal that I gave a 10/10

We were in serious danger of slipping into a food coma after such a large meal so a long walk was in order.  Philip drove us the short distance to Berrima where we parked the car and wandered around this lovely historic village.  Berrima was established in 1830 and most of the buildings are made from the very plentiful sandstone.  The little town is full of heritage listed buildings but we decided to devote our time to the Georgian designed Harpers Mansion.  It was built between 1834-1844 and although it looks quite small in comparison to modern day mansions, it would have been quite the splendid building back in the 1830's.  We were shown around the two storey home by one of the National Trust volunteers and his knowledge was astounding.  After the tour inside the house I couldn't wait to go outside to explore the massive gardens and most particularly the cypress tree maze. Philip and I were like kids in the maze and it was quite difficult to find our way out 😳

After Harpers Mansion we wandered past the old Berrima Courthouse and Gaol and then on to the Main Street where lovely cottages have stood the test of time.  You would need more time in Berrima to explore its 16 heritage listed sites but we were certainly there long enough to learn a little about the history of this lovely little town.  Oh, and one of its notable residents is...... Jimmy Barnes.....