Berrima’s
First Residents
Ninety-four people have been identified as living in Berrima during the township’s first ten years. Some, including the military stationed to oversee the convicts in the stockade, the tradesmen employed to build the goal and courthouse and the bureaucrats appointed by the government to administer the law, stayed only for a few years. Others, predominantly innkeepers and storekeepers, made Berrima their home. They included first generation Australians, ex-convicts and free immigrants. Many arrived with limited means but were able to purchase or rent a small allotment, establish a business and raise their families. For many, Berrima offered the opportunity of a much better life than the one they had left behind.
What follows is a work-in-progress. If you can add to our knowledge of the individuals listed here please contact me.
Name
Occupation if known and Land Ownership
Dates recorded being in Berrima
Background
Mitchell's County Town
Berrima 1831-1841
Berrima township was founded in May 1831, its site chosen by Major Thomas Mitchell when he laid out a new line of road to link Sydney with Port Phillip (Melbourne). It was to be the main administrative centre south of Sydney, complete with gaol and courthouse and service hub for travellers and local settlers.