The town of Berri is around 240 kilometres north east of Adelaide in the region known as the Riverland, best known for growing citrus and stone fruits and situated on the majestic Murray River.

Berri is the commercial hub of the Riverland and this part of the river is very wide, making it a popular spot for water skiers, wakeboarders and houseboat holidays.

The Berri Riverside Holiday Park is located within walking distance to the centre of town and has green grassed sites for caravans with views to the river across the road. There are 95 powered sites located around the park and pets are welcome at caravan sites.

It’s a unique park, being owned by the Berri War Memorial Community Centre and much of the profits made are invested back into the community and further development of the park. They cater extremely well to groups visiting and have special events to make your stay really enjoyable and memorable.

We stayed here with a group and went on a cruise on the park’s own 76ft double deck river boat. This was a cruise exclusively for our group, but day and evening dining tours are held regularly throughout the year for anyone to take part in. The cruise takes around three hours and if the food on our cruise was anything to go by, (catered by Salt & Pepper Catering) I would jump at the chance to go again!

There is a licenced bar on board and you can walk freely between the two decks to see the magnificent river views and birdlife along the way.

The holiday park also holds pizza nights on Wednesday and Saturday nights where guests build their own pizzas on a base and sauce provided by the park, and these are then baked in the wood fired oven and presented back to you to enjoy in the alfresco seating area.

You can find plenty of ways to keep yourself busy in the park which also has a mini golf course, pools and playgrounds as well as a BBQ area and café. It’s a wonderful park to return to after a day of touring in the area.

When you can draw yourself away, there is a walking path directly across the road which takes you past a memorial for local indigenous man Jimmy James, and as you follow the path alongside the river you’ll find green park space, public exercise equipment and interesting information about the Murray River.

On the way you’ll find a couple of brightly painted and decorated pianos, one near the Jimmy James memorial and the other near the Information Centre.

These pianos were inspired by a global project called ‘Play me I’m Yours’, started by British artist Luke Jerram, who placed brightly decorated pianos in cities across the world inviting the public to share their love of music and visual arts. This started a global movement which encourages connection with others and playing music for all to enjoy.

The Berri pianos were decorated by local indigenous artist Kat Bell who assisted students from the Riverland Special School in making these pianos beautiful public art pieces. These are two of four pianos planned for the region.

If you continue walking along the riverfront you will reach River Jack’s Café which is part of the Information Centre. The café has a wide shaded deck to sit and enjoy breakfast, lunch or light snacks and drinks as you take in the views of the Murray and the river traffic using it.  

Inside the information centre you can pick up brochures and get all the details on what to see and do in the region as well as grab some locally made products. In the centre they also had a Murray River turtle to see.

There are 3 species of turtles in the river, the broad-shelled snake-neck turtle, eastern snake-necked or long-necked turtle, and Murray short-neck turtle.  Unfortunately river turtles are under threat, mainly from foxes which steal the eggs from nest, but we were lucky enough to see one in the wild in our journey down the river.

Enjoy Berri and take a look at Berri Riverside Holiday Park for a relaxing holiday.

Cheers

Glenys