Watercolour, Size 38 x 28 cms
it looks wonky....I took a bad photo of my painting, it is not in reality.
Berrima is a historic village (1831 )in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire.
The name Berrima is believed to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning
either ‘southward’ or ‘black swan’. The area around Berrima was once
occupied by the Dharawal Aborigines. They had been driven off or killed
by the 1870s.
There are many historic buildings in the town - the courthouse (built
1833 to 1838), The Gaol was built from 1835 to 1839 by convict labour.
The Surveyor General Inn was built in 1834... Other notable buildings
include the Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1849; and the St Francis Xavier
Catholic Church built 1849-51.
The Berrima Village Trust was established in 1963 to preserve historic buildings.
Berrima Gaol was built over five years with much work done by convicts
in irons. Conditions at the gaol were harsh, prisoners spent most of
their days in cells and the only light was through a small grate set in
the door. In 1866 the gaol was renovated to the standards described by
the prison reform movement for a "model prison".
During World War I the army used Berrima Gaol as a German-prisoner internment camp.
The correctional centre was used most recently as an all-female
low-to-medium security prison. In the 2011 the centre was closed.
Berrima is a delightful, attractive little town, with an upmarket coffee places, restaurants, boutiques and craft shops.
