Town Crier – (Nov 2015 Pg 5)
Sixty-eight people attended the Berry Forum meeting held on 8 October at the School of Arts.
A presentation was made to the Forum by Derek Jorgensen, Vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. The project seeks to enhance the attractiveness of Berry as a tourist destination after the bypass is opened and will also provide lifestyle benefits for local residents. The proposed trails will be designed for leisure (cycling, walking, running) and be easy to access, be made of natural ‘all-weather’ materials providing low construction /maintenance costs and blend into the local environment and showcase natural scenery

Nine potential trails have been identified (total of 140km) including:

  • Some routes through public land that are already partially in existence
  • RMS permitted access to parts of the Highway corridor not used for the new highway
  • Access to the Rail corridor between Berry and Gerringong (which is significantly wider than necessary for the current single track)
  • Use of parts of the existing Princes Highway that will revert to quiet country roads once the new Highway is complete 

Forum Website / Community Noticeboard/ Email
      Minutes of Forum Meeting (Held Thurs 10th Dec 2015)

  • Trail routes covering around 210 kms have been identified, using non-private land.
  • There are three “Proof of Concept” trails, being Seven Mile Beach National Park, Swamp Road and the paper road connection between Boundary Road and Tindalls Lane – detailed plans will be developed for presentation by end of February 2016.
  • Discussions have commenced with NSW National Parks who support development of the trail connecting Shoalhaven Heads to the northern end of Seven Mile Beach National Park using a current “informal path”.
  • Contact has been made with both Manildra and RMS in relation to the development of trails inside the rail corridor and along the new Princes Highway alignment.
  • Ann Sudmalis has advised that the ‘Green Army’ (a Federal Government initiative) potentially could be utilized to assist in the construction of the trails.

Forum Website / Community Noticeboard / Email
     Minutes of Forum Meeting (Held Thurs 14th April 2016)

  • There will be three trail types – Historical, Regional and Rail & Bike. 26 trails at present are being proposed.
  • Public land is to be used, but the project may require some private land purchases and permissions to pass through private land.
  • There is ample land to be used along the railway line for the rail trails.
  • Funding is still an issue and support from government is being requested.
  • Community feedback and involvement is ongoing

Town Crier – (May 2016 Pg 17. Not a Berry Forum article)
It’s exciting to see so much community enthusiasm for the Berry Estate Trails concept. With nearly 800 ‘likes’ on the Berry Estate Trails Project Facebook page in the first week alone , the support for the trails concept is quickly growing. But like anything worthwhile, there is much to be done to bring this fantastic idea to life. Here’s an update on progress, and how you can show your much needed support.

The goal of the Berry Estate Trails is to give locals and tourists alike, the chance to enjoy the beautiful local environment and connect the communities of Berry, Gerroa, Gerringong, Kiama, Shoalhaven Heads, Bomaderry, Fox Ground and Kangaroo Valley. The trails will provide a safe, mostly ‘off road’ alternative to explore the area without the need for a car. The entire project will see approximately 200km of dedicated, linked trails, allowing users to undertake short trips of around 5 km up to all day adventures. The network will include a number of trail types which consider things like the location, environment, ease of access, user safety etc., balanced with a need to minimize cost of construction and on-going maintenance.

One of the most exciting trails will be the ‘rail with trail’ route, where the trail will run inside the existing rail corridor, between Bomaderry and Gerringong. As it runs alongside the rail line, the route will be flat, and easy to run or cycle along. The location of the rail line also allows numerous connections to the roads What you need to know about the Berry Estate Trails “BEST IDEA EVER” Project Facebook Page that cross the rail corridor, allowing local residents a safe alternative to travelling into town without using their cars.

The trail will be separated from the rail line inside a purpose built ‘corridor’ established using appropriate fencing to provide separation from the rail line. This would give users 26kms to roam from the country to ocean, past restored colonial era rail buildings, such as the Berry Station Master’s house, and the historic Harley Hill cemetery. A detailed proposal for submission to the NSW Government and Shoalhaven Council is currently being prepared. This will include detailed maps, feasibility analysis, community benefits and economic considerations. We expect the submission work to take approximately six months; with a goal to submit the final version around September 2016.

To access the required funding and approvals from the various levels of government, we need to demonstrate that the community support the project. If you, or anyone you know would benefit from the trails, please show your support by:
Attending the community forums in Berry, Kiama, Shoalhaven Heads, Gerroa, Gerringong and/or Bomaderry. We will publish the dates when we will be presenting to these forums via the Facebook page and the (Berry Estate Trails website – launch end April at berryestatetrails.org.au).
Like, share, show your support and ask questions via the Berry Estate Trails Project Facebook page.
We’ll continue to keep you updated via the Town Crier, local publications and more as we progress. Until then, trail dreaming…

Forum Website / Community Noticeboard / Email
Minutes of Forum Meeting (Held Thurs 8th Dec 2016)
Around 200km of trails have been identified and maps are available on the Trails website.
There is no need to buy any land, as the tracks will use rights of way and paper roads.
There are four types of trails – historical trails, regional trails, rail trails and ‘paper road’ trails, all of which leverage land owned by Council or State Government.
Derek asked the community for help with governance of the project and applications for funding.

Town Crier – (Feb 2017 Pg 5)
Derek Jorgensen explained that around 200km of trails have been identified and maps are available on the Trails website. There is no need to buy any land, as the tracks will use rights of way and paper roads. There are four types of trails – historical trails, regional trails, rail trails and ‘paper road’ trails, all of which leverage land owned by Council or State Government.
Derek asked the community for help with governance of the project and applications for funding.