You Are Here - Berrima River Walk, Berrima, NSW
Posted by: Tuena
S 34° 29.145 E 150° 19.912
56H E 254983 N 6180751
A You Are Here map at the start of Berrima River Walk that traces the history of the Berrima German Internment Camp.
Waymark Code: WMPWVC
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 10/31/2015
Views: 6
The German Internment Camp existed here during the First World War & housed mainly merchant seamen. Overnight the internees were locked up in the nearby derelict Berrima Gaol but during the day they were free to roam up to 2 miles from the gaol. They did their shopping in the village of Berrima. There were no security fences to confine them.
The walk has 17 plaques with historical photographs of the huts the internees built along the river & which were used for daytime recreation. They also were accomplished boat builders & sailed these on a deep stretch of the Wingecarribee River which they dubbed Lake Titicaca. These boats included look-a-likes of a Zeppelin, a bi-plane, submarine, paddle steamer & a tall ship plus a few others.
So enterprising were they that their activities attracted up to a thousand sightseers of a weekend. Eventually a fence was built to keep the sightseers out & afford protection to the internees!
It is an easy grade walk of 3.6 kilometres return along the Wingecarribee River.
Location Name: Berrima River Walk Trackhead
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Visit Instructions:
A photo of either you or your GPS at the site is welcomed but not required.