This is a printed metal sign, fixed to three wooden planks, held at an angle on a square, tubular-steel frame, at the base of a mature tree that is right by the edge of the Murray River. It is overlooking a fleet of houseboats, and the transcription reads:
Riverfront and Recreation
"The Murray River was not only the lifeline for new settlements like Berri, it was also the main focus of lifestyle and recreation. In the very early days the men in the construction gangs organised cricket and football matches on Sundays, and on holidays a regular sports meeting would be staged almost at a moments notice. Foot racing, cycling and horse racing events would all be included in the one programme. As the settlement grew, sporting clubs of all kinds were dveloped. A lot of these sporting clubs began their life on the riverfront.
"Tennis was a popular social sport in the early years of Berri. It officially began in Berri in 1915, with the first courts being dirt and located just north of the present pumping station. Next, two courts were built on the riverfront at the bottom of Vaughan Terrace. The courts moved again in 1929 to the present Bowling Club carpark where the club continued to prosper and win premierships until the outbreak of World War 2.
"Prior to 1961 when the new Olympic size pool was built, swimmers at Berri often took a splash in the river or irrigation channels, both of which were fraught with danger and claimed several young lives over the years.
"A swimming reserve and swimming club was established in the early 1920s. The concrete steps on Berri's riverfront, which were put in place in 1956, are at the site of the original swimming reserve.
"The first active season of the Berri Rowing Club was in May 1921. Races were held on the Murray River and a clubhouse was built on the riverbank between the current Berri Resort Hotel and the old ferry landing. After 1956 the clubhouse was removed and the Rowing Club moved to the old Pumping Station downstream until 1982 when they moved to the current site near the Berri Bridge.
"The Berri Rodeo Ground established in 1945 on Berri's western common, was in its' early years, the site of many other sports. Cricket had its beginnings on the riverfront with the first games being played in 1910. In 1913 the Berri football ground was also located at the rodeo site, although footpath was being played in Berri as early, before either the settlement or town was proclaimed. In 1924 the rodeo site was also home to a six-hole golf course, which slowly grew to an eighteen hole course.
"Bowls and croquet clubs were both formed in 1928 and are still located on their original sites. The cycling Club began in Berri in 1932 and basketball (now called netball) came to prominence in the 1940's."
'Address': Riverside (Murray River) pedestrian path, Berri, SA
Visited: 1714, Thursday, 31 May, 2018