Mittagong Magic

After leaving the southern New South Wales city of Nowra, we travelled northwards up the coast to Albion Park, and then up the Illawarra Escapement to the Hume highway and into the Southern Highlands of New South Wales arriving at the attractive historic town of Mittagong, where we unhitched our caravan at the Mittagong Caravan Park which is situated on the main highway at the entrance to the town.

Originally called New Sheffield, this town was the scene of the Fitzroy ironworks which produced the first pig iron in 1848. With the advent of the railway, New Sheffield was renamed Mittagong, meaning “little mountain” or “many dogs”. This thriving town has lovely old houses, tree lined streets and sandstone churches.

Cafes, restaurants and antique galleries form part of the commercial area and nearby are several cool climate vineyards. Adjoining Mittagong along the Hume Highway is Bowral, the commercial centre of the district. Its graceful homes and lively café set have lured the holidaymakers from Sydney and now many call this popular town their home. Undoubtedly, Bowral’s most famous son is Sir Donald Bradman, who scored his first century here at the age of 12.

The Bradman Museum and adjacent cricket ground are now tourist attractions. The museum houses cricket memorabilia including an oak cricket bat of the 1750’s and a helmet worn by Allan Border during the 1989 Ashes tour. Towering Mount Gibralter overlooks the town and provides views as far away as Sydney and the Blue Mountains to the north and Mount Kiera above Woolongong to the south. To the west of Bowral is the small historic town of Berrima which is now the only preserved Georgian village of its period in New South Wales and is listed as a heritage site.

Little has changed since the town was founded in 1829 and its white court house and infamous Berrima jail bear testament to its early colonial days. Art galleries, interesting antique and retail shops are among the tourist attractions on offer and on weekends the population swells as visitors come to enjoy the history and tranquility of this pioneer village.
Leaving Berrima, we travel back to Mittagong, where we hitch up our caravan and head north west to the centre of New South Wales.