Berrima Courthouse — Attraction in Berrima

Visited Berrima with the family recently and went to see the old courthouse. Had heard many stories about what happened there in the past, in particular the trials of Lucretia Dunkley and Martin Beech. From the moment you walk in, you are transported into history, where their trial is simulated in the museum courtroom with realistic manikins and an audio commentary. The staff told us that late last year the Berrima courthouse completed a project in producing and installing a spectacular Son et Lumiere (sound & light show) titled "Treachery Treason & Murder". This was a dramatic and moving audio visual experience depicting the most infamous trial of the 1840s. As you walk into the main courtroom you are surrounded on all sides by juror's public gallery, witnesses, and barrister's clerks of the court. As the preamble comes to a conclusion the judge appears out of the darkened courtroom to commence his sentencing of the two murderers. His final summation and orders will chill you. All in all the Berrima courthouse provides those that enter a glimpse into our early 1840s justice system. It also gave the kids (and some teenagers) an opportunity to dress up in the cloths of the era, which was fun! The Berrima courthouse was a very interesting attraction and I would recommend it to those visiting the southern highlands & historic Berrima. p.s don’t forget to call into the gift shop, great books and...

With friends arriving from Queensland, a retired barrister and partner, we paid a small entry fee (seniors receive a discount) and spent over an hour absorbing all the information relating to the Court House, the Gaol and the Wingecarribee Shire.There is also a list of all aboard the First Fleet according to the ship in which they arrived in Australia. In the original Judges Chamber, with his honour and clerk of the court present, we could compare activities in the 1830's in Berrima, Australia and the whole world. Along to the Grand Jury room and a display of historical photos of the village, including German internees during WW! and a large magnificent patchwork quilt crafted by the women of the village presented to the village to celebrate the 175th anniversary.On through the male cell, we entered the Court Room proper and were entertained by a Sound and Light show with the sitting judge describing the function of the people within the room and the outcome of the trial of two people from the 1840's who committed murder and found guilty.Finally we returned to the Petty Jury Bookshop where our tour started and had the opportunity to purchase books on Australiana, souvenirs,postcards,sweets and a plentiful supply of Australian made soaps made from natural ingredients.Our friends left their appreciative thoughts in the visitors book in the court room.

Congratulations to the many...

Expecting to just walk through an old sandstone court house, I was pleasantly surprised. I attended with my 12 and 8 year old boys and I was expecting their ability to stay engaged to be tested and how wrong I was.

The lovely lady who served us was very polite and explained the experience well. You start with a great little video on the history of the town and then how the court house came to be. A very entertaining video but the sound at time was a bit hard to hear. From there you walk through the Judges chambers where you're shown a vast amount of information on not only the town but also the vessels which ferried the convicts across and their staff. And the main event is a light show and video of the court layout, it's staff and a court case from the mid 1800 which used transcripts from the court. The kids and I loved it and it kept them on edge with the detailed event description and period correct language.

A must visit if you're in the area and a very good family experience, well...