Berrima, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Berrima is a small, well-preserved Georgian village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, on Dharawal country between Sydney and Canberra. Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell chose the site in 1830, hoping it would become the main administrative town of the colony's south; the name is said to come from a local Aboriginal word, variously given as meaning southward or black swan. The grand plan faded when the railway later bypassed the town, which left its 1830s sandstone buildings unusually intact. The Court House of 1838 and the convict-built gaol of the 1830s survive, along with the Surveyor General Inn and Edmund Blacket's Holy Trinity Church. Today the village trades on that heritage, with antique shops, cafes and galleries along the main street.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Berrima is more socio-economically advantaged than about 94% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1090, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Berrima a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Berrima from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
94/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (94/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
7/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $490 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 7% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Berrima at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 813
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $2,100
- SEIFA score
- 1090
- Local government area
- Wingecarribee
- Coordinates
- -34.4638, 150.3323
Map of Berrima
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Berrima
What it costs to live in Berrima and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $490
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,243
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 83%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 13%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Berrima demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Berrima demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Berrima using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 32% and 22% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 125 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 73 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 117 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 265 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 243 | 30% |
Share of the 823 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 145 | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 95 | 33% |
| Rented | 38 | 13% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 280 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 280 occupied private dwellings in Berrima.
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,351
- Median weekly personal income
- $925
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 154 (22%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 42 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 8 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 384 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.6%
- Employed full-time
- 191
- Employed part-time
- 139
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
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Common questions about Berrima
Is Berrima a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Berrima rates 65/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Berrima?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Berrima was $490, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,243. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Berrima?
Berrima is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wingecarribee local government area.
What is the population of Berrima?
At the 2021 Census, Berrima had a population of about 813.
Is Berrima an advantaged area?
Berrima has an ABS SEIFA score of 1090, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 94 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 94% of Australian suburbs.
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