Berri is a town in the Riverland region of South Australia and has a population of just over 4,000 people. When the District Councils of Berri and Barmera amalgamated on the 1st October 1996, they formed the Berri Barmera Council which now has a population of over 10,500 people. It is located 244 kilometres north-east of Adelaide and takes approximately 3 hours to drive.

Berri is located on the banks of the Murray River and, as a response to its location, the district's primary attractions include exploring the area by canoe, mooching up the Murray on a houseboat, going fishing or swimming, sailing or wind surfing and watching out for the rich wildlife that lives on the banks of the river.

The town's name is derived from the aboriginal word "bery bery" meaning 'bend in the river' and was proclaimed in 1911. Berri features a gorgeous riverfront with plenty of area for picnics or playing sport. Today, the town is known for its attractive riverfront with floating wharf platforms, lookouts, historic monuments and an indigenous bridge mural.

The Riverland is considered the states Fruit Bowl due to the many citrus and stone fruit orchards, along with its vineyards it is one of the state’s wine growing regions. Riverland is home to Berri Estates Winery (owned by Accolade Wines) which is just one of many in the area along with local breweries and eateries.  Berri Estates is the largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere holding over 263 million litres of wine and annually is responsible for a third of South Australia’s wine production crushing about 220,000 tonnes of grapes and exporting over 100 million litres of wine annually around the world.

Working for the Department for Child Protection in Berri

The Berri office currently has 30 people employed and is the only office in the Riverland area. The teams are collaborative, providing mutual support to each other on a professional and personal level. Employees work together closely and maintain strong partnerships with various partner agencies in both the government and non-government sector. With a choice of restaurants and great local wineries, catching up with friends, colleagues and other professionals outside of work is a regular occurrence, fostering a healthy work life balance.

Although renowned as a tourist destination, Berri is also a great place for families to call home, thanks to its readily available schooling, health and public services.

Schooling, Pre-school and Kindy and Childcare

Berri and the Southern region boast a variety of educational facilities which comprise of primary, secondary and high schooling.

  • Our Lady of the River School
  • Berri Primary School
  • Barmera Primary School
  • Booborowie Primary School
  • Glossop Primary Community School
  • Monash Primary School
  • Glossop High School
  • Renmark High School
  • Waikerie High School
  • Loxton High School

The younger family is catered for through Kindergartens, Child Care and other Pre-Schooling options:

  • Berri Regional Child Care Centre
  • Berri Community Preschool
  • Berri Family Day Care
  • Glossop Community Preschool
  • Morgan Kindergarten
  • Renmark North Preschool
  • Monash Kindergarten

Employment Prospects in Berri

The most common occupations in Berri and Barmera (Local Government Areas) included Labourers 18.2%, Managers 14.2%, Professionals 13.9%, Technicians and Trades Workers 13.2%, and Community and Personal Service Workers 11.9%. Of the employed people in Berri and Barmera (Local Government Areas), 7.1% worked in Wine and Other Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing. Other major industries of employment included Grape Growing 6.3%, Primary Education 3.7%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 3.4% and Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 3.1%.

There's always something fun to see or do in the Berri Barmera District. Whether you want to have an adventure, do something you've never done before, eat scrumptious food and drink fine wine or simply relax the hours away, Berri is the perfect place.

Fresh produce is in abundance beginning with the Farmers market held every Saturday morning. Several fresh produce stalls can be found on the Sturt Highway just on the outskirts of the town. The Berri Visitor Information Centre also stocks a good range of local crafts and produce. Berri has a varied range of eating outlets, including Chinese, Indian and Australiana themed restaurants. There are several alfresco cafes and takeaway food outlets. The Berri Resort Hotel and Big River Tavern bistro offer pub classics along with some Asian and Italian choices. There are also a wide range of shops within the town centre and nearby Riverland Central Plaza.

Community and Annual Events

Berri has many community and annual events throughout the year which reflects the energy the town has to offer. Some of these include:

  • Riverland Wine & Food Festival
  • Tour of the Riverland Cycling
  • Mammoth Monash Market
  • Berri Merri Christmas & Fireworks
  • Riverland Farmers Market
  • Berri Easter Carnival and Breakfast
  • SA Country Music Festival & New Talent Awards

For more event listings, visit http://www.murrayriver.com.au/berri/.

Parks and Sporting Facilities

Berri offers reserves, parks, gardens and ovals for the community to use and enjoy featuring facilities such as picnic areas, play equipment, shelter, BBQ facilities and more.

One of Berri’s attractions is the Berri Fitness Trail where you will find fitness equipment along the riverfront, near the playground and either side of the old ferry ramp.

Alan Glassey Park, located in Berri is the home of the Riverland Regional Innovation and Sports Precinct. The Sporting Complex is home to regional Gymnastics, Basketball and Netball. Also located in Alan Glassey Park is hockey, baseball and softball facilities, and the recently completed Berri Lawn Bowls Club facilities. For more information on sporting facilities, visit the Berri Barmera Council.

Community Groups/Clubs & Religious Services

  • Berri Based Art Group
  • Riverland Country Music Club
  • Car and Bike Poker Run
  • Barmera Ballroom Dancers
  • Berri Bowling Club
  • Bubble and Squeak
  • Palms Bingo
  • Riverland Canoe Social Paddling Group
  • Various churches and religious organisations

Vocational Education & Universities

There is a TafeSA campus in Berri – for information on courses that are currently available, please visit TafeSA – Berri Campus.

All of your day to day necessities are available locally including Banks, Shopping and Healthcare.

Banks

Most major banks have a branch in town, including ANZ, CommBank, Bank SA, People’s Choice Credit Union, as well as a number of ATM’s.

Shopping

  • Grocery stores: Woolworths, Coles, IGA, Aldi
  • Retail stores: Target, Just Jeans, Millers, Spendless Shoes, Cheap as Chips and a variety of specialty shops and boutiques
  • Automotive, hardware and general homeware stores

Health Services for you & your family

Housing in Berri

Where no Government Housing is available for eligible employees, the town has a healthy property market with a large variety for rent or to buy.

The median house price in Berri is $199,500 (2019) and the weekly median advertised rent for the Berri region is $260. This is dependent on the size and location of the property.

Vocational Education & Universities

Flinders University offers a Campus Study Centre in Renmark for Nursing, while TafeSA has its own campus in Berri.

The Riverland is considered Outer Regional and may attract the following additional incentives for certain roles:

  • Remoteness Area Payment up to $6,500
  • Attraction Difficulty Payment between $3,500 and $5,000
  • Airfare Allowance up to $1,000
  • Travel Leave up to 3 days’ travel leave may be granted per year, non-cumulative for eligible employees to attend personal matters that cannot be attended to in the centre.

Return to Working with us in Regional SA page to see benefits available in other regions. To see currently available regional opportunities go to the DCP Jobs Board.