On this Day.–March 7th 1958

A new pre-stressed concrete bridge was opened by Sam Larter the oldest man in the area. Built over Broughton Creek Berry, the bridge was the first of it’s kind in Australia.  The bridge is located near the Berry Training Farm. The original crossing was by the Back-Forest ferry until the early 1920’s when the Mayor of Berry, Mr. R. Shepherd,  in response to a largly-signed requisition called for a public meeting at Coolangatta Hall, to take steps towards starting an agitation to the Minister of Works, to secure the erection of a wooden bridge over the Broughton Creek.  The people of Coolangatta, Back Forest, Bolong and the business owners in Nowra saw the construction of the bridge as a project of importance. A more substantial timber bridge was built in the 1920’s but that was destroyed by floods around 1954, for some time people had to detour over poorly surfaced roads to by pass the creek.  prompting the government to start on the new concrete bridge. the bridge spans 210 feet, with 7 spans and a roadway of 20ft wide. Broughton (1798 – c.1850) was the name given by surgeon and explorer Charles Throsby to Toodood, a man of the Dharawal (Tharawal) people who acted as a guide and interpreter to Throsby, Alexander Berry and others in their travels in the Shoalhaven in the 1820s. Broughton Creek was a guide, tracker and constable.   After the death of David Berry in 1889, the name of Broughton Creek was changed to Berry by Act of Parliament in 1890 in honour of the Berry family.