Berrilee: Landscape and Local History

About five kilometres west of Berowra lies Berrilee, a small, agriculturally oriented locality in the Parish of North Colah and Hornsby Shire. The area combines a rural character with natural features in the wider surrounds and several traces of its history: a sandstone house, a former school building, hotel ruins and different interpretations of the place name. For your trip planning, Berrilee offers two specific perspectives—the landscape and its built and narrated local history.

Rural locality and landscape connections

The Charltons Creek Road Reserve has been proposed for classification as a “natural area—bushland”; public recreation is listed as a purpose. In the wider Berrilee area, open forests and woodland form a fauna corridor between Berowra Valley Bushland Park and the bushland in Marramarra National Park. The natural setting therefore ranges from the individual reserve to the broader landscape context of the surrounding area.

Buildings and historical local connections

A fire trail through the site connects the ruins of the Fretus Hotel with McCallums Road in Berrilee; the road branches off Bay Road. Mount Orient, a sandstone house that is heritage-listed and considered to be of state significance, stands on Bay Road. The former school building is at 5 Chilcott Road; it has been proposed for classification as an item of local heritage significance. The contrast between the sandstone house and the former school makes the built history of the locality tangible through two different types of building.

Two interpretations of the place name

One interpretation traces the name Berrilee back to 1840 and gives the Dharug word “burra” as a possible origin, probably meaning “place of kangaroos.” Another possible interpretation of the name, cited by Hornsby Shire Council in connection with place names in the Shire, links “birra birra” with “the pigs of the white settlers.” This explanation differs from the Dharug word interpretation; both accounts are expressed cautiously. If you are travelling with children, the difference can be a conversation starter: what story lies behind each interpretation of the same place name?

Getting there and practical information

A transport statement from 2020 described the ferry service at Berowra Waters as a car ferry for the local community and visitors; at the time, it connected Berowra, Berowra Waters and Berrilee. If you plan to use the ferry to get there, check the current timetable in advance.

Renewal work on a public toilet was completed at the Berowra Waters (Dusthole Bay) site in Berrilee. If you plan to use the facility, check its current condition before your visit.

Assessing Berrilee as a search destination

Location and character answer different questions when choosing a search destination: Berrilee is a small, agriculturally oriented locality about five kilometres west of Berowra. The approximate distance provides a sense of location; the character of the locality helps you assess whether a rural setting suits your trip.

Discover more destinations

Kingsford, Curl Curl, Hornsby, North Narrabeen, Newport, North Ryde, Camperdown, Kirribilli

For the broader travel overview: Sydney.