Berrima vs Bowral vs Mittagong: Which Southern Highlands Village Suits

Berrima vs Bowral vs Mittagong: Which Southern Highlands Village Suits Your Trip?

Bowral for choice, Berrima for heritage or Mittagong for makers? Compare the three Southern Highlands villages and find the one that suits your trip.

Berrima vs Bowral vs Mittagong: Which Southern Highlands Village Suits Your Trip?

Quick answer: Choose Bowral for the widest choice of cafes, shops and restaurants, Berrima for a compact heritage village, and Mittagong for wineries, makers and a more relaxed pace. All three sit within about 10 kilometres of each other, so you can combine them.

Village	Best for	Character	Prepaid pass tastings
Bowral	First-time visitors, shopping, long lunches	Largest town in the region, with a busy main street and autumn oaks	Millsheds Distillery & Bar
Berrima	History lovers, a slower village stroll	Sandstone heritage village with a walkable centre	Bendooley Estate Wines Tractorless Vineyard Baked in Berrima Berrima General Store & Café
Mittagong	Wine, makers and unusual food stops	Gateway town close to wineries and craft	Mittagong Mushroom Tunnel Artemis Wines

1. Bowral: the all-rounder

Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands, about ninety minutes from Sydney and the area's main business and entertainment precinct. The oaks at the start of Bong Bong Street give it strong autumn colour, and the town hosts the Tulip Time festival each September. It suits travellers who want options: bookshops, antiques, bakeries and sit-down restaurants within easy walking distance.

For a tasting stop, Millsheds Distillery & Bar is a small-batch distillery run by owner and distiller Nathan Ponder, where you can taste gin, vodka and liqueurs. Meet Nathan.

2. Berrima: the heritage village

Berrima is the cosier choice. The Berrima Heritage Walk takes in the old post office, Berrima Gaol, Parsley Cottage and Harper's Mansion, and the Berrima River Walk is known for platypus sightings. Wikivoyage lists a country pub in Berrima, so a pub lunch fits naturally here.

For wine, Bendooley Estate Wines is led by award-winning winemaker Jonathan Holgate, who has over 20 years of cool-climate experience (Meet Jonathan). Tractorless Vineyard, run by winemaker Jeff Aston, uses sheep to manage the vineyard and follows biodynamic principles (Meet Jeff).

3. Mittagong: the maker's gateway

Mittagong is sometimes called the winery centre of the Southern Highlands, and it is home to the Sturt Craft Centre and a strip of antiques on the main street (ellaslist). It is also where you will find the Mushroom Tunnel, a disused railway tunnel that Leonie and Peter of Fungi Co turned into a gourmet mushroom farm (Meet Leonie & Peter). A customer review on our site names it as a highlight they would not have found on their own.

How to choose

One day: pick one village and do it properly. You can take a train to Bowral.
Two days: base yourself in one village and spend the second day in the next. The distances are short: Bowral to Mittagong is about 5 km, and Bowral to Berrima about 9 km.
Getting around: a car is the easiest way to get between villages, so plan a designated driver or a ride for tasting stops.
For three days or more: Go to each and every village listed below on our map, each has it's own vibe and special places. If you need help with planning start here ->