Nowra & Berry

Nowra is literally the land of Op Shops and with Berry so close by, there’s a lot of treasure to be found. Here you’ll find 7 unreal Op Shops, 2 Vintage Curio shops & the world’s best Buy-Back Centre, so take a trailer. It was around the point that we ran out of space inside the car and starting putting stuff on top of it. It was Day 3.

We drove from Kangaroo Valley through Berry, stopping in at the cute Vinnies on the main street, then carried on to Nowra for a full day of op shopping which did not disappoint!

But first, some all important food and as you head into town from Berry, you drive right by the Nowra Farmers Market, where we picked up lunch. This wonderful deli has affordable fruit, cheese, crackers and fresh bread, and better yet, sources 70% of their produce locally. So build yourself a hamper to keep you going while you treasure hunt! The thing I loved most about the Nowra Farmers Market was their focus on imperfect fruit and veg, which was not only super cheap, but big on the feel-good factor knowing that this perfectly good produce wasn’t going to waste.

From there, I was hankering for some Op Shops, so we hit a cluster of 5 all within an easy walk of the Nowra town centre. We also found an amazing second hand book store and a super quirky sewing store whilst cruising the streets and enjoying the local street art. Doing this circuit yourself, I would allow about 2 - 3 hours to properly take this all in, especially considering the quality of wares that we found.

Next, a short 10 minute drive south, you’ll find the creme de la creme of Salvation Army Op Shops. I actually gasped when I stepped into this vintage wonderland!
It’s huge, massive I tell you, and an absolute must-see! I never thought I’d use the words wrap-around-toy-section in a post, there it was, a wall-to-wall toy section that took you in one side and spat you out another. Frankie was in heaven!

From here, we were booked in to meet the guys at the Nowra Waste & Recycling Depot & Buy-Back Centre. We were lucky enough to get a 1.5 hour VIP tour of the facility and it totally blew our minds with its innovative and forward-thinking practices. They told us about their soon-to-be facility, Bioelektra, which will divert and recycle 90% of their general waste stream. It’s literally world-leading with only one other facility of it’s kind in the world. The Buy-Back Centre was also dripping with treasure and with prices that will make you smile from ear to ear.

From there, it was time to end the day’s shenanigans and we headed over to the Nowra Motor Inn, a super retro and wonderfully kitsch motel on the southern end of town. The rooms were well-kept, the pool was warm, the bar and restaurant delightful and it was oh so fun to photograph.