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Berrima's Historic Jail Faces Hospitality Makeover

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A developer plans to transform Berrima's historic jail into a hospitality venue, but locals want it preserved for heritage tourism. Jailhouse on the rocks, anyone?

Fancy a cocktail with a side of colonial incarceration?

That might be on the menu if a developer gets their way with Berrima’s historic jail, which is now up for a luxury hospitality makeover.

Yes, because nothing screams “relaxing weekend getaway” like beds where convicts once regretted their life choices.

The sandstone lockup, which dates back to the 1830s and has seen everything from bushrangers to bureaucrats, is being eyed as the next big thing in heritage-chic tourism.

Think: craft gin bars in solitary confinement, yoga in the exercise yard, and a suite where the minibar is just slightly less terrifying than the ghosts.

Locals, naturally, are unimpressed.

Preservationists want the site kept as a heritage attraction—not a hipster hotel with exposed brick and ironic handcuffs.

“It’s not just a building,” one resident said, “it’s a chapter of Australian history.” Translation: keep your pop-up espresso martinis off our prison steps.

Why it matters?

Because this is the kind of cultural fork-in-the-road Australia keeps facing: restore with reverence, or slap on some fairy lights and call it experiential dining?

Latest update?

The DA’s in, the protests are louder than a prison break, and Berrima may soon be the only place where you can get sentenced to a bottomless brunch.

Sources: 9News – “Developer’s plans for Berrima jail spark backlash” (25 Apr 2025)

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