Hi!
welcome to my blog, I hope you have a lovely time here.
Love Anna x
welcome to my blog, I hope you have a lovely time here.
Love Anna x
Nowra is quite literally the land of op shops — and with Berry so close by, there’s a whole lotta treasure waiting to be found.
In this glorious little stretch of the South Coast, you’ll find:
🛒 7 unreal op shops
🧸 2 vintage curio stores
♻️ And quite possibly the best Buy-Back Centre in the world
Bring a trailer.
We ran out of space inside the car and started putting things on top of it. It was Day 3.
We started the day by driving from Kangaroo Valley through Berry, where we popped into the cute Vinnies on the main street, before heading on to Nowra for a full day of op shopping — and it absolutely did not disappoint.
But first — food!
As you drive into Nowra from Berry, you’ll pass the Nowra Farmers Market, which is the perfect place to pick up lunch. This wonderful deli offers affordable fruit, cheese, crackers, and fresh bread — and even better, around 70% of their produce is locally sourced.
Build yourself a picnic hamper to keep you fuelled for the treasure hunt ahead.
One thing I especially loved about the market was their commitment to imperfect produce — fruit and veg that’s a little wonky, super cheap, and big on the feel-good factor, knowing it won’t end up as waste.
From there, I was hankering for some op shops, so we hit a cluster of five, all within easy walking distance of the Nowra town centre.
We also stumbled across an amazing second-hand book store and a super quirky sewing shop, while cruising the streets and admiring the local street art.
If you're doing this circuit yourself, I’d allow around 2–3 hours to properly take it all in — especially given the quality of wares we found. There were serious treasure vibes.
Next, just a 10-minute drive south, you'll find the crème de la crème 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 phrase wrap-around toy section in a post, but there it was:
a wall-to-wall toy aisle that took you in one side and spat you out the other.
Frankie was in heaven.
Just a 10-minute drive south of Nowra lies the crème de la crème of Salvation Army op shops — and honestly, I gasped when I walked in.
This place is a vintage wonderland.
Huge. Glorious. Packed to the brim with treasures.
Whether you’re hunting for retro gems, quirky homewares, or just love a good rummage, this op shop is an absolute must-visit.
From there, we were booked in to meet the team at the Nowra Waste & Recycling Depot and 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, forward-thinking practices.
They told us about their soon-to-launch Bioelektra facility, which will divert and recycle 90% of their general waste stream. It’s literally world-leading — with only one other of its kind in the world.
The Buy-Back Centre itself was dripping with treasure — and the prices? You’ll be grinning from ear to ear.
To end the day’s op-shopping shenanigans, we rolled into the Nowra Motor Inn — a super retro, wonderfully kitsch motel on the southern end of town.
The rooms were well-kept, the pool was warm, the bar and restaurant were delightful, and it was oh-so-fun to photograph.
Berry
Vinnies
117B Queen St, Berry NSW
open 10am - 3pm daily
DIRECTIONS
Nowra
Mickey & Mallory, the hip op shop
1/82 Junction St, Nowra
Open Wed-Fri 10:30am – 3:30pm
Sat 11am - 1pm
DIRECTIONS
St Vinnies
5 Berry St, Nowra
Open Mon - Fri 8.30am - 4pm
Sat 8.30am - 2pm
DIRECTIONS
Red Cross
21 Schofields Lane
Open Mon - Fri 9am - 3pm
Sat 9am - 1pm
DIRECTIONS
Anglicare
Cnr Worrigee St & Princes Hwy
Mon-Fri 9am - 4:30pm
Sat-Sun 9am - 1:30pm
DIRECTIONS
Wesley Op Shop
66 Junction Street, Nowra
DIRECTIONS
Salvos South Nowra
182 Princes Hwy
Open Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm
DIRECTIONS
Nowra Buy Back
120 Flatrock Rd, Longreach
Open 10am - 4pm
DIRECTIONS
Vintage / curio stores
Anne’s Second Hand Book Shop
3/144 Junction St, Nowra
Open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm
Sat 9.30am - 1.30pm
DIRECTIONS
Anne Bonnys Locker
18 Berry St, Nowra
Open Tues, Fri & Sat 12pm - 4.30pm
DIRECTIONS
Eats
Nowra Farmers Market
111 North St, Nowra NSW
Open daily 9am - 6pm
DIRECTIONS
Sleep
Nowra Motor Inn
website - https://www.nowramotorinn.com.au
Other Events
Check out Shoalhaven.com/events for more info on amazing events and markets in the area.
All photos by me Pixie Rouge Photography
Filmed by my husband Sean - Pale Forest Films
