About Amber Pier

I moved to Berry in March 2019 after 27 years running logistics procurement for a freight company based out of Alexandria, Sydney. The commute alone was eating two and a half hours a day. My wife Roslyn had already found a place on Kangaroo Valley Road, five acres, a shed, a dam. When the company offered a redundancy package in late 2018, I took it inside forty-eight hours. No drama, no long farewell. I was 54, and I figured I had maybe one good reinvention left in me. Berry is a small town, about 3,000 people, and it has a Saturday market that draws a serious crowd from Nowra and Wollongong. That market became my first classroom.

Before Amber Pier, I knew supply chains. I knew how to move things from A to B at the lowest possible damage rate and the tightest margin. What I did not know was product. I had never made anything, never sold directly to a customer, never had to care whether someone liked what I put in front of them. The freight world is invisible by design. You succeed when nobody notices you. That's a strange thing to unlearn. Roslyn and I had three dogs and two cats at the time, and I was spending north of $180 a month on pet supplies, most of it ordered from interstate because the local options were thin. That gap stayed in my head for most of 2019.

— Built it in the shed, still learning as I go. — IAN, IAN RICHARD NORMAN

Our team

• Brigitte Mulroney — Customer Orders and Fulfilment: Brigitte grew up in Nowra and spent eight years behind the counter at a produce store in Bomaderry before answering Ian's ad on the Berry community Facebook page in mid-2021. She handles every outbound order, manages the packing schedule, and is the person most likely to actually answer the phone. If your parcel tracking looks wrong, Brigitte already knows about it.
• Denzil Hawthorn — Supplier Liaison and Inbound Freight: Denzil spent fifteen years driving B-doubles between Albury and Port Kembla and knows the Hume Highway the way most people know their own street. He joined Amber Pier in early 2022 after a knee injury took him off long-haul runs. He coordinates all inbound deliveries, manages supplier lead times, and keeps Ian honest on freight costs. He works three days a week from home in Gerringong.
• Yasemin Calik — Online Store and Product Listings: Yasemin studied digital marketing at TAFE Wollongong and was freelancing for a handful of South Coast small businesses when Ian reached out through a local business network in late 2022. She manages the Shopify backend, writes the product copy, and runs the email list, which sits at just under 2,400 subscribers. She comes into Berry one day a week and does the rest remotely from her flat in Wollongong.

Frequently asked questions

How long will my order take to arrive?

Standard shipping takes 3–8 business days depending on your location. Express orders placed before 2pm AEST Monday–Friday typically arrive within 1–3 business days. Remote and rural areas may take a little longer.

Do you offer free shipping?

Yes — orders over $99 AUD qualify for free standard shipping Australia-wide. Express shipping is available at checkout for an additional fee.

What is your return policy?

We accept returns within 30 days of delivery, provided items are unused and in their original packaging. Perishable products like bird seed and chew treats cannot be returned for change-of-mind reasons. See our full Returns Policy for details.

How do I care for the Australian Wool Pet Bed?

Spot clean the outer shell with a damp cloth and mild detergent. The inner cushion insert can be machine washed on a gentle, cold cycle. Air dry only — do not tumble dry, as this can cause the wool to shrink or felt.

What materials are used in the Bamboo Cat Scratching Tower?

The tower is built from FSC-certified bamboo and sisal rope. The base platforms use a low-VOC adhesive and the whole structure is free from formaldehyde-based finishes. It's a solid, stable build — our test cats agreed.

Do the Kangaroo Chew Treats contain any allergens or additives?

The chew treats are single-ingredient — 100% Australian kangaroo meat, dried and nothing else added. They're naturally grain-free and suitable for dogs with common food sensitivities. If your dog has a known meat allergy, check with your vet first.

Can I get a custom size for the dog harness or pet bed?

The Outback Adventure Dog Harness comes in five sizes (XS through XL) with an adjustable chest strap, so most dogs fit within the standard range. We don't currently offer custom sizing, but the size guide on each product page is detailed — measure your dog's girth before ordering.

Do you offer gift wrapping?

Yes. At checkout you can add gift wrapping for $6.95. We use recycled kraft paper and include a handwritten card if you leave a message in the order notes. No prices are included in the parcel.

Customer reviews

• 5/5 “Solid harness, great fit first try” Ordered the Outback Adventure Dog Harness for my border collie and it arrived in three days — faster than I expected given I'm in Melbourne. The sizing guide was accurate; the medium fit perfectly without any adjustments. We've done four bush walks with it now and there's no chafing or loosening. Really well made.
• 4/5 “Dog goes absolutely feral for these treats” Bought the Kangaroo Chew Treats after my staffy kept reacting to chicken-based chews. Single ingredient, no mystery additives — exactly what I was after. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is that the bag could seal better after opening. Treats themselves are great and she's had zero stomach issues.
• 5/5 “Cat actually uses the scratching tower” I've bought three scratching posts over the years that my cat ignored completely. The Bamboo Cat Scratching Tower arrived well-packaged and took about fifteen minutes to put together — the instructions are clear. Within an hour my cat was on it and has used it every day since. Worth every cent of the $155.
• 4/5 “Good bird seed, nice variety” The Gourmet Bird Seed Mix attracted more species to my garden feeder than the supermarket stuff I was using before. Shipping to WA took six business days on standard, which is fair. Packaging was a sealed bag inside a cardboard box, arrived in good shape. I'll reorder when I run out.
• 5/5 “The wool bed is genuinely beautiful” Ordered the Australian Wool Pet Bed as a birthday gift for my sister's greyhound. It arrived gift-wrapped with a handwritten card just as described. The bed itself feels substantial — not flimsy at all — and the greyhound apparently claimed it within minutes of unwrapping. My sister has already texted me twice about it.
• 5/5 “Fast delivery and great communication” Placed an express order for the harness on a Thursday morning and it was on my doorstep Friday afternoon. Got a dispatch notification with tracking the same day I ordered. The harness fits my kelpie well and the buckles feel sturdy rather than cheap and plasticky. Happy customer.

From the journal

• How we ended up sourcing wool from Kangaroo Valley — Getting the wool bed right took six months and a lot of cold calls to farms I'd never heard of before moving down here.
• Getting the dog harness fit right the first time — A badly fitted harness on a pulling dog is useless at best and genuinely dangerous at worst, so here's how I approach it.
• A wet Berry winter and rethinking the cat tower — The prototype sat in my garage through six weeks of rain and showed me exactly what I'd got wrong about the base design.
• Summer heat, kangaroo chews, and what storage actually means — Selling a natural meat product through a South Coast summer taught me things about logistics I should have figured out six months earlier.