Yass


Yass is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.

Where it it?: Yass is located about 280 km southwest of Sydney, on the Hume Highway. The Yass River, which is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River, flows past the town. Yass is 59 km from Canberra.

Events: The Pride of Erin Festival and Yass Show are held in March and the Yass Arts-and-Crafts Festival in November.

Yass has an impressive and historic main street, with well-preserved 19th century verandah post pubs (mostly converted to other uses). It is popular with tourists, some from Canberra and others taking a break from the Hume Highway.

Cooma Cottage

Cooma Cottage is a single-storey colonial house with gabled coach-house. The original section is an intact weatherboard bungalow, with verandah, dating from 1835 when it was erected for pastoralist Cornelius O'Brien. From 1839 until his death in 1873 it was the home of explorer Hamilton Hume who added numerous brick and stuccoed sections, a pavilioned wing and Classical Revival portico.

The Australian Paragliding Centre offers tandem flights and gift vouchers. It also specialises in courses for complete beginners with 2 day introductory courses. It operates all year / 7 days. Ph (02) 6226 8400.

Bowning (12 km north-west): one of the earliest settlements in the district. Bowning Hill was a landmark noted in the journal of Hume and Hovell. The village emerged as a stopping place on the Port Phillip Road. It retains some historic buildings - the school, the trooper's cottage on the Binalong Rd, and the Cobb & Co coaching station on Bogolong Rd. In the old railway buildings is Burragorang Glass.

Burrinjuck Dam

Burrinjuck Dam (57 km south west): encompasses 5500 ha and 645 km of shoreline and contains one million megalitres of water (2.5 times that of Sydney Harbour). It was the first major dam built for irrigation in NSW, supplying water to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme.

Bookham (34 km west) a small village on the Hume Highway, set amidst grazing properties. There are two attractive churches, made of local stone, and a great cafe for a break from driving. On the outskirts of the town is an amzing graveyard of abandoned steam tractors, small stationary engines and farming equipment, as well interesting vehicles of one sort or another.



Brief history
The Yass area was first seen by Europeans in 1821, (an expedition led by Hamilton Hume) and by 1830 settlement had begun. It was founded where the nascent Sydney to Melbourne road crossed water in the form of the Yass River. Yass was incorporated as a District Council in 1843, and boasted a population of 274 by 1848. On 13 March 1873, the Municipal District of Yass was created, and James Cottrell was subsequently elected as the first Mayor of Yass.


One of Australia's best-known poets, A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson arrived in the district in 1871 aged 7, passed his childhood in the district and later bought a property in the Wee Jasper area so that his children could experience country life. Poet and priest Patrick Hartigan (pen name: John O'Brien) was born near Yass in 1878 and he studied at the local convent school as a youth. Sir Walter Merriman established 'Merryville' one of the country's most famous sheep studs and arguably its leading fine-wool establishment in 1903. Yass is a prominent area for raising sheep which produce very fine wool due to the soil and climatic conditions of the Yass area.

Yass was later a battleground between the town and the Sydney to Melbourne railway; because of the topography the NSW Government Railways wanted to bypass the town by a few kilometres. Naturally, the people of the town wished the railway to pass closer or through it. In 1892, a light railway or tram was built to connect Yass Junction on the main line and Yass Town. This line is now unused, although the Yass Railway Heritage Centre uses the Yass Town station precinct as a museum.

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