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Spotlight on Yass Valley
BY NICOLE CRABB, DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND MEMBERSHIP
A scenic three-hour drive from Sydney, or an hour from Canberra, the Yass Valley is a top destination for food, wine and heritage lovers.
Heritage trails Begin your discovery on the Yass Town Walk and be sure to visit colonial explorer Hamilton Hume’s former residence, Cooma Cottage. This 1830s colonial bungalow is one of the region’s heritage treasures. Now a National Trust property, the house sits on extensive grounds – perfect for picnics and lazy afternoons.
The Yass Valley and its surrounds are dotted with quaint country towns and villages. Binalong, the childhood home of Banjo Paterson, has ties to bushrangers such as Ben Hall, who frequented the area in the 1800s. A mural in Pioneer Park recounts the death of bushranger ‘Flash’ Johnny Gilbert at the hands of the police. The village also contains some impressive period architecture.
Twenty minutes away is Bowning, one of the area’s earliest settlements. Check out the Cobb & Co. Coaching Station, Troopers Cottage and the Bowning Hotel, a quintessential Aussie pub where, local legend has it, Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson used to drink.
Frozen in time, the colonial village of Gundaroo (40 minutes south-east of Yass) is listed on the National Trust Register. Take a nostalgic walk and discover nineteenth-century slab huts and buildings of wattle and daub, irregular stone and locally-fired brick. Gundaroo is also a top destination for foodies. The old town police stable is now the home of Cork Street Café, popular for its gourmet pizzas and relaxed atmosphere. For a fine dining experience, try the award-winning restaurant Grazing in the refurbished 1865 Royal Hotel.
Cool climate wines Enjoy cellar door tastings at iconic wineries, and browse gourmet food shops and farmers markets. Former gold mining town, Murrumbateman, is just 20 minutes from Yass and the heart of the Canberra district cool climate wine region. There are more than 20 boutique wineries producing acclaimed vintages for Australian and international tables. Every cellar door provides a different and exciting experience.
Savour a shiraz viognier at Clonakilla Wines, surrounded by local stone and reclaimed timber. At Shaw Wines - and their Olleyville restaurant – you can enjoy award-winning reserves on an historic wool-producing property. Helm Wines, which specialises in Riesling, is based in a heritage schoolhouse once used for meetings by the Temperance League! Tallagandra Wines and Dionysus Winery both produce premium wines of unique regional flavour. Tuck in to country flavours with smoked duck breast and a pinot noir at Poachers Pantry’s Smokehouse Restaurant and Wily Trout Vineyard.
NEED TO KNOW
Cooma Cottage, 756 Yass Valley Way, Yass. Open Sundays 10AM–4PM. While in the area, visit the National Trust’s Riversdale Homestead, 2 Twynam Drive, Goulburn (a one-hour drive from Yass). Open Sundays 10AM–2PM. Check nationaltrust.org.au/nsw for further details on opening times. Pop in and say hello to Nicole Taylor, the National Trust’s newly appointed Southern Region Property Manager, during a property open day. Nicole is supporting the operations and volunteers at Cooma Cottage, Riversdale, Harper’s Mansion and Golden Vale. Visit our website to plan your next visit.
Opposite Aerial view, Yass (photo via Alamy).
Above left Murrumbateman is home to more than 20 boutique wineries (photo via Alamy).
Give them the gift that will really take them places
With a National Trust (NSW) Gift Membership, your family and friends will enjoy an adventure-packed 2022. That’s because, as well as free and discounted admission to Australia’s finest homes, galleries and gardens, every Gift Membership includes a bonus one year household membership to the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA), valued at $60.
