Yass

Yass Court House

Yass is a country service town on the intersection of the Hume Highway (M31) and Barton Highway (A25) in New South Wales, just under an hour north-west of Canberra. It has a range of accommodation and good facilities for those passing through, and a handful of local attractions for wishing to relax a little longer.

Understand

Before the Yass Bypass was complete, the Hume Highway used to pass straight down the main street of town. The high street consisted of service stations, take-aways and motels. There are now highway services on the freeway, and little passing traffic through the town.

• Yass Valley Shire Council
• Tourism in Yass Valley Shire

Get in

By car

Yass is 3 hours drive from Sydney and 6 hours drive from Melbourne on the Hume Highway. Yass is approximately a 40-50 minute drive from Canberra, the national capital.

By train

Because of an historical curiosity, the train service from Sydney to Melbourne does not pass through Yass. It was linked by a spur line that has long since closed. Accordingly, you will need to be picked up or get a taxi from Yass Junction to Yass.

Train services run from Sydney and Melbourne to Yass Junction and are provided by NSW TrainLink (tel 13 22 32). Trains run twice a day in both directions. It is approximately 4 hours from Sydney by train ($45 economy) and 7.5 hours from Melbourne ($90 economy).

By bus

Bus services are provided by:

• NSW Trainlink from Cootamundra and, in the other direction, from Queanbeyan (the service passes through Canberra but does not pick up passengers).
• CDC Canberra (tel ☏ +61 2 6241 0033) weekdays to and from Canberra
• Fearnes (tel 1800 029918 free call within Australia or ☏ +61 2 6921 2316) from Canberra.

See

• 1 Cooma Cottage, 756 Yass Valley Way (about 5 km southeast of town centre), ☏ +61 2 6226 1470, fax: +61 2 6226 3024, coomacottage@nationaltrust.com.au. F-Su 10AM-4PM. Gift shop, parking, spacious picnic grounds. Conserved by the National Trust since 1970, this single-storied colonial cottage was built by pioneering pastoralist Cornelius O'Brien in 1835. Between 1839-1873 Cooma was home to one of colonial Australia's great overland explorers, Hamilton Hume (whose name was given to nearby highway), who added his version of Palladian-style wings and a Greek Revival portico. Set in a pastoral landscape the house represents an unusual mix of building techniques and styles and includes a fine, mid-19th century stables outbuilding. A museum to the life and accomplishments of Hamilton Hume is to be found at the house. Adults $10, Seniors & Concessions - $7, Families $20, National Trust Members free.  
• Crisp Galleries, ☏ +61 2 6227 6073. "Gap Range", Hume Highway, Yass Valley (west of Yass past the Cowra and Harden turn offs). The Crisp Galleries are a permanent exhibit of the glassware works of Peter Crisp. 

Do

• Country Stuff. It's not exactly the most thrilling town in the world, but its great for photographers and historians!

Eat

If you are passing through on the Hume, there is a major set of services at Yass, that don't require you to venture more than a few hundred metres from the freeway. Fuel and fast food available 24 hours.

• Liberty Cafe, 171 Comur St. 

Sleep

• Corona Grove Bed & Breakfast, 28 Mount Street, ☏ +61 2 6226 4920. 
• Hamilton Hume Motor Inn, 9 Laidlaw Street, ☏ +61 2 6226 1722, toll-free: 1800 020 559, hamhume@bigpond.com.au. 
• Hi-Way Motor Inn, Hume Highway, ☏ +61 2 6226 1300. 
• Kerrowgair Bed & Breakfast, 24 Grampian Street, ☏ +61 2 6226 4932. 
• Swaggers Motor Inn ((formerly Sundowner Motor Inn)), Cnr Laidlaw & Castor Streets, ☏ +61 2 6226 9900. Free continental buffet breakfast. (updated Jan 2017)
• Thunderbird Motel, 264 Comur Street, ☏ +61 2 6226 1158. 

Go next

• Continue south along the Hume Highway to Gundagai and the Victorian border.
• Go south (40 minute drive) via the Barton/Federal Highways to Canberra
• Continue east along the Hume Highway to the inland town of Goulburn (50 minutes) and then Sydney (3 hours)

Routes via Yass

Albury ← Gundagai ←	SW M31 NE	→ Goulburn → Sydney
Canberra ←	S A25 N	→ END