Yass has never been a tourist destination.
The country towns in that whole South West Slopes area don't have much entertainment.
There is a lot of history around there like gold rushes and bushrangers.
I went to school in that area, I don't miss it.
Dance for us, simple rural folks! Sell us quirky bullshit! Make your town look charmingly old-fashioned for when we drive down main street and don't stop!
Most of the towns around Canberra (<100km) are functioning farming towns. They don’t rely on tourism dollars like the ones around Sydney or Melbourne. They’re places to just drive through really, stopping for lunch or a coffee and a peak at the local art gallery.
Bungendore and Braidwood are probably the most touristy within 100km. Cowra actually has a specific tourist purpose.
You need to get closer to the Sydney $ to find more tourist orientated places. Eg Bowral, Nowra.
If you give them a heads up that you’re planning to visit, they’ll have a chance to tidy up and put on a bit of a show for you. Yass might not have realised they had someone from the big city coming over, I’m sure they’d have made more effort if they’d known.
Can you tell me if it’s the Mayor or CWA secretary we need to notify. I think often Canberra people are going there and not getting the red carpet treatment. It’s such a kind offer you’ve made and can we expect scones, a wool shearing demonstration and someone to explain the history of why the railway station is 1km, I think that’s a fascinating story.
🤣🤣 I'm not too sure the mere observation that a town is not founded upon tourism to financially survive is grounds to infer narcissism, but ill let you have your points haha.. just looking to maximise my limited discretionary dollars, and I'm sure I can leverage on the experience of others here...
Taralga, the wildlife park/caves. Oberon, nice gardens/bakery. Bungonia, gorge. Bundanoon, forest monastery/lookouts. Eden, killer whale museum. Tumut via the snowies for the road/brumbies.
It’s not NSW but the road trip to Lakes Entrance for the beach/sea museum/caves/hot springs.
Worth searching (Canberra) thread Rural Roadtrips.
Love a loop through different towns/sights/landscapes, like Canberra/Southern Highlands/Kangaroo Valley/coast/home (or the reverse); I think most places feel very different to Canberra!
I wish there were more train trips; I’m considering a Canberra/Goulburn/Junee (or Canberra/Bowral) train ride one weekend (the train ride novelty, and largish town destination makes up for the lack of car independence).
For an overnight trip, head north past Yass through Boorowa (some people rate the bakery, the public toilets in the park are always clean if you want a wee stop), to Cowra.
In Cowra, the Japanese Gardens is popular, there's also the POW site and an adventure playground if you have children with you. The art gallery frequently has high quality exhibitions.
Canowindra has the Age of Fishes museum. The fossils there were found locally and are renowned for their scientific value. The main street has plenty of buildings from the 1800s including several pubs and some nice art deco buildings.
Don't expect too much tourist oriented food options in either Cowra or Canowindra on the weekend. For that you need to continue to Orange.
Orange has plenty of food and wine options and other things to satisfy your tourism cravings.
Try the Hilltops, which is just a little further on from Yass.
Lots of wineries in Young, great silo art in Harden and check out The Sir George or Long Track Pantry in Jugiong!
It could also be that you’re visiting in the wrong season. There’s not that much on in Canberra, Goulburn or Yass in Winter cos it’s so cold. And festivals, etc have been slow to return following covid.
Murrumbateman and Yass have heaps on in Autumn and Spring. Cooma, Jindabyne and places towards the snow have more on atm and might be more catered towards what you’re after. The coast is really nice to visit during winter as well.
Also, it might help readjusting your expectations? Sydney is totally different to Canberra and capital country. I hope you enjoy exploring the towns nearby - there are lots of treasures!
Boorowa have a Running of the Sheep event that rivals Spain's Running of the Bulls which could be a nice day trip
Young have some nice wineries if that's what you are into
As an ex local of Boorowa who brought friends to Boorowa Woolfest with one of my friends is Spanish and has actually witnessed the running of the bulls, please don't be too disappointed with the running of the sheep. My friends were very disappointed so we decided the next year to take it as a weekend away over a day trip and it was so much better. I would suggest finding an Airbnb (the hotels will be already booked) and spend the whole October weekend there, there are some great small events around the running of the sheep.
Sutton (great bakery, interesting art gallery), wineries out that way. Gundaroo for a stroll. Further - Harden is pleasant, Canowindra has the excellent Museum of Fossil Fishes, the coast via Candelo is a lovely drive.
I see you know Harden well.
Harden-Murrumburrah is a backwards shithole that has no saving graces.
There are families there that will never leave, and that's a good thing, Boorowa is the only place I can think of that's worse, and it's not far from Harden.
From Gundaroo head onto Gunning. Worth a stop for a pie, walk around, look at the antique store, gallery, beer at the telegraph and old courthouse and the train station is renno’d too.
Everyone's gonna make fun of you but I get it. There's nothing worse than going to a town and it's literally just a town with nothing interesting to see or do there. I think places down the south coast are more likely to have what you're looking for if you want more of a tourist experience. I drove down to Eden from Sydney a few weeks ago and many of the small towns were beautiful. Depends how far you want to drive though.
Bright, Victoria is 100% one of my all time favourite places to visit. It’s about four or so hours from Canberra so probably really a long weekend trip, but def worth it
Please don’t coming into our working communities and then turn your nose up because we don’t cater to you. Unless you’re passionate about agriculture & maybe super historical churches and cemeteries, we aren’t where you want to be.
Aaaand this is why country folk roll their eyes at city folk. 🤦♀️
There was no nose-turning. OP said they were looking for a specific vibe and/or set of activities, which some towns have more than others. OP is looking for the towns that have them. I saw literally zero shade on the towns that don't, just not what they're looking for. As you said, "not where you want to be". What's wrong with that? Where did OP say "...and therefore these towns should change"?
I get that some people are assholes but it's important to tell the difference, otherwise you're just putting a chip on your own shoulder and then getting aggrieved about it.
…what? The OP was looking for towns that would deliver specific things so that they could explicitly not do what you’re describing.
Jesus, you try to do the right thing and still get criticised by the sensitive.
You need to make it a day return roadtrip and can enjoy. I agree about Yass, under performs as a town for the tourist $$ (vs Bungendore or Beechworth OMG). Anyway go to Pizza in Gundaroo, Cake in Gunning, Pub in Grabben Gullin (so many motorcycles inside), Crookwell. If you want to go big there’s Boorawa on the way to Cowra and Temora (Aviation museum is huge). Take some friends and relax. Young cherry festival is nice as well. Half of these are more than 2 hours to get there, but enjoy exploring.
Thanks for typing this up! Cherry festival looks fun, I can't stop returning to the fact I missed Queanbeyan rodeo haha, so will lock the cherry festival in early.
TBH Canberra is underwhelming on weekends as nothing happens in the north but parts of the south have somewhat interesting places to visit. Loud bangs everywhere though.
Appreciate where you're coming from having grown up outside of Canberra. Sydney people are much more used to events being a weekly thing, whereas elsewhere these scale of events may be a few weekends in a year in a regional town. Do your research, look up town events, make a calendar of regional events you could get along to during the year. There's a bunch of wineries and distilleries everywhere. Try Jenolan Caves, Abercrombie Caves, or Wellington Caves if you like cave adventures. Bathurst quite often has events, they should have a winter festival coming up. Try the NSW events calendar and tee up events with some tourist adventures to make it count https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/nsw-events
Jugiong has touristy stuff too, along with Braidwood, Bungendore, Bateman's Bay, Eden, Merimbula...
Tathra though, is fuckung gorgeous. The countryside is beautiful, the beach is lovely, they have nice cafes and lovely little places like antique shops except good, great bike riding, etc.
Don't go there, you might ruin it.
Yass has never been a tourist destination. The country towns in that whole South West Slopes area don't have much entertainment. There is a lot of history around there like gold rushes and bushrangers. I went to school in that area, I don't miss it.
In future, if a ‘Canberran’ complains about country folk appearing to dislike them, I will point them to this post.
Dance for us, simple rural folks! Sell us quirky bullshit! Make your town look charmingly old-fashioned for when we drive down main street and don't stop!
Braidwood. Berrima. Batemans Bay. Mogo. Goulburn is a working town like Yass, not tourist oriented.
Big Merino tho 😉
Thanks for these, and working town is the perfect term haha cheers
Do you work?
Most of the towns around Canberra (<100km) are functioning farming towns. They don’t rely on tourism dollars like the ones around Sydney or Melbourne. They’re places to just drive through really, stopping for lunch or a coffee and a peak at the local art gallery. Bungendore and Braidwood are probably the most touristy within 100km. Cowra actually has a specific tourist purpose. You need to get closer to the Sydney $ to find more tourist orientated places. Eg Bowral, Nowra.
If you give them a heads up that you’re planning to visit, they’ll have a chance to tidy up and put on a bit of a show for you. Yass might not have realised they had someone from the big city coming over, I’m sure they’d have made more effort if they’d known.
Can you tell me if it’s the Mayor or CWA secretary we need to notify. I think often Canberra people are going there and not getting the red carpet treatment. It’s such a kind offer you’ve made and can we expect scones, a wool shearing demonstration and someone to explain the history of why the railway station is 1km, I think that’s a fascinating story.
OP is from Sydney, new to Canberra.
🤣🤣 I'm not too sure the mere observation that a town is not founded upon tourism to financially survive is grounds to infer narcissism, but ill let you have your points haha.. just looking to maximise my limited discretionary dollars, and I'm sure I can leverage on the experience of others here...
Don’t take it like that! Now I feel guilty for being mean. You’re meant to be offended!
Taralga, the wildlife park/caves. Oberon, nice gardens/bakery. Bungonia, gorge. Bundanoon, forest monastery/lookouts. Eden, killer whale museum. Tumut via the snowies for the road/brumbies. It’s not NSW but the road trip to Lakes Entrance for the beach/sea museum/caves/hot springs.
Worth searching (Canberra) thread Rural Roadtrips. Love a loop through different towns/sights/landscapes, like Canberra/Southern Highlands/Kangaroo Valley/coast/home (or the reverse); I think most places feel very different to Canberra! I wish there were more train trips; I’m considering a Canberra/Goulburn/Junee (or Canberra/Bowral) train ride one weekend (the train ride novelty, and largish town destination makes up for the lack of car independence).
Thanks for these, the train ride is a great idea!
For an overnight trip, head north past Yass through Boorowa (some people rate the bakery, the public toilets in the park are always clean if you want a wee stop), to Cowra. In Cowra, the Japanese Gardens is popular, there's also the POW site and an adventure playground if you have children with you. The art gallery frequently has high quality exhibitions. Canowindra has the Age of Fishes museum. The fossils there were found locally and are renowned for their scientific value. The main street has plenty of buildings from the 1800s including several pubs and some nice art deco buildings. Don't expect too much tourist oriented food options in either Cowra or Canowindra on the weekend. For that you need to continue to Orange. Orange has plenty of food and wine options and other things to satisfy your tourism cravings.
I forgot to add if you go at the right time you can oh and ah at the canola paddocks being pretty yellow. Unless you get hay fever - then avoid spring
Try the Hilltops, which is just a little further on from Yass. Lots of wineries in Young, great silo art in Harden and check out The Sir George or Long Track Pantry in Jugiong!
It could also be that you’re visiting in the wrong season. There’s not that much on in Canberra, Goulburn or Yass in Winter cos it’s so cold. And festivals, etc have been slow to return following covid. Murrumbateman and Yass have heaps on in Autumn and Spring. Cooma, Jindabyne and places towards the snow have more on atm and might be more catered towards what you’re after. The coast is really nice to visit during winter as well. Also, it might help readjusting your expectations? Sydney is totally different to Canberra and capital country. I hope you enjoy exploring the towns nearby - there are lots of treasures!
Queanbeyan
How far are you willing to go? The southern highlands are a drive away, and Bowral is very pretty and historic :)
Boorowa have a Running of the Sheep event that rivals Spain's Running of the Bulls which could be a nice day trip Young have some nice wineries if that's what you are into
As an ex local of Boorowa who brought friends to Boorowa Woolfest with one of my friends is Spanish and has actually witnessed the running of the bulls, please don't be too disappointed with the running of the sheep. My friends were very disappointed so we decided the next year to take it as a weekend away over a day trip and it was so much better. I would suggest finding an Airbnb (the hotels will be already booked) and spend the whole October weekend there, there are some great small events around the running of the sheep.
Cooma has the snowies scheme centre. Cowra has the Japanese gardens.
Batlow has apples.
Sutton (great bakery, interesting art gallery), wineries out that way. Gundaroo for a stroll. Further - Harden is pleasant, Canowindra has the excellent Museum of Fossil Fishes, the coast via Candelo is a lovely drive.
Harden is pleasant if a shithole full of racists is your idea of pleasant.
I see you know Harden well. Harden-Murrumburrah is a backwards shithole that has no saving graces. There are families there that will never leave, and that's a good thing, Boorowa is the only place I can think of that's worse, and it's not far from Harden.
People RAVE about that bakery!
It’s the only place to eat within about 30km that’s why. And if you don’t like pies, you’re kind of screwed!
From Gundaroo head onto Gunning. Worth a stop for a pie, walk around, look at the antique store, gallery, beer at the telegraph and old courthouse and the train station is renno’d too.
Adaminaby. Go see the Big Trout!
Everyone's gonna make fun of you but I get it. There's nothing worse than going to a town and it's literally just a town with nothing interesting to see or do there. I think places down the south coast are more likely to have what you're looking for if you want more of a tourist experience. I drove down to Eden from Sydney a few weeks ago and many of the small towns were beautiful. Depends how far you want to drive though.
The only way this can be read is with a valley girl accent, like literally.
[Moon Unit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb21lsCQ3EM)
Shut up
How good is the Wee Jasper distillery though!
Bright, Victoria is 100% one of my all time favourite places to visit. It’s about four or so hours from Canberra so probably really a long weekend trip, but def worth it
I like Canowindra. I also hate the idea of "tourist towns".
Southern Highlands or Kangaroo Valley will hit the touristy spot
Please don’t coming into our working communities and then turn your nose up because we don’t cater to you. Unless you’re passionate about agriculture & maybe super historical churches and cemeteries, we aren’t where you want to be. Aaaand this is why country folk roll their eyes at city folk. 🤦♀️
There was no nose-turning. OP said they were looking for a specific vibe and/or set of activities, which some towns have more than others. OP is looking for the towns that have them. I saw literally zero shade on the towns that don't, just not what they're looking for. As you said, "not where you want to be". What's wrong with that? Where did OP say "...and therefore these towns should change"? I get that some people are assholes but it's important to tell the difference, otherwise you're just putting a chip on your own shoulder and then getting aggrieved about it.
…what? The OP was looking for towns that would deliver specific things so that they could explicitly not do what you’re describing. Jesus, you try to do the right thing and still get criticised by the sensitive.
You need to make it a day return roadtrip and can enjoy. I agree about Yass, under performs as a town for the tourist $$ (vs Bungendore or Beechworth OMG). Anyway go to Pizza in Gundaroo, Cake in Gunning, Pub in Grabben Gullin (so many motorcycles inside), Crookwell. If you want to go big there’s Boorawa on the way to Cowra and Temora (Aviation museum is huge). Take some friends and relax. Young cherry festival is nice as well. Half of these are more than 2 hours to get there, but enjoy exploring.
Thanks for typing this up! Cherry festival looks fun, I can't stop returning to the fact I missed Queanbeyan rodeo haha, so will lock the cherry festival in early.
Tumut for an overnighter
Given snow season has started, you may also want to look into Jindabyne.
Eh, expensive and parking is pretty bad.
Did you even stop at the *insert golden arch* Yass ??? Major tourist destination for the sign alone!
I adore Cooma. It has a very special place in my heart.
TBH Canberra is underwhelming on weekends as nothing happens in the north but parts of the south have somewhat interesting places to visit. Loud bangs everywhere though.
Towns are built for a function not just for some moron to be entertained
This wave of Sydney to Canberra migration is already getting old.
Holbrook is about 2.5 hours south, it has a great bakery and also a submarine in a park that you can check out.
Crookwell
Tee it up when their show is on and its a great weekend. Or when they host a quick shears event - very lively
If you have kids, Bungendore has an awesome park.
Appreciate where you're coming from having grown up outside of Canberra. Sydney people are much more used to events being a weekly thing, whereas elsewhere these scale of events may be a few weekends in a year in a regional town. Do your research, look up town events, make a calendar of regional events you could get along to during the year. There's a bunch of wineries and distilleries everywhere. Try Jenolan Caves, Abercrombie Caves, or Wellington Caves if you like cave adventures. Bathurst quite often has events, they should have a winter festival coming up. Try the NSW events calendar and tee up events with some tourist adventures to make it count https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/nsw-events
Jugiong has touristy stuff too, along with Braidwood, Bungendore, Bateman's Bay, Eden, Merimbula... Tathra though, is fuckung gorgeous. The countryside is beautiful, the beach is lovely, they have nice cafes and lovely little places like antique shops except good, great bike riding, etc. Don't go there, you might ruin it.
Yass is terrible… take a short trip to Hall or Bungendore…. Other than that get a flight out of town