Photos

On our way to Coff’s Harbour, on the NSW coast, we passed many towns, some more memorable than others. Yass was one of the more memorable ones, firstly because of its charming architecture and well preserved old buildings, and secondly because of the pride people have in their town. A few of the locals approached me when they saw me photographing the buildings and were most keen to acquaint me with some of the finer aspects of their town. I was saddened on witnessing such love for their region, knowing that these folks have been struggling for more than a decade with the drought. I shall post a picture of the parched countryside soon.
Thanks to Wikipedia, I include the following information:
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" (or "Yharr"), said to mean 'running water'.
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 56km from Canberra.
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.
The Pride of Erin Festival and Yass Show are held in March and the Yass Arts-and-Crafts Festival in November.
The Yass area was first seen by Europeans in 1821, (an expedition led by Hamilton Hume)[1] 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 Valley Council
Population:'[3] On census night, 7 August 2001, there were 9,675 people (4,825 males and 4,850 females) counted in Yass. This represents an increase of 6.4% since the 1996 Census, and an increase of 10.6% since the 1991 Census. Of those people counted on Census Night, 95.7% were counted at home. Yass Shire has an area of 3298 square kilometres, giving a population density of 2.9 people per square kilometre.
Indigenous Origin: There were 190 people (2.0%) who identified as being of Indigenous origin in the 2001 Census. The median age of people in the 2001 Census was 38 years.
Country Of Birth: The number of people born overseas in the 2001 Census was 902 (9.3%). Of those born overseas, the three main countries of birth in the 2001 Census were:
United Kingdom: 348 (3.6%)
New Zealand: 107 (1.1%) and
Germany: 53 (0.5%).
Ancestry: In the 2001 Census, the three most common ancestries identified with were:
Australian: 4905 people (50.7%)
English: 3722 people (38.5%) and
Irish: 1307 people (13.5%).
Language: English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 9,220 people (95.3%) in the 2001 Census. The three most common languages spoken at home other than English in the 2001 Census were:
German: 30 (0.3%)
Croatian: 27 (0.3%) and
Italian: 22 (0.2%).