An hour’s drive north of Canberra, or west from Goulburn, Yass is an historic New South Wales Town. We were passing through on a drive from Canberra to Orange so stopped to have a quick look around. Being early morning, parking was easy, and we found a spot outside the Banjo Patterson Park, named after the famous Australia poet.
Several coffee shops were open, so we ordered a coffee before setting off to explore the town. The main street, Comur St contains several well preserved nineteenth-century buildings. The Post Office looks great, but the courthouse looks like a small palace!
The Yass Railway Museum is small with only a few trains and pieces of rolling stock on display. However, it’s a great place to visit, see some interesting trains, memorabilia and find out about the history of trains in Yass. You can find a full story of our visit here.
1307 Steam Locomotive
Abandoned Railway Bridge
We drove to the old railway bridge over the Yass River, parking at Joe O’Conner Park and walking down to the river. Disused since 1988 when the rail line closed it’s now a tourist attraction and heritage listed. It was interesting to walk around, especially as there are trees growing through parts of it.
Old Tramway BridgeThe Old Tramway BridgeOld Tramway Bridge
What Did We Think Of Yass?
Although this was only a quick visit, we enjoyed our time here. The lovely old buildings on the main street, abandoned bridge and railway museum are all worth stopping to see.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
The Tasman Peninsula has an wonderful array of historical and natural locations explore. Containing some of Australia’s oldest convict sites, it tells the story of early colonial life while being surrounded by amazing natural beauty.
During our stay here, we visited the sites below. This is by no means all there is to see and do, as there are many more bush tracks to walk, and places to visit. We spent three days here, but could easily have taken a whole week.
Tasmania is full of natural beauty. The wind, rain and sea have combined in places to produce wonderful geological features. For the Full blog of our trip here, click this link.
To prevent escaped convicts leaving the Tasman Peninsula, a dogs were placed at the narrowest point. These vicious dogs are commemorated with a full sized bronze sculpture. Tasmania is full of natural beauty. The wind, rain and sea have combined in places to produce wonderful geological features. For the Full blog of our trip here, click this link.
Although not as popular as Port Arthur, the Coal Mine Historic Site is also an important relic of the convict past. The first coal mine in Tasmania and a place of punishment for repeat offending convicts, its ruins are worth a visit. Unlike Port Arthur, entry here is free. For the Full blog of our trip here, click this link.
Bushwalking and hiking tracks range from under an hour to several days. We chose a five hour return walk to Cape Raoul because it provided temperate rainforest, coastal views and wildlife in the one walk. For the Full blog of our trip here, click this link.
Established in 1848 and conveniently located opposite Constitution Dock, in the centre of Hobart, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is a great place to discover Tasmania’s unique history. Covering natural history, aboriginal and European settlement to Antarctic exploration, there is something here to interest everyone. There is even a dinosaur at the entrance.
Muttaburrasaurus Dinosaur Skeleton
Indigenous Culture
Several galleries explore Indigenous Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, from artefacts to artworks. Their treatment and subsequent genocide is treated in detail. Everyone visiting Tasmania should see it, so that they understand this part of history.
Aboriginal Bark Canoe
Woureddy (left) and Trucannini (right)
Manalagerna (left) and Tanleboueyer (right)
Tasmanian Wildlife
Most people won’t be able to see the unique Australian wildlife, so the display here is a great place to see what they look like. From echidna and platypus, the egg laying monotremes, to quolls and devils, you can see them all.
Importantly, a display of the Thylacine, the Tasmanian Tiger shows what this now extinct marsupial looked like. The last one died in 1933 in Hobart Zoo, so now all that remains are the skeletons, stuffed displays and photos.
Containing bank notes and coins from colonial times to decimal currency, this small gallery is a good place to learn about Australian currency. One of the largest collections of Roman coins in the country can also be found here. So, if you are interested in how the currency has changed, it’s worth a visit.
Coin Display
Coin Display
Scales
Art Gallery
The art gallery section of the museum contains an interesting collection of paintings and sculptures covering Tasmanian themes. We found the paintings and sculptures of Tasmanian aborigines the best part, as we had not seen them before.
Art Gallery Paintings
Art Gallery Displays
Antarctic Exploration
Tasmania’s link to Antarctic exploration is on display with an amazing array of wildlife and explorer exhibits. A model of Mawson’s Hut shows how the explorers lived in the early 1900s. A photo gallery nearby puts a human face to the scientists and explorers, which is great because many museums only show physical displays.
The wildlife displays give an idea of the abundant wildlife that exists there. We found this interesting, because we probably won’t travel there. The size of the seals and albatross was surprizing, because you don’t get an idea of how big they are from photos.
Antarctic Wildlife Display
Albatross
Huskies
Mawson’s Hut
Antarctic Exploration Photos
What Did We Think?
For a great insight into Tasmanian history this is a great place to visit, because it covers everything from pre colonial times, to Antarctic exploration and wildlife. Even though we have lived in Tassie, we found it interesting because of the wonderful exhibits and displays. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Hobart.
