Yarrah is a place connected to nature, where open spaces inspire an active lifestyle and every day is enhanced by a true sense of community.

Welcome to beautiful and utterly charming Yass, a classic example of the good life in regional Australia. Located in southwest New South Wales, Yass is about 60km from Canberra and 280km from Sydney, conveniently located at the junction of the Hume and Barton highways.

The name “Yass” is thought to have come from the Ngunnawal word ‘yarrh’, meaning “running water”. The Ngunnawal are the traditional custodians of the Canberra – Queanbeyan – Yass areas generally referred to as the Yass-Canberra region and includes the Yass Valley. Hamilton Hume and his party of explorers arrived in the Yass Valley in 1821 with a permanent settlement established soon after. By 1843, the town’s district council was officially incorporated. By 1901, the scenic beauty of Yass, its available water and location north of the Snowy Mountains on a relatively easy to traverse route between Sydney and Melbourne, made Yass a consideration as one of the alternative sites for the future Federal Capital establishing the areas name as the Yass-Canberra Region.

With the development of the sheep industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, Yass become renowned as the ‘fine wool hub of the world’, prosperity rode on the back of the fine woolled merino sheep, supplemented by small businesses, like flour mills, brick works, timber mills, a growing service industry and its location on the main highway and rail line between Sydney and Melbourne.

Today, industry within the Valley includes an internationally acclaimed wine industry, a vibrant tourist industry, gourmet foods, fine arts, horticulture and sundry niche social media and technology businesses. Yass’ prime location with its close proximity to Canberra has made Yass Valley consistently one of the fastest growing inland areas in NSW. Yass Valley is increasingly becoming recognised as a fast growing, prosperous, regional area offering business opportunities, ease of employment, a wide range of sporting and cultural activities, and a relaxed and balanced lifestyle.

Yass Valley is home to some of Australia’s most picturesque and diverse landscapes, characterised by grassland plains, gently rolling hills and green valleys which give way to the spectacular blue of the Brindabella Ranges in the south west or the Mundoonen Range in the east. Within the boundaries of the LGA, there is one National Park, five Nature Reserves and one State Conservation Area.

Life in Yass is closely connected to nature. The Yass river crosses the valley and joins with the Murrumbidgee and Goodradigbee rivers to form the Burrinjuck Dam. This complex water way provides a major focal point for residents and visitors.

The Yass Gorge (the area along the Yass River between Flat Rock Crossing and the Yass Dam) is a natural bushland in the middle of an urban area – providing recreation opportunities for residents and visitors, and habitat for native plants and animals. Hatton’s Corner is the gateway to the running waters of the Yass River in their natural beauty. After a short descent, visitors are able to enjoy one of the town’s best kept secrets.

Whether you are a hiker or a cyclist, a nature enthusiast or simply enjoy going for a stroll, Yass and its district offers a unique environment to enjoy a lifestyle with nature at its core.

Yarrah provides its residents with the benefit of living within an established urban centre like Yass, and enjoying access to great healthcare, education and leisure options.

The Yass District hospital is the main healthcare provider in the area, with 24h emergency care and a medical imaging department. Several other private clinics and health centres also treat a wide range of conditions.

Yass has two public primary schools and a high school, as well as a private Catholic primary school. The town also offers a number of pre-school centres for children ages 0-6, including a Montessori School and a Sessional Preschool.

Yass’ thriving high street, with its well-preserved 19th century historical buildings, pubs, cafes and charming stores, is the backbone of the town. National supermarket chains provide their usual wide product range and ease of shopping but Yass also has niche small independent businesses like butcher, baker, grocery and visiting fishmonger. And for that unique gift, there are a number of specialty shops each offering a broad range whether its handmade, Australian made, second hand, in book form or imported wares. Yass Community Markets are also worth a visit, showcasing product from the region every first and third Saturday of the month.

An important part of the Yass relaxed lifestyle and shopping experience is its superb collection of cafes, “Yass style”, brewing arguably some of the best coffee in the country and offering homebaking, sustainable wares, homewares and other goods. The cafes are regularly packed and considered great places to meet friends, enjoy light meals, meet business associates or work quietly on your own project.

In the past decade, Yass has become a preferred option for Canberra residents looking for a better quality of life. It is a 40-minute commute via the Hume Highway into the city; it is only 25 minutes to the tram at Gungahlin or to Belconnen. Yass is the perfect alternative for public servants, healthcare and office workers, as well as tradesmen leaving the National Capital in search of more affordable housing, better value, more space, great services and a relaxed lifestyle in an existing community.

And for those with jobs in Sydney that allow staff to work from home with regular short face to face time in the office, Yass is a great choice being only a two and half to three hour drive into Sydney CBD. Not only is Yass two to three hours to Sydney, but also to the Central West, Albury – Wodonga, the Snowy Mountains and the South Coast. Be it the Hume Highway or the Barton Highway, travelling to Yass is an easy commute in comparison to the congested realities of expensive city living.