History
From the beginning of European settlement in Yass the development of the district has been tied to national and even international events.
Since the late 1830s the main route from Sydney south to Melbourne, passed through the town ensuring its importance as a place of commerce and as the centre of the extensive Catholic and Anglican parishes. Yass became the place where families and friends from outlying areas assembled for the big events in life – baptisms, marriages and funerals in the local churches.
Passing travellers and overlanders stopped seeking food, shelter and water before continuing their journeys – some travelling as far as Victoria and South Australia. Settlers from the outer districts came to Yass once or twice a year for their supplies. Their stay in the town added to the coffers of the makeshift stores and the inns, whose owners in time prospered and built permanent premises – some of these are still part of the Yass streetscape.
