12 November 2015
Camping in Yass Valley
With the cold winter behind us, it’s time to stop hibernating and get out and enjoy the glorious weather that spring and summer naturally bring. And in the Yass Valley, it’s a wonderful time of year to get out amongst it with your family and feed your inner nature lover.
Yass Valley is located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, just 45 minutes from Canberra and three hours from Sydney. The tourism experiences on offer in Yass Valley include gourmet food producers, world-class wineries, artisans and makers with products such as The Poachers Way.
The region is also a great place for natural experiences in the outdoors. While you’re out enjoying the delights of the region you could always stay in one of the many gorgeous B&Bs or quality hotels. But did you know the region offers some wonderful options for camping as well?
Here’s our top camping spots in the Yass Valley:
This small picturesque village is situated on the beautiful Goodradigbee River. The area boasts beautiful camping and recreation reserves and is a very popular spot for adventure sport and caving at the famous Careys Cave.
In the height of summer, the shallow fresh waters of the river remain shaded throughout most of the day making it an inviting place to spend your day. You can choose from five bush camping reserves on the banks of the Goodradigbee River and on Micalong Creek. The Wee Jasper Reserves offer authentic bush camping, walking tracks, waterfalls and a million stars – just turn up and set up!
Lake Burrinjuck and surrounds is a gorgeous area to connect with Australia’s wildlife, and is also awesome for bushwalking. At the Burrinjuck Waters Holiday Park there are plenty of powered and unpowered camp sites – and as a bonus visitors can enjoy barbecues, a modern playground for the kids, tennis courts and beach volleyball. The best part is the park is full of wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and echidnas, as well as countless native birds.
Good Hope Resort is another great camping option with powered and unpowered camping sites. Good Hope is surrounded by farming properties and is also located on Lake Burrinjuck. Facilities include a swimming pool (great for summer!), tennis court, and free hot showers.
So when you next visit the Yass Valley with your family, why not consider a camping holiday and experience a genuine Australian country atmosphere under the stars.
Big news in wine from Yass Valley
Nick O’Leary wins NSW Wine of the Year:
Nick O’Leary of Nick O’Leary Wines has just become back to back winner of the NSW Wine of the Year – a feat that has never been accomplished before in the event’s 19 year history.
Nick collected the gong for NSW Wine of the Year 2015, which was announced at the awards in late October, for his 2014 Shiraz, having won the same award last year for his 2013 Bolaro Shiraz.
And the 2014 Shiraz is that good, he actually won three trophies – Best Young Shiraz, Best Dry Red and the NSW Wine of the Year award.
O’ Leary says that any win for his wines is a win for the Canberra district.
You can find Nick O’Leary crafting his wines on the southern escarpment of Lake George near Bungendore. Each wine comes from small individual parcels of fruit, sourced in and around the Canberra district.
The winery was rated a 5 star winery in James Halliday’s 2015 Australian Wine Companion. For more information on Nick O’Leary wines visit www.nickolearywines.com.au
Another Helm takes the Helm – the Vintner’s Daughter:
Famed Yass Valley winemaker, Ken Helm of Helm Wines, has been hiding a rather big secret all these years. His daughter, Stephanie Helm, most definitely got the wine making gene.
Well, it’s no secret really, as having been making wines with her father since the age of nine, Stephanie had actually been the youngest winemaker to take home medals at the local wine shows over the years.
Not at all surprising with such a talented award-winning wine maker as a father – he pretty much put Canberra district riesling on the map – but Stephanie is now stepping out on her own with her new wine label, The Vintner’s Daughter.
Stephanie and her husband have taken over Yass Valley Wines as the base from which to create their Vintner’s Daughter wines, which have already collected more Canberra awards recently including the award for best Canberra district Riesling at the Canberra International Riesling Challenge.
The winery is located in Murrumbateman right near the famed Clonakilla and Eden Road wineries, and is what Stephanie likes to call a micro boutique winery.
For more information on The Vintner’s Daughter visit www.thevintnersdaughter.com.au
More on the wines of the Yass Valley:
Many of the Canberra district wineries are actually found in Yass Valley, and so the region is becoming increasingly well known as a producer of award winning cool climate wines.
Our wine industry has been maturing a long time and today is famed for its distinctive quality.
Shiraz and Riesling are standouts for the region, but at the more than 35 wineries in the Yass Valley you can find almost every major wine style. Most wineries are small and intimate, offering an interactive visitor experience.
We like to think we do things a little differently, from our intimate tasting rooms ranging from a mid-1800s school house to today’s architectural wonders where you’ll often meet the winemakers and share their passion.
The range in temperature, vineyard elevations, soil types and the careful influence of the winemakers skill and individual character help to shape the refined, unique qualities of the final product.
In Yass Valley you can get out and about, explore the region and indulge with some truly magnificent wines, and someone else can do the hard work. Yass Valley region has some fantastic wine tour companies ready to take you out exploring the many cellar doors in the area.
For more info on Yass Valley wines visit www.yassvalley.com.au
