Wee Jasper
New South Wales
Bridge across Goodradigbee River at Wee Jasper
Wee Jasper is located in New South Wales
Wee Jasper
Wee Jasper
Coordinates35°06′0″S 148°40′0″E / 35.10000°S 148.66667°E / -35.10000; 148.66667
Population127 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2582
Elevation376–1,121 m (1,234–3,678 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Yass Valley Council
CountyBuccleuch
State electorate(s)Goulburn
Federal division(s)Eden-Monaro
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
17.3 °C
63 °F		 5.7 °C
42 °F		 1,516.8 mm
59.7 in
Localities around Wee Jasper:
Adjungbilly Burrinjuck Narrangullen
Adjungbilly Wee Jasper Mullion
Tumorrama Brindabella Uriarra

Wee Jasper is a hamlet in the Yass Valley Shire in New South Wales, Australia, about 90 km north-west of Canberra and 60 km south-west of Yass. It is in the Goodradigbee valley at the western foot of the Brindabella Ranges, near Burrinjuck Dam.[2] At the 2021 census, Wee Jasper and the surrounding area had a population of 127.[1]

History and description

The place now known as Wee Jasper, and the surrounding area of the Goodradigbee River valley, lie on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal people.[3] The area lay outside the Nineteen Counties in which the New South Wales colonial government allowed colonial settlement. The County of Buccleuch and the neighbouring County of Cowley were not proclaimed, until 31 December 1848.[4]

The origin of the name Wee Jasper is unknown. It has been in use since at latest 1848, when it appeared as a single-word name "Weejasper".[5][6][7] Although both "Weejasper" and "Wee Jasper" were used subsequently, it was not until 1970 that the name of the village was changed officially from Weejasper to Wee Jasper.[8] The name is possibly of Aboriginal origin.

The Hume and Hovell expedition passed through the area in October 1824.[9]

Colonial settlement in the area dates from 1831, when a land grant was made at "Cooradigbee" to William Hampden Dutton. It was one of the last free land grants in the colony of New South Wales, and it was only given because it already had been promised by Governor Darling, in October 1830.[10] On 9 January 1831, Viscount Goderich instructed that no more free grants, except those already promised, be given. All land thereafter was to be sold at public auction.[11] The land grant extinguished what would later—in 1992—become known as native title over the land, effectively dispossessing the traditional owners.

A site for a village, to be known as "Goodradigbee", was proclaimed in 1866, but its design was cancelled in 1900.[12][13][14] A cluster of settlement developed further upstream on the river, nearer to the eventual site of the bridge, at what is now the village of Wee Jasper.[15]

"Coodra Vale", a property of 40,000 acres (16,188 ha) close to Wee Jasper, was the home of pastoralist, Stewart Ryrie, Junior, from 1871 until his death in 1882.[16][17] From 1908 to 1912, "Coodra Vale" was the home of renowned Australian bush-poet, A.B. "Banjo" Paterson,[18][19][20][21] and his poem, A Mountain Station, was informed by the time he spent there as an agriculturalist.[22]

South of the village is the confluence of the Goodradigbee and its tributary, Wee Jasper Creek. Gold was mined along the creek in the 1890s, when it was known as 'The Wee Jasper'.[23][24] The Goodradigbee Goldfield, which included the area, was proclaimed in 1882, but was revoked in 1897.[25] Although mining took place, the area was not a significant goldfield.

The bridge across the Goodradigbee River at Wee Jasper opened in September 1896, providing a better connection from the area to Yass and Tumut.[26] The filling of the Burrinjuck Dam during the 1920s resulted in the inundation of part of the valley downstream from the village. More land was inundated later, when the dam wall was raised.[27]

Wee Jasper had a police station by 1887.[28] Wee Jasper Post Office was first opened in January 1886 and closed in March 1892. Three years later, it was reopened again and remained in service until 1994.[29] The school at Wee Jasper opened as a provisional school in 1899 and achieved public school status in 1918.[30] Wee Jasper had a Catholic church, now re-purposed.[31]

Near the village are several camping and recreation reserves close to numerous caves. The best known cave is Carey's Cave, a system of seven caverns lying just north of the town.[2] Others lie to the north and south, including Dip, Dogleg, Punch-bowl and Signature Caves.[2] Wee Jasper is also home to the Wee Jasper Distillery.[32]

Fossils, including members of the Acanthothoracid placoderm fish family Weejasperaspididae, the primitive placoderm Brindabellaspis stensioi and the prehistoric lungfish, Dipnorhynchus cathlesae, have been found in the area.[33]

Climate

Wee Jasper has an identical climate to that of Batlow, comprising mild summers and cold, very wet winters, with moderate to heavy snowfalls.

Maximum temperatures are significantly cooler than regions of similar altitude in the Australian Capital Territory, owing to its windward position on the western slopes of the Brindabella Range.

Climate data for Billapaloola State Forest (1938–1969); 808 m AMSL; 35.27° S, 148.38° E
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 26.6
(79.9)		 25.6
(78.1)		 23.1
(73.6)		 17.1
(62.8)		 12.6
(54.7)		 9.3
(48.7)		 8.4
(47.1)		 9.8
(49.6)		 13.8
(56.8)		 16.6
(61.9)		 20.0
(68.0)		 24.3
(75.7)		 17.3
(63.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 12.1
(53.8)		 11.8
(53.2)		 9.8
(49.6)		 5.8
(42.4)		 3.2
(37.8)		 1.2
(34.2)		 0.1
(32.2)		 0.5
(32.9)		 2.4
(36.3)		 4.8
(40.6)		 7.2
(45.0)		 10.0
(50.0)		 5.7
(42.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 86.9
(3.42)		 71.4
(2.81)		 98.8
(3.89)		 113.7
(4.48)		 163.4
(6.43)		 156.1
(6.15)		 172.6
(6.80)		 162.9
(6.41)		 132.6
(5.22)		 145.0
(5.71)		 120.1
(4.73)		 86.5
(3.41)		 1,516.8
(59.72)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 5.8 5.6 6.1 7.9 10.9 12.3 13.4 13.6 10.3 11.1 8.7 7.0 112.7
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Billapaloola State Forest

Heritage listings

Wee Jasper has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wee Jasper". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Dow L, Guyon D, Irving R, McPhee M, Matthews A, Prineas P, Rubinich T, Simpson J (1995). Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Australian Places. Surry Hills, NSW: Reader's Diges t. p. 209. ISBN 0-86438-399-1.
  3. ↑ Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (5 June 2022). "Map of Indigenous Australia". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "PROCLAMATION". New South Wales Government Gazette. 30 December 1848. p. 1883. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  5. ↑ Wells, William Henry (1848). "A geographical dictionary, or, Gazetteer of the Australian colonies : together with a brief notice of all the capitals, principal towns, and villages". Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  6. ↑ "CLAIMS TO LEASES OF CROWN LAND". New South Wales Government Gazette. 30 September 1848. p. 1366. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "TRANSFERS OF RUNS". New South Wales Government Gazette. 9 July 1851. p. 1074. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT, 1966". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 29 May 1970. p. 2043. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  9. ↑ "From a tiny township, to a booming tourist spot". Canberra Times. 30 December 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "GRANTS OF LAND". New South Wales Government Gazette. 2 March 1839. p. 275. Retrieved 17 May 2022 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ "Land Grants Guide, 1788-1856". www.records.nsw.gov.au. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "SITE FOR A VILLAGE". New South Wales Government Gazette. 1 June 1866. p. 1318. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  13. ↑ "PROPOSED CANCELLATION OF DESIGN OF THE VILLAGE OF GOODRADIGBEE". New South Wales Government Gazette. 2 May 1900. p. 3417. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  14. ↑ "County of Cowley and Co. Buccleuch New South Wales, 1871 [cartographic material]". Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  15. ↑ "Wee Jasper - Satellite View". Google Maps. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "Pastoral and Agricultural Intelligence, Stock Movements &c". Australian Town and Country Journal. 25 February 1871. p. 6. Retrieved 10 May 2022 – via Trove.
  17. ↑ "Family Notices". Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2022 – via Trove.
  18. ↑ "AB 'Banjo' Paterson". Reserve Bank of Australia Banknotes. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Bard of the Bush". Daily Mirror. Truth and Sportsman Ltd. 20 June 1956. p. 21.
  20. ↑ Semmler, Clement, "Paterson, Andrew Barton (Banjo) (1864–1941)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 10 May 2022
  21. ↑ "Paterson, Andrew Barton b. 17 Feb 1864 "Narrambla", Orange, NSW d. 5 Feb 1941 Sydney, NSW". barton101.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  22. ↑ Station, A. Mountain. "A Mountain Station by A B Banjo Paterson". allpoetry.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "Wee Jasper and Adginbilly". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. 25 August 1894. p. 409. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  24. ↑ "MINING REPORT". Truth. 26 August 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  25. ↑ "PROCLAMATION". New South Wales Government Gazette. 4 December 1897. p. 8807. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  26. ↑ "THE LITTLE RIVER BRIDGE". Yass Courier. 8 September 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  27. ↑ "2,000 ACRES OF YASS LAND UNDER WATER". Gundagai Independent. 27 November 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 18 May 2022 – via Trove.
  28. ↑ "THE PREMIER'S ELECTION SPEECHES". Yass Courier. 1 April 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 19 May 2022 – via Trove.
  29. ↑ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  30. ↑ "Wee Jasper". nswgovschoolhistory.cese.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  31. ↑ Taulaga, Jessica (11 November 2021). "'A little corner of heaven': Wee Jasper church on the market could be your saving grace". All Homes Real Estate. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  32. ↑ "Home". WeeJasperDistillery. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  33. ↑ Campbell, K.S.W.; R.E. Barwick (1999). "A New Species of the Devonian Lungfish Dipnorhynchus from Wee Jasper, New South Wales" (pdf). Records of the Australian Museum 51(2): 123–140. Australian Museum. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  34. ↑ "Wee Jasper Bridge over Goodradigbee River". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01485. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
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