| Wee Jasper New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 Bridge across Goodradigbee River at Wee Jasper | |||||||||||||||
  Wee Jasper | |||||||||||||||
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| Coordinates | 35°06′0″S148°40′0″E / 35.10000°S 148.66667°E /-35.10000; 148.66667 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 127 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2582 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 376–1,121 m (1,234–3,678 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Yass Valley Council | ||||||||||||||
| County | Buccleuch | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Goulburn | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Eden-Monaro | ||||||||||||||
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Wee Jasper is a hamlet in theYass Valley Shire inNew South Wales,Australia, about 90 km north-west ofCanberra and 60 km south-west ofYass. It is in theGoodradigbee valley at the western foot of theBrindabella Ranges, nearBurrinjuck Dam.[2] At the2021 census, Wee Jasper and the surrounding area had a population of 127.[1]
The origin of the name Wee Jasper is unknown but it is possibly of Aboriginal origin. It has been in use since at latest 1848 when it appeared as "Weejasper".[3][failed verification][4][5] In 1970, the place name was changed, officially, from Weejasper to Wee Jasper.[6]
TheNgunnawal people once lived over the site of Wee Jasper and the surrounding Goodradigbee River valley.[7] Diseases decimated aboriginal populations ahead of colonial settlement. The New South Wales colonial government ineffectually prohibited settlement in the area and others outside theNineteen Counties but livestock herders reached the valley early. TheHume and Hovell expedition passed through the area in October 1824.[8]
In 1831, the land of "Cooradigbee", south of Wee Jasper, was granted toWilliam Hampden Dutton. It was one of the last free land grants in the colony of New South Wales and was made only because it had been promised byGovernor Darling, in October 1830.[9] In December 1848, theCounty of Buccleuch and neighbouringCounty of Cowley were proclaimed.[10] In 1866, a site for a Goodradigbee village was proclaimed but never eventuated and was cancelled in 1900.[11][12][13] A cluster of settlement, which would become Wee Jasper, developed further up the river, nearer the eventual bridge site.[14]
"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.[15][16] From 1908 to 1912, "Coodra Vale" was the home of renowned Australian poet,A.B. "Banjo" Paterson,[17][18][19][20] and his poem,A Mountain Station, was informed by the time he spent there as an agriculturalist.[21]
In the 1890s, gold was mined in 'The Wee Jasper' goldfield, south of Wee Jasper, along the Goodradigbee creek of which Wee Jasper Creek is a tributary.[22][23] The Goodradigbee Goldfield, which included the area, was proclaimed in 1882 but revoked in 1897[24] and the area was never a significant goldfield.
In 1896, the bridge across the Goodradigbee River at Wee Jasper was opened, providing better connection to Yass and Tumut.[25] By 1887, Wee Jasper had a police station.[26] Wee Jasper Post Office first opened in January 1886, closed in March 1892, reopened in 1895 and remained in service until 1994.[27] in 1899, a school was opened as a provisional school and achieved public school status in 1918.[28] Wee Jasper had a Catholic church, now re-purposed.[29]
The area is known for its caves and fossils, camping, canoeing and fishing. 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.[30]
Fossils, including members of theAcanthothoracidplacoderm fish familyWeejasperaspididae, the primitiveplacodermBrindabellaspis stensioi and the prehistoriclungfish,Dipnorhynchus cathlesae, have been found in the area.[31]
Wee Jasper has a temperateoceanic climate (Cfb) in acold rainforest zone with mild to warm summers and chilly, very wet winters. Moderate to heavy snowfalls are common through the winter and early spring months, often the result ofNorthwest cloudbands colliding with cold south-westerly airmasses. Annual rainfall is in the order of 1,520 millimetres (60 in) − nearly thrice as wet asCanberra.
Maximum temperatures are significantly cooler than adjacent regions of similar altitude in theAustralian Capital Territory, owing to itswindward position on the western slopes of theBrindabella Range.
| Climate data for Billapaloola State Forest (1938–1969); 808 m AMSL; 35.27° S, 148.38° E | |||||||||||||
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| 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 | |||||||||||||
Wee Jasper has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence.
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