Wee Jasper Wandering
20 September 2024 / Author - Rod Nicholas - Photos by Rod Nicholas, Jo Blackburn & Mike Lawless
The run out to Wee Jasper is one of the best short drives around Canberra. With the countryside looking green and lush, the little village is a beautiful site, and the trip in offers some interesting twisties to excite the drivers (and maybe the navigators too).
Great drives, good food, and bottled goodies for a bonus—all within a round trip of 160 km!
But the road to Wee Jasper demands caution. It is a narrow country lane with uncompromising—and occasionally non-existent—shoulders. Blind corners, steep drop-offs to the valley below, and the occasional pothole (or recently deceased wildlife) threaten to unnerve the inexperienced driver. I have labelled it a ‘hard’ run, if only because there’s nowhere to hide if you get into trouble.
Kicking off from Denman Prospect, our thirteen-car convoy managed the four suburban turns into Uriarra Road with ease, and prepared for the map-challenging of two more tuns to our destination. We turned right into Mountain Creek Road, which was surprisingly devoid of traffic (apart from our zoom-zoom of MX-5s), and in great condition. Then a left onto Wee Jasper Road and the first twisties. The uphill track is a bit uneven but otherwise sound, and the convex mirror allow a peek around the corners before entering. Guardrails all but obscure the steep slide back down but also block out much of the gorgeous view into the farmland below.
We meandered through the bush along the ridge for a while and I was delighted to find the dodgy cattle grid just before the descent to the Goodradigbee River in good operating order. That’s the start to my favourite part of the trip—approaching a blind left-hander, with the valley opening below, and then a stretch along the ridgetop that is (to me at least) a beautiful sight. Then the descent to the village. The road narrows and drops steeply, the guardrails disappear, the blind corners are adorned with mirrors, and the rock wall to our left is disturbingly close.
But we all arrived safely, and the sun sparkled off the backwaters of the river lazing out front of the Wee Jasper Distillery. We were almost the only guests (for a while) and our host Shannon was well-prepared for our crowd. Within moments, we had tables sorted, menus distributed, drinks and food ordered, and tastings begun. And oh, what a taste! The pink gin is delish, but my pick is the dry gin, sipped over ice (not too much) and a sliver of lemon peel.
We ate, enjoyed the view and the chat among friends, took photos and wandered around. A few packed-up stumps and wandered home. The rest followed us on trip into Yass for a caffeine top-up. We headed back out along Wee Jasper Road to Yass, a short 55 km to the east. Back up the hill, this time with the drop just a few centimetres to the left, past the Mountain Creek Road turnoff, and we crossed the magnificent Taemas Bridge as it spans the Murrumbidgee River. Another uphill set of twisties followed, with tight bends and a long, steep drop back to the river on the left-hand side; a delight for the driver, albeit somewhat unnerving at times. We took it slowly for change.
The road is in surprisingly good condition (about time, he cried!) and we managed to get to our stop in Yass—Kaffeine—in time for a brew. Directly opposite the lovely Yass Liberty Theatre, still in the throws of restoration, we were entertained by impromptu performances by some folkies who were taking part in a festival at the theatre.
And then it was time to set out for home. What a rippa of a day! The weather was spot on, the roads were good, the Distillery brilliant (as always), the tucker filling and delish, and the drive itself was a heap of fun. The best part? The company of course.
A repeat for 2025 is certainly on the cards, maybe with the added attraction of a cave exploration.
Who knows?
Rod & Maryanne
