Explore the Village
Things to Do in Binalong
Banjo Paterson history, 18-hole sand-green golf, heritage buildings and easy day trips — all close to your room.
Explore Binalong
A small village with big stories
Binalong sits on the Burley Griffin Way in gently wooded hills 480 m above sea level, about 25 minutes north-west of Yass. The traditional owners are the Ngunnawal people, and the name is said to mean ‘towards a high place’.
Around 550 people live here, so everything below is close by — most of the village is an easy walk from the motel.
In the Village
Walk, browse and play
Pioneer Park
In the village
A bust of A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson with history boards. Paterson’s family moved to nearby Illalong station in 1869 when he was five, and he went to primary school here in Binalong.
Binalong Bushranger Walk
3.2 km loop
An easy signposted round trip from Fitzroy Street taking in the village’s well-preserved Victorian and Federation buildings.
Peter Minson Art Glass
21 Queen Street
A working glassblowing studio — studio visits and classes by arrangement.
Johnny Gilbert’s Grave
Edge of the village
The bushranger Johnny Gilbert was shot near Binalong in 1865 and is buried on the edge of the village — ask at reception for directions.
Swimming Pool
Council operated · seasonal
The village pool is run by the council and open in the warmer months.
Golf in Binalong
18-Hole Sand Green Golf
Binalong Golf Club is one of the few 18-hole sand-green courses left in Australia, set in rolling hills about 500 m above sea level. The course began on the village’s old racecourse: nine holes were laid out in 1927 and the full eighteen followed in the 1960s. Each September it hosts the Men’s World Sand Greens Championship, a professional event that brings 120 of Australia’s best professionals and amateurs to the village.
The Course
18 holes · Par 70
5,280 m from the blue tees and 4,954 m from the red tees, with a couple of long par 3s and some shorter par 5s.
Sand Greens
A different game
You rake a smooth line to the hole before you putt, and approach shots react differently from grass. Leave your best golf shoes at home: the sand can mark them.
Social Golf
7 days · honesty box
Visitors can play any day. Green fees go in the honesty box (about $10 a round). Club competitions are on Sundays.
The Clubhouse
Binalong Community Club
Bar, bistro with home-style cooking, and a lawn bowling green — a relaxed spot after your round.
Find the Club
21A Glengarry Road
A few minutes’ drive from the motel. Phone 02 6227 4241 or visit binalongclub.com.au.
Golf Stay
Stay with us
Playing a few rounds or here for the Championship? Book early for September. Call 02 6227 4310 or 0426 428 501 for our best rates.
Course details and fees can change, so please check with the club before you play.
History & Heritage
Banjo Paterson country
Heritage Buildings
Self-guided
Court House (1883) on Queen Street, St Patrick’s bluestone Catholic Church (1859), St Thomas’s Church (1886), the Mechanics Institute (1912), the Royal Hotel and Hotel Binalong (1912), and the old railway station rebuilt in 1883.
Johnny Gilbert’s Grave
Signposted
The bushranger of Banjo Paterson’s poem ‘How Gilbert Died’ was shot by police near Binalong on 13 May 1865, aged 25. His marked grave is signposted off the Burley Griffin Way towards Harden.
Day Trips
Easy drives from the motel
Binalong sits between the Hilltops and Yass Valley regions — a central base for the whole area.
Canola Fields
In season Aug–Oct
Golden canola across the surrounding farmland.
Young
Cherry capital
Cherry Festival in the first week of December.
Yass
About 25 minutes
Cooma Cottage, cafés and galleries.
Harden–Murrumburrah
North-west
Along the Burley Griffin Way.
Jugiong
South-west
On the Murrumbidgee River.
Murrumbateman
Wine region
Canberra district wineries, via Yass.
Canberra
South-east
Via Yass and the Barton Highway.
Festivals & Events
Your Base for Hilltops & Yass Valley Events
When the region’s big weekends roll around, rooms in the host towns book out fast and prices climb. Binalong sits quietly in the middle of it all — so you can enjoy the festival, take a short drive back to a ground-floor room with parking at your door, avoid the peak crowd pricing in the event towns, and unwind in country comfort.
National Cherry Festival, Young
Early December · under an hour’s drive
The Cherry Festival fills Young’s accommodation months ahead, and cherry-season weekends do the same from November to January. Stay in Binalong for the parade, markets and pick-your-own orchards, then come back to a quiet room — with a kitchenette for your cherries and dinner at our on-site restaurant. Book early: festival weekend fills fast everywhere.
Yass Valley Events & Wine Tours
Yass about 25 minutes
From the Yass Show to cellar-door weekends across the Yass Valley wine region, Binalong keeps you close without the event-weekend premium. Spend the day out, then an easy drive home along the Burley Griffin Way. Travelling as a group for a wedding or reunion? Ask us about group bookings.
Country Shows & Race Days
Harden · Boorowa · Galong
The Boorowa Irish Woolfest and its famous Running of the Sheep, the family-friendly Harden Kite Festival, and the district’s agricultural shows and picnic race days all happen within a short drive — Harden and Boorowa are 20–25 minutes away, and Galong is just up the road. See our rooms or bring the dog to a pet-friendly room.
Ask at reception
We’re happy to point you towards current opening hours, local events, the nearest fuel and supermarket, or a good spot for a walk.