According to the front page on this day in 1994, Yass had "opted for the quiet life".
It had been decided the Hume Highway would no longer run through the town, and a $160 million deviation from the route would be introduced.
Advertisement
At the time, Yass's main street, Comur Street, also happened to be the Hume Highway, and the town was constantly dealing with "the ceaseless roar and clatter of lumbering juggernauts".
The noise could be heard at night in all seven of the motels in Yass, and people on main street needed to raise their voices to engage in conversation. Many Yass residents were used to all the noise, and had learned to speak over it, but the quiet would be a welcome change.
One of the town's characters, Keith Barber, who was 85 at the time and had lived in the town his whole life, said the quiet was the only benefit he could see from the change.
"Yep, it'll be quiet all right," he said.
"But I hope it's not too bloody quiet."
