Arts & Culture
13 November, 2026
Yass church added to National Trust Register
St Augustine’s Catholic Church in Yass has been added to the National Trust Register in recognition of its architectural, historical and community value.
St Augustine’s Catholic Church in Yass has been added to the National Trust Register in recognition of its architectural, historical and community value.
The National Trust (NSW) said the listing of the “notable modernist church” had been made to strengthen the recognition of its significant heritage value.
Until now, the church – opened in 1956 by Dr Guilford Young – has not been listed on any heritage register.
One of its distinguishing features includes “exceptional and fully integrated” artwork by noted modernist Australian sculptor, Tom Bass.
While the listing has no legal force, it is recognised as an authoritative statement on the church’s historical significance and will come into consideration if there are ever any plans to alter or demolish the building.
There are currently more than 13,000 places listed on the National Trust Register in NSW alone.
The National Trust has described St Augustine’s as a “striking landmark of the regional township and a place of enduring civic importance”.
It was designed by renowned architect Joseph Charles Fowell and is considered an outstanding example of a post-war modernist church.
Fowell - celebrated for his contribution to ecclesiastical architecture in Australia - designed more than 40 churches over the course of his career, as well as several other salient landmarks including the British Medical Association Building in Macquarie Street (Sydney) and the Commonwealth Club in Canberra.
The artworks by Bass were designed specifically for the building and form part of its architecture, rather than later additions.
As such, the church has been described as a “unique collaboration between architecture, art and faith”.
In 2004, Tom Bass returned to the church to create a relief sculpture of St Augustine, continuing his creative relationship with the parish across half a century.
A spokesperson for National Trust (NSW) described the church’s architectural features as “highly distinctive”.
“The prominence of the building is accentuated by a dramatic freestanding belltower surmounted by a cross.
“A curved concrete entrance canopy links the belltower to the main building, cleverly drawing attention to the building’s hilltop position.
“Mosaic tiles are a key feature throughout, providing an eye-catching contrast to the blonde brickwork of the building,” the spokesperson.
The original 1838 St Augustine’s Church still stands opposite the new church and is a listed heritage item under the Yass Valley Local Environment Plan (LEP).
The National Trust is a community-based, non-government organisation, and as such it has no statutory power.
The Trust’s Register is intended to perform an advisory and educational role and the listing of a place has no legal force.
If a place becomes threatened, the Trust may campaign and advocate for its protection.
Specific campaigns are conducted to save threatened places, to stimulate debate and to raise the level of public and government awareness of the need to conserve the nation’s heritage.
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