Cowra and Surrounds

Fast facts

• Fertile land in the Lachlan River valley
• Famous for its wineries and wartime history
• Four hours’ drive west of Sydney

Why go there

Cowra is famous as the site of a mass breakout of Japanese prisoners of war during World War II – one of the most dramatic episodes in Australia’s wartime history. Today, the town’s Japanese Garden is popular, and you can visit the POW camp and war cemeteries.

The region is also acquiring a reputation for its wine and fine food. Canowindra, the hot-air ballooning capital of Australia, has a Heritage-listed main street, good wineries, olive groves and orchards.

Things to do

• Admire the cherry trees on Sakura Avenue.
• Sample wine at vineyards such as Kalari Cellar Door and Art Gallery and Mulligan Tower, which has a photographic display of Italian POWs.
• Visit the Cowra War Cemetery, where the Australian servicemen and Japanese POWs who died in the Cowra breakout are buried.
• Learn about the history of Cowra at the Prisoner of War Theatre in the visitor information centre.

Don’t miss

• Cowra POW Campsite, where more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers staged a breakout during World War II.
• The Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, which has a teahouse, bonsai house, ponds and exhibits.
• The 360 million-year-old fossils at the Age of Fishes Museum.
• Hot-air ballooning at Canowindra.

Events

• The Festival of Understanding, in March.
• Cowra Wine Show, Cowra, in July.
• Sakura Matsuri, Cherry Blossom Festival, Cowra, in September.
• Cork and Fork, Cowra, in November.