Cowra/ Canowindra Long Weekend

Well, here are the long awaited photos from my weekend away.

The Lachlan River runs through Cowra and the bridge over the river has these huge pylons which were graffiti central until somebody decided to put art on them. It's made a feature of what must have been an eyesore.

During WW2 there was a Prisoner of War camp at Cowra, specifically chosen because it's a long way from nowhere. The night the prisoners arranged to break out has gone down in Cowra's history. Australian soldiers who were killed in the breakout or who were Cowra locals and died as a result of the war are buried at the War Cemetery.

The Japanese Garden 

"The 231 Japanese soldiers who died in the escape were buried nearby and local members of the Returned Service’s League tended their graves. As mutual respect grew over the years between Japan and the citizens of Cowra, the idea of a garden arose which would be a symbolic representation of the landscape of Japan."

Back to the bridge! I thought I edited this particular photo to show less mud but apparently not.

More Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden and whats left of the POW camp have been made into parkland and together called the "Peace Precinct" 

I guess it has snakes but I didn't see any.

'Scuse fingers, haha! The grapevine on the motel really made it feel welcoming and lush.

We went to a concert at a lovely plant nursey in the neighbouring town of Canowindra. The nursery seemed to have very few plants and a lot of covetable homewares. The grand piano was set up in the cafe/ shop area. Locals tell me Nerida is the local piano teacher and also owns the nursery. It has the makings of a lovely cultural hub.

Poppies at the visitors information centre. They were on their way out so I was glad the timing allowed me to see them. The spring weather also meant that there were lots of naturalised fruit trees flowering on the road edges.

Time has mostly stood still in the Canowindra main street, which makes it pretty and a sought after movie location. I was too busy talking to take more photos, though!

Water tank art in the Peace Precinct

Back to the War Cemetery

I took this photo for Keaghan who is a 4WD enthusiast.

Another Canowindra cafe and gift shop, called Finn's. What a delightful place to linger over lunch. It was the old General Store and close inspection revealed the original bins for bulk goods and spices. I'm sure there were other treasures to appreciate if I'd looked harder. This place hosts the monthly men's lunch, which is a great initiative allowing rural men to get together and support each other. 

I think I took a photo like this one on my last visit to the Japanese Gardens, 29 years ago. I wonder how it would compare?

Thanks for road tripping with me!