A Stay in Cowra
We’re in midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and so restricted to travel only within NSW. This time we’ve picked the region around the township of Cowra for our next “breakout” as suggested by our dear friends Jeff and Pam, who made us aware that the Cowra town and region are awash with cherry blossoms this time of the year (early September).
Traveling from home, we cruised along the Bells Line of Road (after catastrophic summer bushfires) beyond Kurrajong, arriving in Lithgow and a rest period at the Tin Shed Although we’ve been to Lithgow before, we had no idea about this little café….it may be worthwhile in the near “Covid-restricted” future to spend a day or two exploring this historic town.
Tin Shed is just off the main road, well appointed, imaginative surroundings, stylishly rustic, COVID-safe & COVID protocol in place and, with food aromas wafting through, was thoroughly tantalising and inviting….and “perusing” many of the dishes being brought out, “indulgence beckoned”😊….Service was cheerful…. in fact, all was to our high standard. Afterwards we continued to Bathurst.
Bathurst
Bathurst, often mentioned as the Gold City in reference to it being the site of the first gold discovery in Australia, is a continuously growing regional city boasting a healthy economy driven by education, tourism, state-wide public services delivery and an ever-increasing manufacturing base.
Bathurst is also home to world renowned Mount Panorama Racetrack first opened in 1938 and best known for the annual and hugely arduous Bathurst 1000 car race: a race which sits right there with Daytona for Xtreme endurance of man and machine!
Arguably, the racetrack section most renowned is the Conrod Straight allowing V8 Supercars to reach 300km/h.
This city was first established as a town in 1815 by Governor Macquarie and so became the oldest regional town in Australia. The town boomed as a result of gold discoveries in the region mainly at Hill End but “went bust” when gold panned out. The people of the region though were resilient and post gold-rush, transformed the region into a more sustainable economy based on agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and subsequently other sectors.
A perfect example of this is the prominent rise of the iconic Australian company of that time “Cobb & Co”: a transport company which serviced all regional areas of Australia. This company even established the manufacturing of its stagecoaches in Bathurst.
Cowra
Cowra beckoned and so made our leisurely way towards our final destination 5-6 hours (with stoppages) after we left home.
The countryside is verdant and colourful, rolling paddocks on gentle hills each with their own “flavours”, a couple of sleepy picturesque little towns, scattered sheep and cattle, all of which lulled us into a slow pace.
We came across fields and fields of blooming canola crop. The yellow vibrant vista is mesmerising and enchanting under a slightly cloudy sky with patches of blue…. yet this serene landscape masks the harshness of drought, bushfires, horrid summer heat and loneliness our Australian farmers endure.
Continuing on, the countryside is checkered with nature’s colours heralding the arrival of Spring. Our eyes are enjoying this “floral masterpiece”. Arriving at Cowra, situated on the banks of the Lachlan River, we checked into our comfortable and fairly new motel, which is part of the Services Club.
Dinner this evening was at the Services Club (next door). Being Monday and in a COVID environment, most restaurants in town are closed. “Covid” access into the club is very well managed and so our safety concerns were significantly lessened.
Typical of all clubs nowadays, fare is always of good standard and importantly, inexpensive. We enjoyed our time together.
Bellevue Hill, Cowra
Next morning, on waking around 6.00, I went for a long exploratory power walk to Bellevue Hill Lookout Park (known to the locals as “Billy Goat Hill”). The air was fresh and invigorating. The accompanying silence only broken by the birds chirping. On the track going up, I saw kangaroos close up foraging for their breakfast.
Arriving at the summit I simply stopped and took in the breath-taking panoramic view of early morning Cowra and surrounding patch-quilt countryside. It held me captive with colours and lushness of the fields, the cattle and sheep roaming almost freely in the paddocks near and afar and the hovering, slowly swaying, almost mystical mist. The mist was incredible to behold as it changed constantly with the rising sun….
Japanese Gardens, Cowra
After leaving this summit I power-walked across the park, past towering eucalyptus, children’s playgrounds, the Japanese Gardens and onto walkers’ paths which meandered through the countryside around the Park. The countryside looks a picture.
These paths are “populated” on either side by wandering but feeding kangaroos, a kaleidoscope of Spring blooms, frenzied bird-life and more granite boulders.
With hardly anyone about I’m caught between two feelings: on one hand I almost felt like an intruder on this “natural walkabout” yet on the other hand I’m feeling absolutely “fortunate and grateful” that I am able to see and experience such natural beauty.
Later in the morning (after breakfast) we went to the Cowra Japanese Gardens where we spent an exceptional 3 hours.
Greeting us as we walked up the path to the entry were a multitude of cherry blossoming bushes.
On entering this National Trust large green footprint, we were wonderfully embraced by a magnificently structured, colourful and varied garden. One can’t help but be “glued to the spot” and be “enchanted” by floral tapestry. The tended yet natural life sprouting from the blooms, bushes and trees seem to be everlasting.
Incidentally, immediately on entry, we faced a replica of Australia’s World Peace Bell. The real bell, which was constructed from melted coins donated by 106 countries, is situated in Civic Square in Cowra.
The streams within this garden flowed gradually and unhurried. The flows producing soothing & gentle sounds which easily pacified one into a wonderful sense of “inner calm”.
The boulders, rocks and pebbles were all purposefully placed and in so doing creating “rooms of reflection” as one winds up, down or along the paths. Whilst the Spring colours abound, they aren’t chaotic or frenzied on the senses.
I felt that the greenery and trees interlaced the entire landscape to produce “goodwill to man and his surroundings”. Perhaps enveloping all is that this garden is maintained by only 4 gardeners which is almost unbelievable given the magnitude of the tasks they have to perform.
The Cowra Japanese Garden is an important historic garden as it was established to recognize and develop the relationship between Australia (and more specifically, the people of Cowra) and the Japanese people in light of the WWII “history”.
The garden was borne out of a decision granted by Australia to the Japanese Government in 1960 to bring all the Japanese WWII dead in and around Australia and be reburied in Cowra.
Arguably, this particular garden and the reverence paid to it by Australia and its millions of visitors has been fundamental in forging exceptionally strong bilateral relations between Australia and Japan over the past 60+ years
War Memorial, Cowra
Next, we went to the Heritage listed site of “Cowra Prisoner of War Camp”. Although none of the camp’s buildings are still standing, there were ample foundations and signage guiding the visitors around the site.
The site’s “claim to fame” is that it was the site of the only POW breakout in Australia in which 5 Australian soldiers and 234 Japanese prisoners died after 350 Japanese POWs launched a mass suicidal breakout.
The suicide part was ghastly as the POWs who broke out committed suicide rather than be captured again. It was simply against their code! At its height the camp housed over 2,000 assorted Japanese, Italian and Javanese POWs. Clearly it was overcrowded.
Power walking, Cowra
Next morning, I went for a power walk to the POW site again, a distance of 11kms return. Great workout. By the time we had a continental breakfast and packed, Nanna and I had time to go walkabout into town. Many of the cherry blossom trees lining the streets had already denuded themselves of the blossoms and in so doing, sprinkled their blooms like snow on the ground. Typical of country towns, the streets are very wide and well maintained many of which harkened back to the days of old-fashioned street stone gutters. Refreshing to see the old buildings have been historically restored but wisely adapted to commercial use making them a magnet for the “monied grey nomads”. Also typical of regional towns, local folks happily engage you and most of the time, we’re greeted with disarming smiles.
A Charming History, Cowra
Cowra overall is a charming town surrounded by an ever-increasing number of vineyards, tranquil waterways (including the Lachlan River) and as already seen in the photos, pretty countryside. Nevertheless, the region’s primary activity is farming and producing its world famous and delicious “Cowra Lamb”
A military depot was originally established in 1815 in an area first known as the Oxley Plains but it took nearly another 30 years before a higher number of white settlers moved into the area.
In the ensuing years to 1845, a large part of the Oxley Plains formed a huge cattle station then known as Coura Rocks: an aboriginal name for the Oxley Plains.
Lachlan Valley Railway, Cowra
On our way out of Cowra, we stopped at the Lachlan Valley Railway (LVR) at the behest of our friend Andy King and his grandson Freddie in jolly old UK. We wouldn’t have visited this attraction if it wasn’t pointed out to us and just as well it was.
It was a fascinating time spent there.
LVR was established in 1974 as a not-for-profit organization for the purpose of collecting, preserving and presenting the railway heritage of NSW and principally, to restore and preserve Locomotive 5917: a two-cylinder, non-condensing, super-heated, coal-fired, 2-8-2 “Mikado” steam locomotive and one of five D59 class locomotives that were ever preserved in Australia.
All restoring/maintenance activities are carried out on a volunteer basis and it was amazing to have one of the volunteers accompany us explaining the wherewithal of LVR. Besides Locomotive 5917, there have been other locomotives restored and brought up to functioning level.
The facility the LVR operates from, which the society has operated from 1985, is better known as the Cowra Rail Heritage Centre.
Needless to say, COVID dealt a big blow to LVR as the organization was about to launch a “tourist commercial” service to local areas in support of additional funding needed to maintain and expand the volunteer work but obviously couldn’t. We were all a little wiser about LVR.
Carcoar
We set for home but we did stop at Carcoar for a quick look around and hoped for morning tea. Sadly, it’s a small town and nothing opens until either late afternoon or open only on the weekend.
Nevertheless, we took time to absorb some of the “notoriety” of this little town…. yes, Carcoar had something of a wild reputation with bushranger gangs headed by Paddy Curran, Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall all roaming the region at one time or another.
After Carcoar, with the weather turning a bit sour, we made our way back home….lovely mini break….feeling good supporting regional Australia😊
