Cowra

Sunday, 28 May 2017

Lachlan River

Australian War Cemetery

Japanese War Cemetery

Time to head north once again and leave Canberra’s cold temperatures behind.  The weather was cloudy with a cold wind this morning as we headed through farmland towards Cowra.  We were unlucky enough to follow a rain shower for about 45 minutes but the sun was shining by the time we arrived at the Cowra Van Park.  This is a lovely park on the banks of the Lachlan River and all the magpies for a hundred kilometre radius have been having a convention in the trees along the river bank!

This afternoon we visited the Cowra Japanese Gardens (hence, lots of garden photos!!!) which are still showing some colour among the deciduous trees and a few narcissus were even in flower.  The grounds are beautifully maintained and the lakes enjoyed by many wind ducks.  After leaving the gardens, we drove past the former P.O.W. Camp, scene of the large breakout by Japanese prisoners during the war, before arriving at the Cowra War Cemetery.  All the soldiers killed during the breakout are buried here (26 graves in total) and the Japanese are buried in a separate cemetery.

A lovely country town which is well worth visiting.