At the crossroads of the Olympic Highway, Mid-Western Highway and Lachlan Valley Way in New South Wales liesCowra, a small but bustling town where you can experience fine wines and traditional Japanese culture.
This town saw action during World War II when it was the site of the ‘Cowra Breakout’. Cowra was home to a prisoner of war camp and in 1944, hundreds of Japanese prisoners tried to escape, storming machine gun posts with no real hope of surviving. At the same time, other prisoners committed suicide. In all, 231 Japanese prisoners and four Australian guards died during the breakout.
The dead were buried in what is now Cowra’s Japanese War Cemetery and there is a walking trail through the ruins of the POW camp. This lasting link with Japan has been commemorated further with the spectacular and serene Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre. The gardens, planted in the traditional Edo style, were designed by famed Japanese landscaper Ken Nakajima. They are the largest Japanese gardens in the southern hemisphere.
