Cowra

Cowra is such a fascinating place. We visited the site of the Cowra POW Camp where the famous Cowra breakout occurred in 1944. Most of the site where 4 Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed is now vacant but it is still a moving experience to wander around and read the stories.
We drove the short distance from the POW site to the Japanese Memorial Garden. In 1971 The Japanese government agreed to support the development of the garden as a sign of thanks for the respectful treatment of their war dead. There was also funding from the Australian government and private entities. The Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre was designed by Ken Nakajima (1914–2000), a world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens at the time. The first stage was opened in 1979, with a second stage opened in 1986 and are the largest Japanese style gardens in the Southern Hemisphere. We spent a couple of hours strolling through these absolutely beautiful gardens.Read more