Carcoar Dam to Cowra, and beyond

View from Raptor over Carcoar Dam - freedom camping

Central lake at Japanese Gardens Cowra

Waterfall, Japanese Gardens, Cowra

Beautiful entrance to Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra

So, after dealing with our mail, and now being legal again with a new registration sticker (thanks Katrina), we were on our way from chilly Oberon.  We had a great few days with friends Connie and Rob, and their Border Collie Morris.  We did more walking over those few days than we've done the whole trip.  Morris was very insistent when it was walkies time, so we did several rounds of Oberon Cemetery where Morris could chase rabbits and run up and down inside the fence line, chasing the passing cars, and a longer walk down to the dam.  We were very thankful indeed for electric blankets and warm kitchens and have at least ruled out Oberon as a future home.  The cold and damp on the first day was reminiscent of England in winter, although the days warmed up to blue skies and sunshine after a day or so.

We left Oberon for Bathurst, where we stopped for lunch at the wonderful The Hub in Keppel Street.  Connie and Rob met us there the previous Thursday as a starting point for our trip to Oberon.  The coffee and food was so good we stopped off there on the way back for a wonderful Trunkey Creek BLT which, luckily, we decided to share.  Talk about a Foot Long Sub - I think the original roll was actually a whole loaf of bread, because even halving it was almost too much food!

After lunch we hightailed it out of Bathurst, not wanting to spend too long in overcrowded areas, and headed for Carcoar Dam, about half way between Bathurst and Cowra.  There's a wind farm on the opposite hill, which is fascinating to watch.  We spent 2 nights there, relaxing and taking the occasional stroll along the road to the Dam wall.  Finding a level spot to park the motorhome took a while, but most of the time we were on our own, close to the dam, with any visiting caravans further up the hill on level ground.  It is a very civilised Free Camp, with toilets, water and rubbish bins.  I thought to myself on the first morning "Ah, I shall save water in the van and have my shower in the Ladies" having seen 2 shower stalls there the previous evening.  I headed up the hill carrying all the necessaries, stripped down and headed into the stall for a warm shower on a cold morning.  Wrong again!  Yes, there were 2 taps, and yes there was water, but only one tap turned, and that certainly wasn't the hot one!  In years past perhaps the hot tap worked but not now.  However, I was there and I was determined to have a shower, so cold water it was, and a quick shower it was!!!  I reckon the water came straight from the Snowy.  The second morning discretion was the better part of valour and I had a hot shower in the van, with reckless disregard for the level of the water tank.

We left Carcoar reluctantly this morning, realising that after 4 weeks away from home we had only travelled 1500km from Brisbane (as the crow flies anyway) and it was time to move along.

We did, however, stop in Cowra, which was the site of a POW camp during World War II, and famous for a breakout of 378 Japanese prisoners on 5th August 1944.  Over the following 9 days, 334 Japanese were recaptured, some over 15 miles from Cowra.  The last Japanese soldiers were captured 9 days later.  Several had committed suicide in the bush and 2 had thrown themselves under a train.  Australia lost 4 soldiers, with 4 wounded, the first 3 in the initial breakout.

We visited the site of the POW camp, just up the road from the Japanese Gardens, and it is such a beautiful place; it's hard to imagine that it was once divided into four 17 acre compounds, each holding 1000 prisoners; Italian, Japanese, Formosan and Korean.

After the war, the local RSL assumed responsibility for the care and maintenance of the Japanese section of the war cemetery.  In 1963, the Japanese Government was considering the repatriation of their war dead to Japan; however they were so impressed with the care taken of the graves by the locals, that they submitted a proposal to the Australian Government for a Japanese War Cemetery.  It really is a magnificent small cemetery, adjacent to Cowra Cemetery, with a beautiful walkway entrance lined with white blossom-covered trees.  

The Japanese Gardens cover 5 hectares and were created by Ken Nakajima, a world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens.  The first stage was opened in 1979 with the second stage in 1986.  It has magnificent manicured hedges, waterfalls and streams, and 2 lakes providing a tranquil environment for local wildlife and birds.  As usual we're just outside the "right" time to be here, with the Annual cherry blossom festival being held in September.  Perhaps about 2 weeks too early, as all the blossom trees were heavy with bud, but not yet ready to pop.  However, it was still a great visit and we spent nearly 2 hours strolling around the paths and admiring the koi in the ponds.

A quick visit to Coles on the way out of Cowra provided us with fresh food for the next few days, and here we are, parked on the side of the Mid Western Highway, on our way to Young tomorrow, and from there to Temorah, probably tomorrow night.  There's evidently a great couple of museums there, one being the Aviation Museum, which we've been told not to miss.  

Hope it's not too noisy a night, with the trucks roaring past.  However we're not quite alone; there are 2 other caravans in the lay-by.

Goodnight all. xx