Cowra

Spent the morning doing domestic chores (much needed) and made use of the free laundry facilities. Made sure I cleaned the dryer first  though!!! Lazy breeze outside and I don't think the sun will appear from the heavy cloud cover. 

Our neighbours. They have a large dog as well.

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Drove across to Cowra in the afternoon for some exploring. It's a beautiful drive through the Lachlan valley with green hills , farm land and mountains in the background. The area is a agricultural area but also has vineyards.


 
The city had a strong Japanese connection as a result of the POW camp and the infamous break out. Since the. The city has made strong  links to Japan.

It has the only official Japanese war cemetery in the world and soldiers buried elsewhere in Australia were re-buried here. 

We then looked at the POW camp and guard tower. Felt like people from " Time Team" as we walked about the site with only a few  building foundations and flat areas remaining. Italians, Indonesians and Japanese were held there. In 1944 a mass break out ( the largest prisoner of war breakout in modern history) occurred. The town now focuses on nurturing a spirit of reconciliation.