Aalana Motor Inn

Cowra Regional Art Gallery offers audiences a diverse program of exciting and vibrant exhibitions, public events and educational activities. Exhibitions include significant historical and contemporary art touring exhibitions from state and national sources, CRAG-curated exhibitions with a regional focus and the showcase of selected works from the Gallery Collection.

Located adjacent to the Cowra Aquatic Centre, River Park consists of 41,653m2 of high quality sportfields (Twigg & Holman Ovals) catering for soccer, athletics, rugby league (junior), cricket, basketball, triathlon and unstructured recreation.

The Lachlan Valley Railway is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives and rolling stock.

Cowra Bridge Pylons are situated beneath the Lachlan River Bridge and feature aboriginal murals on the pylons. The murals were painted by local aboriginal artist, Kym Freeman and depict the history of the Wiradjuri people who inhabited the Cowra area prior to English settlement. The size of the murals and the attention to fine detail make them a must see when visiting Cowra. They are just a short walk from the Visitor Information Centre down towards the river.

Home to the Visitor Information Centre, McDonalds, Cowra Rose Gardens and a park for the kids to play, Olympic Park in Cowra is the perfect spot to visit. 

At 1.50 am on the clear moonlit night of August 5, 1944, the largest Prisoner of War breakout in modern military history occurred at Cowra. More than 1000 Japanese prisoners launched a mass 'suicide attack' on their guards, Australian soldiers of the 22nd Garrison. To the Japanese, the disgrace of capture could finally be overcome by dying in armed battle.

Armed with crude weapons, four groups each of approximately 300 Japanese threw themselves on to barbed wire fences and into the firing line of Vickers machine guns. Protected only by baseball mitts, blankets and coats and using their comrades as a human bridge to cross the tangled barbed wire, more than 350 Japanese clawed their way to freedom.

All escapees were captured during the following week. A total of 107 POWs were wounded, 231 prisoners died along with four Australian soldiers. 

From the tragedy of war and the Cowra Breakout came a long lasting friendship between the people of Cowra and the nation of Japan. There is much in Cowra today which serves as a reminder to these events.

The Cowra Visitor Information Centre is an essential first stop for visitors to the Cowra region.  Our centre is home to ‘Claire’ the local girl who tells her personal account of the Cowra Breakout through a fascinating hologram presentation.  The hologram is a free theatre and continues to be as popular as ever with the 60,000 plus visitors our friendly team welcome each year.

Our centre is your one stop shop for local & regional information, maps, local produce, craft and now proudly over 40 varieties of local Cowra region wine. Why not select a bottle of award winning wine and some local produce to enjoy during your stay or better still, allow us to customise a hamper of local produce for you to enjoy during your stay.

The Cowra Visitor Information Centre is open from 9-5pm / 7 days a week every day of the year (except Christmas Day).