Cowra Japanese Gardens

The only battle during World War II fought on Australian soil was at Cowra in the Central West of New South Wales. A prisoner of war camp had been established there. Cowra was chosen because it is so far away from the coast, in fact, so far away from anything. The largest groups of prisoners were Italians and Japanese. The Italians came first and settled into a peaceable life in the camp. When the Japanese prisoners came many of them also settled into a peaceable life, at least ostensibly. With a cultural sense of shame at being prisoners and not having died in battle, disquiet developed. At 1:50 am on 5 August 1944 1000 Japanese prisoners launched a mass escape. It was the largest prisoner of war break out in modern military history. Sadly 234 Japanese prisoners and 5 Australian soldiers were killed. All of the other prisoners were recaptured eventually.

Strangely, this shocking incident was the beginning of a strong relationship between the people of Cowra and the Japanese. In 1979, a garden was opened adjacent to the site of the prisoner of war camp. It was expanded in 1986 and now covers 12.5 acres. It is considered to be one of the best of its kind outside of Japan.

We spent a lovely couple of hours wandering through the glorious gardens. It is fascinating to see a Japanese garden surrounded by Australian eucalypts. It is a photographer’s paradise.

In 1984, a terrific television miniseries was made called ‘The Cowra Breakout’. It was very popular at the time and has stood the test of time. We watched it again just before we left for our trip to remind us of the horror of the incident.