It was still dark while we ate toast in our van. We were hooked up and on the road before 8 am. The first challenge was the angle of the sun as we drove east, and the second was the rough potholed roads.
We passed through the historic village of Murringo without stopping. This place remains on our must visit list, but today we were on a timetable. At Boorowa we walked Bluey along the town’s main streets, pausing for me to buy a coffee.
Like many country towns, several shops were vacant, and a couple of businesses were for sale. The most amazing building in the small town of Boorowa is the huge court house. This is now used for tea rooms, visitor information, arts and craft, and book sales. It was closed so we missed out seeing the interior, which means a return visit next time we are in the area.
The other notable structure is the octagonal war memorial. A large shop on the main street is being extensively renovated. There is an impressive timber staircase inside, and the original door handles are elegant.
The B81 Lachlan Valley Way is an excellent road between Boorowa and Cowra. It is used by lots of trucks, but they all seemed to be travelling south while we we driving north. We did not visit Cowra township as our mission was to see the Japanese Garden.
During WW2, Japanese prisoners of war were held in a camp near Cowra, along with POWs from other countries. In 1944 about a thousand Japanese POWs tried to escape, nearly a quarter of these men were killed by Australian soldiers, four of whom were also killed. The dead Japanese were buried near Cowra, and the Japanese cemetery was maintained by members of the Cowra RSL. In 1960 the Japanese Government re-buried all of it soldiers who died in Australia in Cowra. This was the beginning of a friendship between Japan and Cowra Shire.
The extensive garden and cultural centre support and advance the cultural relations between Cowra and Japan. The entry fee helps maintain and develop the garden. The lawns are beautifully maintained and are weed free!
Interesting artworks are on display in the cultural centre.
The road from Cowra to Orange was atrocious! There were thousands of potholes and sections of road surface that were just repeatedly patched potholes. Most of the scenery was interesting, but our focus was not rattling to bits and avoiding some of the bigger potholes.
Our destination in Orange was the Colour City Caravan Park owned and run by the local council. Our site is wide and long but has two small sections of concrete where we had to position the caravan wheels. Normally, this would be a straightforward job, but taps, a fire hose, and a table were at risk of being flattened if we didn’t keep a close eye on them. The edge of our site next to the road had previously been churned up, causing our front tyres to dip and turn at odd angles. We finally were straight and level enough to unhook.
Forecast rain and storms did not eventuate, so we put through a load of washing, which dried on the line by late afternoon. There are no dogs near us, so I gave Tilly a couple of long walks so she could meet the neighbours.
We had unintentionally timed our stay in Orange to coincide with F.O.O.D Week 2023 (Food Of Orange District). We pre-purchased tickets to the opening event – the Night Market at the showground, which fortuitously is nextdoor to our caravan park. Hundreds of people attended the event, arriving on foot like us, in cars, or on shuttle buses. A huge hall was lined with small tents where local food and drink producers were selling delightful dishes, or local wines, ciders, and other beverages. We were able to find two chairs at a table and sample the cauliflower Gruyere pie, arancini balls, and Vietnamese rice paper rolls. It was still daylight when we walked back to our van and crazy critters.
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