Cowra

Courtesy of the Cowra Shire Council Website www.cowraregion.com.au.

Cowra Shire is located in Central New South Wales, 310 kilometres drive due west of Sydney. The Shire area is 2,800 sq km and it is located between the Council areas of Blayney, Cabonne, Forbes, Weddin, Young and Boorowa Shires. Population has shown steady growth and was 13,100 in 2001 census.

The landscape in Cowra varies from river flats to slopes, rolling hills and some rugged wilderness areas. Significant features include the Lachlan River Valley from Wyangala Dam down through the town of Cowra and the rich alluvial areas from the town down to Gooloogong. Take a look with the interactive viewer.

Cowra Shire includes a number of small villages: Billimari, Darbys Falls, Gooloogong, Morongla, Noonbinna, Wattamondara, Woodstock and Wyangala.

Rainfall is generally reliable through the year and the 100 year average is approximately 640 mm per annum. January, May, August and October are the wettest months.

Temperatures vary during the year making the area suitable for many different crops and horticultural products. The 50 year average shows an average minimum 3.6C in July and an average maximum of 30.8C in January.

Cowra Shire was originally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people. The first white explorers entered the Lachlan Valley in 1815 (George Evans). A Military Depot was established not long after at Soldiers Flat near present day Billimari. Settlers appeared to have moved into the Lachlan Valley after 1835 and the township of Cowra had its beginnings in 1840. The town and district have since grown and prospered. Significant events such as the construction of Wyangala Dam in the late 1920's and early 1930's, the Military Training Camp and the POW Camp, the migrant camp, the second Wyangala Dam all contributed to Cowra economy where others towns may have struggled.

Cowra has at least 50 different cultures within the community, a fine record and proof of the value of regional integration of new cultures into the Australian way of life. Cowra celebrates this cultural diversity with the Annual Festival of International Understanding.

For more information on the Cowra Region, please visit the Cowra Shire Council website at www.cowraregion.com.au.