Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre

Cowra, New South Wales, Australia, Australia

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Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, located at Ken Nakajima Place in Cowra, New South Wales, is Australia's largest Japanese garden and the biggest Kaiyushiki (strolling-style) garden in the southern hemisphere, spanning 5 hectares (12 acres) of tranquil beauty.

Opened in 1979 with its second stage completed in 1986, the garden was designed by renowned Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima (1914–2000) in the Edo period style to recognize and develop the historic relationship between the people of Cowra Shire and Japan, which originated from the town's World War II Prisoner of War Camp and the 1944 Cowra breakout, the largest prisoner-of-war breakout in modern history.

The garden serves as a tangible monument to peace and reconciliation between Australia and Japan, commemorating the Japanese soldiers who lost their lives attempting to escape the POW camp, and features a traditional Edo Cottage, an authentic open-air Tea House, a Bonsai House, various koi carp ponds, cherry blossom trees (including many varieties celebrated during the annual September Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival), and carefully designed water features where still water reflects life while flowing water represents continuity.

Visitors can enjoy audio guides explaining the plants, history, and design for $2, feed the koi carp, dine at the on-site cafe serving mostly Australian fare with some Japanese cuisine, and experience the garden's beauty in every season, with the garden open daily from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm seven days a week. Located approximately 320 kilometres west of Sydney (about a four-hour drive), the garden and cultural centre promotes Japanese design, landscape architecture, crafts, and cultural heritage while supporting ongoing cultural relations between Australia and Japan.