Canowindra

Population: 2,000

Postcode: 2804

Annual rainfall: 600mm

Temperatures (average): 15-34C summer, 2-15C winter

Think of Canowindra, (pronounced Ca-noun-dra) think of ballooning. The town lies in a basin, creating a still climate, ideal for hot air ballooning. It is claimed the town's population swells to over 35,000 for the main ballooning event of the year. So the town attracts visitors, and plenty of them.

An interesting piece of history for this town. Back in 1863, Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner and company of bushrangers, actually took the town over for three days. It is reported that these bushrangers ordered all residents, including the policeman, into the hotel to have a party. Even the lawless like to have fun!

The town is 2.5 hours north of Canberra and 4 hours west of Sydney, lying between Cowra and Orange. The Lachlan River Valley, which it lies in, certainly makes for a picturesque location which you may consider calling home. But would you?

CLIMATE

As already noted, the town lies in a basin. That means it is not as breezy as surrounding locations. In winter that is appreciated, as the temperatures are cool. Just have a look at the spread of summer temperatures though! It may get hot, but it looks like every night you will get relief.

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Annual events include:

• Marti's Fiesta (Ballooning)
  
  
• Country Show
  
  
• Springfest
  
  

The Springfest in October is the main, non-ballooning, event of the year. It is a celebration of local food, wine and art.

If you like things historical, forget about just seeing old buildings (of which there are plenty). Go looking for things a million years old plus! Does that sound fishy? Well it should, because we are talking here about fish reportedly 360 million years old. The original finds are on display at the Australian museum. But Canowindra has managed to keep the rest, housed in the "Age of Fishes" museum.

Like its nearby neighbours of Cowra and Orange, wineries are a feature of the countryside. We counted five near town. Obviously this region of the state is very conducive to the growing of fine drinks.

CANOWINDRA AREA

A short drive out of town is Nangar National Park. The best known features of the park is a cliff line called Nangar Ridge, and 760m Mt Nangar. A good vehicle is required to access the park, and no facilities are available. That means it is as natural as a national park can get.

Canowindra's proximity to so many other towns means residents are not far from many conveniences and attractions. So what towns are nearby? Cowra, Eugowra, Cugel and Orange, to name a few.

See our page for Orange to see what else the area has to offer.


Begin your search for real estate or rental properties in the area.

Would you like to contribute to our review of Canowindra, either by way of information or photos? Please let us know.