You’ll find so much to do when you visit Canowindra in NSW – we stayed here an extra night on our NSW road trip because we were having such a great time. You’ll need at least one full day to explore this historic town – take a bushranger tour, visit wineries producing delicious cold climate wines, see 360 million-year-old fossils at the Age of Fishes Museum, try art classes and traverse the swinging bridge at the site of the first crossing of the Belubula River back in settler days.
Canowindra is probably best known for its annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge held in April each year, and for its bright yellow canola fields, seen during September and October. But you can visit at any time and enjoy the beauty and hospitality of this historic town.
Canowindra canola fields
Canowindra also enjoys a bit of infamy as the town where bushranger Ben Hall and his gang held up the town in the pub for three days of enforced partying. The gang also robbed the town quite bit too, but by all reports were always polite and good natured.
The name Canowindra is thought to have been adopted from the Aboriginal custodians of the land here, and is the Wiradjuri word meaning home or camping place.
Welcome to Canowindra – we acknowledge its traditional custodians, the Wiradjuri people
Where is Canowindra?
Canowindra lies on the Belubula River, over the mountains about 300km or four hours from Sydney. It’s in Central Western NSW and is part of the Orange region, 30 minutes from Cowra – read all about it here – less than an hour from Orange and an hour from Bathurst. It’s close to many other beautiful historic towns like Carcoar – read our blog post here – , Millthorpe and Blayney and you’ll find many more to pop into on your travels.
The beautiful town of Canowindra
History:
The colonial settlement brought great hardship and displacement to the Indigenous people here, with the loss of their traditional land to farming, attacks and murder, forced servitude and a generation of children who were stolen from their parents. It’s important to learn about this history (we are currently reading the children’s version of Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu) and to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land. In the Central West of NSW these are the Wiradjuri people.
The first land grant to a European settler was in 1829, and as the town moved from a frontier settlement to a rural centre, services like the post office opened in 1847. The town now relies on tourism and agriculture, producing wine, lucerne, sheep, fat lambs, cattle and wheat.
What to do in Canowindra:
Visit the Information Centre
First off, visit the Information Centre as soon as you arrive. It’s in the same building in the Age of Fishes Museum at the end of the Main Street – take the first left onto Gaskill Street after you cross the bridge over the Belubula River. There’s heaps of information, guides and maps here and the staff are super helpful.
Age of Fishes Museum
This fabulous fossil museum got five stars from both me and Emmie for its information, and super fun kid activities. The Age of Fishes museum chronicles the accidental discovery of the thousands of Devonian fish fossils and the Canowindra Grossi back in 1956 by a roadworker. These fossils are 360 million years old, back in a time when fish ruled the earth, and the Grossi -a fish with head and chest armour and self-sharpening teeth – proves the tectonic connection between Australia and Antarctica. There’s heaps of easily understood information about the Earth’s ages and changes, about fossils and lots of hands-on activities, quizzes and games for everyone at the indoor and outdoor exhibits.
This is a must-do for everyone in the area and especially if you have kids!
The museum is open seven days a week. Adults are $10.00. Seniors/concessions/senior students are $8.00. Junior students $5.00 and a family ticket is $25.00.
An absolute must
Bushranger tour
With its bushranger history, Canowindra is the perfect pace for a bushranger tour and luckily enough there’s a bushranger expert in town. Craig Lawlor runs Blind Freddy Bushranger Tours and is the experty-ist expert you’re going to meet on the adventures of Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall and their gang in the 1860s as they roamed the region, taunting police and robbing wealthy shopkeepers and mail coaches. We did a two-hour walking tour of Canowindra and learnt all the goss about NSW’s bushrangers. .
Cost: We paid $40 for me and $20 for Emmie for our tour.
Emmie and Craig – make sure to do one of his fab bushranger tours
Canowindra Historical Museum
Canowindra was one of the first outback towns over the mountains and grew into a rich agricultural centre. Step back in time at the Museum and learn all about the towns development -there’s real slab home, the old Station Masters House, sulkies and rooms set up as they would have been back in the day. You’ll find the heritage museum just next door to the Age of Fishes Museum in Gaskill St.
Wander down Main Street
You’ll notice the main street of Canowindra is unlike any others -it’s crooked! That’s because it follows the route of an old bullock track. There are beautiful heritage buildings all along main street and you can grab a map from the Information Centre and do a heritage tour. Make sure to head into the back streets for gorgeous old buildings.
Not the oldest but I do love the old servo at Canowindra
Parks
We found a few great parks around Canowindra. The Canowindra Memorial Park in Gaskill Street was opened in 1947 and has toilets and a shaded picnic area. Just down the road, beautiful Morris Park is lined with palm trees and has old farming equipment, toilets and a filtered water station.
Swimming pool
The town’s swimming pool is right next to the caravan park just over the Belubula River. There’s large swimming pool and shallow pools plus fountains, change rooms, toilets and a kiosk. Perfect for cooling off on a hot day.
Finns Store
Finns Store is a gorgeous café/restaurant in the heritage TJ Finns building serves delicious food and coffee and is stocked full of beautiful homewares and gifts. Sit at the beautiful lounges, sip a wine, nibble a homemade slice and enjoy the view over mainstreet.
Treasures at Finns Store
The Little Art Company
We stumbled upon Leanne’s studio and while she was teaching a private class, she allowed us to sit outside and paint. Leanne runs all kinds of art classes from painting to pottery and serves coffee and cake too. Sign up for art classes over the school holidays if you’re visiting town. You’ll find The Little Art Company just a short stroll from main street at 11 Ryall St.
Coffee & Breakfast at the Rogue Carriage Café and Restaurant
We had the best coffee and bacon and egg roll here – with delicious hashbrown. You’ll find them in the main street, and if seating inside is taken there’s a courtyard and bathroom around the side.
Blue Jacket Hill Lookout
Perfect at sunrise and sunset or for a view over the surrounding area at any time, Blue Jacket Lookout is a few minutes out of town along the Belublua Way and up Blue Jacket Lane. There’s a parking area and a picnic table.
Swinging Bridge
Wander over this wooden bridge that crosses the Belubula River. It’s very pretty and kids will love how it swings and moves especially in the middle. On the other side you’ll find a monument to the hold-up of the pub by Ben Hall.
Canowindra in the movies
A few films including Kangaroo Jack have been filmed in Canowindra, using its main street and heritage building as backdrops. We watched Kangaroo jack before exploring the town.
Visit local wineries.
There are wineries all over this region – Orange itself has 35 cellar doors andthere are many along the way from Canodwindra. Just a few kilometres out of town you’ll find Wallington Wines, a family owned biodynamic winery that also offers farm-stays in its cottage, and Rosnay Organic Wines -selling certified organic wines, olives and figs and offering a farm stay in their renovated 1910 cottage.
Old train tracks
The old train tracks cross the river and are a picturesque spot to grab photos and look at the river below.
Nangar National Park
Nangar National Park is one of four major national parks in the Central West. You can camp, hike and picnic here and get views over Canowindra at the Nangar Lookout.
Dinner at the Canowindra Hotel
This old pub on the corner of Gaskill St is well worth a stop for a beer and a meal. We had the best steak and bangers and mash dinners here, and grabbed a bottle of Swinging Bridge shiraz to go with it. The Servicemans Club across the road is said to do great food too.
The Canowindra Country Bakehouse
Stop in for pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, coffee and cakes at this super friendly family owned business. It’s on Blatchford street opposite the Canowindra Hotel.
Yummo -pies!
Where to stay:
If you’re camping or caravanning the little caravan park on the Belubula River is lovely. Just call Ian to book your spot as it is quite small. It’s the first left as you cross the bridge.
Check out AirBnB for heritage houses, and Booking.com for motels like the Canowindra Riverview Motel and the beautiful Montrose House.