Koorawatha - The fifteenth step ... Four months in Australia - CycleBlaze

March 23, 2024

Koorawatha

Probably our most enjoyable day's cycling so far on this trip.  And it seems as though nobody knew where we were going to.  Conversations in the Boorowa campground last night went along the lines of:

"Where are you heading to tomorrow?"

"Koorawatha."

"Never heard of it."

Despite the tent being sopping wet again, we didn't wait for any assistance from the sun and were on the road by eight fifteen.  A slow climb for fifteen kilometers towards Young was followed by a nice downhill run into the village of Murringo.  Here the road veered left towards Young while we carried on through gaps in the hills towards the Olympic Highway.  It was a wonderfully quiet section filled with birdlife and,  despite a constant light drizzle, we kept stopping to try and see something that had caught our attention.   At one point the rain was heavy enough for us to pull on our rain trousers,  mostly to keep our shoes dry.

Post box from an old gas cylinder.
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One section between Murringo and the Olympic Highway was a strip road. These used to be common throughout southern Africa but now there is only one left in South Africa (between Steytlerville and Willowmore). I wonder if we will encounter any more in Australia?
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Koorawatha is a tiny village.  Its name is name is derived from an Aboriginal word for "pine trees".  Fifteen Aussie dollars paid at the local pub got us a site at the deserted showgrounds.   Lovely hot showers and a convenient pitch where we could setup the tarp to give some protection from the rain (falling quite heavily as I type up this journal entry).

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Less than thirty kilometers to Cowra where we hope to catch up on laundry etc tomorrow. 

Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 688 km (427 miles)

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Graham Smith40 years of driving and cycling through the Central West of NSW and I’ve never been to Koorawatha. Thanks for bringing my attention to it.

Cowra has quite a few attractions, with a large Japanese Garden, and the remnants of tragic prisioner-of-war WWII breakout, topping the list. They are few km out of town.

In town, the Lachlan River has a beautiful rest area near the low level crossing adjacent to the caravan park. The Aboriginal art under the main bridge is impressive.

Beyond Cowra, Canowindra has a wonderful small museum. The Age of Fishes. Well worth a look, as is the historic main street of Canowindra.
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