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The central west town of Canowindra is located 335 km west of Sydney, and has a population of about 1500. It is a service town for nearby farming districts, and is known as the ‘Balloon Capital of Australia’. Located in a natural basin on the Belubula River, the region has generally calm weather and conditions which suit balloon flights, offering views of the rolling hills and patchwork paddocks of the Lachlan Valley. Canowindra is also home to one of the great fossil sites in Australia, discovered in 1956, and the Age of Fishes Museum has some of these ancient fossils on display. The Wiradjuri are the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of the area, and Canowindra means ‘home’ or ‘camping place’ in the Wiradjuri language.

During a brief traipse through Canowindra on a warm day, I was taken in by the unusual layout of the town centre, and the variety of cafés, craft, and speciality stores. The old-fashioned shopfronts of many of the buildings were a highlight, including stained-glass decorative features.

The streetscape of the main street of Canowindra has been heritage listed by the National Trust. The main thoroughfare in town, Gaskell Street, follows the route of an old bullock track; it is wide with a dog-leg bend, and lined by early commercial buildings. Timbered verandahs and awnings have been retained, and some shopfronts are from the Art Deco period.

There are historical and heritage hints scattered throughout the centre of the town, such as the old advertisement for Kinkara Tea shown above. Signs like this remind me of the fantastic signs on display throughout the town of Portland, NSW. Similar to Carcoar, the town of Canowindra was raided not once but twice by Ben Hall’s bushranger gang gathered residents and the local policeman for a compulsory party at Robinson’s Hotel. You can read more about that here.

In 1915, there were two new bank buildings built in Canowindra; the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney and the Bank of New South Wales (later Westpac). The Bank of New South Wales building is now used for luxury dining and B&B accommodation, and had also been used as a gallery.

Commercial buildings sometimes feature details which highlight the history or original purpose of the premises. This was spotted on the former CBC Bank premises (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney), which was the second bank building for CBC in the town, built in 1915.

There is a range of tourist options to explore in Canowindra and the surrounding district, and there is a selection of them listed here. There is also a fantastic Visitor Information Centre page for Canowindra.

Have you had a chance to wander around Canowindra?

Photo: Canowindra streetscape – Gaskill Street