Fast facts
- Famous for hot-air ballooning and its 360-million-year-old fossils
- A historic country town built on the alluvial flats of the Belubula River
- 316 km west of Sydney, population 1,700
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Why go there
Canowindra is set in some of the most beautiful red-earth countryside in New South Wales. The town features a heritage-listed main street and a collection of art galleries showing works by local painters, potters and artisans as well as the amazing Age of Fishes Museum.
Outside town are several wineries offering cellar door tastings and sales. Canowindra is a popular destination for hot-air ballooning.
History
The first European explorers entered the Lachlan Valley in 1815, and settlers first put down their roots in 1836. Canowindra became famous in 1863 when bushranger Ben Hall held up the entire population at the local inn for three days.
A chance discovery in 1955 revealed an extensive fossil bed dating from the Devonian Period. This 360-million-year-old formation contains the fossilised remains of over 3,500 freshwater fish. The find is now housed in the Age of Fishes Museum.
Things to do
- Stroll along the heritage-listed, verandah-lined main street and explore the art galleries, antique stores and craft shops.
- Travel back 360 million years to the amazing Age of Fishes Museum, the only dedicated fish fossil museum in the southern hemisphere.
- Experience the exhilaration of a hot-air balloon flight followed by a champagne breakfast.
Events
- Canowindra Balloon Festival in April sees some 50 hot-air balloons take to the skies, while on the ground you can enjoy bush poets and bands, camel rides and chainsaw carving.
Don’t miss
- The Avenue of Palms in Morris Park.
- Local wines at a cellar door.
- Digging for fossils with Gondwana Dreaming Fossil Tours.
