Cowra Prisoner of War Camp

A trip to Cowra wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Cowra Prisoner of War Camp. As a site integral to the community, this site honours those families of Japanese, Italians, Javanese and Indonesians who were held captive during World War II. As one of the most important historical sites of New South Wales, the Cowra Prisoner of War Camp tells a story of what life was like during this time period, as well as the largest prisoner of war breakout in military history.

In 1944, more than 1000 prisoners risked it all, including their lives, as they attacked their guards with crude self-made weapons and used their bodies as shields to form a human bridge to help others escape out of the prison. The escapees were eventually found a week later, but the tragedy remained as an important part of history for the people of Cowra and the Japanese survivors.