Christine Watt

Cowra is a great place. I'm in my 40's with a young family. I was not born in Cowra.

Lots of nice amenities - there are heaps more, but these are off the top of my head - a golf course, gym, pubs, more than five cafes to eat out, 30 wineries, cycling tracks, Coles/Woollies, many general shops on the main street, martial arts for kids or adults, heaps of community events, an adventure park with some excellent play equipment, picnic areas/bbq areas with really stunning views, a skate park for youth, PCYC club for youth, library, swimming pool and close to the huge Wyangala Dam for boating, camping, hiking and fishing. Multiple churches all offering their community events and services. A bunch of other activities and tourist spots are in town too. You only have to be on Facebook or read the local Cowra papers to hear all about it. I did notice a couple of empty shops in the main street, but only a couple. This might be due to COVID, not sure.

There are excellent public and private options for schools. And private school fees are meagre compared to Sydney.

I like it in Cowra as you can buy a 3 BR house under $300,000, or go for a brand new 4 BR house on 2 acres for $550,000. And in Cowra there is that opportunity if you have a bit of land to grow some fruit trees and have a veggie patch - this size land is impossible in many other places.

Traffic doesn't really exist, and on the long weekends or holidays when there are tourists or trucks around - who are made to feel welcome - there is a back road and old bridge to drive on that can get you into the main street pronto, with no fuss.

I love seeing how country folk and farmers live and the differences compared to city life. I don't find people nosy. I can see though how other people mistake country folk as nosy. Country folk only have each other, and love to chat and support one another. You can have privacy, though if that's your thing.

In terms of employment - if you have a solid skillset to offer - there are 281 jobs available on Seek for the Cowra area as at today. And we all know that those 281 are only the tip of the iceberg, and there are the other jobs that are word of mouth - so ask around!

I loved seeing Canowindra on Back Roads recently (ABC), and the lovely preservation of historic buildings and community values only 30 minutes from Cowra. The show highlighted some of the wineries and young farmers doing things organically, and growing tourism in the area, this is very cool.

Ok, there is no cinema, I couldn't care less and only used to go once a year anyway - but instead of moaning about there being no cinema, try being proactive and ask the council for 'movies under the stars' in one of the open spaces, with food trucks and the like, like many other rural towns do.

You have also got Canberra 2.5 hours away, Orange and Bathurst 1.5 hrs away to enjoy and pick up anything that you can't buy in Cowra or on the internet and prefer to buy in-store. Internet shopping is awsome - give it a go!