Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site

The Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site is the heritage-listed ruins of a World War II prisoner of war camp located about 4 km northwest of Cowra in central west New South Wales. Built in 1941, it housed Italian, Japanese, Korean and other prisoners. It is nationally notable as the site of the 1944 Cowra Breakout, the largest prisoner escape in Australia, and is preserved as an open-air interpretive site with foundations, replica guard tower and signage.

Visitors can expect an open, semi-rural landscape with the concrete foundations and remains of the former camp compounds, roads and structures. The site is an outdoor, self-guided experience with interpretive signage, information panels and QR-code audio stories, a replica guard tower and memorial elements. There are gravel walking paths through the ruins, open grassland with little shade, and views across the former camp area. No intact buildings remain.