Cowra Coffee Crawl: My Top 3 Must-Visit Spots (and a Secret Worth the Drive)

Written by Stassi Austin.

Cowra Coffee Crawl: My Top 3 Must-Visit Spots (and a Secret Worth the Drive)

I’m a serial coffee drinker, and one of my favourite activities is spending time hopping around the towns I travel to, to see just how the locals like it. As my patron saint, Loreli Gilmore says, “Every morning is a coffee morning, I need coffee in an IV”.

I spent the weekend doing the “hard” work of scouting the best spots so you don’t have to.

Whether you’re after a zen-like brunch overlooking the Southern Hemisphere’s largest Japanese Garden or a big city brew in a grapevine-clad courtyard, here are the three spots worth the two-hour drive from Canberra or the four-hour drive from Sydney.

Cowra Japanese Garden Cafe

After a quick stop at the Cowra Visitor Information Centre, I always head to the Cowra Japanese Garden & Cultural Centre. Not just for the serenity and peacefulness you can find in the Garden, but also for the delicious coffee and cafe treats!

You don’t need to pay the garden entry fee to snag a table here, but after seeing the view from the terrace, you’ll probably want to. Sitting on the terrace feels like you’ve been teleported straight to Kyoto (minus the 10-hour flight) and will leave you with a feeling of deep contentment as you overlook the five hectares of manicured greenery and shimmering lakes. Couple this with a coffee and a lemon meringue tart or fresh scones with jam and cream, you’ll never want to leave!

 

 

Breakout Brasserie Cafe 

If you’re looking for me on a Saturday morning, I’m 100% at the Breakout Brasserie Cafe. With a gorgeous grapevine-covered courtyard, this place is a lush, shaded oasis that’s perfect for a long, lazy brunch. Tucked just off the main street and up the hill on Macquarie Street, grab a drink and something to eat and watch the world go by (there’s always so many people coming and going, it’s a great place to people watch!)

Fancy a bit of shopping? The Breakout Brasserie is just across the road from Crafted by Nature Australia, an eco and wellness store specialising in natural, sustainable and Australian-made products, and just up the road from Studio 36A Collective, a fun gift shop filled with regional and locally made products.

 

 

Kendal Street Cafe

Need an early morning caffeine jump start? Kendal Street Cafe is your place. It’s tucked into a gorgeous historic building on the main street and is so, so charming. A crowd favourite, it’s a gem you don’t want to tell anyone about because you want it all to yourself! The team buzzes with a, fun, infectious energy, and if you’re lucky enough to be a local, they know your order off by heart.

Owner Cass is also a terrific artist, so make sure you take a peek at all of the wonderful art on display and maybe take home a piece or two!

 

 

Perenialle Plants Cafe, Nursery and Emporium

If you have time for a short scenic drive, just 30 minutes away, you must hit up Canowindra!

Located in a stunning restored heritage building, Perennialle Plants Nursery, Cafe and Emporium is a whole vibe. It’s a nursery, a boutique gift emporium, and a cafe all in one, and they specialise in rare, climate-wise plants. The character in this place is off the charts; make sure to look up and check out the pressed metal roof ceiling and marvel at all the plants hanging.

It’s the perfect spot to grab a gourmet toastie and a coffee while you browse for a new plant or some super-chic yet durable garden tools. I have absolutely spent WAY too much money in here, but I regret nothing. Alternatively, grab a takeaway and wander down the historic main street of Canowindra and stop in some of the boutique shops, including art galleries, a charming bookstore and more!

 

 

 

Book your weekend away, jump in the car and make it a triple-shot kind of day. Your Cowra coffee crawl starts right here.

Getting here and around

Cowra is easy to reach, conveniently located at the intersection of three major highways:

• From Sydney: Take the Great Western Highway via Lithgow and Bathurst or through the Darling Causeway and via Bell.
• From Canberra: Travel via the Barton Highway, Yass and the Lachlan Valley Way.

With nearby towns such as Bathurst, Orange, Grenfell and Young just an hour to one-and-a-half hours away, Cowra makes a great base from which to explore the surrounding region.

Plan your visit

For an easy guide to planning your trip, check out the Itinerary Planner (there are four day trips that cover Cowra, Canowindra, Woodstock, Wyangala Dam and further into the countryside), or view/download the Visitor Guide.

The Cowra Visitor Information Centre is an essential first stop for visitors to the Cowra region and is open from 8:30am – 5pm weekdays and from 8:30am – 3:30pm on weekends (closed Good Friday & Christmas Day). Don’t forget the 9-minute Prisoner of War Hologram that you can view for free!

 

Visit Cowra and discover what it means to escape.