The Digul River ( Dutch : Digoel ) is a major river in South Papua province, Indonesia , on the island of New Guinea . It is the fourth longest river in New Guinea after Sepik , Mamberamo , and Fly . With a total length of 853 km (530 mi) and a drainage basin of 45,900 km (17,700 sq mi).
31-569: The Cowra Guardian , also published as The Guardian, The Cowra Gobbler, Cowra Guardian, Canowindra Star, The Canowindra Star and Eugowra News, Cowra Guardian and Lachlan Agricultural Recorder is a weekly newspaper published in Cowra, New South Wales , Australia, since 1885. The Cowra Guardian began as the Cowra Guardian and Lachlan Agricultural Recorder (1885–1943), a provincial newspaper and rural guide, published by S. A. Stevenson. It continued as
62-580: A Bonsai House. They are designed to show 'A Sense of Season' throughout the year as well as represetative landscape types of Japan. At five hectares (12 acres), the garden is the largest Japanese garden in the Southern Hemisphere. They were added to the National Trust Register in June 2013. After cherry trees were planted in 1988, an annual Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom festival)
93-730: A fireworks display, balloons for the kids and events showcasing a particular foreign culture. In 2020 it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . During World War II, Cowra was the site of a prisoner of war (POW) camp . Most of the detainees were captured Japanese and Italian military personnel. However, in July 1942, Indonesian political prisoners from the Dutch Tanahmerah prison on the Digul river, in West Papua, were transported as "prisoners-of-war" to
124-524: A length of 853 km (530 mi) and is navigable as far as Tanahmerah . Together with the Mappi , which joins its northernmost delta, it collects the waters of an area of about 45,000 square kilometres. The river flows in the southern area of Papua with predominantly tropical monsoon climate (designated as Am in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification) and tropical rainforest (designated as Af in
155-598: A mass breakout from the camp. Simultaneously, other Japanese prisoners committed suicide, or were killed by their countrymen, inside the camp. The actions of the POWs in storming machine gun posts, armed only with improvised weapons, showed what Prime Minister John Curtin described as a "suicidal disregard of life". During the breakout and subsequent recapture of POWs, four Australian guards and 231 Japanese died, and 108 prisoners were wounded. The dead Japanese were buried in Cowra in
186-530: A number of heritage-listed sites, including: According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 10,063 people in Cowra. Under the Köppen climate classification , Cowra has a borderline cold semi-arid ( BSk ) and humid subtropical ( Cfa ) climate, with average maximum temperatures ranging from 32 °C (90 °F) in high summer to 14 °C (57 °F) in mid winter, while minima range from 16 °C (61 °F) to 2 °C (36 °F). Cowra sits on
217-551: A rich and diverse fauna. Around 100 endemic species are found here ( Paradisaea apoda , Ptilinopus perlatus , Chelodina novaeguineae , Centropus violaceus , Alcedinidae , etc.). The mud islands of the delta are covered with marsh and forest vegetation. The dominant species are mangrove ( Avicenia alba , Rhizophora apiculata ), mahogany ( Xylocarpus moluccensis ), nipa palm ( Nypa fruticans ), marsh plant ( Bruguiera cylindrica ) and their hybrids ( Rhizphora mucronata ). *Monthly flow (m /s): delta The main tributaries from
248-448: A second stage opened in 1986. The gardens were designed in the style of the Edo period and are a komatsu ("small pine-tree") or strolling garden. The rocky hillside, manicured hedges, waterfalls and streams, and the two lakes provide a serene environment for a myriad of birdlife. Special features of the garden include a Bonsho Bell, a traditional Edo Cottage, an authentic open air Tea House and
279-533: A sign of thanks for the respectful treatment of their war dead; the development also received funding from the Australian government and private entities. Located 3 kilometres south of the war cemetery is the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre . It was designed in 1977 by Ken Nakajima (1914–2000), a "world renowned architect" of Japanese gardens at the time. The first stage was opened in 1979, with
310-480: A south-southwest direction and then flows by delta into the Arafura Sea , across Dolak Island . Its marshy, swampy floodplain is lined with reed beds. As there are no accessible and developed roads in the area, the river is still the only transport route across the marshes to the fertile hills and mountains in the interior of the island. It is navigable by larger boats from Tanahmerah (320 km) and by smaller boats from
341-638: Is rugby league . The local team, the Cowra Magpies, compete in the Peter McDonald Premiership , of which they are a part of the Group 10 Division. Digul The river originates in the central part of the island, on the southern side of the Maoke Mountains (Digul or Star Mountains), which rise above sea level at 4,700 m. After leaving the mountainous section, it cuts througth lowland swamps in
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#1733086038296372-477: Is a significant industry in the Cowra area. The first vineyards were planted in the 1970s and were predominantly Chardonnay . Since this time, a range of varieties have had success, including Mourvedre and Tempranillo . Cowra has a wide variety of retailers both large and small, including: A cemetery was initially created holding the 231 prisoners who died in the Cowra Breakout and was tended by members of
403-528: Is considerably sunny, having 145.8 clear days on an annual basis. Cowra also has a campus of the Western Institute of TAFE . Radio stations with transmitters located in or nearby to Cowra include: AM: FM: Cowra receives five free-to-air television networks and their affiliates which are relayed from Orange, and broadcast from nearby Mt Canobolas: The local newspaper is the Cowra Guardian , published by Australian Community Media . Viticulture
434-408: Is mild and distributed fairly evenly all year round, however it slightly peaks in summer with thunderstorms and again in winter with cold fronts . The average annual rainfall is 598.3 mm (24 in), while Cowra's wettest month on record was January 1984, with 371.0 mm (15 in) recorded. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 46.6 °C (116 °F) to −8.0 °C (18 °F). Cowra
465-508: The Canowindra Star . Provincial newspapers were an important outlet for the concerns of rural communities. In 1919 the proprietor of the Cowra Guardian , J. J. Sullivan articulated the needs of rural families at the annual conference of the NSWCPA. The Cowra Guardian was acquired by Macquarie Publications in the 1980s. Cowra Cowra ( / ˈ k aʊ r ə / ) is a small town in
496-652: The Central West region of New South Wales , Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire , with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately 310 m (1,017 ft) above sea level, on the banks of the Lachlan River , in the Lachlan Valley. By road it is approximately 310 km (193 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney, and 189 km (117 mi) north of
527-468: The Cowra Guardian (1943–1980). It was renamed Cowra Gobbler from 1980 to 1984 before reverting to the Cowra Guardian . The Cowra Guardian absorbed a number of papers including the Lachlan Leader on 22 Oct 1943 and the Canowindra Star on 4 February 1972. The Canowindra Star was published from [1900] to 1971. It was named The Canowindra Star and Eugowra News from 1903 to 1925 before reverting to
558-641: The Lachlan Valley in 1815. He named the area the Oxley Plains after his superior the surveyor-general, John Oxley . In 1817 he deemed the area "rather unfit for settlement". A military depot was established not long after at Soldiers Flat near present-day Billimari . Arthur Ranken and James Sloan, from Bathurst , were amongst the first white settlers on the Lachlan. They moved to the area in 1831. The township of "Coura Rocks" had its beginnings in 1844. Around 1847,
589-952: The Cowra RSL after World War II. The site is next to the Australian War Cemetery, which houses local servicemen, personnel who died in the area, and four of the guards of the Cowra breakout. There are also a few Indonesian prisoner graves of people who were detained by the Dutch authorities. Formalisation of the site as an official war grave began in 1959 and the site opened as the Japanese War Cemetery on 22 November 1964. Eventually, 524 bodies were interred there, including civilian internees and all other Japanese combatants who were buried in other parts of Australia (since their graves were later moved there). Not all dead were Japanese nationals, but include 25 Taiwanese and 1 Korean (which at
620-497: The Cowra prison camp, at the behest of Netherlands East Indies government-in-exile (with others who were ill being sent to Liverpool ). These Indonesian prisoners arrived in mid 1942 and were released on 7 December 1943, and subsequent to their release, played an important role in the black bans which effectively frustrated the Dutch reimposition of colonial rule in the Indies.) On 5 August 1944, at least 545 Japanese POWs attempted
651-505: The Köppen-Geiger climate classification) transitional type, with an annual rainfall of 3,500–4,000 mm. The annual average temperature in the area is 22 °C. The warmest month is April, when the average temperature is around 24 °C, and the coldest is June, at 20°C. The average annual rainfall is 3,072 mm. The wettest month is January, with an average of 464 mm rainfall, and the driest is July, with 28 mm rainfall. The average rainfall for
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#1733086038296682-698: The border zone between the cool, wet highlands of the Great Dividing Range and the hot, dry plains of Western New South Wales. As a result, Cowra experiences climate characteristics of both regions: with cold sub-10 °C maximum temperatures, frequent frost and even snow in winter, and frequent 40+ °C temperatures in summer. Other towns that experience this 'border' climate are Inverell and Mudgee further north, Yass and Gundagai further south, Wangaratta in Victoria and Dalby in Queensland . Rainfall
713-527: The foot of the mountains. This swampy navigable stretch is often referred to as Boven-Digul . Its length as the crow flies from its source to its mouth is relatively short, but it follows a very winding course over flat land to the sea. The swamplands upstream were known by the name " Boven-Digoel " (Above the Digul, in Dutch) and hosted a penal colony at Tanahmerah (Red Earth) in the early 20th century, when Indonesia
744-644: The nation's capital, Canberra. The town is situated at the intersection of three state highways: the Mid-Western Highway , Olympic Highway , and the Lachlan Valley Way . Cowra is included in the rainfall recorder and weather forecast region for the Central West Slopes and Plains division of the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts. The first European explorer to the area, George William Evans , entered
775-564: The specially created Japanese War Cemetery. This is the only such cemetery in Australia, and also holds some of the dead from the World War II air raids on Darwin . An Avenue of Honour also commemorates those who died in World War I. There is an annual ceremony to commemorate the breakout, involving local school students, council members, local dignitaries and guest Japanese visitors. Cowra has
806-638: The time were colonies of Japan). The cemetery is on Crown land owned by the New South Wales government under trusteeship of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Use of the land, was granted to Japan in 1963 on a payment-of-costs basis. In 1971, the Cowra Tourism Development decided to celebrate this link to Japan, and proposed a Japanese garden for the town. The Japanese government agreed to support this development as
837-476: The township site became known as Cowra, and in 1849, was proclaimed a village. In the 1850s many gold prospectors passed through headed for gold fields at Lambing Flat ( Young ) and Grenfell . The first school was established in 1857. The first bridge over the Lachlan River was built in 1870. Gold was discovered at Mount McDonald in the 1880s. The rail head from Sydney reached Cowra in 1886. Local government
868-481: The whole catchment area between 2002 and 2011 was 3,522 mm. Its delta is a relatively new tidal delta in development with wide and deep delta branches and channels. The intermittent tides reach 5–7 metres. The delta is changing rapidly from year to year (new channels and delta branches) due to the high sedimentation process (clay deposits, sedimentary silt) on the banks. The delta is rich in fauna and, although navigable, very sparsely populated. The Digul catchment has
899-546: Was a colony of Holland . As a result of the abortive 1926 revolt by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), the Dutch exiled 823 of the most troublesome revolutionaries here. Rising on the southern slopes of Maoke Mountains , the Digul flows first south and then west to empty into the Arafura Sea . For much of its length, it travels across a low region of extensive swamps and creates a delta near Dolak (Yos Sudarso Island, formerly Frederik Hendrik) Island. The river has
930-490: Was first held in 1990 and is an event in Cowra's tourism calendar and is held in the gardens during September. The festival celebrates the birth of spring. Locals, Australian and international visitors alike have the opportunity to experience traditional elements of Japanese culture. Sakura at the Cowra Japanese Garden is celebrated annually when the cherry blossoms are at their peak. The most popular sport in Cowra
961-467: Was granted in 1888. The first mobile telephone exchange was established in 1901. The town water supply was established in 1909, the gasworks in 1912 and town supplied electricity was introduced in 1924. From 1904 to 1966 the Cowra Experiment Farm was im operation, experimenting with wheat and with fallow crops. Cowra hosts an annual Festival of International Understanding, featuring a parade,