Cherry Tree Walk, Bowral

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Every country town has a range of war memorials for the fallen from that town, most dating back to World War I, as that war had one of the greatest impacts on those societies. These are the places where Australians congregate on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day to remember the sacrifices. Bowral and its surrounds have a few memorials, and one of these is the Cherry Tree Walk , which commemorates the Vietnam War.



Starting at two marble pillars near a road, the five kilometre walk along an accessible park is lined with cherry trees from Japan – the Tai-Haki cherry tree, and then heads over a small bridge and takes you to a series of columns that lists those that served in Vietnam.



It is a peaceful walk, and you can do as much, or as little of it as you like, and there are picnic spots to sit and reflect on what the war memorial means and what brought it about when it opened in 2000.



Each pillar has inscriptions that tell you what it is, the dates of the war and the roll of honour, which is something that appears at each war memorial in different ways. It is free to walk through and take in what sacrifices were made. I think this is best viewed when the cherry trees are in bloom and contrast the horrors of war with their peaceful beauty, which works well together to create an evocative memorial to the Vietnam War and Australia’s involvement. Places like this serve as a historical record, somewhere for people to learn and reflect. A peaceful place that is worth the visit to pay your respects and see some beautiful cherry trees.


%wnbowral

142 Mittagong Road, Bowral, 2576

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