Canowindra: Fossils, Riverwalk and Balloon Events

Canowindra offers visitors a range of highlights: the history of the Earth at the Age of Fishes Museum, a walk along the Belubula River and balloon events. This lets you shape your stay around your interests, whether they lie in exhibitions, landscapes or a scheduled program.

Devonian fossils and geological time

At the Age of Fishes Museum, Devonian fossils are displayed alongside live aquarium exhibits and reconstructions of life in the Devonian period 360 million years ago. The reconstructions illustrate the same period in Earth’s history as the fossils, but in a different way from the specimens and aquariums.

The museum includes two permanent exhibitions, an education centre, a picnic area and a geological time walk through landscaped gardens. Its geological focus is not limited to the exhibition rooms: the time walk carries the theme through the garden design as well. If you are especially interested in fossils and the history of the Earth, the museum offers several different ways to explore this subject.

Walking along the Belubula River

The Canowindra Belubula Riverwalk follows the banks of the Belubula River and crosses the Swinging Bridge. It is described as an easy, family-friendly walking route. The riverside path and bridge crossing shape the character of the route, giving you a concrete idea of what the walk involves.

Information panels along the Riverwalk offer insights into Indigenous heritage, early European settlement and the unique ecosystems in and around the river. Both history and nature are therefore among the walk’s themes. If you would rather explore Canowindra on foot with a view of the river, the Riverwalk offers a different focus from the museum.

Balloon events: morning launches and an announced evening event

Pilots from across Australia and overseas gather each year for the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge to compete in ballooning. Weather permitting, balloons launch daily shortly after sunrise. Weather and the annual program can affect how events unfold, so it is worth checking the program for the relevant edition when planning your visit.

An event has also been announced for 2027 at the Canowindra Sports Oval. There, 15 hot air balloons are set to inflate shortly after sunset, then glow like 20-metre-high light bulbs and synchronise their lights to a music mix. These details describe different time slots: the Challenge features morning launches, while the 2027 announcement describes an evening event.

Local history and remembrance

The Canowindra Historical Museum traces Canowindra’s development from a frontier town on the Belubula River in the 1840s to a rural centre. Its historical focus thus spans the town’s early history through to its later role. The museum welcomes coach tours and school groups by prior arrangement.

Another historical memorial can be found at the Old Vic Inn: a plaque there commemorates Elizabeth Jane (Bessie) Robinson. The address is 56 Gaskill St, Canowindra NSW 2804. While the Historical Museum focuses on Canowindra’s development, the plaque remembers a named individual. Together, these two subjects complement the geological perspective of the Age of Fishes Museum with local history and remembrance.

These attractions offer different options to suit your interests: the history of the Earth at the museum, riverside scenery and information panels along the Riverwalk, or balloon events whose schedules depend on weather and the program. Each of the museums, the walking route and the events offers its own way to get to know Canowindra.

Discover more destinations: Howlong, Eulomogo, Sefton, Coledale, Milsons Point, Guildford, Dalgety, Eccleston.

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.