Orange Archives - Destination's Journey

Cook Park Orange

Looking for something to do in Orange after we arrived in the late afternoon, we discovered Cook Park. Named after Captain James Cook, the park is a beautiful escape, with shady trees, grassy picnic areas and a duck pond. Laid out in the Victorian style when designed in 1873 many of the original straight paths remain.

We walked along the avenues of trees pleased to escape the summer sun and spent some time relaxing near the duck pond. As a surprize, a metal sculpture of a dragon sits in the pond.

Many people were enjoying the grassed areas with family picnics along with others simply walking around enjoying the gardens.

A greenhouse with seedlings, ferns and orchids was interesting to walk through, with hundreds of potted plants on the shelves.

Also, in one corner of the park sits a small war memorial with an old, World War One German field gun and a cannon. The cannon previously defended Sydney but was moved here as a memorial in 1906.

A great place to relax and if you have kids, there’s plenty of space for them to run around.

Avenue of tree in Cook Park Orange — Avenue of trees in Cook Park Orange

Path Running Through Cook Park Orange — Avenue of trees in Cook Park Orange

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Small Acres Cyder

One of our great finds during a recent road trip to Canberra was Small Acres Cyder at Borenore near Orange. This small, family-owned business has won a huge number of awards for their cider, something we learned while we were there.

Surrounded by their own orchards, the tasting room is in a beautiful setting. Only knowing about commercial cider, it was interesting to discover the different types and the history behind each. As well as the usual sparkling apple cider, there was still (non-bubbly) apple cider, pear, and fortified varieties. Non-alcoholic cider in apple, pear and cherry was also available to taste.

The tasting wasn’t rushed, and our host was very helpful and informative. We decided on the Poire pear cider and purchased a carton before continuing on to Orange. The owners also operate an Air-BNB, so you can spend the night surrounded by orchards.