• Trimmed shrubs line Una Street in Bowral, New South Wales, with Mount Gibraltar visible in the background.
  • Residential frontage showing gardens manicured topiary shrubs in front of a white picket fence Bowral suburbia. NSW, Australia
  • Sunlit, trimmed hedging and a gravel driveway entrance to a suburban residential house in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Gum tree trunk with shedding bark next to a dense conifer hedge in a suburban garden in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • View looking east on Merrigang Street near Rose Street, Bowral, NSW. Grey, overcast day.
  • Bicycle parked on veranda porch of an old brick cottage with flowers growing up a timber pillar in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Pathway and wooden fence. Traditional old tin-roofed cottage. Parked cars and a trailer in the foreground in Bowral, NSW.
  • View looking east on Merrigang Street at Rose Street junction, Bowral, NSW. Grey, overcast day.
  • Cars are parked amongst gum trees in the small, charming town of Bowral, Southern Highlands, New South Wales.
  • Old brick residential wall on Shepherd Street, Bowral, NSW, covered in a vibrant green climbing ivy.
  • A broken white timber picket fence and trees in front of a house in the Bowral suburbs, NSW.
  • Roadside trees, Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. Looking East on Merrigang Street towards South Rd.
  • Classic Bowral, Australia heritage house, early 20th century, viewed between tall trees.
  • Classic.traditional suburban house in Bowral, NSW, showing the driveway with two cars parked and garage.
  • A mechanical digger and bulldozer in front of an old house scheduled for demolition and redevelopment in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Large sandstone rocks, resembling a bunker wall, positioned in front of a newly redeveloped house in a Bowral suburb.
  • Extensive cracks running through a garden brick wall at the front of a residential house on Queen Street, Bowral, NSW
  • An abandoned old cane chair dumped in a hedge on a quiet suburban street in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Very muddy empty waste ground in Wattle Lane, Bowral, New South Wales, featuring a landscape of mud and water-filled holes and puddles.
  • View from inside a vehicle of the railway bridge over Argyle Street in Moss Vale, New South Wales.
  • View along metal fence in Argyle Lane towards the Highlands Christian Fellowship church, Bowral, NSW.
  • A street view from a vehicle in Bowral, NSW, Australia, showing traffic lights next to the war memorial on Station Street, looking towards Merrigang Street.
  • Vehicles travelling around the roundabout at Bendooley St & Wingecarribee St, Bowral NSW. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in background.
  • A low angle photograph of a dark coloured fast moving Audi car on a suburban street in Bowral, NSW.
  • Shop window display on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, NSW, featuring two mannequins dressed in fashionable clothing.
  • Retail shop window display on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, featuring a mannequin and a large butterfly poster.
  • A small, fluffy, and cute white dog standing on the back of a ute in Mittagong, New South Wales.
  • White dog looking out of a car window on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, NSW.
  • Three people and their three dogs sit on a street bench in the town of Bowral, NSW.
  • A mature couple in hats stands on a Bowral pavement with their dog. Bowral town, NSW.
  • dog tied to post. bong bong street, bowral, nsw
  • Friendly dog at house gate looking at camera. Breed unknown. Bowral, NSW.
  • Muddy tyre tracks. Bowral town, NSW
  • Barrier at the entrance to Wingecarribee Council's Resource Recovery Centre in Moss Vale, NSW, with a sign saying 'Have a nice day'.
  • Trimmed shrubs line Una Street in Bowral, New South Wales, with Mount Gibraltar visible in the background.
  • Residential frontage showing gardens manicured topiary shrubs in front of a white picket fence Bowral suburbia. NSW, Australia
  • Sunlit, trimmed hedging and a gravel driveway entrance to a suburban residential house in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Gum tree trunk with shedding bark next to a dense conifer hedge in a suburban garden in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • View looking east on Merrigang Street near Rose Street, Bowral, NSW. Grey, overcast day.
  • Bicycle parked on veranda porch of an old brick cottage with flowers growing up a timber pillar in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Pathway and wooden fence. Traditional old tin-roofed cottage. Parked cars and a trailer in the foreground in Bowral, NSW.
  • View looking east on Merrigang Street at Rose Street junction, Bowral, NSW. Grey, overcast day.
  • Cars are parked amongst gum trees in the small, charming town of Bowral, Southern Highlands, New South Wales.
  • Old brick residential wall on Shepherd Street, Bowral, NSW, covered in a vibrant green climbing ivy.
  • A broken white timber picket fence and trees in front of a house in the Bowral suburbs, NSW.
  • Roadside trees, Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. Looking East on Merrigang Street towards South Rd.
  • Classic Bowral, Australia heritage house, early 20th century, viewed between tall trees.
  • Classic.traditional suburban house in Bowral, NSW, showing the driveway with two cars parked and garage.
  • A mechanical digger and bulldozer in front of an old house scheduled for demolition and redevelopment in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Large sandstone rocks, resembling a bunker wall, positioned in front of a newly redeveloped house in a Bowral suburb.
  • Extensive cracks running through a garden brick wall at the front of a residential house on Queen Street, Bowral, NSW
  • An abandoned old cane chair dumped in a hedge on a quiet suburban street in Bowral, New South Wales.
  • Very muddy empty waste ground in Wattle Lane, Bowral, New South Wales, featuring a landscape of mud and water-filled holes and puddles.
  • View from inside a vehicle of the railway bridge over Argyle Street in Moss Vale, New South Wales.
  • View along metal fence in Argyle Lane towards the Highlands Christian Fellowship church, Bowral, NSW.
  • A street view from a vehicle in Bowral, NSW, Australia, showing traffic lights next to the war memorial on Station Street, looking towards Merrigang Street.
  • Vehicles travelling around the roundabout at Bendooley St & Wingecarribee St, Bowral NSW. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in background.
  • A low angle photograph of a dark coloured fast moving Audi car on a suburban street in Bowral, NSW.
  • Shop window display on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, NSW, featuring two mannequins dressed in fashionable clothing.
  • Retail shop window display on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, featuring a mannequin and a large butterfly poster.
  • A small, fluffy, and cute white dog standing on the back of a ute in Mittagong, New South Wales.
  • White dog looking out of a car window on Bong Bong Street, Bowral, NSW.
  • Three people and their three dogs sit on a street bench in the town of Bowral, NSW.
  • A mature couple in hats stands on a Bowral pavement with their dog. Bowral town, NSW.
  • dog tied to post. bong bong street, bowral, nsw
  • Friendly dog at house gate looking at camera. Breed unknown. Bowral, NSW.
  • Muddy tyre tracks. Bowral town, NSW
  • Barrier at the entrance to Wingecarribee Council's Resource Recovery Centre in Moss Vale, NSW, with a sign saying 'Have a nice day'.

The region holds a special significance for the Dharawal and Gundungurra peoples on whose traditional lands Bowral sits. The town’s name itself likely has Aboriginal roots, with some theories suggesting it means “high and large” or simply “high place.”

Currently comprising several thousand images “High Place” is an ongoing photo documentary series exploring the textures of contemporary Bowral and surrounding areas. Initiated in 2016, this ongoing project features a selection of imagery published on fiofoto.com. Updates include individual and multi-frame ‘Records,’ complemented by periodic short-form photo series.

Records

The region around Bowral – and more broadly the NSW Southern Highlands – boasts beautiful landscapes, a cool climate and stunning European-inspired gardens.

These features have drawn visitors seeking a peaceful escape from the city, including many Sydneysiders with weekend homes in the Southern Highlands. A major highlight being the annual Bowral Tulip Time Festival showcasing vibrant displays of flowers in Corbett Gardens that attract large numbers of visitors to the town.

Much of Bowral’s colonial architecture still remains, exemplified along Bendooley Street which historically formed Bowral’s civic centre. This includes the original town hall, memorial hall and Court house, now repurposed but still standing.

Bendooley St is also home to many of Bowral’s churches, starting at the northern end with St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic church, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Bowral Uniting Church in the middle. St. Jude’s Anglican Church is at the southern end, built in the late 19th century and renowned for its architectural importance.

Cricket fans can visit the International Cricket Hall of Fame and Bradman Oval or see the childhood home of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman on nearby Shepherd Street (now a private guest house).

View from Oxley Hill lookout towards Bowral town, NSW. ©fiofoto.com Peter John, All Rights Reserved

The region’s natural beauty, historical significance and cultural events along with numerous retail outlets selling homewares, lifestyle antiques and clothing solidify Bowral’s position as a top destination in the NSW Southern Highlands.

The idyllic landscape of the past is rapidly changing however. Relentless land clearances and development are reducing native wildlife habitat, ancient water meadows being replaced by sprawling housing estates. This transformation brings with it a new reality: high density subdivisions and soulless concrete render. Reputedly the dog capital of NSW, Bowral’s leafy suburbs resound to a cacophony of lonely dogs barking. The car is king, once quiet roads now surge with speeding traffic.