Bowral comfortably sits in a valley at the foot of Mt. Gibraltar, largely on land originally granted to John Oxley - a famous explorer of the early colony of NSW.Bowral is now the commercial and retail centre of the Southern Highlands.The beauty of townscape and countryside, and the climate - enhanced by over 100 years of plantings of exotic deciduous trees, "English" gardens, and annual massed displays of bulbs and perennials - gives it a unique attraction in the Australian countryside - especially in the leafy area of Burradoo with its fine houses and gardens stretching south towards Moss Vale.