Elizabeth Farm, New South Wales

Elizabeth Farm is a historic estate in Rosehill, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Elizabeth Farm was the family home of wool pioneer, John and his wife Elizabeth Macarthur. It was commenced in 1793 on a slight hill overlooking the upper reaches of Parramatta River, 23 kilometres west of Sydney Cove. This area belonged to the Burramattagal clan of the Dharug people, whose presence is recalled in the name Parramatta.

The small, solid three-roomed brick cottage was transformed, by the late 1820s, into a smart country house, surrounded by ‘pleasure grounds’, orchards and almost 1, 000 acres (4  km²) of semi-cleared land. Enveloped within later extensions, the early cottage remains intact, making it Australia’s oldest surviving European dwelling.

It is managed by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales as a museum that is open to the public for a modest fee, as well as being listed on the State Heritage Register.

The homestead, now a house museum, is creatively furnished with props and copies of objects known to belong to the Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm. Impressive cedar joinery has been restored while carefully reproduced paint schemes, fabrics and floor coverings provide an authentic impression of this early 19th-century household. The Macarthurs' garden of native and exotic ornamentals, fruit trees and vegetables has been recreated around original plantings and archaeological features dating to the early 19th century.

Avoiding the use of rope barriers and screens, an innovative 'hands on' approach encourages visitors to explore and interact with this evocative historical environment: sitting in chairs, leafing through letters, playing the piano or pulling up beside an open fire. The museum offers an introductory video and free guided tours. Elizabeth Farm is open to the general public.

Having arrived in the dismal prison colony of Sydney three years earlier, the young soldier John Macarthur and his wife Elizabeth, both 25, were eager to house their growing family. From nine births, seven children grew to adulthood. In coming decades, the Macarthurs' trading and farming interests, along with John’s political ambitions and affairs, came to dominate colonial society. Elizabeth, not always content, remained in Australia for the rest of her life, while John returned twice to England forging contacts and patronage and directing his sons’ education. Above all, John Macarthur’s success in both developing and promoting the lucrative colonial trade in wool has stamped Elizabeth Farm on the national consciousness.

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Wikipedia