As you wander about the house museum of
Elizabeth Farm, you're travelling back in time almost to the very beginning of modern Australia.
This is a place where visitors are encouraged to freely explore. Nothing within the historic house and garden is off limits.
Elizabeth Farm was built for
John Macarthur in 1793, just five years after the
First Fleet landed at
Circular Quay. Macarthur, who is today celebrated as the
father of the Australian merino industry, used the property as a base for his breeding merinos, while the bulk of his herd was left to expand on the more fertile land near
Camden.
Besides being the centre of a farming experiment, the Macarthur residence played an important role in the colonial experiment that the British were conducting in Australia. As the local economy expanded, so did the estate, and the wealth and influence of its owner. Macarthur was a big fish in a little pond, meaning that he had a considerable influence on Sydney and New South Wales while they were still in their embryonic stages.
Those exciting times seem so much more tangible when you're standing in a historic setting like Elizabeth Farm. So pop in, and see how this big, bustling city of ours used to be.
To plan your visit, whether travelling by car, bus, train or ferry,
click here. And to discover what events and exhibitions are taking place at Elizabeth Farm,
click here.
