As students explore Elizabeth Farm, they will discover how the Macarthur family and their servants lived without running water, electricity or modern appliances.
Students will engage in a range of hands-on activities and object-based learning. They will:
wash clothes by hand
explore the kitchen garden to see what’s growing and discuss life in a time before supermarkets
write with a quill pen and ink, signing their name on a bookplate
As they are guided through the house, students will investigate how daily life for the Macarthurs and their guests differed from life today.
In the colonial kitchen, they will learn how food was kept fresh without refrigeration and how it was preserved. In the drawing room, they will discover how the family entertained themselves and their guests and how servants were summoned. Outside in the garden, students will have the opportunity to play 19th-century games such as hoops, skittles, quoits, and cup and ball.
Throughout the experience, they will be encouraged to ask and answer questions, think critically, and compare life ‘now and then’.
Prepare your group with an ‘Excursion introduction’, found under Resources. This introduction supports teachers, including those working with ASD students in integrated classrooms.
Stage 1 History
Present and Past Family Life
Key inquiry question:
How has family life changed or remained the same over time?
HT1-1 Communicates an understanding of change and continuity in family life using appropriate historical terms
HT1-4 Demonstrates skills of historical inquiry and communication
The Past in the Present
Key inquiry questions:
What aspects of the past can you see today?
How have changes in technology shaped our daily life?
HT1-2 Identifies and describes significant people, events, places and sites in the local community over time
HT1-3 Describes the effects of changing technology on people’s lives over time
Up to 20 Students: $200 Up to 40 Students: $385 Up to 60 Students: $575 Up to 80 Students: $760 Up to 100 Students: $905 Up to 120 Students: $1,055 Up to 140 Students: $1,130 Up to 160 Students: $1,230
You can alter your booking numbers up until 7 days prior to your visit. We will call you a week before your booking to confirm final numbers and requirements. You will be invoiced for the full cost of your program a week prior to your booking. Payment can be made by Credit Card, EFTPOS or cheque (payable to Historic Houses Trust of NSW). Cancellations made within 7 days of a booking will incur the full cost for the program. Cancellations made within 2 weeks of your visit will be invoiced for 50% of the total booking. Cancellations must be made in writing.
Please plan to arrive before the start time of your booked program to allow for cloaking, toilet visits and/or a refreshment break for the students. If you arrive late, some elements and activities may need to be cut from the program to keep to the scheduled finish time.
Large groups will be divided up into smaller groups for activities in the museums.
Bags, food and drinks are not permitted in the museums and cloaking facilities are provided.
Photography policies vary between the museums so please ask a member of staff for details.
Teachers and carers are required to remain with their groups at all times.
Disciplining students remains the responsibility of teachers and carers accompanying the group.
Please let us know before your visit if any of your students have special needs or learning difficulties so we can plan to accommodate their needs during the visit.
The supervision ratio is 1:10 for primary groups and 1:15 for secondary groups. Teachers and parents attend free of charge at these ratios. One carer per student with special needs will be admitted free of charge
Additional visitor costs
Each additional visitor will be charged at the concession rate of $12
Students learn about what it was like to live at Vaucluse House for the wealthy family of William Charles and Sarah Wentworth, with their ten children and many servants