Elizabeth Farm
Hands on history
A restful homestead with a restless history. Darug dispossession. Convict rebellion. The toppling of governors. Family turmoil. Built in 1793 for the young military couple John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their growing family, Elizabeth Farm today is an ‘access all areas’ museum. There are no barriers, locked doors or delicate furnishings. Set within a re-created 1830s garden, Australia’s oldest homestead is now our most immersive house museum.
Elizabeth Farm
70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142. Phone +61 2 9635 9488- Wheelchair accessible
Artwork
Healing land, remembering Country
A powerful work by Kuku Yalanji artist Tony Albert
Stories
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A turbulent past
With its deep, shady verandahs and elegant symmetry, Elizabeth Farm is an iconic early colonial bungalow
John Macarthur - Ambitious, volatile, self-confident
John Macarthur is well remembered as an ambitious and ruthless soldier who forged a powerful colonial farming dynasty.
The Maltese connection: the unexpected origins of Elizabeth Farm’s convict workers
The story of three men from Elizabeth Farm shows that theft was only one reason for transportation and that Britain was far from the only source of convicts sent to NSW
Bicornes, bonnets & boaters
There’s a variety of headwear across our collections ranging in date from early to late nineteenth century
In the pink at Elizabeth Farm
Amid the late summer bounty in the garden at Elizabeth Farm, the crepe myrtle is the undoubted star of the show
Learning programs
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Colonial Life at Elizabeth Farm
As they explore the Macarthur family home, which dates from 1793, students learn about the lives of the family and their convict servants and the impact of colonisation on the traditional owners of the Parramatta area
Now and Then
As students are guided through the property, they discover that the household lived without the benefits of running water, bathrooms, electricity, appliances or paved roads
