Members Hour: Rouse Hill Estate
Welcome to Members Hour at Rouse Hill Estate.
Step back in time and experience how extraordinary Rouse Hill Estate is.
Remarkably, six generations of the Rouse and Terry families occupied the house from its construction in the early 1800s until the late 1990s, when it opened as a museum. Each generation has left its mark, never erasing the evidence of those who lived there before but instead adding to it, forming a richly textured series of interiors and landscapes. Chairs from the 1840s sit beside textiles from the 1950s, grand tour paintings sit above mantelpieces crowded with photographs and mementos, and a 1960s television sits in a room whose walls were papered half a century earlier.
Members will have very special access to the first floor of the main house, which is rarely opened to the public. Then you are invited to discover the rest of the property with self-guided tours, help to feed the farm animals or bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden.
Members Hour is an exclusive time dedicated to Museums of History NSW members at each of our historic houses, gardens and museums. Wander around and enjoy each property at your leisure. Ask our expert museum staff all your questions, as you will have them to yourselves.
Bookings essential.
Rouse Hill Estate
356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155- Wheelchair accessible
- Sunday 28 April 9am–10am
Rouse Hill Estate stories
Browse allLayered histories: refurbishing the visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate
Refreshed and renewed, the refurbished visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate, on Dharug Country, offers visitors an invitation to explore the property and discover its richly layered history
Rouse Hill conservation works October 2024 – May 2025
After detailed condition inspections of the state heritage–listed Rouse Hill Estate, MHNSW’s Capital Works and Heritage teams have begun a large-scale conservation project that will sensitively address a range of identified issues at the site
History with flavour
Good food and generous hospitality were part of the rhythms of domestic life at Rouse Hill House. A collection of cookbooks and handwritten recipes accumulated over more than a hundred years remains in the house, and provides a taste of the family’s culinary repertoire through times of boom and bust
Members
Browse allTour
Members Hour: Elizabeth Farm
Members will be treated to a special tour with a focus on events around 26 January 1808, including the role John Macarthur played in the overthrow of Governor William Bligh
70 Alice Street, Rosehill NSW 2142
Saturday 25 January 9am–10am