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Celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival with a guided tour of Elizabeth Farm, Hambledon Cottage and Experiment Farm Cottage.
Join our experienced Museums of History NSW guides, along with guest presenters from the National Trust and the Parramatta District Historical Society, for this two-hour walking tour. Hear stories of the people who lived in the houses and shaped the area as we know it today, while appreciating the 19th-century architecture and design of these significant buildings.
The tour starts at Elizabeth Farm, home of John and Elizabeth Macarthur and the oldest homestead in Australia. Here, you will learn about the colonial bungalow style of architecture that was imported from the British colonies in India.
You will then walk along Clay Cliff Creek to Hambledon Cottage, designed in the Colonial Georgian style. Hear stories of the prominent Macarthur family who lived there and learn about the impact of colonisation on the local Dharug people.
The next stop is Experiment Farm Cottage, the home of surgeon John Harris, after whom the suburb of Harris Park is named. Learn about the early colonists’ endeavours to be self-sufficient, the achievements of ex-convict James Ruse and the growing prosperity of the area during the early 19th century.
The walk finishes at Elizabeth Farm, where participants are invited to extend their visit after the tour.