Celebrate with us!One of the many interesting roles of the Sydney Living Museums' learning team is having authentic replicas of objects specially made for use in our school education programs.Our video of sixth generation cooper, George Smithwick, has proved our most popular on YouTube, with over half a million views.The dining room at Elizabeth Farm set for breakfast.Warm and chalky distemper on the walls of the butler's pantry at Elizabeth Farm creates an authentic, early 19th century atmosphere.The Elizabeth Farm carriage loop, bordered by cactus garden, prickly pear and shrubs.The sloped roof and flagstone flooring of the eastern verandah at Elizabeth Farm.View of corner plant room, or closet, at Elizabeth Farm viewed from garden under European olive tree.By the early 1800s Sydney was a bustling trading port.
Around 1805 a bedroom behind the drawing room and verandahs was added. The house additions used open planning with French doors leading to the verandahs and gardens.

The house was the scene of political and social activity including visits from many governors and their wives. Today, set within a re-created 1830s garden, Elizabeth Farm is an ‘access all areas’ museum.

It was built in 1793 by John Macarthur, one of the most influential and controversial figures in early colonial history.

A few years later the verandahs may have been remodelled.

Built for the young military couple John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their growing family in 1793, Elizabeth Farm is one of the oldest homes in Australia. Consultation continued with Parramatta City Council re future management of the A draft conservation plan was prepared by the HHT in 1982. Impressive cedar joinery has been restored while carefully reproduced paint schemes, fabrics and floor coverings provide an authentic impression of this early 19th-century household.

On our Cook & Curator blog, we made a seed cake for her birthday, shared the recipe and talk about her story. The Macarthurs occupied and continually extended the house grant as their family increased to nine children and their financial position grew. Older indigenous species include kurrajong and bunya bunya and hoop pines. Keen to stake a claim in the developing trade with China, in 1808 John Macarthur sent his nephew Hannibal to Canton with a cargo of sandalwood, hoping to bankroll the import of valuable Historic Houses Trust of NSW, incorporating Sydney Living Museums, cares for significant historic places, buildings, landscapes and collections. Further extensions were made during 1826 and 1827, designed by Henry Cooper. It is bounded by Alice Street and the It was reported to be in good physical condition, with medium archaeological potential, as at 24 March 2016. It is associated with the Swann family for over sixty years, including their preservation of the buildings.

Elizabeth Farm is open to the general public.Elizabeth Farm is associated with major figures who were prominent in the 19th century development of the colony, including John and Elizabeth Macarthur, and the Swann family in the 20th century.


Sydney Living Museums venues are open for hire in line with NSW Government COVID-19 requirements. It was the centre of an estate on which some of the first experiments in pastoral and agricultural land use in Australia took place, particularly in the early development of the wool industry. Built for the young military couple John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their growing family, Elizabeth Farm has witnessed major events in the growth of the colony, from the toppling of governors and convict rebellion to the birth of the Australian wool industry. The Macarthur's residence on the property, Elizabeth Farm House, is now part of Sydney Living Museums. It is a statutory authority of, and principally funded by, the New South Wales Government. The HC SR Committee formed a sub-committee with representatives of the Heritage & Conservation Branch, HHT and co-opted members to increase involvement of the HHT in works being carried out with a view to eventual transfer of the property to the Trust for management as a house museum.The site was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust of NSW in 1983 and opened to the public as a house museum in 1984.Elizabeth Farm House is a single-storey late 18th century English vernacular cottage with a pair of Elizabeth Farm comprises three connecting buildings - the main house, a rendered brick verandahed bungalow with shingled roof under painted galvanised iron, single storeyed kitchen wing, two cellars and a two storeyed servants quarters with dairy and laundry on almost one hectare of land. This was based on sketches and his memories and painted on his return to England.Conservation in action: Vaucluse House turrets - update It was built as the home of John and Elizabeth Macarthur and was the birthplace of …