Description of the attraction
The Elizabeth Farm Estate is a historic property in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. Built in 1793 on a small hill overlooking the headwaters of the Parramatta River, the farm was the home of the John and Elizabeth MacArthur family. And this land belonged to the aboriginal clan "Burramattagal" from the tribe "Dharug" - the name of the clan is still heard in the name of the Parramatta region.
In the late 1820s, the small 3-room brick house was converted into a real estate surrounded by parkland, greenhouses and nearly a thousand acres of land. Despite later rebuildings, the very first house remained intact, making it Australia's oldest living quarters for European settlers. Today it is a museum open to the public.
The estate is furnished with models and copies of items that belonged to the MacArthur. The impressive cedar woodwork has been meticulously restored, along with wall paint, upholstery and ceiling finishes, to recreate the ambiance of an early 19th century home. A garden with fruit trees and a vegetable garden has also been carefully recreated. It is interesting that in this house-museum you can not only look at Australian household items two centuries ago, but also completely immerse yourself in that world - here you can sit on chairs, leaf through letters, play the piano or drink tea by the fireplace. The interiors of the house, combined with the story of the guide, allow you to feel the story of a family that found itself in the center of colonial life: abandoned far from home in a place full of danger, forced to cope with isolation and loss, they bravely endured adversity in order to provide their family with a dignified life. Museum exhibits all the time make you think, ask yourself questions, look for answers - what were the MacArthurs like? How did they live here? What made them risk it all and go to Australia? What happened to the natives of the Burramattagal, Wangal and Vategora clans who owned this land, and the hundreds of prisoners and servants who worked here?
The history of the MacArthur family is very interesting and revealing. A young soldier John MacArthur, who arrived in the gloomy colonial city of Sydney, along with his wife Elizabeth and seven children, intended to do everything in his power to support his family. On the "green" continent, John took up the wool trade and farming, which in the following decades, along with his political ambitions, made the MacArthur family one of the most prominent in colonial society.
The changes in the architecture of the estate reflected the growing wealth of the influential family in the early decades of the 19th century. John MacArthur's passion for classic style is evident in the fine furnishings, plastering and finishing materials. However, as John MacArthur's mental health deteriorated, the restoration work on the house came to naught. John died in 1834, his wife Elizabeth in 1850. Until 1904, the estate changed hands several times until, greatly reduced in size, it became the property of William and Elizabeth Swann. It was only in 1984 that the Elizabeth Farm estate was turned into a museum.
