Elizabeth Farm
Elizabeth Farm. Photograph © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Entry
Adult | $12
Concession | $8
Family | $30
Members | Free of charge
Children under 5 years | Free of charge
In 1810 John Macarthur wrote to his wife Elizabeth: ‘I am perfectly aware, my beloved wife, of the difficulties you have to contend with.’ The comment was by no account an understatement.
Romanticised painting of Elizabeth Farm by Joseph Lycett. This was based on sketches and his memories and painted on his return to England.
This restful homestead hides a dark and stormy past. 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. As the original cottage was transformed into a fine colonial bungalow, the family’s life was equally gripped with turmoil and drama. Today, set within a re-created 1830s garden, Elizabeth Farm is an ‘access all areas’ museum. There are no barriers, locked doors, delicate furnishings or untouchable ornaments. Australia’s oldest homestead is now our most hands-on ‘living’ house museum.
News from Elizabeth Farm
WW1 stories from our museumsThursday 20 April 2017
To mark the 1914–18 centenary of World War 1, Sydney Living Museums has developed a special mini-website exploring the wartime engagement of individual men and women associated with our historic places.
Elizabeth Farm
Tour by candlelight at Elizabeth FarmTuesday 13 September 2016
Visiting a history museum for a tour means you may come with certain expectations, but the nightlight tour at Elizabeth Farm was not what we had expected at all.
Education
Churning the past at our house museumsWednesday 3 August 2016
Hand-operated kitchen tools such as butter churns help school students understand the hard work that once went into food preparation in the kitchens and the running of several of our house museums, including...
New online
Mr Butler: The Macarthurs' ButlerTuesday 14 June 2016
If you’re a fan of the crime-fighting character ‘Miss Fisher’ you’ll know that one of the characters is named with his profession – ‘Mr Butler’. But did you know that at Elizabeth Farm there actually was a butler named Butler?
NITV: little known history of Parramatta and eelsTuesday 3 May 2016
The dining room
The dining room at Elizabeth Farm set for breakfast.
The Pantry
Warm and chalky distemper on the walls of the butler's pantry at Elizabeth Farm creates an authentic, early 19th century atmosphere.
In the garden
In the garden, Elizabeth Farm Open Day.
The carriage loop
The Elizabeth Farm carriage loop, bordered by cactus garden, prickly pear and shrubs.
Shady eastern verandah
The sloped roof and flagstone flooring of the eastern verandah at Elizabeth Farm.
House from garden
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. 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 Chinese goods to Sydney.