Our houses
We’ve all heard the age-old saying that home is where the heart is, and, when you look around our 12 unique places, it’s easy to see why. From the rare and precious gem of Meroogal, built in the 1880s and home to four generations of women, to Rouse Hill House & Farm, owned by six generations of the one family, where today, every object, stain and repair has a story to tell to Elizabeth Farm, Australia’s oldest homestead, built for John and Elizabeth Macarthur, every one of our ‘living museums’ has been a home to doers and dreamers, families and lovers.
If you love architecture, interiors, gardens or Australian history, a visit to any one of Sydney Living Museums’ historic homes and museums will reveal the fascinating people and stories of Sydney’s living history. But look closer and you’ll see how these remarkable properties tell the evolving story of architecture in Sydney.

How do we better understand the history of the homes we live in? The Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection (CSL&RC) answers this question both by collecting historic materials connected to the home and also by commissioning photographic recordings of present-day houses and gardens in New South Wales.


Latest news
New online
200 years of the NSW Government ArchitectThursday 23 June 2016
When Francis Greenway was appointed Civil Architect by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in March 1816, he became the first government architect of New South Wales, a post which celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2016.
Competition
Winners announced! 27 Smith Street competitionMonday 4 April 2016
The 27 Smith Street Home of Tomorrow competition, in its second year, attracted a number of high quality entries, with the design brief of devising an innovative, sustainable, functional and aesthetically pleasing family home.
Competition
Got what it takes to design the home of tomorrow?Wednesday 11 November 2015
Sydney Living Museums’ 27 Smith Street design competition calls on the architects of today to design the brick home of tomorrow. There are categories for both architecture students and professional architects and a prize pool of $10,000.
Sydney Open
Tim Ross Explores Modernist SydneyTuesday 22 September 2015
A new roof for MeroogalFriday 21 August 2015
Currently, a new roof is being installed at Meroogal in Nowra.Much preparation and thought has gone into the replacement of the Meroogal house's roof by Sydney Living Museums'...