I ain’t Gonna Work on Maggie’s Farm No More

On a slightly drizzly Saturday morning with my fractured foot in a moonboot, my friend P said she would drive us out to Parramatta in Western Sydney to check one of the few remaining places in the Historic Houses Trust list we were yet to visit. 

Elizabeth Farm is the family home of the man who bought the wool industry to Australia, John Macarthur and his wife Elizabeth and their seven children. The Macarthur's had a much grander home in the Camden area but this was their first home, also I think they both died here which is a little creepy.

Building started at Elizabeth Farm in 1793 as a modest three room solid brick home looking towards the Parramatta River. It is the maintaining of this original brickwork that apparently allows Elizabeth Farm to hold the name of 'Oldest European Dwelling' and not the oldest 'home' in Australia that, in her excitement, our guide told us. The oldest home in Australia is a hot debate actually. Some claim it is Cadman's Cottage in The Rocks which is a museum that I really don't enjoy and think it is mainly a boring history of plumbing or Cleveland House in Surry Hills which is falling apart through neglect.

Looking from the front sitting room out to the garden area where you may take a turn in the garden and discuss matters of a private nature, that's what period films tell me garden are for anyway.

Elizabeth Farm is a house museum meaning you can touch the furniture or jump onto the bed like our guide insisted. Pretty high up it was too, required a small stool and a fair amount of balance. I believe there are four layers of mattresses to make the bed soft and warm (and high). This room was created as a bedroom, obviously, but it may not have been. Sydney Living Museum (SLM) recreates their museums based on houses at the time and what the rooms are assumed to be used for previously, only if there is no evidence to state otherwise. 

We didn't take a stroll though the garden as it had been raining and was currently drizzling and I was wearing a moonboot. The verandah does look like a lovely spot to sit. We got to the museum at about 10m and by 1130am the place was becoming quite popular with the families and older folks. It is only opened from Friday to Sunday.

Our guide gave us a full tour of the house and I would recommend getting one if you can. Helps to learn and understand how the house was developed and also little things like this stone bowl, below, is a water filter!

I don't normally look so gigantic. 

Next stop was the kitchen. I get really excited by this part of the tour for some reason. The Farm's kitchen is on the street side of the property at the rear of the house and separate from the living quarters. It was pretty huge and very well decorated and seems like it would have functioned well. Our guide gave a lot of quirky information in the area of the home too.

Like I said, a house museum. Here I am churning butter by the fire. They also had something on the stove that made a smell, maybe to help all the senses in understanding what it was like to be in this kitchen around 1800. There is a cellar below the kitchen but considering the stairs were a bit slippery the guide said we would give it a miss considering my foot. P and I went later anyway, bandits.

In about 1820 the home expanded and enveloped the original part of the cottage. Renovations to the property were planned and started but when Macathur become ill in the 1830's work kind of stopped.

Can not miss a trip to the cafe when visiting the Farm. We both had Devonshire Teas with scones that were double the normal size of what I usually see and quite good coffee.

Little touches like washing on the line and kids toys strewn about help create the home environment.

What we nearly missed out on by not going under the kitchen was a cellar. Looks like most cellars but still didn't want to miss it.

A great museum and worth the trip out to Parramatta. The kitchen would have to be my favourite part of this museum. May have to go out again and explore more of the grounds. I've never been particularly fond of Macarthur mainly because he seemed to up against Macquarie a bit and not fond of free convicts at all but he does have a lovely farm.

-A