Wonderful part of Australia’s history. Great tour included I. The ticket price and the kids had a blast as it was interactive. First time (and probably last) they washed clothes.

I've lived in Sydney all my life and wasn't even aware of this beautiful piece of history nestled away in Rose Hill. Admittedly I have driven around the area before and have seen the sign that simply states Elizabeth Farm but I was always on the way to or from some other engagement so never really thought about it. I was passing through the area again today, saw the sign, looked at the time and realised I had a free moment so I decided I should finally stop and have a sticky beak. Am I glad that I did! From the Museums of History NSW website: "Built in 1793 for the young military couple John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their growing family, Elizabeth Farm today is an ‘access all areas’ museum. There are no barriers, locked doors or delicate furnishings. Set within a re-created 1830s garden, Australia’s oldest homestead is now our most immersive house museum" It truly is an immersive museum and the only thing missing is the opportunity to hire period correct costumes so that you can wander around the premises and really live in the moment. I ended up staying and exploring for a good 45mins and probably would have stayed longer except I needed to be somewhere. Will definitely be making a return visit in the near future! 👍

Tucked away in the suburbs sits this historic estate. We went on a weekend and it was quiet and peaceful. We explored the house in our own leisure with the digital guide and there is also sufficient displays which provide the history of the Macarthur family. Being an immersive museum gave us a true opportunity to step back in time. I especially liked the kitchen area, garden and the servant bells which would ring a different tone depending on the room the bell pull was activated in. Highly recommended for all ages, free entry too.

Came here for a visit during the long weekend period, it is so peaceful and relaxing. The environment is clean and professionally maintained by very friendly team members who know how to make the visitor feels like visiting the museum with a private guide. The plantation and garden are very well maintained to ensure you have a pleasant visit during the day. Clean public toilets as well.

(Apparently) this is the oldest house in Australia, the building is more than 200 years old and filled with history. A gentleman walked us through every room and explained everything in details. Worths spending an hour to explore.

A we there early on a Saturday morning we were able to get street parking just opposite the farm. The friendly man at the reception gave us a leaflet and explained the layout of the property. We could join one of the volunteers on a tour if we wanted. We decided to look around ourselves and there is sufficient info in each room to get an idea of what would have been. The garden has some cactus and banana plants and some other varieties making it look like the experimental farm it was supposed to be. The mustard colour wall does give it a more Mexican look.. I wonder if that was the original paint colour.

Nice historical house. Step back to 1793, Elizabeth Farm is one of Australia's oldest homesteads. Don't expect a farm or animals. LoL title is very misleading. Kids still had a bit of fun doing chores like 1790's washing of clothes. Bowling and assorted period games. They also loved finding the servant bell pulleys. All in all it was a nice experience just not what I thought it was. No food or drinks available.

Elizabeth Farm is one of the oldest homes in Australia. I really have a great experience searching all the rooms, around the place and also a peaceful garden. It is really feeling touch with the historic homestead because this place is really a beautiful and great place to spend time here. Friendly staffs and great service. You can have a rest with a nice coffee shop here.

A beautiful place to wander around and learn about the history of the early settlers and their impact on the local population. Staff were friendly. You could walk around on your own but there were staff to hand if you had any questions. There was a cafe, shop and toilets. The property is accessible to people who have a disability.

Immersive experience. Claimed to be only historic house in S Hemisphere where you can touch everything, sit on any chair - and even lie on the bed. Lots of history, interesting displays and attractive garden. Pity the pre-Covid cafe hasn't been reinstated, or bike racks provided for we cyclists!

Beautiful slice of Sydney history, well worth seeing.

This was a fun day out with the family. Our toddler loved washing clothes, being an archaeologist and exploring the grounds. There’s lots of interesting history here, and plenty of tours. There’s a small shop with some gifts and books, and light snacks and drinks. Our toddler loved being able to touch everything, but there was a few things we had to stop him from eagerly grabbing (cacti, an open oven, old porcelain). On street parking is available nearby. There are bathroom facilities too.

Great place to spend an hour or two learning about history of the city. House different than others - you can touch, sit use all objects around. Definitely recommended, especially until mid 2023 while entry is free ;)

It was very interesting to see the oldest surviving european house in Australia. When i arrived i was offered by staff to see a short video on an ipad about the history of the house. It made a great difference and i totally recommend spending 10 min to see it.

A fantastic day with the kids going back in time at Elizabeth Farm! The guide was knowledgeable and the kids had fun trying to do the laundry and pretending to live in this beautiful house. We learned so much about how it was for that family to move to Australia and building this farm, and what the many owners did with it over the years. I love how NSW government revived all these museums and let us visit for free while offering a great service and experience for everyone to enjoy! Thank you

Wonderful piece of preserved history. Friendly staff. It was a real privilege to stand on some of the earliest of Colonial history. Sad to see how much Indigenous land has been destroyed though. I can only begin to imagine the plight of the original land holders 😢 All round amazing bit of history ❤️🖤🧡🖤❤️

Just note the Elizebeth Farm, an antique farmhouse with long history properly reserved in the middle of the living area. The helper there is very polite and keen to share the history there.

Informative and easy to access.

My experience has been pretty good, it was pretty quiet on a Thursday afternoon so it was fantastic. Always love learning about new things and historic places around Sydney. Overall pretty good :)

Eye opening experience. You are given a tablet that gives you historical information about the property. Very interesting. Lovely house and gardens with unusual plants you don't often see. Well worth a visit.

It’s worth visit with museum pass. If you are interested in Australia history, storing recommend to visit! The staffs are nice and can visit with old government house and Experiment farm cottage together!

Wonderful experience with my friends. An informative, interesting tour.

Most interesting history and excellent interpretation for what is the oldest house in Australia. Great place to take kids especially during school holidays when there are special activities showcasing life in the 19th century.

Gorgeous place with an interesting history behind it. Adults entry costs 18$. They offered an iPad or sensory your. The kids loved the beautiful gardens. But we wished it had a little coffee shop or small playground to make use of the beautiful garden and trees.

Lovely amble through house and gardens. Lovely staff. Has changed much since my childhood excursion many years ago. You are allowed to touch the items and sit on the furniture etc.

As a guide here at Elizabeth Farm, and at other Sydney Living Museums properties, I'd like to express my thanks for all the lovely reviews that other reviewers have submitted here (you all receive 5 stars). For those few who have somehow found their experience wanting, I personally and most sincerely apologise. At Sydney Living Museums we strive hard to make visitors' experiences fun and fascinating. We do an amazing job as a publicly-funded heritage organisation, and I believe we have a world class offer of tours, events and exhibitions. The proceeds of every entry or event ticket go to maintain our properties. I consider our visitors are partners in preserving Australia's rich and varied heritage so every visit counts as your active support. Again, thank you everyone. We so enjoy sharing Australia's heritage with you. It is a delight and a pleasure to serve. Kindest and warmest regards.

(Translated by Google) Impressive. (Original) Впечатляет.

Great piece of history must visit this historical site 👌

Elizabeth Farm is a great look in to the past. There were knowledge volunteers on hand to answer any questions we had. The gardens are kept in immaculate condition. The house is great to walk around, and there are story boards located at various places throughout the house with different snippets of history on them. This is a must see for any historian, or anybody interested in historical Sydney.

My wife and daughter had a wonderful time here. This is a timeless place right in the middle of busy Parramatta. There is plenty of history to contemplate, a lot of hand-on activities for the little ones too. They have done a fantastic job in presenting this heritage home / place, recommend for the entire family.

It's not open yet. I give 2 extra stars ?? for the woman who came to the gate after i rang the doorbell. I showed her on my GPS map that this page says it's open. She was very attentive and after i asked her if she knows how long it'll be till it opens, she said some of their Museums are open but they're still trying to get permission for this location to be open {she doesn't know when that'll be}. ?????

The history of John and Elizabeth MacArthur and their family comes alive in their 1793 built home at Elizabeth Farm. Catch the Parramatta River Cat from Circular Quay and have a fabulous day out. We had lunch at the River Cafe near Lennox Bridge just across from the Visitor's Centre.

Lovely place with an interesting history. Wish they would open more days.

Elaine gave my daughter and I a guided tour around the house and told us all about its history it was very informative. I enjoyed the tour and all of its history. HISTORY Elizabeth Farm was named after John Macarthur's wife. Elizabeth Farm is Australia's oldest surviving homestead it was built in 1793 on 100 acres. It's owners John and Elizabeth Macarthur established fruit trees, vines, crops of corn, wheat and vegetables plus livestock of 130 goat's, 100 hog's, 3 horses, 2 cow's and poultry. Elizabeth Farm started as a small 3/4 roomed brick cottage and by 1813 Elizabeth Farm was transformed into a smart country estate of around 1000 acres of land. Elizabeth Farm was where the Australian wool industry started as John began raising Merino sheep for their fine wool. When John Macarthur died in 1834 and at the time his estate was amounted to over 37,000 acres. Elizabeth continued with the farm until her death in 1850. The family sold Elizabeth Farm Estate in 1881. The farm was sold a few times and it fell into disrepair but it was saved from demolition in early 1970's and in 1977 it became the first house in New South Wales to be protected under a conservation order. The site was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales in 1983 and in 1984 it was opened as a living museum.

It was fun to being their with lists of knowledge and old history of this beautiful Elizabeth Farm house I loved going there because of the membership I was with ant it's worth getting to this place you can see lots of things and you can do a lot of things looking around getting things and having fun you get to know a lot of history about the 1700 to 1800 and the people are very friendly there experienced a lot of fun thank you for their help.

Beautiful old home with interesting historical relevance to Parra and Rosehill. People were friendly and knowledgable. Weather was perfect and plenty of sunny spots inside and outside the home.

Such a beautiful place to wander around and soak up the atmosphere of heritage and class.....easy to imagine Elizabeth Macarthur sitting writing letters back home ......

It was quite interesting to see history in some rooms and seeing how it was to be in the traditional life of the people that lived there. It was pretty easy to look around because you have a tablet with audio where you can click all the different sections. One thing that was rather interesting was the kitchen that had some of the things they used to make food back then. Staff were also quite nice.

Australia's oldest house, rich with history and still showing much of its original structures and charm (barring a few modifications for modernity sake). Much of the interiors items are recreation but accurate to the era. A few rooms recount the history of the house and the families that owned it, as well as the efforts of volunteers and eventually Sydney Living Museums to restore it. Of all the living museums in Sydney, this is definitely one of the best given its claim alone as the oldest standing colonial era building in Australia.

A piece of history. Loved the house, the old pieces in it, kitchen equipments. Everything. Great excursion for the kids.

One of the oldest park and farm in Rosehil area. This place is very quite and calm. There is some entry fee to Elizabeth museum. Sorrounding park its free.

I go here every week. Great place for the family to look around and relax for a while. And learn a bit about the history of the place and area. Take your lunch with you. No food sold here. Clean amenities. Wheel chair friendly place.

Nice museum, the only problem is that the tours were like every 2 hours :( so I couldn't be in one.

Always love visiting historical places and this was exactly as I remember from my school excursions 15yrs ago

Step back in time to see early settler life (Gentry not labourers)

Eh historic sites ain’t really my thing but this is pretty good

Nice historic visit, convenient location. Close to Harris Park.and Parramatta.

It had a been around 15 years since we had our last visit. From right in the beginning of our visit, we found the staff / volunteer at the desk and other people really helpful and willing to share information about the property. From a historical perspective, it was one of the better living museums in Sydney. The old furniture, fittings, crockery, piano, beds, fabrics and floor coverings were genuine. The fact that there was almost no cut off areas where you could not go. If you wanted to walk into the main bedroom and touch the chairs, the bed and desk, you could do this, not like many other museums where you are prevented from entering many rooms. The garden area was very enjoyable and as an aside, the facilities were clean and tidy and they did have a disabled toilet. All very important. If you do want to see a slice of Australian history from the early 19th century, this is the place. Although I am not one of those who things MacArthur was a great man,he probably should have been hung for treason or at least sent back to England for his participation in the Coup.

We took the 1pm tour with Rema. She had an excellent knowledge of the property and the Macarthur family history. Whether you take the tour or not, make sure you visit the cellar which is located below the large kitchen. And ring the servants bell - the rope is located alongside the wall in the dinning room.

Fantastic visit. Gives you a real feel for the life of the early settlers. Knowledgeable, friendly tour guide. Recommended.

Went on an event day, there were plenty of activities including making lemonade by hand. Educational and fun visit to the house. Learnt the art of napkin folding which my kids still remember how to do!

nice view fresh air and good by stand , but the place is not safe.

Awesome little place to take the kids in the middle of parramatta. Enjoyed Devonshire tea at the end of the day.

A wonderful piece of history.

Friendly staff and fast service. I recommend to visit

Great place and nice ambiance but some staff are rude

(Translated by Google) Let you encounter buildings of different cultures (Original) 讓你睇到不同文化的 建築

Amazing, like a New Orleans plantation in the middle of the city. Loved being able to wander around and do a self-guided tour. The provided iPad with the videos on it was great. Peaceful, tranquil, a real treasure.

love the park enjoy my lunch break

Very interesting stories with great guides

Cheap day out. You can have a little picnic in the grounds or eat at the cafe. Really interesting and great for kids.

Elizabeth farm is one of the oldest homes in Australia. 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.

Would recommend a visit

This farm house has historical importance. Staff was very friendly. Kids friendly place.

Nice to see this bit of Australian history preserved. I expected to learn more about Elizabeth Macarthur herself. My advice to people visiting Sydney is don't go out of your way to go to Elizabeth Farm.

I've been there before and would normally rate this place 5 stars as it is a great opportunity to see Australia's oldest intact European house. However, on this visit I was very disappointed at the entrance fee of $8 for the so called spring festival. I was greeted by only a hand full of stalls all charging outrageous prices for food and drink. If you want experience this place, go on non festival days and you'll enjoy it.

It was ok

Australian history every Aussie should see

Good

Beautiful well maintained historical place

Very interesting

That this survived the last 200 years is amazing. Very useful in showing how people lived in early australia

Very great