DK Travel : Sydney : Beyond Sydney : History & Culture

Bowral

The Southern Highlands’ main town began life in the 1860s when John Oxley, an early Colonial explorer, subdivided his land grant and a small township emerged. Home to an increasing number of urban refugees, Bowral has an arty, old-world feel, making it a popular and relaxing weekend destination for Sydneysiders. It is probably best known as the former home of the famous cricketer Sir Donald Bradman (see Sydney Cricket Ground).
Elizabeth Farm

Built by John and Elizabeth Macarthur (see John & Elizabeth Macarthur), this 1793 estate was once an important social, political and cultural centre. The farm’s cottage is the oldest surviving building in Australia, and is carefully furnished with reproductions of the original interiors.
Experiment Farm Cottage

Emancipated convicts James and Elizabeth Ruse established Australia’s first self-sufficient farm in 1789. In the colony’s first land grant, Governer Phillip gave them a further 12 ha (30 acres) for their efforts. The charming Colonial bungalow was built in the 1830s by the farm’s next owner, the surgeon John Harris.
Hambledon Cottage

Close by Elizabeth Farm, this cottage was named after a village in Hampshire, England. The Macarthurs built this cottage in 1824 as a retirement home for their governess, Penelope Lucas. The furnishings of the rendered sandstone cottage reflect the 1820s to the 1850s.
Old Government House

Overlooking the Parramatta River, this distinguished plastered brick residence (see Old Government House) is located on 105 ha (260 acres) of parkland. Australia’s oldest public building, it was built by Governors Hunter and Macquarie between 1799 and 1818. The porch is credited to Francis Greenway. The interior faithfully reflects the Macquaries’ era and their tastes, and houses one of Australia’s finest collections of 19th-century furniture. Tours explore the people who lived here as well as the eras they lived in.
Rock Art in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Prior to white settlement, the area from Broken Bay to Sydney Harbour was inhabited by the Guringai people. However, by the 1840s, most had been wiped out by smallpox or driven away. Over 800 sites record the Aboriginal culture and their bond with the land, including rock engravings, axe-grinding grooves, burial sites, cave shelters, middens (sea-shell mounds) and ochre hand stencils.
Rouse Hill Estate

Richard Rouse (1774–1852), Superintendent of Public Works and Convicts at Parramatta, once occupied this estate and was succeeded by seven generations of descendants. The 1813 Historic Houses Trust property features a convict-built Georgian residence, outbuildings and gardens. The furniture dates from the 1830s to the 1960s.
Springwood

Artist and writer Norman Lindsay (1879–1969), much loved for his 1918 classic children’s book The Magic Pudding and his paintings and sculptures of satyrs, nymphs and sirens, occupied this Blue Mountains property from 1912 until his death. Springwood, as it came to be known, is now a museum and gallery with an extensive collection of Lindsay’s work, including novels, watercolours and sculptures. The main house, studios and pleasure gardens are all open to the public.
St Albans

The highlight of this quaint historical village is the charming Settlers Arms Inn. Built by convict labour between 1836 and 1848, this National Trust-classified pub overlooks the Macdonald River and offers good food and accommodation.
Windsor

Governor Macquarie established five towns in 1810 on the fertile land around the upper Hawkesbury River, one of which was Windsor, now a weekend tourist haven. The town’s wonderful Colonial buildings include one of Australia’s oldest pubs, the 1815 Macquarie Arms Hotel, as well as the 1823 St Mathew’s Anglican Church and Rectory, designed by Francis Greenway (see Francis Greenway: Convict Architect).