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Experiment Farm Cottage

Cover page - Parramatta's Unique Heritage - Subject Key - Experiment Farm Cottage
On this page : Site Tour - The Thief, The Farmer & The Surgeon - Heritage Sites nearby - Rest places nearby

9 Ruse Street, Harris Park
telephone 9635 5655 or 9635 8149
fax 9635 5655 or 9891 4102
web address : www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au

no disabled access
bus set-down area 5 metres from site entrance
bus parking area 20 metres from site entrance
1km walk from either Harris Park or Parramatta train stations

Named by Governor Phillip who installed ex-convict James Ruse on a one and a half acre plot in 1789, "in order to know in what time a man might be able to cultivate sufficient quantity of ground to support himself." Ruse succeeded and was granted a further 30 acres on the site of Experiment Farm in 1791. In 1793 Ruse sold his farm to Surgeon John Harris who built the Indian bungalow, Experiment Farm Cottage in 1834. Its furnishings are based on an 1838 inventory and include many important pieces of Australiana.

Site Tour

Tour of the cottage explaining Surgeon Harris and his domestic staff's use of the rooms. Followed by a visit to the cellar, where an interpretive display explains the problems of survival faced by Governor Phillip's early colony, which led to the development of the first land grant, and the James Ruse story.
60 minutes $4.00 per student no maximum limit on students additional adult supervision is desirable.

The Thief, The Farmer & The Surgeon

Students explore the site to investigate early farming techniques using maps to plot the location of the first land grant. They visit the cellar display where there is information on food gathering and early cultivation around the Parramatta region, from the Darug people to the colonial farmers. They study the lives of James and Elizabeth Ruse, then explore the house and its contents to reveal information about Surgeon John Harris, his medical practice and the role of the servants.

90 minutes
$4.40 per student
45 students maximum
additional adult supervision is desirable
pre-visit kit mailed out when a booking is made

Experiment Farm Cottage is managed by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

Heritage Sites nearby

Hambledon Cottage

5 minute walk

Elizabeth Farm

5 minute walk

Lancer Barracks & Linden House Museum

10 minute walk

Rest places nearby

picnic area/limited shade

adjacent