Experiment Farm Cottage

Experiment Farm Cottage takes you back to the first years of European settlement in New South Wales. In 1789 Governor Arthur Phillip placed the former convict James Ruse here "in order to know in what time a man might be able to support himself".

By 1791 Ruse was self sufficient. His industry was rewarded with a grant of thirty acres of land, the first in Australia. Known as Experiment Farm the property was purchased by Surgeon John Harris in 1793 who built the present cottage. This charming Indian bungalow contains a fine collection of Australian Colonial furniture while the cellars house a museum about the life of James Ruse, Australia's first private farmer.

Experiment Farm Cottage is part of an historic precinct, which includes Hambeldon Cottage, Elizabeth Farm and the Queen's Wharf, which are linked by a fascinating self-guided walk.