Rouse Hill Estate
Untouched history
Home to six generations of one family through good times and the bad, Rouse Hill Estate and its stories still draw people to its doors. Each generation has added another layer of belongings, improvements and memories, and today, every object and addition, every tear, stain and repair, has a story to tell. The estate also features the restored 1888 Rouse Hill schoolhouse, a section of the original Windsor Road turnpike proclaimed by Governor Macquarie in 1813, and the site of the doomed 1804 ‘Vinegar Hill’ convict rebellion.
Rouse Hill Estate
Dharug Country
356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill NSW 2155- Wheelchair accessible
Stories
Talk of the town
Six generations of Rouse and Terry families occupied Rouse Hill Estate from its construction in the early 1800s until the late 1990s, when it opened as a museum
Layered histories: refurbishing the visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate
Refreshed and renewed, the refurbished visitor centre at Rouse Hill Estate, on Dharug Country, offers visitors an invitation to explore the property and discover its richly layered history
Rouse Hill conservation works October 2024 – May 2025
After detailed condition inspections of the state heritage–listed Rouse Hill Estate, MHNSW’s Capital Works and Heritage teams have begun a large-scale conservation project that will sensitively address a range of identified issues at the site
History with flavour
Good food and generous hospitality were part of the rhythms of domestic life at Rouse Hill House. A collection of cookbooks and handwritten recipes accumulated over more than a hundred years remains in the house, and provides a taste of the family’s culinary repertoire through times of boom and bust
Furnishing textiles in Australia: 1850-1920
The Caroline Simpson Library holds numerous examples of textile furnishings provenanced to NSW homes dating back to the 1850s
Learning programs
Browse all
A Colonial Eye
Students investigate the role of artists during the early colonial period and consider how they contributed to the development of the colony
Early to Rise
This Stage 1 History program gives students the opportunity to explore the working areas of the former farm, and investigate what life would have been like for children living there 120 years ago
Expanding the Colony
Students explore the former farm and examine a range of sources to learn about the expansion of NSW in the 19th century and investigate its impacts on the environment, the people of the Boorooberongal clan and the colonisers
Shop
Browse all
Annual Giving: Sharing our stories
Your support will help us to preserve and share the stories of NSW through our places, collections, archives and programs
Find out more