Hmmm... 'All welcome' said the sign…read more Walked up the steps to find a locked door, barred windows, and not a sign of opening hours in sight. I'm confused. There's a sign 'Heritage and Visitor's Centre'. It is right next to St Patrick's Cathedral, a small plaque outlines a brief history of the place, it's obviously kept up. But not open. Not searchable on the Cathedral's website. It's not like there's a lack of heritage either. 200 years or so. The Cathedral site once housed the country's first convent, early schools. A shame. If that's anyone's idea of 'welcome', you've got me stumped.

Picture it. I'm on a tour of an historical home - Australia's OLDEST surviving homestead no less -…read moreand there's a kid putting his little sticky fingers all over every object he sees. It brings a tear to my history-lovin' eye. Because, for me, history has never just been words printed in a dusty old book by an equally dusty member of the academic elite. History SHOULD BE a multisensory experience for everyone of all ages. At good ol' Lizzie Farm...that's possible. For this, comrades, is a "museum without barriers." The house itself is, of course, the real Mccoy but everything in it is replica whilst remaining true to the period. So there is no stern lady pulling a cat's bum expression when you have a tinkle of the ol' ivories in the living room, throw on a lady's bonnet in the foyer, scale one of those insanely high beds they used to sleep on, pick up the chamber pot beneath, sit in the living room and read a newspaper from back in the day, or examine Elizabeth Macarthur's personal letters in her darling little letter-writing room. It is so well done, a few times I forgot everything was replica and stopped myself mid-touch only to remember that this action was both acceptable and actively encouraged by the guides! From the main area of the house you move into the sandstone courtyard area and look upon the female convicts' quarters. To the right is a beautiful big tree in the main courtyard area (could it be more serene here???? ) and to the left you can head off to the colonial kitchen with its entrance step worn down by countless shoes over the centuries and where you'll find a peep hole into the cellar beneath! (They think it was possibly for spying on the cons in case they were slacking off but also was good for ventilation). I want this kitchen. Heck! I want this house. They don't make 'em like they used' t' could! In that charming kitchen, the guide informed us, the wee'uns can make scones as part of the "Colonial Kids" program they also offer at the site. For the same program, the cellar below is closed off and darkened and is thereby transformed into the hull of a prison ship. The guide demonstrated this for us briefly and you could really appreciate how it would help children to imagine what it was like to be a convict being transported across the seas for the difficult months-long voyage. Even if you have been here before, go again! Not only is it a beautiful place to wile away a few hours,* it is also a place that changes over time as new historical research uncovers more information about the ways the original inhabitants used these rooms. Chances are, then, that the room you viewed once may now tell a different story to the one you heard previously. Our guide informed us that tours for large groups can also be tailored; e.g. if a girls' school visits they might like a feminist history angle so the tour will focus on Elizabeth Macarthur. You also have multiple options regarding how you interact with the site. There are guided tours, which are extremely engaging and informative and you are free to spend as much time as you like roaming around the site inspecting the rooms and objects at the conclusion of the guided tour. Or, if you've taken the tour before, you can opt for a self-guided tour from the get-go. The interactivity of the site is heightened by the optional iPad experience. Borrow one from the visitors' centre and click on a room in the house as you stand or sit in it and watch a short video clip with supplementary information about the room's history. They've thought of everything! The guided tour of Lizzie Farm is only 1 hour long approximately, but I bet you'll find it hard to pry yourself away from here after just one hour! I recommend you do this tour then walk (or drive) around the corner to John Macarthur's "Hambledon Cottage." Just don't think you can put your sticky fingers on the stuff at Hambledon Cottage...(it ain't replica) or there shall be cat's bum expressions aplenty. * Review originally written and posted 2 March 2013.

As I came up the hill through the little reserve, I started thinking strategically. If I was a…read morecolonial capitalist I'd pick that spot to make visible my wealth too. Defensible. Elizabeth Farm is the Macarthur's (wool industry guru) bungalow built in 1793, a stop on the Harris Farm Heritage Walk. Already stymied by calendrical difficulties at Hambledon Cottage, I found the situation worse here. Cue self-induced thwack to the head mark two. Ouch. It's only open Friday to Sunday, except January and school holidays when it's open all day. Still, got a good peek round the outside, including what must be one of the first long veradahs in Australian architecture (borrowed from India, I know). The grounds and green and lush and there were quite a few gardeners around keeping everything so. Had a giggle at the 'Eliz Farm' wheelie bin out the front too. Maybe it was the repeated blows to the head. Will update anon.

I returned under lowering skies, armed with comfortable shoes and a handy map from the Heritage…read moreCentre. Past the foreshore up to the Queen's Wharf Reserve, round to Hambledon Cottage, Elizabeth Farm and Experiment Farm, the walk itself is clearly marked by yellow signs dotted along the streets. It is a strange experience, seeing built up cityscape in front of you while keeping old photographs and descriptions in mind. Bifocal timewalking, I'll call it. Pleasantly disorienting. With so much to see, I've written separate reviews for the attractions mentioned above, but would like to express my appreciation for the effort the local Council obviously has taken with making visible their local history. I was trailed by a couple of school groups, noisily trudging their way around what seems a much less boring school history excursion than many I remember. Explorers Tree for the 5th time? The Heritage Walk is great kids, trust me, it could be worse. With rain starting to spatter, I snuck off the track after Experiment Farm, so I didn't make it through the main street of Harris Farm proper, or past the barracks. Although, next school hols, I suspect I'll be trailing some little feet along behind me.

Part of the Harris Park Heritage Walk, Queen's Wharf Reserve marks the spot where Governor Phillip…read morefirst landed in Parramatta. It can't help having, to me, a kind of eerie vibe. It's a lovely patch of green space by the foreshore, mangroves at the edges, waterbirds picking long-leggedly, lots of shade to sit under. But with even an ounce of imagination, it becomes a very historically fraught place, one which makes me think about the changes this spot of land and its people have undergone. To add to the, perhaps unwitting memorial-type atmosphere, there's actual memorials to the HMAS Parramatta(s) and their crews too. For me though, it's the implied memorial that gets to me. All the peoples of the past, most never recorded, who walked along the foreshores and who met each other here. The often disastrous consequences of those meetings. How the landscape itself has become shaped and manicured, lost its wildness. A place to think, and to remember.

We went to Old Government House in Parramatta to soak in the local history. I knew that a lot of…read moreinvestment went into the suburb, and was curious about the train stop on the way to the CBD. Did not realize the significant history Parramatta played in the survival of the original colony. This house was the seat of major agricultural work that produced food that fed Sydney. We paid for the volunteer led tour ($14?) and was pleased by the quality of information provided. Our guide was kind enough to allow the young boy in our group unlock the tour with the large key and ring the bell :) You can see the care that this group has put towards preserving this space. If you like history, and don't mind a trip to the Western suburbs, I would definitely recommend the visit to Parramatta Park and Old Government House.

From the owner: Wander through the elegant Georgian house, get up close to rare colonial furniture, textiles and…read morehomewares, and hear the real stories of convicts and the first ten Governors of New South Wales. Bring a picnic to enjoy in the surrounding parklands overlooking Parramatta River.

In 1996 St Patrick's burnt down, churches, perhaps unsurprisingly, are often targets of arson. I…read moreread an article once about the artists invited to help rebuild this historic cathedral, and was curious to see what they had done. I'm not a church-goer, and certainly not a Catholic, but don't mind the odd trip to a church for historical interest. In the lack of a Chartres, we have to make the most of what we've got. The gates in front of the doors give you the first clue that you're in for something different. Modern metalwork, like empty stained glass windows, they're striking. I quietly made sure there was no service on (there's no sign at the front specifying visiting times, only that you don't enter when in liturgical use, and to respect the sanctity of the place, which is fair enough). Inside, which is the old cathedral, is lighter, and more open than I expected, with stained plexi-glass windows now. To the left is a life size statue of Mary Mackillop (now sainted) with flowers offered in front of her. As I crept down the sides, curious to see the little chapels, one has a very flayed medieval-medical illustration version of the Jesus with visible heart theme, another a very old sculpture of the madonna, I walked past some brushed glass doors and nearly jumped out of my skin when I spied a blurry priest inside. Confession boxes that look like booths at a Specsavers. The new Cathedral, built to the left, is minimalist in design, all pale wood with a lightfixture/artwork of the crown of thorns taking up most of the visual space in the centre. The lowkey pulpit is centre, ground level, which is quite a change (and change of meaning) compared to traditional church architecture. Interesting.