This week, Roy decided it was time to visit another of the beautiful old buildings he loves so much. Roy loves the old houses dotted around Sydney, and is always very happy to discover that one is open for him to visit. One he particularly loves is Brush Farm. This house for a long time looked very rundown and unloved, but recently has been beautifully restored and is now open for visits and also for art exhibitions. In fact, the first time we visited, it was open for a quilt show.
If you would like to visit Brush Farm it is in Eastwood (NSW), on 19 Lawson Road. There is parking on site, but the house and driveway are not always open to visitors. Roy understands that you can walk in and see the exterior of the house though at any time. Just park by the road opposite and walk through the gates. The beautiful house and gardens are worth seeing even if the house isn't open, but the interior has also been beautifully restored. The house is not fully furnished in the style of most historic houses, it is more a display of architecture than a house museum.
The estate surrounding Brush Farm House was purchased by the famous Australian explorer Gregory Blaxland in 1807. Blaxland, along with Wentworth and Laswson opened the route over the Blue Mountains, allowing the fertile lands beyond to be used for farming. He built the house at Brush Farm in about 1820. This makes it not only one of the oldest houses in Australia still surviving, but one of only a few large, grand houses remaining from the time of Governor Macquarie. It is a very grand house, much more grand than many of the time and some even compare it to Old Government House in Paramatta, the home of the Governor at the time.
Today, Brush Farm House is located in a busy, built up Sydney suburb, but when it was first built, it was a farming estate. Blaxland spent a lot of his time at Brush Farm experimenting with farming techniques and his estate became the first farm in the entire colony to cultivate buffalo grass for cattle fodder. In fact, Blaxland was one of the real founders of Australia's cattle industry. He also was given international attention for cultivating grapes and making wine at the estate. He even shipped some of his wine to Britain and was awarded a medal for it! He soon won a second, gold medal for his wine. According to some, this made him the true founder of Australia's wine industry. Of course, Brush Farm then went on to be owned by different families and even institutions, including being the first Boys Reformatory to be established in NSW, but it's famous builder is, Roy believes, perhaps the most interesting. You can learn more about the history of Brush Farm by clicking here.
