John Hawdon's letters from New South Wales (1831-1833) reveal colonial life, highlighting farming challenges, isolation from England, and the high costs of communication. These letters provide insights into market conditions, crop successes, and family updates, showcasing the Hawdons' experiences and adaptations in a new land, while retaining original spelling and structure.
Tag: Colonial Australia
Unveiling Hardy Wilson’s architectural legacy and his influence on Camden’s aesthetics
William Hardy Wilson, a largely unrecognized architect and artist, authored The Cow Pasture Road in 1920, impacting Camden's cultural narrative. His work celebrates colonial architecture and aesthetics, leading to a recent exhibition at the University of Sydney Library, which explores his dual legacy as both a visionary artist and controversial figure in Australian history.
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Public art in Hobart tells the story of female convicts in Van Diemen’s Land
Public art has been used in Hobart to reveal stories of female convicts that have been hidden in the shadows for decades on the Hobart waterfront and at the Cascades Female Factory.
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The Cowpastures’ English-styled-gentry and their private villages
A certain type of self-styled-English gentry created a landscape in their own vision in the Cowpastures.
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Camden Heritage Conservation Area – an English-style village in the Cowpastures
The Macarthur private village of Camden was located in the English style countryside of the Cowpastures countryside with its gentry estates and villages. Founded in 1840 it was all part the British imperial imperative and the settler colonial project that came with it.
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Charles Tompson, a colonial diarist of the Cowpastures
A colonial diarist of the Cowpastures, Charles Tompson.
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Celebrity author at Camden Museum
Author Michelle Scott Tucker recently spoke at the Camden Museum about her new book Elizabeth Macarthur A Life at the Edge of the World
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Elizabeth Farm, the foundation story of the Macarthur rural empire
Elizabeth Farm was the home of John and Elizabeth Macarthur for over 35 years, playing a central role in Australia's wool industry. Following years of neglect, it was transformed into a house museum in 1984. With extensive gardens and historical significance, it stands as one of the oldest surviving constructions in Australia.
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John Hawdon of Elderslie in a settler society
John Hawdon of Elderslie was part of the story of settler colonialism in New South Wales in the early 19th century.
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Viewing the Cowpastures landscape
The early colonists of the Sydney area viewed the landscape from a number of different perspectives according to historian Grace Karskins in her book The Colony a History of Early Sydney (2009) and this also applied to the Cowpastures.
