Elizabeth Macarthur’s Grave

I took the opportunity, late last year, to visit Elizabeth Macarthur’s grave. The Macarthur family graveyard is on a quiet hill, about a mile away from and opposite the family home at Camden Park House (about 70kms south west of the Sydney CBD). Elizabeth’s son William, passionate about botany, planted the site with exotic palms, which no doubt quickly grew tall enough to be seen from the house, but most of the site is now sheltered by native trees. In all my years of researching, I never did find a [...]

2018-04-12T17:12:03+10:00January 23rd, 2018|Colonial History, Elizabeth Macarthur|13 Comments
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Finding images for the book

When you pick up a biography, do you first turn to those glossy pages in the middle? The pages with the pictures, the paintings, the maps. The pages that somehow tell you what it is you're going to be reading about. The pages that the author - a person by definition good with words, rather than images - has sweated blood over. Reader, I know of what I speak! When I signed the contract with Text Publishing, my agent carefully pointed out the clause that says I'm responsible for [...]

2018-03-25T00:36:28+11:00December 21st, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|19 Comments
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Camden Park House

Camden Park House Source: Adventures in Biography Took my family to Sydney for the weekend, ostensibly for a quick sightseeing stopover but actually so that we could attend the annual open day at Camden Park House. We were lucky with the rain, and managed to explore the house and extensive gardens before it poured. * * * * * During the first week of June 1805 the signal was made at Sydney Harbour's South Head and Elizabeth’s prayers were answered. John Macarthur, having left NSW for England in [...]

2018-03-25T13:09:33+11:00September 26th, 2016|Colonial History, Work in Progress|7 Comments
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Camden Park House & Garden Open Days

Photo Source: https://macarthur.com.au/camden-park-house-and-garden-open-weekend Open 20 - 21 September 2014. Saturday 12noon - 4pm; Sunday 10am - 4pm Historic Camden Park House built in 1835 for John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family is open for one weekend a year. Tour through this historic Georgian mansion designed by John Verge. Explore the colonial garden filled with spring blossoms and rare botanical plants, and enjoy devonshire tea or BBQ lunch.  Plant, gifts and produce stalls on display as well as Vintage Cars. More information available here at www.camdenparkhouse.com.au. Elizabeth Macarthur [...]

2018-03-21T15:36:04+11:00August 19th, 2014|Elizabeth Macarthur, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Camden Park House & Garden Open Days

Photo Source: https://macarthur.com.au/camden-park-house-and-garden-open-weekend Open 20 - 21 September 2014. Saturday 12noon - 4pm; Sunday 10am - 4pm Historic Camden Park House built in 1835 for John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family is open for one weekend a year. Tour through this historic Georgian mansion designed by John Verge. Explore the colonial garden filled with spring blossoms and rare botanical plants, and enjoy devonshire tea or BBQ lunch.  Plant, gifts and produce stalls on display as well as Vintage Cars. More information available here at www.camdenparkhouse.com.au. Elizabeth Macarthur [...]

2018-03-21T14:56:16+11:00August 19th, 2014|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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