NSWFarming
Castle Hill
Before the shopping towers, there was a convict farm and a rebellion.
1801Third government farm begins
WHAT STARTED IT
Governor King set up a public agricultural settlement in the hills north-west of Parramatta in 1801, sending convicts to clear land for crops to feed the colony. Only part of the farm was ever cultivated, and settlers took up grants around it.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
In March 1804 convicts from the farm rose in rebellion and were defeated at what became known as the Battle of Vinegar Hill; after the 1810 harvest the farm was abandoned and its barracks became a lunatic asylum. Settlers grew wheat and ran sheep until better land opened beyond the Blue Mountains, and Castle Hill then became known for its citrus orchards.
TURNING POINTS
1801Governor King designates a government farm at Castle Hill, worked by convicts.
1804Convicts at the farm rise on the night of Sunday 4 March; martial law is declared the next day.
1810The last government harvest is taken and the farm is abandoned; the barracks later become an asylum.
1909A railway from Parramatta via Baulkham Hills is extended to Castle Hill, carrying produce and school pupils.
1948Patrick White and Manoly Lascaris settle at Dogwoods, where White writes The Tree of Man.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A large Hills District suburb with a major shopping and commercial centre. Castle Hill Heritage Park keeps the site of the government farm and the footings of its convict barracks.