Elizabeth Farm
ABC Archives, 1959
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VIDEO NOTES
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The video features a glamorous fashion parade, unexpectedly steeped in colonial and agricultural history.
The property featured here is Elizabeth Farm, built in 1793 by a pioneer of Australia’s wool industry, John MacArthur. The models parading around the property are wearing the winning entries in the 1959 Wool Garment Competition, a nod to the site’s roots.
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MacArthur was a British army officer and was granted a piece of land in Parramatta where he built the farmhouse. He named it after his wife and began to experiment with wool. MacArthur gradually acquired more land and expanded his farm and home to become the wealthiest men in the colony.
Elizabeth Farm is now one of Australia’s oldest surviving homes and an important piece of colonial and Parramatta history.
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ABOUT THE ABC CONTENT IDEAS LAB ​
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The ABC Content Ideas Lab experiments with innovative content formats to connect with new audiences across the country and around the world. Learn more about the ABC's collaboration with Storybox.
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As part of the STORYBOX Partnership, the ABC has curated a selection of archival footage sourced from deep within the ABC's vaults, revealing unique insights into life in Parramatta during the 1950s and 1960s.
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