Chapter One: Welcome to Country
The Darug tribe are the traditional custodians of the land on the south bank of the Hawkesbury River. The river, known as Deerubbin, and its nearby lagoons were a focal point for bands, clans or family groups to collect food such as fish, eels, shellfish and water birds...
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Chapter Two: The first Europeans arrive in the Hawkesbury
The First Fleet left England on 13th May 1787 for the 'lands beyond the seas' arriving in Botany Bay on the 24th January 1788. Here the Aboriginal people, who had lived for 40,000 years...
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Chapter Three: Who owned the Riverfarm?
In 1799 Governor John Hunter granted the portion of land now known as Riverfarm to Richard Dore, the deputy judge advocate and secretary to Governor John Hunter. Described on the land grant as 100 acres (40.47 ha) in the district of Mulgrave Place, the land was situated on the south bank of the Hawkesbury River between grants made to officers and settlers...
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Chapter Four: The impact of settlement
The Hawkesbury district was the frontier of conflict from 1794 until roughly 1830. Problems arose between the aborigines and European settlers, as the local tribes found the access to the river and their food supply blocked by farms and heavily degraded due to clearing. After a number of clashes between the local Darug aboriginal tribe and the settlers, the NSW Corp was sent to investigate in 1795...
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Chapter Five: How the Hawkesbury Agricultural College acquired the Riverfarm
Between 1891 and 1908 Hawkesbury Agricultural College was administered a section of Crown land from the NSW Department of Mines and Agriculture. Work commenced by the first students involved clearing and fencing of paddocks for grazing and cultivation and construction of dams. The principle Henry William Potts acquired the Riverfarm by lease in 1904 for growing crops enhancing the feed necessary to produce "studs of high quality poultry, sheep, pigs, cattle and horses"...
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Chapter Six: Water, water, water. The Hawkesbury River Highway
The Riverfarm pumping station was contracted in 1909. The station was used as a dependable source of domestic, farm and irrigation water for the Riverfarm itself as well as the town of Richmond and the Hawkesbury Agricultural College in the early 20th Century. The pumping stations design and building type, is a rare example of an early 20th Century reinforced concrete pumping station incorporating a tower and well...
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Chapter Seven: Living at the cottage
The typical late 19th - early 20th century farm bungalow on site was home to the farm manager employed by the Hawkesbury Agricultural College. The cottage is built on lower brick piers with a timber bottom and rendered bricks. The cottage still remains at the site today...
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Chapter Eight: Learning and working the land
Between 1891 and 1908 Hawkesbury Agricultural College was administered a section of Crown land from the NSW Department of Mines and Agriculture. The fields were planted using horse draw ploughs, many of which were bred on the Riverfarm. The rich alluvial soils were used to grow maize, potatoes, mangolds (beets) and various other crops. Peas were grown and harvested on site using the pea viner...
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Chapter Nine: Where are the Darug people now?
UWS recognises that having dynamic, purposeful and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is a key building block which underpins its philosophy - 'Bringing knowledge to life'...
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Chapter Nine.
Chapter Ten: The Riverfarm story goes on
The University of Western Sydney, TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute and the Hawkesbury Environment Network (HEN) have entered into unique partnership to work together to protect the health and vitality of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River. The vision of the Waterkeeper movement...
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