Hills Cache

With this app you will be able to take a step back in time and have the history of the area told to you by a virtual character. Just hold your phone over the markers and enjoy your journey.

Heritage Park, Balcombe Heights Estate, Bella Vista Farm Park and Roughley House are publicly accessible parks within The Hills Shire that hold significant cultural value.

Heritage Park in Castle Hill is a former government farm that was the site of the 1804 convict rebellion which was the first one held on Australian soil. The park allows visitors to learn about the Dharug people who were the rst users of the land, the rebellion uprising and the stories of early settlers within the region. The park is also home to one of the few Blue Gum High Forests in the world and threatened species the Powerful Owl.

Balcombe Heights Estate was formerly a farm, a product of a land grant that were given to convicts who had been pardoned of their crimes. It later was used as an orphanage and school for the less fortunate run by the Masons, and during World War II, was used as a hospital for injured soldiers.

Bella Visa Farm Park, located at the corner of Norwest Blvd and Elizabeth MacArthur Drive in Bella Vista, was Elizabeth Macarthurs rst home in Australia and provides visitors a taste of Australian farming history; from merino sheep to orange orchards and the rst Chinese markets. The original homestead and outbuildings dating back to 1799 are still intact allowing for rare insight into New South Wales heritage.

Roughley House, Built in 1856 this home was the residence of the Roughley family and is an icon of the Dural district. The Roughley family story in Australia began in 1817 when Joseph Roughley and his son James were convicted of theft and given a seven year sentence of transportation to Australia. The final family resident, Gordon Clive Roughley, passed away in February 2002 aged 87 years. Prior to his death Clive sold the property to The Hills Shire Council for $1 so that it would be maintained as a living history of colonial life in the Hills and remain accessible to the public.