Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm

Local Land Services Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm is a purpose-built education and training facility that supports best practice in land management, agriculture and biosecurity.

A rural farm scene with two wooden barns, a dirt path, leafless trees, bushes, a large water tank, and autumn foliage under a partly cloudy sky.
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Explore the Greater Sydney Local Land Services Demonstration Farm

Welcome to the Greater Sydney Local Land Services Demonstration Farm, located just minutes from Richmond town centre and nestled along the beautiful Hawkesbury River in Dharug Country.

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Video transcript

Explore the Greater Sydney Local Land Services Demonstration Farm

Welcome to the Greater Sydney Local Land Services Demonstration Farm,
just a few minutes from Richmond town centre,
and nestled along the beautiful Hawkesbury River, also known as Dyarubbin.
This special place is part of Dharug Country, belonging to the First Nations people of this area.
We respect their Elders and cultural knowledge holders, past and present.
I'm Ben Azzopardi, here at our demonstration farm, located
in one of the most productive farmland regions in New South Wales.
My family has lived here for three generations and we love
this beautiful part of the world.
I'll be taking you on a tour of our five-hectare farm of prime
agricultural river flats.
This site has a rich farming history dating back to 1790.
Now it's a centre for learning, perfect for seeing best practice
farming techniques in action.
Let's take a walk and explore the farm.
We have a large training room
and covered outdoor seating for workshops and field days.
Behind the training shed you'll see our pastures where we're testing
winter feed options for grazing in smaller areas.
We have diverse plant species and we'll be posting updates on their progress.
We also sowed a cover crop to improve soil texture and biology.
Across the road are our vegetable fields where zucchinis,
cauliflowers and pumpkins have yielded top quality produce over the years.
All harvested veggies go to charity and their freshness is greatly appreciated.
We also planted a cover crop here to boost soil health and structure.
It was sown in autumn before it got too cold, and as you can see, it's thriving.
This will be turned in in spring for a productive season ahead.
The demonstration farm is home to various native plants and animals,
especially in the riparian zone along the Hawkesbury River.
This area was rehabilitated years ago and now serves as a buffer
between our farm and the river.
This is only a snapshot of what we do here.
We also partner with industry bodies, educational institutions,
research organisations, local councils and Landcare to offer best practice options.
The farm already offers a lot, but we're not stopping here.
We have exciting plans for the future.
It's a great place to explore farming demonstrations and meet other farmers
and landholders at our events.
Stay in touch to get the latest events and advice.

The Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm has been operating since 2008 and brings together the latest university and industry research agriculture, natural resource management and biosecurity.

The farm is designed to support innovation in the ag industry and collaboration between:

  • growers
  • producers
  • educational institutes
  • agribusiness
  • landholders.

What we do

Person harvesting corn in a field.
VegNET

Local Land Services work with vegetable seed companies and the allied trade to undertake commercial ‘fit for purpose’ variety trials that can be tailored to specific needs.

Read more
Pasture at Greater Sydney demonstration farm.
Grazing trials

The Demonstration Farm’s grazing trials explore a variety of fertilisers and cover crops to improve soil health. These trials also investigate which pasture mixes are right for each season and how best to manage seasonal conditions.

Read more
Aerial view of a rural landscape with agricultural fields, buildings, and a river.
Riparian rehabilitation

Local Land Services showcases a rehabilitated riparian vegetation and riverbank area that includes species commonly found in the critically endangered Coastal floodplain eucalypt forest.

A garden with various plants and flowers, including vibrant purple blooms, surrounded by a grassy area and trees in the background.
Turf trials

Local Land Services trials in partnership with Turf Australia and will explore using turf as an erosion, nutrient and sediment control measure.

Lettuce leaf growing out of rich brown earth.
Soil wealth

Local Land Services trials best practice soil management aiming to enhance soil health while fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and communication within the local farming community.

A quaint farmhouse with a green roof surrounded by lush greenery and a vegetable garden in the foreground.
Property plan

Local Land Services is developing a farm plan to establish long term priorities for the way the demonstration farm is managed and how it achieves the goals of education and training.

Venue hire

The Demonstration Farm has an education and training facility, dedicated to promoting best practices in land management. 

Pricing

This facility is now available for hire as a workshop space for a flat rate of $500 per day. 

Features

  • Training room for up to 100 people. 
  • Large covered outdoor seating area. 
  • Bathroom facilities. 
  • Kitchen. 
  • AV and display equipment. 
  • Field cameras to monitor trials and demonstrations online. 
  • 4 ha of alluvial flood plain. 
  • Interactive displays in riverbank restoration.

Hire now 

A drone shot of the Greater Sydney demonstration farm and the available training areas.

Erosion and sediment control demonstration site

This new site at the Greater Sydney Demonstration farm is the first of its kind in the state and draws inspiration from successful models in Queensland (like those at Redlands and the Sunshine Coast). 

The site has been purpose-built to show how different erosion and sediment control materials work in real-world conditions.

By simulating water flow across a variety of surfaces, the site highlights how smart design can:

  • slow water
  • reduce runoff
  • protect our landscapes.

The Erosion and sediment control demonstration site is funded and supported by Turf NSW and NSW Government's Storm & Flood Industry Recovery Program.

Turf rectangles laid out on the ground at an event.

Events at the site

June 2025

The site launch event drew a strong turnout from growers, industry reps, council and developers, all keen to see the site in action. The event featured a packed agenda, including:

  • information about the role of erosion and sediment control across different materials including turf
  • a look at UNSW’s nano bubble drought treatment irrigation trial
  • the latest updates on water metering regulations.
People gather around a turf demonstration site.
Attendees at the erosion and sediment demonstration site.
People sit on chairs inside a shed and watch a presentation on a screen with a speaker.
Attendees watch a presentation on site at the demonstration farm.

Partnership opportunities

Local Land Services Demonstration Farm partners with organisations including Western Sydney University and NSW DPIRD to deliver research and innovation. 

New partnerships with organisations and commercial companies are welcomed. 

Please email Jonathan Eccles jonathan.eccles@lls.nsw.gov.au to explore partnership opportunities or for more information.

Demonstration farm sign.

Farm history

The land of the Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm was originally inhabited by the Burrubiranggal clan of the Dharug nation. Before it was turned into farmlands, the demonstration farmland was a lush rainforest that extended from the river, merging into a huge floodplain and wetland, before ascending into woodlands on the higher areas where the town of Richmond now stands.

The land was first gazetted in 1799 and the farm was originally used as a practical educational facility by Western Sydney University (WSU) – formerly Hawkesbury Ag College.  

Now, Local Land Services leases the land from WSU, undertaking cropping trials, hosting events and managing networks to grow the skills of Greater Sydney landholders.

Sandstone tower behind wattle tree.

Find out what's happening in Greater Sydney

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Get the latest news, seasonal advice, and project updates or be the first to hear about upcoming events.

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  • View our events page to see what's happening near you.

Visit the demonstration farm

40 Edwards Rd, Richmond Lowlands

1

Take Bensons Lane off Francis Street in Richmond

There is no access to Edwards Road from Cornwallis Road from Windsor as it is still not open after the March 2021 floods.

2

At the end of Bensons Lane

Turn right into Cornwells Lane and continue on into Edwards Road. 

3

Demonstration Farm

Drive into main gate on right to Carpark.

4

Alternative Route

Take Old Kurrajong Road at the end of Windsor Street, Richmond. 

Turn right into Triangle Lane which becomes Powells Lane and turns left into Edwards Road. 

The Farm is on the left after the polo studs. 

Aerial view of a rural farm with multiple buildings, fields, and surrounding landscape.

Contact Local Land Services NSW

We welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments.  Contact our team

Find your nearest LLS office

Use the search function to find information or resources from Local Land Services.

Phone:1300 795 299
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