Event information
- When
- 8 February 2025 - 4 October 2025
- Where
Female Orphan School, Building EZ, Parramatta South Campus, Corner James Ruse Drive & Victoria Road, Rydalmere NSW 2116
- Category
- Classes, Lessons, Workshops and Talks
- Accessibility
- Welcomes people with access needs
- Cost
- $10.00
- Facilities
- Car park
- Coach Parking
- Family Friendly
- Non-Smoking
- Public Toilet
- Shop / Gift Shop
Overview of this event
Guided heritage tour of Australia's oldest three-storey building - the Female Orphan School.
Built in 1813 with the intention of providing shelter for the colony's young girls away from the hardships of Sydney Town, this historic site later transformed into the Rydalmere Psychiatric Hospital before falling into disrepair and neglect. Covered in graffiti and seemingly forgotten, the future of the building was uncertain until restoration efforts commenced in 2000.
Now, painstakingly restored to its former glory, it serves as the proud home of the Whitlam Institute. In addition to guided tours, visitors can explore two galleries: the Permanent Exhibition on the Whitlam Government and the Margaret Whitlam Gallery.
Built: 1813
Architect: Overseen by Lachlan Macquarie, with initial revisions and additions by Francis Greenway
Awards: UNESCO Award for Culture Heritage Conservation 2004
Contact details
Getting there
Female Orphan School, Building EZ, Parramatta South Campus, Corner James Ruse Drive & Victoria Road, Rydalmere NSW 2116
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