Brickendon Estate TASMANI A Brickendon Estate in Northern Tasmania It is also rare to find a working estate, including the original 420 hectare property, which has been is a rare example of a property that has continuously farmed by one family for six generations. been continuously farmed by generations Brickendon Estate provides a rich source of information of the same family since the 1820s. about the living and working conditions of colonial settlers and the convicts assigned to rural estates from the The convict-built farm complex, Georgian country house 1820s until transportation to Tasmania ceased in 1853. and formal garden are largely intact. Brickendon provides Today, Brickendon Estate and Woolmers Estate are popular an outstanding record of the experiences of colonial tourist destinations. A visit to both National Heritage listed settlers and convicts assigned to rural estates. sites tells the compelling Archer family story. Brickendon Estate is nationally significant for its National Heritage List: 23 November 2007 association with the convict assignment system and continuity of mixed farming practice. Most convicts transported to Australia were assigned to provide labour to settlers in exchange for food and clothing. Brickendon Estate demonstrates the success of industrious 1820s settlers, the Archer family, and the productivity of convict labour which allowed them to develop the Estate. Two branches of the Archer family shared labour between their neighbouring properties Brickendon and Woolmers, which had a combined assigned convict population of more than 100 people. Brickendon contains a Georgian country house in its garden setting, extensive boundary hedges and estate buildings including barns, cottages, granaries, a woolshed and stables, chapel, a cart shed, poultry house, cook house, blacksmith’s shop, outhouse, wells, drainage systems and access roads. It is unusual for such a diversity of original colonial features to survive within a single property. The range of buildings provides an insight into 19th century British farming practices adapted to Tasmanian conditions. AUS TRALIA’S NATIONAL HERITAGE 7 1.