in the colony. The Rose family continuously occupied Rose Cottage and farmed the associated land from 1809 until 1961. The associated of the family with the place is made more distinct by the survival of the dwelling, resulting in a significance that is rare state-wide. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Apart from the lack of documentary evidence confirming the date of construction of Rose Cottage, the physical evidence suggests an early construction for the cottage, possibly in the 1810s or 1820s. There are numerous other timber slab structures in the Upper Hawkesbury district. Examples located near Rose Cottage include: 127 King Road, Wilberforce 87 King Road, Wilberforce None of the extant timber slab dwellings have been assessed to be as old as Rose Cottage. However, the timber slab stables at the Macquarie Arms Inn, Windsor, are reputed to date to 1811-16. In view of this, Alan Roberts qualified in his 1982 report on Rose Cottage that is may be the oldest timber house (rather than building) surviving in Australia. Other extant vernacular farm cottages from the early settlement of Australia's mainland include Cos's Cottage, Mulgoa (1811-16); Mountain View, Richmond (1812); Agnes Banks, near Richmond (c.1820); Bowman Cottage, Richmond (1819); Denbigh, Narellan (1817); Moxey's Farm, Richmond ( 1820); and Cad-Die, Clarence Reach ( 1820). However, none of these buildings consists of a timber slab structure, leaving Rose Cottage to be the only building of this type dating to the period of early settlement. Rose Cottage is an outstanding, intact example of vernacular building technique of the early 19th century. Due to the continuing semi-rural character of the surrounding area, the setting of Rose cottage remains evocative of the history of farming represented by the presence of the cottage. The nature of the relationship of the cottage with the associated land has been preserved due to the later sympathetic use of the land as the Australiana Pioneer Village. Some remnant features of the associated land probably date to the 20th century Rose family occupation of Rose Cottage, including fence lines and fences, a boundary line marked by trees, and the grove of eucalypts to the south of the cottage. The riverside vegetation, although none of it appears to be very old, reflects the 1803 promulgation by Governor King prohibiting the clearing of growth within ten metres