the State Government, and the second property to have a permanent conservation order placed over it under the Heritage Act 1977. Elizabeth Farm was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Elizabeth Farm is significant because of its association with major figures, in particular Elizabeth and John Macarthur, who were prominent in the early 19th century agricultural, political, cultural and architectural development of the colony. It was the centre of an estate on which some of the first experiments in pastoral and agricultural land use in Australia took place, particularly in the early development of the wool industry. It is associated with the Swann family for over sixty years, including their preservation of the buildings. The farm house is part of a group of early colonial buildings (including Old Government House, Hambledon Cottage and Experiment Farm) which reflect Parramatta's importance as an early agricultural area and as the second most important settlement in the colony. The house's range of building styles reflect the adaption of traditional European architecture to the prevailing Australian climate. The house is a record of the architectural ideas and ambitions of the colony's first fifty years. The house shows growth from a vernacular cottage to a comfortable family home with some sophisticated detailing, all reflecting the development of colonial life. The house is representative of the work of architects Henry Cooper and John Verge. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The house is one of the most evocative houses relating to the earliest period of Australian European history and is one of the most aesthetically pleasing of colonial bungalows. The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The farm has strong links with the Parramatta community. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The garden contains remnants of some of the earliest European plantings in Australia, including the European Olive. Older indigenous species include kurrajong and bunya bunya and hoop pines. The farm has a large surviving collection of