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Tocal Homestead

Tocal Homestead has one of Australia's finest collections of colonial farm buildings dating from the 1830s.

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Tocal Road, Tocal Homestead, Paterson NSW 2421

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• Gallery / Museum
• Lawn / Gardens
• Public Toilet

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Historic property located in the Hunter Valley

Tocal Stables

Tour, Tocal Homestead

Tocal Sheep

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Tocal Homestead

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Tocal Homestead - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Tocal Homestead Tours

Description.

Exciting and inviting Discover the secrets of Tocal Homestead on a two hour guided tour!

Uncover stories of characters and activities that have taken place over the past 200 years, including the barn designed by the Colonial Architect, the lad who became Captain Thunderbolt and the wealthy businessman who wanted to change the lives of destitute children. Explore the unique architecture of Tocal Agricultural College and take a guided tour of the working enterprises on the Tocal farms, including Angus beef cattle, sheep, working horses, the dairy and free range hens. Enjoy a traditional farmer’s baked dinner, with dessert and tea or coffee, served in the College Dining Hall. Experience the history and beauty of Tocal Homestead today!

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Tours: Other

Tour Duration: Single Day Trips

957 Tocal Road, Tocal, NSW 2421

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Destination's Journey

It's About the Journey Not Just the Destination

Tocal Homestead New South Wales

Located in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, the Tocal Homestead is a historic house and associated buildings originally established in 1822 by J. P. Webber. In 1834 the property was sold to Caleb and Felix Wilson, who commissioned the homestead as a country retreat from their Sydney business.

Subsequently the farm was leased to the Reynolds family who occupied it for two generations adding many of the wooden buildings to the farm. In 1926, four siblings of the Alexander family purchased the property. The last, C.B. Alexander died in 1947, leaving all of his properties tied in a complex will which stipulated that it was to be used for destitute and homeless children. Eventually this became the Tocal Agricultural College, now run by the NSW Department of Agriculture. The college is located not far from the homestead and is now an important educator in the agricultural industry.

An additional stipulation of the will was the allowance of his two nieces Myrtle and Marguerita Curtiss be allowed to live out their lives at the homestead. This they did until 1985 when they died within five days of each other.

Getting There

Located a 15-minute drive from Maitland, the homestead is well sign posted and easy to find. During our visit, it was only open on Sundays from 10:00AM to 3:00PM, but check their website for updated times and dates.

Tocal Homestead

The tour of the homestead is self-guided, with a map and personal audio player provided at reception. This allows you to self-pace around the property, taking your time at places of interest and moving on from others. The descriptions of each room, their uses and furnishings were excellent.

Alexander was keen to use new technology, installing electricity in the homestead. Not only did he purchase a generator, but also sufficient battery storage in case the generator failed.

Internal Lift

Another innovation Alexander adopted was the internal lift so that the upper floor could be accessed as he aged. Unfortunately, on one night while alone in the house, one of the Curtiss sisters was trapped in the lift. She had to wait until the staff arrived in the morning to let her out.

Farm Buildings and Equipment

Designed by architect James Blackett the largest barn has amazing internal framework for the roof is a work of art. As you walk around, you get to meet some of the animals as you walk past the pig stye and chicken run.

Near the homestead is a garage with a 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom in immaculate condition, along with the first tractor used at Tocal, a Twin City 17-28 imported from Minneapolis USA.

Wedding Venue

The homestead is a popular wedding venue, with its wonderfully decorated rooms and gardens.

Visitors’ Centre and Cafe

At the end of the tour, we went back to reception where we ordered a Devonshire Tea. The little cafe overlooks the surrounding farmland and was very relaxing.

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3 Replies to “Tocal Homestead New South Wales”

Nice-looking place. I so want that staircase.

Thank you for reading! The staircase is amazing.

I agree! That staircase (wow)!

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Tocal Homestead Tours

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Tocal Homestead

Tocal Homestead has one of Australia’s finest collections of colonial farm buildings dating from the 1830s. The heritage site is open Sunday from February until November. It’s well worth the visit.

The Homestead is set among magnificent fig trees and overlooks the Tocal lagoon, with the Paterson River beyond. Built-in 1840 as a country retreat for Felix Wilson, the house is only one of the fascinating buildings on this site which illustrate the changes in the land use at Tocal since 1822.

Farm tours provide an opportunity to experience this beautiful property. The tour includes the beef, horse, dairy and sheep enterprises as well as the natural features of the historic landscape. Tocal is a working farm so visitors are able to view the seasonal activities of the farm operations.

From $20.00

• Tocal Homestead Tocal Road Paterson New South Wales
• View in Google Maps
• 02 4939 8901
• homestead@tocal.com
• Indicative Prices from $20.00

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Tocal Homestead

Things to do paterson , dungog , new south wales.

Tocal Homestead has one of Australia’s finest collections of colonial farm buildings dating from the 1830s. The heritage site is open on Sundays from March to November. It’s well worth the visit.

The Homestead is set among magnificent fig trees and overlooks the Tocal lagoon, with the Paterson River beyond. Built in 1840 as a country retreat for Felix Wilson, the house is only one of the fascinating buildings on this site which illustrates the changes in the land use at Tocal since 1822.

Farm tours provide an opportunity to experience this beautiful property. The tour includes the beef, horse, dairy and sheep enterprises as well as the natural features of the historic landscape. Tocal is a working farm so visitors can view the seasonal activities of the farm operations.

Internet Access

Disabled Assistance

Adults – $15.00 Concession – $10.00 Children 2-16 YO $2.00

Prices not valid Tocal Field Days and special events

Trading Times

Check In: 10:00 am Check Out: 4:00 pm

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Self-guided Audio Tours

Enjoy one of their self-guided audio tours to learn more about the history of the site including the Homestead, gardens and the working property.

Tocal Homestead is open to the public every Sunday between March and November.

Accessibility

Actively welcomes people with access needs.

Guided Group Tours

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Tocal Homestead

your special day

  CEREMONIES

Imagine your wedding reception set against a backdrop of panoramic views of the Hunter Valley. The reception barn offers breathtaking views of the sunset and a rustic setting. With plenty of room for dancing, you can watch night fall over the grounds at Tocal and celebrate a perfect day.

Combine this beautiful location with one of our wedding packages and our dedicated staff will tailor a reception to suit your vision, creating memories to last a lifetime. Our kitchen team are committed to producing an outstanding culinary experience for you and your guests, with a feast that’s sure to delight.  Whether it be a small intimate wedding, or a larger wedding of 120, we can tailor our packages to your needs and dreams. Our experienced team will assist you and your partner in planning all the details of your special day to make sure everything flows seamlessly. 

ACCOMODATION

Stay onsite in the beautiful Tocal Barracks. Four suites have been beautifully restored to provide elegant comforts in the same space where convicts and farmhands worked and toiled over 150 years ago. Each suite allows guests to enjoy the same views of sweeping hillsides and colonial buildings in air conditioned comfort. For those cool evenings, at the push of a button, a restored fireplace is available to warm the sitting room.

The sitting room, kitchenette and bathroom are downstairs while the sleeping quarters are located upstairs. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in each little kitchenette with a Nespresso machine, kettle, toaster and a bar fridge provided. A breakfast hamper is complimentary and delivered to your suite each morning of your stay. 

If the view from the room isn’t enough, enjoy a cup of tea outside on the verandah while watching the farm animals graze nearby. For more information on the Tocal Barracks and additional accomodation options on the College, please follow the links below.

Copy of Tocal Homestead 2023 Packages  

When having your wedding at Tocal, you will have use of the Homestead site and function centre for your wedding. The Homestead gardens, heritage buildings on the site and paddocks are available for the ceremony and photographs. Our packages include the full set up of your reception room.

The function centre comes with long wooden tables and cross back wooden chairs, white linen napkins and all table settings. 50 ceremony chairs and a signing table are available for use for an onsite ceremony. The PA system in the function centre includes a microphone and speakers.

Per person prices are bundled to include your dinner menu, a 5h beverage package, ceremony and reception set up as well as pack down, all staffing and venue hire. Full wedding coordination by the highly experienced Jacqueline Brown and her team at Sprout Catering.  

Testimonals

957 Tocal Rd, Paterson NSW 2421 02 4939 8901

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School Programs

Primary Programs

Infant and primary students discover how people worked and lived in the past through hands-on activities and stories, at the same time developing an appreciation of a heritage site.

Students and teachers alike, enjoy a structured, engaging day on the heritage farm; exploring buildings, hearing stories and doing the chores of the past. They come away with an understanding of the lifestyle of a child their age living on an Australian farm 140 years ago.

This program can also be modified for Stage 3 History

Students enjoy finding out where their food comes from as they follow a trail around the heritage site. Stage 2 students will also learn about Aboriginal food and fibre. Then they visit the farm to see beef cattle, sheep and the dairy cows coming in for milking.

The Tocal Virtual Farm includes videos, maps, images, farm information and workbooks to support Primary School visits to Tocal. Workbooks are available online before your visit gives students a good introduction to the property. 

High School Programs

Tocal Dairy is one of NSW top producing mid-size dairies, milking 280 cows twice a day. Students have the opportunity to speak with the Dairy Manager to gain first-hand information on the day to day running of a dairy as well as understand the range of skills and technology needed to run a profitable enterprise. Soil testing and pasture identification can also be included.

View the Tocal Virtual Farm online before your visit to give students a solid overview of the property. This enables students to better understand the information and activities presented on site. The virtual farm is also a great follow-up activity for students with workbooks for Stage 4 Technology Mandatory (applicable to other syllabus areas as well) and Stage 6 Agriculture. 

Vacation Care Programs

Your children will enjoy a busy and fun day at the Tocal Homestead heritage site during the school holidays this year.  The program is themed as ‘Our Environment’, with plenty of opportunities for discovery, learning and teamwork.

Hear stories about the people who lived on the property, play old-fashioned games, find a ‘treasure’ on the scavenger hike, make a nature-friendly craft to take home and then visit the Dairy to finish off the day.

This program is available in school holidays.

Please call our office on 4939 8901 or email [email protected]   to discuss availability.

Cost per child is $20.00 (incl GST), Carers are free at a ratio of 1:10.

The program runs best with groups of around 60 children but we are happy to discuss your situation with bigger or smaller groups.

A group of less than 20 children pay a flat fee of $400.00

Please bring all the food and drinks you need for the day.

Information and Bookings

Please contact the Schools Coordinator on 02 4939 8901 or email [email protected]

Amazing Tour Guides

My class are still enthusing about their visit to Tocal Homestead. It's reassuring when the presenters are retired teachers with many years’ experience. The presentation was professional and informative, engaging and entertaining. The presenters were able to adapt, without fuss, to the many characters and personalities that they had just met for the very first time and were quick to identify those with particular needs. Particular plaudits go to Robyn and Lisa who made our experience thoroughly enjoyable.

A Wealth of Local Knowledge

I visited Tocal homestead today with year 1 and 2 students from my sons school. What a fantastic day! The knowledge of the local history from our guides Robyn and Tess was immense. They were both wonderful with the children, and the kids were so excited to have so many hands on things to do and learn throughout the day! So much fun was had by all, we will be regular visitors from now on! Thank you for the excellent educational service you provide our children to ensure our wonderful local history continues to be told and handed down to another generation. Well done Tocal Homestead!