Government Farm was where the 1804 Rebellion occurred. Circumstances led to this location providing the right environment for a successful rebellion. However, the rebellion had no political or military goal and would have ultimately failed.

Government Farm

In 1800 the colony was still not self-sufficient in food. It was constantly on the brink of starvation. The Governor set aside thirty-two thousand acres at Castle Hill for a Government Farm to solve this food supply problem. With such a large number of acres to be farmed a large convict population was needed to provide labor for it. This placed a large number of Irish and English convicts together (approx 400).

Father Dixon was an Irish Catholic Priest who had been transported to Australia under a charge of guilty by association. He had the horror of being chained to a man who died on the convict ship out to Sydney. He watched the rats eat the flesh of the body while he was still chained to the corpse.

Dixon was given permission to hold Catholic mass and sermons for the Catholic Irish. This gave an opportunity for many United Irish to gather together legally and discuss plans to rebel. In addition the Government Farm was close to where Joseph Holt was working, this may have increased the likelihood of the Irish at Government Farm uprising with a well known Irish agitator so close by.

Finally, Castle Hill is relatively central to Parramatta and Windsor, both of which had significant convict populations. This gave greater opportunities for a co-ordinated rebellion uprising which could over-whelm any military or civil response from the Governor. While this did not happen, there was constant communication between the three settlements and a unified uprising was intended.

Focal Points

If Parramatta had of uprisen on cue, then the outcome might have been different. Hawkesbury would have uprisen then, probably hearing the news the next day. It would also have made it difficult for George Johnston's soldiers and militia coming from Sydney.

Another focal point was when Phillip Cunningham and William Johnston met Major George Johnston and Trooper Azlenark at Vinegar Hill the first time. Cunningham and Johnston should have shot the two soldiers on sight and then dumped them on Windsor Road for the marching soldiers to plainly see. Without Major Johnston's leadership the outcome may have been slightly different despite the rebels being badly out-gunned and highly inexperienced relative to the Rum Corps.

Ultimately the rebellion was doomed to failure. It had no political or military goal. It appears that the convicts just didn't want to be convicts anymore and subject to the lack of liberty, constant punishment and forced labor of convict life. With the United Irish amongst them, they had a very effective method of breaking those bonds. Despite their initial success, the rebellion would not have survived beyond that.