Stroud,
NSW
Stroud,
about 75 km north of Newcastle, has some of the best examples of convict-built
architecture in the country. Stroud is officially Australia’s first ‘company
town.' The original building - funded by the Australian Agricultural Company,
the first major agricultural venture in this country's history - began in 1826,
with most of the initial work being done by convicts.
Hhave a look at the beautiful Church of St John, built from local clay bricks
in 1836, and Quambi House, which is now a museum. And there are several others
of note. At Silo Hill Reserve you’ll find underground silos built by the
convicts in 1841. The reserve contains eight silos which held 10,000 bushels
of grain. One silo remains open and visitors can inspect it by descending a
steel ladder to a depth of 6m.
The Australian Agricultural Company established this town in the 1820’s. Much of today’s town is the work of Sir Edward Parry, the Artic explorer, who was company commissioner in the 1830’s.
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