Castle Hill residents can learn a little more about the area’s history next month with the anniversary of the Castle Hill Rebellion being marked.
The celebration will be held at the Castle Hill Heritage Park, which was first opened in 2004, 200 years after the rebellion took place.
The rebellion happened in 1804, a year after more than 400 convicts, mainly of Irish descent, had cleared the land for a Government farm. The conflict started with a fire set in one of the huts and ended with the Battle of Vinegar Hill the following day.
Since the battle, the land has housed an asylum, a church and small farm holdings.
As part of this year’s event Heritage Park Committee, members will give talks on local history. Also, the cast of Convict Footprints, a living history theatre group, will reenact parts of the original rebellion.
A printing company could also reproduce paintings, photographs or historical documents recording the events to help residents understand more about what happened. Families are invited to take a picnic or enjoy the Rotary Club’s sausage sizzle.
The anniversary event takes place on Friday, March 4 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm and entry is free.
Convict Footprints will return to the park in April for a series of performances telling the stories of the convicts working at the site and reenacting the rebellion on a larger scale.
