Who was John Macarthur?
John Macarthur was an army officer, landowner and businessman in early New South Wales, best known as a pioneer of the Australian merino wool industry, which became the colony's main export.
Macarthur arrived in Sydney in 1790 with the New South Wales Corps. He gained large land grants, including Elizabeth Farm at Parramatta, named after his wife, and later the Camden Park estate southwest of Sydney.
In 1797, he bought some of the first merino sheep brought to the colony from the Cape of Good Hope. He promoted fine wool production, and Australian wool soon became highly valued in British mills.
Elizabeth Macarthur
His wife, Elizabeth Macarthur, managed the farms and flocks for many years while John was in England, including two long periods away. Many historians now credit her as a key figure in building the wool industry.
Macarthur was also a quarrelsome figure. He played a leading role in the Rum Rebellion of 1808, when officers deposed Governor William Bligh.
Elizabeth Farm, built in 1793, is one of the oldest surviving European buildings in Australia and is now a museum. Macarthur's portrait appeared on the first two-dollar note.
Did You Know?
Australia became the world's largest wool producer by the late 1800s, and the phrase riding on the sheep's back described the economy.