History of Little Forest from 1820 - 2009

Governor Macquarie first camped at Little Forest in 1820.

Little Forest lay between the modern Yerrinbool and Aylmerton. In the1820’s it was known as Bargo.

Little Forest is a level, open area in the old ironbark forest high on the long climb up Catherine Hill, just before the Mittagong turn off from the Hume Highway.Slowly it has been subdivided and sold off with only 40 acres remaining today.There are creeks and billabongs, melaleucas and ironbarks.

At the time there was an ex-convict with Macquarie by the name of George Hambridge.

George Hambridge was granted the land known as Little Forest and settled there with his family till the 1960’s, when Little Forest was sold to a famous Australian artist by the name of Ray Crooke, who is still alive today.

He won the Archibold prize in 1970 for his portrait of his good friend George Johnson, who was also a famous author and is buried in the bottom of the garden in an Arnotts biscuit tin. There was a convict hewn sandstone inn built next to Little Forest in 1829 by an ex-convict whose name was Keirghran and the inn was named Keirghran’s Inn.

Keighran’s Inn was pulled down to make way for the railway in the 1860’s which makes one of the properties boundaries today.

Many travelers would stay there overnight before their long journey up Catherine’s Hill to Berrima.

There was also a small sandstone jail built on the property for convicts who were being transported to Sydney town or Berrima.. Unfortunately, it was pulled down some time in the 1800’s and we are not sure where it was located.

Today, Little Forest is still a refuge for guests who wish to relax and enjoy a farmstay holiday in one of the three cottages available.

The Studio Cottage is built from the original convict hewn sandstone from Keirghran’s Inn. You could image you were back in the 1830’s enjoying a quite evening and good night’s sleep in the Southern Highlands.