The Harpers Mansion has been preserved by a group of dedicated volunteers and the National Trust who are determined to keep its heritage alive.

The dwelling was built by James and Mary Harper on the land they purchased in 1834, and was the family home to five children, but only three made it into adulthood.

Visitors have the opportunity to wander through the home and explore the stunning gardens which are maintained by volunteers.

Attendees can learn more about the time period through a variety of artefacts.

These include copies of newspapers, furniture replicas, and a collection of clothing made by Encore Historic Sewing Group, who replicated textiles from the era.

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"Harper's is very much part of this community's history, it's embedded...' said volunteer Richard Stafford in 2021.

"It's the feeling - people love volunteering and visiting, and it really does give you the feeling of what it's like to live in the 1840s," said volunteer Eric Savage.

If one wanders outside the property and onto the grounds, they will discover more than 80 varieties of roses that were commercially available from the 1800s, onwards.

"The idea is they're a public garden and a way of preserving rare and less common rose varieties," Mr Savage said.

You can also walk through the maze and the winding garden paths, that include rare Camellias and the Hazelnut Walk.

Mr Savage said that the front garden was added to the property in the 1990s, and the gardens enhance it.

It was important to make sure the mansion was "visible" from many points in the gardens.

The residence and the gardens have been picturesque backdrops for weddings and exhibitions over the years, but the property was not always well-maintained.

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The recession in the 1840s meant the value in commodities such as wool plummeted, and progression stopped in the town once convicts and soldiers left.

Mr Harper as a result, sold two acres of his 100-acre land, and then subsequently mortgaged the remaining land and house.

The former constable of Sutton Forest district in Bong Bong died in 1845 and the house was turned over to the lender, because Mary could not repay the debt.

She remarried and then passed away in 1851.

The property was purchased by the Catholic Church in 1853 and was used as a presbytery and as a residence for nuns who ran a school in Berrima.

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The house was then rented out and sold in 1970.

The National Trust acquired the property in 1978 and commenced reparations to reinforce stones, roofing joineries, brickwork, the floors, stairs and ceilings over several years.

Visitors can still discover the original doors, fireplaces and windows which have been re-stained, stripped back and with new glass panels.

They can also see where the former kitchen was separated from the house, and where excavations have taken place.

Mr Harper's legacy lives on not only at the residence, but also at his building The Surveyor General's Inn, where he was the first licensee of the establishment in 1834.

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Harper's Mansion is open every weekend.

Tickets are $11.39 per adult, $9.31 per child over five, and two adults and two children can enter for $26.99

Children under five can enter for free.

Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.

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