In 1815, Harrington Grove was part of a parcel of land awarded to Captain William Douglas Campbell. This was one of the earliest recorded grants in Australian colonial history.
Campbell, a Scottish born Captain of the British Merchant Navy, was Master of the 'Harrington', a five-year-old 182-tonne brig reputed to be the fastest ship on the Eastern seas.
In 1808 a gang of desperate convicts stole Campbell's prized brig and sailed their way to freedom towards Indonesia. As recompense for his loss, the land known as 'Cowpastures' (some 2000 acres or 810 hectares), was awarded to him by Governor King. Captain Campbell renamed his newly acquired property after his beloved stolen brig; The Harrington.
Over the course of a century, the land passed through many hands until eventually in 1944 it came to be owned by Sir Warwick Fairfax. Upon its rolling hills he envisioned an exclusive and private estate, but sadly did not live to see its realisation.
His wife, Lady (Mary) Fairfax, stepped in. With the help of her experienced development team, Harrington Estates, she has worked tirelessly to bring Sir Warwick's dream to life, starting with the thriving estate of Harrington Park.
Harrington Park, which was started in 1994 and is now complete, has 2000 homes, a primary school, a shopping centre, and numerous parks and ovals. This marks the emergence of what is essentially stage two of Sir Warwick's dream; the much anticipated Harrington Grove.