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removed his flock from low lying land near the brickfields at Parramatta and put them to better land
at Baulkham Hills where the water was not so brackish.75 It was clear that Hassall had learned a
great deal about sheep farming and was using his knowledge and observations to good effect. Some
of these activities were frowned on by his former preaching companion, William Pascoe Crook who
criticised Hassall for his entrepreneurial interests. He persisted, however, and by 1820 he held 3000
acres around Parramatta, Dundas, Prospect, Mulgrave PLace and which included 400 acres at Cook
and 400 acres at Bringelly, called Coventry.76

The 400 acres in Cook was on the Nepean at Camden and which he called Macquarie Grove.
His house now called Hassall Cottage, still stands although it has been extended and much of his
farm is now the site of Camden airport. Rowland Hassall had expanded into horse breeding by 1807
and had a three year old stallion called Northumberland's Son.

[Picture]
Hassall Cottage, May 1998.

In November 1810, the newly appointed Governor Macquarie made his first inspection of the
interior of the colony and was accompanied at various times by Hassall, the first time being on a visit
to Mrs King's farm at South Creek where Hassall was acting as her agent and looking after her 700
head of horned cattle which Macquarie noted were in ''very high condition''. Six days later Hassall
rejoined Macquarie's party at the Hawksbury River and accompanied them on a tour of Seven Hills
and Toongabbie while the rest of the party went by carriage back to Parramatta.

75 Historical Records of Australia, Vol. V. p.560.
76 Gunson, Niel, ''Hassall, Rowland (1768-1820)'', Australian Dictionary of Biography 1788-1850, Vol. 1,
p.251.

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