Governor Lachlan Macquarie visited the Pennant Hills region

Brush Farm House

Saturday November 10, 1810

I made an Excursion this day to visit the different Farms in the Districts of the Ponds, Field of Mars, and Eastern Farms, being accompanied part of the way in the Carriage by Mrs Macquarie whom I left at Mr Marsden's Farm of One-Tree-Hill, whilst I rode on Horseback to see the intermediate ones lying between that and Kissing Point, which was the extent of my Tour this day. I was accompanied on this Excursion by the Reverend Mr Marsden, & Mr Blaxland. I went with the latter Gentleman to see his Farm the Brush, which is a very snug good Farm and very like an English one in point of comfort and convenience. I looked at a great many Farms this day, some of which were well cultivated and promise tolerable good Crops of Wheat. But the Houses in general are miserably bad, and their Inhabitants poorly clothed & poorly fed. We returned home to Dinner between 5 & 6 o'clock and Mr Blaxland dined with us.

Lachlan Macquarie's Diary, 1810, ML Ref A 778

Journeys in Time 1809-1822, the journal of Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie, website:library.mq.edu.au/all/journeys/index.html accessed 13 November 2006, Macquarie University

Trevor Patrick is a local historian of the north-west of Sydney, Australia. His latest book, In Search of the Pennant Hills, recounts some of these stories (and others) in more detail.