Macquarie Grove is a heritage-listed former airport administration offices and private residence and now private residence located at Aerodrome Road, Cobbitty, in the south-western Sydney suburb of Camden in the Camden Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1812 to 1850. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. History After settling at Sydney Cove in 1788, the First Fleet soon found the soil unsuitable for farming and looked for more fertile soils beyond the established boundaries of the colony. By 1795, the settlers had journeyed to the Cumberland Plain and discovered the rich land of the Cowpastures, named after the discovery of a herd of wild cows that had escaped the colony years earlier and wandered west, grazing the land now known as the Camden district. Following the colonial discovery of the area, the colonial gentry soon regarded it as rich, fertile and suitable land for livestock grazing and pastoral pursuits. The low rambling hills and wide expanses of grass flats were devoid of difficult vegetation and reminded the colonists of the familiar landscape of an English gentleman's park. This environment was considered ideal for the establishment of the wealthy estates so desired by the colonial gentry. Quickly, the acquisition of land in the district was being sought by private colonists. The newly appointed governor, Lachlan Macquarie, agreed that the northern bank of the Nepean River should be settled and soon had the land surveyed before granting the first of the land allotments to the colonial elite from 1812. These land grants were for large scale allotments and were intended to facilitate large-scale landholdings for the wealthy colonists of the period. Of these large landholdings, a parcel was granted to Rowland Hassall in 1812. Having arrived at Sydney Cove in 1798 with wife Elizabeth and sons Thomas, Samuel Otoo and Jonathon, Hassall was one of the pioneer colonists and quickly established himself as a prominent settler by acquiring, in addition to leasing, large portions of land around Parramatta and Cobbitty. A missionary, sheep breeder and successful pastoralist, Hassall was appointed Superintendent of NSW Government Stock in 1814 and was responsible for the distribution and maintenance of stock in the Cowpastures region (one of the most extensive stock runs in the colony). During his period as Superintendent (1814–19), Hassall was assisted by